485BPOS 1 thndrstrm-tpm_485b.htm POST EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT thndrstrm-tpm_485b.htm

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 23, 2011
1933 Act Registration File No. 333-62298
1940 Act File No. 811-10401

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A
 
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
[X]
Pre-Effective Amendment No.
   
[   ]
Post-Effective Amendment No.
220
 
[X]

AND/OR

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
[X]
Amendment No.
222
 
[X]
 
TRUST FOR PROFESSIONAL MANAGERS
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
 
(414) 287-3338
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)
 
Rachel A. Spearo, Esq.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 2nd Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
 
Copies to:
 
Carol A. Gehl, Esq.
Godfrey & Kahn S.C.
780 North Water Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(414) 273-3500

As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement is declared effective.
(Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering)
 
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
 
[   ]                      immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b).
[X]                      on March 30, 2011 pursuant to paragraph (b).
[   ]                      60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1).
[   ]                      on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1).
[   ]                      75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2).
[   ]                      on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485.
 

If appropriate check the following box:

[   ]           This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Thunderstorm logo




Thunderstorm Value Fund
(Symbol: THUNX)



Prospectus

March 30, 2011









The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete.  Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
 
 
 
Thunderstorm Value Fund
a series of Trust for Professional Managers (the “Trust”)





 
 

 

Investment Objective.  The investment objective of the Thunderstorm Value Fund (the “Fund”) is long-term capital appreciation.

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

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
 
None
 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
1.00%
Other Expenses
1.78%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (1)
2.78%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement
-1.30%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement (2)
1.48%
 
(1)
Please note that the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in the table above do not correlate to the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets found within the “Financial Highlights” section of this prospectus, which do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.
 
(2)
Pursuant to an operating expense limitation agreement between the Fund’s investment adviser, Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC (the “Adviser”), and the Fund, the Adviser has agreed to waive its management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (exclusive of taxes, leverage, interest, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses) do not exceed 1.48% of the Fund’s average net assets through August 31, 2012.  The operating expense limitation agreement can be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board of Trustees”).  The Adviser is permitted to be reimbursed for management fee reductions and/or expense payments made in the prior three fiscal years, subject to the limitation on the Fund’s expenses.

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

One Year
Three Years
Five Years
Ten Years
$151
$608
$1,230
$2,912

Portfolio Turnover.  The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio).  A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.  These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance.  During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 92.86% of the average value of its portfolio.
 
 

 
Principal Investment Strategies. To achieve its investment objective the Fund invests in the common stocks of U.S. and foreign companies, selecting stocks considered by the Adviser to be undervalued.  The Fund’s principal valuation measures are price/earnings ratio, price/book ratio and price/sales ratio.  The Adviser will purchase stocks it judges to be bargains based on one or more of these three measures.

The Fund’s investments may include common stocks of companies of any size and market capitalization range.  At all times, the Fund expects the majority of its assets to be invested in U.S. stocks.  However, when the Adviser deems it appropriate, the Fund may invest up to 50% of its net assets in foreign securities, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), which are certificates typically issued by a bank or trust company that represent one or more shares of stock of a foreign company, or a fraction of a share, and give their holders the right to obtain the securities issued by a foreign company that they represent.  The Fund’s allocation to foreign securities may at times include an allocation of up to 25% of the Fund’s net assets to emerging markets.

The Adviser identifies stocks as candidates for investment by using an extensive screening and research process.  In addition to low valuations, the Adviser seeks out stocks that display one or more of the following qualities:

Ø  
a strong balance sheet (exemplified by a low debt-to-equity ratio).
Ø  
a history of earnings growth exceeding industry norms.
Ø  
an attractive level of profitability (as measured by return on equity or return on total capital).
Ø  
stock purchases and ownership by insiders.
Ø  
a business strategy that appears to be sound and innovative.
Ø  
a “catalyst” that may change investors’ opinions about a stock’s prospects for the better.

The Adviser often buys stocks on bad news that it believes is real but temporary.  In the Adviser’s view, taking advantage of temporary dislocations in the market, and of investors’ overreactions to transitory events, enhances the probability of achieving significant capital gains.  The Adviser sells stocks when it believes they have become overvalued, when it judges that company or industry conditions have changed adversely, or when it finds another stock it judges to be a significantly better bargain.  The Adviser may sometimes engage in active trading of the Fund’s portfolio investments to achieve the Fund’s investment objective.

Principal Risks.  Remember that in addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose money by investing in the Fund.  The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

·  
Management Risk.  Risk that the Advisor’s investment strategies for the Fund may not result in an increase in the value of your investment or in overall performance equal to other investments.
·  
General Market Risk.  Risk that the value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the Fund’s investments and other factors affecting the securities markets generally.
·  
Equity Market Risk.  Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change.
·  
Large-Cap, Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Companies Risk.  Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller competitors.  Also, large-cap companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.  Securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies may be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large-cap companies.
 
 
 
 
·  
Foreign Securities Risk.  Investing in foreign securities includes risks relating to political, social and economic developments abroad and differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory requirements and market practices, including fluctuations in foreign currencies.
·  
Emerging Markets Risk.  Countries in emerging markets are generally more volatile and can have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues.
·  
High Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk. A high portfolio turnover rate (100% or more) has the potential to result in increased brokerage transaction costs and the realization by the Fund, and distribution to shareholders, of a greater amount of capital gains than if the Fund had a low portfolio turnover rate.  This may mean that you would be likely to have a higher tax liability.  Distributions to shareholders of short-term capital gains are taxed as ordinary income under federal tax laws.

Performance.  The bar chart demonstrates the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.  The Average Annual Total Returns table also demonstrates these risks by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.  Remember, the Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.  Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.thunderstormvalue.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 877-374-3888.

Thunderstorm Value Fund
Calendar Year Returns as of December 31
 
Bar chart page 3
The Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of February 28, 2011 was 1.82%.  During the period shown in the bar chart, the best performance for a quarter was 19.75% (for the quarter ended June 30, 2009) and the worst performance was -20.70% (for the quarter ended December 31, 2008).

Average Annual Total Returns
 
Periods Ended
December 31, 2010
 
One Year
Since Inception
(12/31/2007)
Thunderstorm Value Fund
   
Return Before Taxes
19.01%
1.00%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
19.01%
0.79%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
12.36%
0.79%
S&P 500 Index
15.06%
(2.86)%
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
   
 
 

 
After-tax returns are calculated using the historically highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

The Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other return figures when a capital loss occurs upon the redemption of Fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

Management

Investment Adviser.  Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.

Portfolio Manager.  Mr. John R. Dorfman, President of the Adviser, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2007.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares.  You may conduct transactions by mail (Thunderstorm Value Fund, c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701 (for regular mail) or 615 East Michigan Street, 3rd Floor, Milwaukee, WI 53202 (for overnight or express mail)), or by telephone at 877-374-3888.  Investors who wish to purchase or redeem Fund shares through a financial intermediary should contact the financial intermediary directly.  The minimum initial investment in the Fund is $2,500.  The minimum investment for subsequent investments in any type of account is $1,000.

Tax Information.  The Fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.  If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services.  These payments may create conflicts of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment.  Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
 
 

 
Investment Objective
The investment objective of the Fund is long-term capital appreciation.
 
Principal Investment Strategies
To achieve its investment objective the Fund invests in the common stocks of U.S. and foreign companies, selecting stocks considered by the Adviser to be undervalued.  Undervalued stocks are generally those that are out of favor with investors and are trading at valuations that the Adviser believes are below average in relation to the overall U.S. stock market or to a stock’s own valuation history.  The Fund’s principal valuation measures are price/earnings ratio, price/book ratio and price/sales ratio.  The Adviser will purchase stocks it judges to be bargains based on one or more of these three measures.

The Fund’s investments may include common stocks of companies of any size and market capitalization range.  At all times, the Fund expects the majority of its assets to be invested in U.S. stocks.  However, when the Adviser deems it appropriate, the Fund may invest up to 50% of its net assets in foreign securities, including ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are certificates typically issued by a bank or trust company that represent one or more shares of stock of a foreign company, or a fraction of a share, and give their holders the right to obtain the securities issued by a foreign company that they represent.  The allocation to foreign securities may at times include an allocation of up to 25% of the Fund’s net assets to emerging markets.

The Adviser identifies stocks as candidates for investment by using an extensive screening and research process.  In addition to low valuations, the Adviser seeks out stocks that display one or more of the following qualities:

Ø  
a strong balance sheet (exemplified by a low debt-to-equity ratio).
Ø  
a history of earnings growth exceeding industry norms.
Ø  
an attractive level of profitability (as measured by return on equity or return on total capital).
Ø  
stock purchases and ownership by insiders.
Ø  
a business strategy that appears to be sound and innovative.
Ø  
a “catalyst” that may change investors’ opinions about a stock’s prospects for the better.

In analyzing the prospects for a company and its stock, the Adviser takes into account sales and earnings not only for the most recent four quarters, but also for the past five to ten years.  In some cases the Adviser may base its analysis on “normalized” earnings, particularly when it appears that recent results are abnormal.

The Adviser often buys stocks on bad news that it believes is real but temporary.  In the Adviser’s view, taking advantage of temporary dislocations in the market, and of investors’ overreactions to transitory events, enhances the probability of achieving significant capital gains.  The Adviser sells stocks when it believes they have become overvalued, when it judges that company or industry conditions have changed adversely, or when it finds another stock it judges to be a significantly better bargain.
 
General Investment Policies of the Fund
Cash or Similar Investments.  For temporary defensive purposes, the Adviser may invest up to 100% of a Fund’s total assets in high-quality, short-term debt securities and money market instruments.  These short-term debt securities and money market instruments include shares of other mutual funds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, U.S. Government securities and repurchase agreements.  Taking a temporary defensive position may result in a Fund not achieving its investment objective.  Furthermore, to the extent that a Fund invests in money market mutual funds for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such money market funds’ management fees and operational expenses.
 
 

 
Change in Investment Objective, Strategies and Policies.  The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by sole action of the Board of Trustees, without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders, upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
 
Principal Risks
Before investing in the Fund, you should carefully consider your own investment goals, the amount of time you are willing to leave your money invested and the amount of risk you are willing to take.  In addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose money by investing in the Fund.  The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

Management Risk.  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the Adviser’s investment strategies for the Fund.  The value of your investment in the Fund may vary with the effectiveness of the Adviser’s research, analysis and asset allocation among portfolio securities.  If the Adviser’s investment strategies do not produce the expected results, your investment could be diminished or even lost.

General Market Risk.  The market value of a security may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably.  These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than the price originally paid for it, or less than it was worth at an earlier time.  Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, sector of the economy or the market as a whole.  U.S. and international markets have experienced significant volatility in recent years.  The securities markets have experienced substantially lower valuations, reduced liquidity, price volatility, credit downgrades, increased likelihood of default and valuation difficulties, all of which may increase the risk of investing in securities held by the Fund.

Equity Market Risk.  Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change.  These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including expectations regarding: government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic and banking crises.  When you hold common stock of any given issuer, you are generally exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payments from issuers in comparison with the rights of preferred stockholders, bondholders and other creditors of such issuers.

Small-, Mid- and Large-Cap Companies Risk.  The Fund may invest in companies of any size, which include small-, mid- and large-cap companies.  Although diminished in large-cap companies, the risks of investing in all companies include business failure and reliance on erroneous reports.  Small- and mid-cap companies often have narrower markets and limited managerial and financial resources compared to larger, more established companies.  As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.  You should expect that the value of the Fund’s shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in large-cap companies.  However, larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller competitors.  Also, large-cap companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.

Foreign Securities Risk.  To the extent that the Fund invests in securities of foreign companies, your investment in the Fund is subject to foreign securities risk.  These include risks relating to political, social and economic developments abroad and differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory requirements and market practices.  Securities that are denominated in foreign currencies are subject to the further risk that the value of the foreign currency will fall in relation to the U.S. dollar and/or will be affected by volatile currency markets or actions of U.S. and foreign governments or central banks.  In addition to developed markets, the Fund may invest in up to 25% of its net assets in emerging markets, which are markets of countries in the initial stages of industrialization and that generally have low per capita income.  In addition to the risks of foreign securities in general, countries in emerging markets are generally more volatile and can have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues. The Fund may have up to 50% of its net assets invested directly or indirectly in foreign securities, including up to 25% of its net assets in emerging markets.
 
 

 
Emerging Markets Risk.  Securities of companies located in developing or emerging markets entail additional risks, including: less social, political and economic stability; smaller securities markets and lower trading volume, which may result in less liquidity and greater price volatility; national policies that may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including restrictions on investments in issuers or industries, or expropriation or confiscation of assets or property; and less developed legal structures governing private or foreign investment.

High Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk. High portfolio turnover rates could generate capital gains that must be distributed to shareholders as short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income rates (currently as high as 35%) and could increase brokerage commission costs.  To the extent that the Fund experiences an increase in brokerage commissions due to a higher turnover rate, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by the increased expenses incurred by the Fund.  Rapid portfolio turnover also exposes shareholders to a higher current realization of short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income rates.  However, while the Fund’s future annual portfolio turnover rate cannot be accurately predicted, the Adviser expects it may range from 20% to 150%, with an estimated normal range of 50% to 100%.
 
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).  Disclosure of the Fund’s holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the annual and semi-annual reports to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q.  The annual and semi-annual reports to Fund shareholders are available free of charge by contacting Thunderstorm Value Fund, c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701, by calling 877-374-3888, or on the Fund’s website at www.thunderstormvalue.com.  The Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The Adviser
The Fund has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) with Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC, located at 101 Federal Street, Suite 1900, Boston, MA 02110, under which the Adviser manages the Fund’s investments subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees.  As of the date of this Prospectus, the Adviser did not manage any investment products or accounts other than the Fund.  The Adviser is a subsidiary of Thunderstorm Capital LLC (“Thunderstorm Capital”), an investment management firm serving institutions, endowments, foundations and high net-worth individuals, with approximately $58 million in assets under management as of December 31, 2010.

The Fund compensates the Adviser for its services at the annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, payable on a monthly basis.  Subject to the general supervision of the Board of Trustees, the Adviser is responsible for managing the Fund in accordance with its investment objective and policies, making decisions with respect to, and also orders for, all purchases and sales of portfolio securities.  The Adviser also maintains related records for the Fund.
 
 

 
Fund Expenses.  The Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses.  Pursuant to an operating expense limitation agreement between the Adviser and the Fund, the Adviser has agreed to waive its management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to ensure that the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (exclusive generally of any front-end or contingent deferred loads, taxes, leverage, interest, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) do not exceed 1.48% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.  Any waiver of management fees or payment of expenses made by the Adviser may be reimbursed by the Fund in subsequent years if the Adviser so requests.  This reimbursement may be requested if the aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking into account the reimbursement) does not exceed the applicable limitation on Fund expenses.  The Adviser is permitted to be reimbursed for management fee reductions and/or expense payments made in the prior three fiscal years.  Any such reimbursement will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees.  The Fund must pay its current ordinary operating expenses before the Adviser is entitled to any reimbursement of management fees and/or expenses.  This Operating Expense Limitation Agreement can be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Board of Trustees.

A discussion regarding the basis of the approval by the Board of Trustees of the Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser, on behalf of the Fund, is included in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2010.
 
Portfolio Manager
John R. Dorfman is chairman of Thunderstorm Capital, an investment management firm he founded in 1999.  As of December 31, 2010, the firm had six employees and managed approximately $58 million.  Mr. Dorfman graduated from Princeton University in 1969 and was a financial journalist for 27 years, including 11 years as a senior special writer at The Wall Street Journal.  In 1997 he made a career change to work for Dreman Value Management.  At Dreman (1997-2002) he was first an analyst, then a portfolio manager and a managing director.  From 1997-2007 and from January 1, 2009 to the present, he has written a stock-market column for Bloomberg News.  At Thunderstorm Capital, he is the sole portfolio manager for separate accounts and co-manages a hedge fund.  At the Adviser, he is President and Chief Investment Officer and is the sole portfolio manager of the Fund.

The SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager’s compensation, other accounts managed and ownership of securities in the Fund.

The price of Fund shares is the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per share.  The NAV per share is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund’s total assets, less its liabilities, by the number of its shares outstanding.  In calculating the NAV, portfolio securities are valued using current market values or official closing prices, if available.  The NAV is calculated at the close of regular trading of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), which is generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time.  The NAV will not be calculated on days that the NYSE is closed for trading.

Each security owned by the Fund that is listed on a securities exchange is valued at its last sale price on that exchange on the date as of which assets are valued.  Where the security is listed on more than one exchange, the Fund will use the price on the exchange that the Fund generally considers to be the principal exchange on which the stock is traded.  Portfolio securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”) will be valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price, which may not necessarily represent the last sale price.  If there has been no sale on such exchange or on NASDAQ on such day, the security is valued at the mean between the most recent bid and asked prices on such day.  When market quotations are not readily available, a security or other asset is valued at its fair value as determined under fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.  These fair value pricing procedures will also be used to price a security when corporate events, events in the securities market and/or world events cause the Adviser to believe that a security’s last sale price may not reflect its actual market value.  The intended effect of using fair value pricing procedures is to ensure that the Fund is accurately priced.  The Board of Trustees will regularly evaluate whether the Fund’s fair value pricing procedures continue to be appropriate in light of the specific circumstances of the Fund and the quality of prices obtained through their application by the Trust’s valuation committee.
 
 

 
When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.  Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, it is possible that the fair value determined for a particular security may be materially different (higher or lower) from the price of the security quoted or published by others or the value when trading resumes or realized upon its sale.  Therefore, if a shareholder purchases or redeems Fund shares when the Fund holds securities priced at a fair value, the number of shares purchased or redeemed may be higher or lower than it would be if the Fund were using market value pricing.

In the case of foreign securities, the occurrence of certain events after the close of foreign markets, but prior to the time the Fund’s NAV is calculated (such as a significant surge or decline in the U.S. or other markets) often will result in an adjustment to the trading prices of foreign securities when foreign markets open on the following business day.  If such events occur, the Fund will value foreign securities at fair value, taking into account such events, in calculating the NAV.  In such cases, use of fair valuation can reduce an investor’s ability to seek to profit by estimating the Fund’s NAV in advance of the time the NAV is calculated.  The Adviser anticipates that the Fund’s portfolio holdings will be fair valued only if market quotations for those holdings are considered unreliable.

Investors may be charged a fee if they effect transactions through a financial intermediary.  The Fund has authorized one or more financial intermediaries (each an “Authorized Intermediary”) to receive on its behalf purchase and redemption orders.  Authorized Intermediaries are authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf.  In such cases, the Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an Authorized Intermediary or, if applicable, an Authorized Intermediary’s authorized designee, receives the order.  Customer orders will be priced at the Fund’s NAV per share next computed after the order is received in good order by an Authorized Intermediary or its authorized designee.
 
How to Purchase Shares
Shares of the Fund are purchased at the next NAV per share calculated after your purchase order is received by the Fund, or by an Authorized Intermediary.

Minimum Investments.  The minimum initial investment in the Fund is $2,500.  The minimum investment for subsequent investments in any type of account is $1,000.  These minimums can be changed or waived at any time at the Fund’s discretion.  Shareholders will be given at least 30 days’ notice of any increase in the minimum dollar amount of initial or subsequent investments.  To request an account application, call toll free at 877-374-3888.

If you are purchasing shares through a financial intermediary, you must follow the procedures established by your financial intermediary.  Your financial intermediary is responsible for sending your purchase order and wiring payment to U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, the Fund’s transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”).  Your financial intermediary holds the shares in your name and receives all confirmations of purchases and sales.  Financial intermediaries placing orders for themselves or on behalf of their customers should call the Fund toll free at 877-374-3888, or follow the instructions listed in the following sections titled “Investing by Telephone,” “Purchase by Mail” and “Purchase by Wire.”
 
 

 
If you place an order for Fund shares through a financial intermediary in accordance with such financial intermediary’s procedures, and such financial intermediary then transmits your order to the Transfer Agent, in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s instructions, your purchase will be processed at the NAV per share next calculated after the Transfer Agent receives your order.  The financial intermediary must promise to send to the Transfer Agent immediately available funds in the amount of the purchase price in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s procedures.  If payment is not received within the time specified, the Transfer Agent may rescind the transaction and the financial intermediary will be held liable for any resulting fees or losses.

In the case of Authorized Intermediaries that have made satisfactory payment or redemption arrangements with the Fund, orders will be processed at the NAV next calculated after receipt by the Authorized Intermediary, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.  Financial intermediaries, including Authorized Intermediaries, may set cut-off times for the receipt of orders that are earlier than the cut-off times established by the Fund.  For more information about your financial intermediary’s rules and procedures and whether your financial intermediary is an Authorized Intermediary, you should contact your financial institution directly.

All account applications (each an “Account Application”) to purchase Fund shares is subject to acceptance by the Fund and is not binding until so accepted.  Shareholders will receive the next NAV per share calculated after the Account Application has been accepted by the Fund.  The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order if, in its discretion, it is in the Fund’s best interest to do so.  For example, a purchase order may be refused if it appears so large that it would disrupt the management of the Fund.  Purchases may also be rejected from persons believed to be “market timers,” as described under the section entitled “Tools to Combat Frequent Transactions,” below.  A service fee, currently $25, as well as any loss sustained by the Fund, will be deducted from a shareholder’s account for any purchases that do not clear.  The Fund and the Transfer Agent will not be responsible for any losses, liability, cost or expense resulting from rejecting any purchase order.  Your order will not be accepted until a completed Account Application is received by the Fund or the Transfer Agent.

Purchase Requests Must be Received in Good Order

Your share price will be the next NAV per share calculated after the Transfer Agent or your Authorized Intermediary receives your purchase request in good order.  “Good order” means that your purchase request includes:

·  
the name of the Fund;
·  
the dollar amount of shares to be purchased;
·  
your account application or investment stub; and
·  
a check payable to “Thunderstorm Value Fund.”

All purchase requests received in good order before the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) will be processed on that same day.  Purchase requests received after the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) will receive the next business day’s NAV per share.

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

Investing by Telephone. If you have completed the “Telephone Purchase Authorization” section of the Account Application, you may purchase additional shares by telephoning the Fund toll free at 877-374-3888.  This option allows investors to move money from their bank account to their Fund account upon request.  Only bank accounts held at domestic financial institutions that are Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) members may be used for telephone transactions.  The minimum telephone purchase amount is $2,500.  If your order is received prior to the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time), shares will be purchased in your account at the price determined on the day your order is placed.
 
 

 
Purchase by Mail.  To purchase the Fund’s shares by mail, simply complete and sign the Account Application and mail it, along with a check made payable to “Thunderstorm Value Fund,” to:
 
Regular Mail
Overnight or Express Mail
Thunderstorm Value Fund   
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701
Thunderstorm Value Fund   
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 3rd Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53202

The Fund and the Transfer Agent do not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be their agents.  Therefore, deposit in the mail or with such services, or receipt at U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC post office box, of purchase orders or redemption requests does not constitute receipt by the Transfer Agent.  All purchases by check must be in U.S. dollars drawn on a domestic financial institution.  The Fund will not accept payment in cash or money orders.  The Fund also does not accept cashier’s checks in amounts of less than $10,000.  To prevent check fraud, the Fund will not accept third party checks, Treasury checks, credit card checks, traveler’s checks or starter checks for the purchase of shares.  The Fund is unable to accept post-dated checks, post-dated online bill pay checks, or any conditional order or payment.

Purchase by Wire.  If you are making your first investment in the Fund, you must have completed an Account Application and received a Thunderstorm account number before you wire the funds to the Transfer Agent.  You can mail or use an overnight service to deliver your Account Application to the Transfer Agent at the above address.  Upon receipt of your completed Account Application the Transfer Agent will establish an account for you.  Once your account has been established you may instruct your bank to send the wire.  Prior to sending the wire please call the Transfer Agent at 877-374-3888 to advise them of the wire and to ensure proper credit upon receipt.  Your bank must include the name of the Fund, your name and account number so that monies can be correctly applied.  Your bank should transmit immediately available funds by wire to:

 
Wire to:
U.S. Bank N.A.
 
ABA Number:
075000022
 
Credit:
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
 
Account:
112-952-137
 
Further Credit:
Thunderstorm Value Fund
   
(Shareholder Name/Account Registration)
   
(Shareholder Account Number)

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

Subsequent Investments.  The minimum subsequent investment for all accounts is $1,000.  Shareholders will be given at least 30 days’ written notice of any increase in the minimum dollar amount of subsequent investments.  You may add to your account at any time by purchasing shares by mail, by telephone or by wire.  You must call to notify the Fund at 877-374-3888 before wiring.  A remittance form, which is attached to your individual account statement, should accompany any investments made through the mail.  All purchase requests must include your shareholder account number.
 
 

 
Automatic Investment Plan.  For your convenience, the Fund offers an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”).  Under the AIP, after your initial investment, you may authorize the Fund to withdraw automatically from your personal checking or savings account an amount that you wish to invest, which must be at least $250, on a monthly basis.  In order to participate in the AIP, your bank must be a member of the ACH network.  If you wish to enroll in the AIP, complete the appropriate section in the Account Application.  The Fund may terminate or modify this privilege at any time.  You may terminate your participation in the AIP at any time by notifying the Transfer Agent five days prior to the effective date of the request.  A fee (currently $25) will be charged if your bank does not honor the AIP draft for any reason.

Anti-Money Laundering Program.  The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA PATRIOT Act”) and related anti-money laundering laws and regulations.  To ensure compliance with this law, the Account Application asks for, among other things, the following information for all “customers” seeking to open an “account” (as those terms are defined in rules adopted pursuant to the USA PATRIOT Act):

·  
full name;
·  
date of birth (individuals only);
·  
Social Security or taxpayer identification number; and
·  
permanent street address (a P.O. Box alone is not acceptable).

Accounts opened by entities, such as corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships or trusts will require additional documentation.

Please note that if any information listed above is missing, your Account Application will be returned and your account will not be opened.  In compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act and other applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, the Transfer Agent will verify the information on your application as part of the Program.  The Fund reserves the right to request additional clarifying information and may close your account if such clarifying information is not received by the Fund within a reasonable time of the request or if the Fund cannot form a reasonable belief as to the true identity of a customer.  If you require additional assistance when completing your Account Application, please contact the Transfer Agent at 877-374-3888.
 
How to Redeem Shares
In general, orders to sell or “redeem” shares may be placed directly with the Fund or through a financial intermediary.  However, if you originally purchased your shares through an financial intermediary, your redemption order must be placed with the same financial intermediary in accordance with the procedures established by that financial intermediary.  Your financial intermediary is responsible for sending your order to the Transfer Agent and for crediting your account with the proceeds.  You may redeem all or part of the Fund’s shares on any business day that the Fund calculates its NAV.  To redeem shares with the Fund, you must contact the Fund either by mail or by phone to place a redemption order.  You should request your redemption prior to the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) by the Transfer Agent or by your Authorized Intermediary in order to obtain that day’s closing NAV per share.  Redemption requests received after the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) will be treated as though received on the next business day.

Shareholders who have an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) or other retirement plan must indicate on their redemption request whether or not to withhold federal income tax.  Redemption requests failing to indicate an election not to have tax withheld will generally be subject to 10% withholding.
 
 

 
Payment of Redemption Proceeds.  You may redeem your Fund shares at a price equal to the NAV per share next determined after the Transfer Agent receives your redemption request in good order.  Your redemption request cannot be processed on days the NYSE is closed.  Redemption proceeds with respect to all requests received by the Fund in good order before the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) will usually be sent on the next business day.

A redemption request will be deemed in “good order” if it includes:

·  
the shareholder’s name;
·  
the name of the Fund you are redeeming;
·  
the account number;
·  
the share or dollar amount to be redeemed; and
·  
signatures by all shareholders on the account and a signature guarantee(s), if applicable.

You may have a check sent to the address of record, proceeds may be wired to your pre-established bank account or funds may be sent via electronic funds transfer through the ACH network using the bank instructions previously established for your account.  Redemption proceeds will typically be sent on the business day following your redemption.  Wires are subject to a $15 fee.  There is no charge to have proceeds sent via ACH, however, funds are typically credited to your bank within two to three days after redemption.  In all cases, proceeds will be processed within seven calendar days after the Fund receives your redemption request.

Before selling recently purchased shares, please note that if the Transfer Agent has not yet collected payment for the shares you are selling, it may delay sending the proceeds until the payment is collected, which may take up to 12 calendar days from the purchase date.  Furthermore, there are certain times when you may be unable to sell Fund shares or receive proceeds.  Specifically, the Fund may suspend the right to redeem shares or postpone the date of payment upon redemption for more than seven calendar days: (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend or holiday closings) or trading on the NYSE is restricted; (2) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to fairly determine the value of its net assets; or (3) for such other periods as the SEC may permit for the protection of shareholders.

Redemption proceeds will be sent to the address of record.  Signature guarantees can be obtained from banks and securities dealers, but not from a notary public.  The Fund is not responsible for interest lost on redemption amounts due to lost or misdirected mail. The Transfer Agent may require a signature guarantee for certain redemption requests.  A signature guarantee assures that your signature is genuine and protects you from unauthorized account redemptions.  A signature guarantee of each owner is required in the following situations:

·  
if ownership is being changed on your account;
·  
when redemption proceeds are payable or sent to any person, address or bank account not on record;
·  
if a change of address request has been received by the Transfer Agent within the last 15 days; and
·  
for all redemptions in excess of $100,000 from any shareholder account.

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

 
In addition to the situations described above, the Fund and the Transfer Agent reserve the right to require a signature guarantee or other acceptable signature verification in other instances based on the circumstances relative to the particular situation.

Redemption by Mail.  You can execute most redemptions by furnishing an unconditional written request to the Fund to redeem your shares at the current NAV per share.  Redemption requests in writing should be sent to the Transfer Agent at:
 
Regular Mail
Overnight or Express Mail
Thunderstorm Value Fund   
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701
Thunderstorm Value Fund   
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 3rd Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53202
 
Wire Redemption.  Wire transfers may be arranged to redeem shares.  The Transfer Agent charges a fee, currently $15, per wire redemption against your account on dollar specific trades, and from proceeds on complete redemptions and share-specific trades.

Telephone Redemption.  If you have been authorized to perform telephone transactions (either by completing the required portion of your Account Application or by subsequent arrangement in writing with the Fund), you may redeem shares, up to $100,000, by instructing the Fund by phone at 877-374-3888.  A signature authentication from a Signature Verification Program member or other acceptable financial institution source will be required of all shareholders in order to qualify for or to change telephone redemption privileges on an existing account.  Telephone redemptions will not be made if you have notified the Transfer Agent of a change of address within 15 days before the redemption request.  If you have a retirement account, you may not redeem shares by telephone.  Once a telephone transaction has been placed, it cannot be cancelled or modified.

Note:  Neither the Fund nor any of its service providers will be liable for any loss or expense in acting upon instructions that are reasonably believed to be genuine.  To confirm that all telephone instructions are genuine, the Fund will use reasonable procedures, such as requesting:

·  
that you correctly state your Fund account number;
·  
the name in which your account is registered; or
·  
the Social Security or taxpayer identification number under which the account is registered.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan.  The Fund offers a systematic withdrawal plan (the “SWP”) whereby shareholders or their representatives may request a redemption in a predetermined amount monthly, quarterly or annually.  Proceeds can be sent via check to the address on the account or proceeds can be sent by electronic funds transfer via the ACH network to a designated bank account.  To start the SWP, your account must have Fund shares with a value of at least $2,500, and the minimum amount that may be withdrawn is $100 per payment.  The SWP may be terminated or modified by the Fund at any time.  Any request to change or terminate your SWP should be communicated in writing or by telephone to the Transfer Agent no later than five business days before the next scheduled withdrawal.  A withdrawal under the SWP involves a redemption of Fund shares, and may result in a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes.  In addition, if the amount withdrawn exceeds the amounts credited to your account, the account ultimately may be depleted.  To establish the SWP, complete the SWP section of the Account Application.  Please call 877-374-3888 for additional information regarding the SWP.
 
 

 
The Fund’s Right to Redeem an Account.  The Fund reserves the right to redeem the shares of any shareholder whose account balance is less than $1,000, other than as a result of a decline in the NAV of the Fund or for market reasons.  The Fund will provide shareholders with written notice 30 days prior to redeeming the shareholder’s account.

Redemption-in-Kind.  The Fund generally pays redemption proceeds in cash.  However, under unusual conditions that make the payment of cash unwise (and for the protection of the Fund’s remaining shareholders), the Fund might pay all or part of a shareholder’s redemption proceeds in liquid securities with a market value equal to the redemption price (redemption-in-kind).

Specifically, if the amount you are redeeming during any 90-day period is in excess of the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the NAV of the Fund, valued at the beginning of such period, the Fund has the right to redeem your shares by giving you the amount that exceeds $250,000 or 1% of the NAV of the Fund in securities instead of cash.  If the Fund pays your redemption proceeds by a distribution of securities, you could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash, and will bear any market risks associated with such securities until they are converted into cash.
 
Tools to Combat Frequent Transactions
The Fund is intended for long-term investors.  Short-term “market-timers” who engage in frequent purchases and redemptions can disrupt the Fund’s investment program and create additional transaction costs that are borne by all of the Fund’s shareholders.  The Board of Trustees has adopted polices and procedures that are designed to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices that may disrupt portfolio management strategies and harm performance.  The Fund takes steps to reduce the frequency and effect of these activities in the Fund.  These steps may include, among other things, monitoring trading activity and using fair value pricing procedures, as determined by the Board of Trustees, when the Adviser determines current market prices are not readily available.  Although these efforts are designed to discourage abusive trading practices, these tools cannot eliminate the possibility that such activity will occur.  The Fund seeks to exercise its judgment in implementing these tools to the best of its abilities in a manner that it believes is consistent with shareholder interests.  Except as noted herein, the Fund applies all restrictions uniformly in all applicable cases.

Monitoring Trading Practices.  The Fund uses a variety of techniques to monitor for and detect abusive trading practices.  These techniques may change from time to time as determined by the Fund in its sole discretion.  To minimize harm to the Fund and its shareholders, the Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order (but not a redemption request) in whole or in part, for any reason (including, without limitation, purchases by persons whose trading activity in Fund shares is believed by the Adviser to be harmful to the Fund) and without prior notice.  The Fund may decide to restrict purchase and sale activity in its shares based on various factors, including whether frequent purchase and sale activity will disrupt portfolio management strategies and adversely affect Fund performance.

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

 
Due to the complexity and subjectivity involved in identifying abusive trading activity and the volume of shareholder transactions the Fund handles, there can be no assurance that the Fund’s efforts will identify all trades or trading practices that may be considered abusive.  In particular, since the Fund receives purchase and sale orders through financial intermediaries that use group or omnibus accounts, the Fund cannot always detect frequent trading.  However, the Fund will work with financial institutions as necessary to discourage shareholders from engaging in abusive trading practices and to impose restrictions on excessive trades.  In this regard, the Fund has entered into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries pursuant to which these intermediaries are required to provide to the Fund, at the Fund’s request, certain information relating to their customers investing in the Fund through non-disclosed or omnibus accounts.  The Fund will use this information to attempt to identify abusive trading practices.  Financial intermediaries are contractually required to follow any instructions from the Fund to restrict or prohibit future purchases from shareholders that are found to have engaged in abusive trading in violation of the Fund’s policies.  However, the Fund cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided to it from financial intermediaries and cannot ensure that it will always be able to detect abusive trading practices that occur through non-disclosed and omnibus accounts.  As a result, the Fund’s ability to monitor and discourage abusive trading practices in non-disclosed or omnibus accounts may be limited.
 
Other Fund Policies
Telephone Transactions.  If you elect telephone privileges on the account application or in a letter to the Fund, you may be responsible for any fraudulent telephone orders as long as the Fund has taken reasonable precautions to verify your identity.  In addition, once you place a telephone transaction request, it cannot be canceled or modified.

During periods of significant economic or market change, telephone transactions may be difficult to complete.  If you are unable to contact the Fund by telephone, you may also mail your requests to the Fund at the address listed under the section entitled “How to Purchase Shares” above.

Telephone trades must be received by or prior to market close.  During periods of high market activity, shareholders may encounter higher than usual call waiting times.  Please allow sufficient time to ensure that you will be able to complete your telephone transaction prior to the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 pm., Eastern time).

Policies of Other Financial Intermediaries.  Your Authorized Intermediary may establish policies that differ from those of the Fund.  For example, the institution may charge transaction fees, set higher minimum investments or impose certain limitations on buying or selling shares in addition to those identified in this Prospectus.  Please contact your Authorized Intermediary for details.

Householding.  In an effort to decrease costs, the Fund intends to reduce the number of duplicate prospectuses and annual and semi-annual reports you receive by sending only one copy of each to those addresses shared by two or more accounts and to shareholders the Fund reasonably believes are from the same family or household.  If you would like to discontinue householding for your accounts, please call toll-free at 877-374-3888 to request individual copies of these documents.  Once the Fund receives notice to stop householding, the Fund will begin sending individual copies 30 days after receiving your request.  This policy does not apply to account statements.

Inactive Accounts.  Your mutual fund account may be transferred to your state of residence if no activity occurs within your account during the “inactivity period” specified in your State’s abandoned property laws.
 
 
 
Distributions
The Fund will make distributions of net investment income and net capital gains, if any, at least annually, typically during the month of December.  The Fund may make additional distributions if it deems it desirable at another time during any year.

All distributions will be reinvested in Fund shares unless you choose one of the following options:  (1) receive distributions of net capital gains in cash, while reinvesting net investment income distributions in additional Fund shares; (2) receive all distributions in cash; or (3) reinvest net capital gain distributions in additional fund shares, while receiving distributions of net investment income in cash.

If you wish to change your distribution option, write to the Transfer Agent in advance of the payment date of the distribution.  Any such change will be effective only as to distributions for which the record date is five or more business days after the Transfer Agent receives the written request.

If you elect to receive distributions in cash and the U.S. Postal Service is unable to deliver your check, or if a check remains uncashed for six months, the Fund reserves the right to reinvest the distribution check in your account at the Fund’s then current NAV per share and to reinvest all subsequent distributions.
 
Tax Consequences
Distributions of the Fund’s net investment company taxable income (which includes, but is not limited to, interest, dividends, net short-term capital gains and net gains from foreign currency transactions), if any, are generally taxable to the Fund’s shareholders as ordinary income.  To the extent that the Fund’s distributions of net investment company taxable income are reported as attributable to “qualified dividend” income, such income may be subject to tax at the reduced rate of federal income tax applicable to non-corporate shareholders for net long-term capital gains, if certain holding period requirements have been satisfied by the Fund and the shareholder.  The current federal tax provisions applicable to “qualified dividends” are scheduled to expire for tax years beginning after December 31, 2012.  To the extent the Fund’s distributions of net investment company taxable income are attributable to net short-term capital gains, such distributions will be treated as ordinary income for the purposes of income tax reporting and will not be available to offset a shareholder’s capital losses from other investments.

To the extent the Fund’s distributions of net capital gains (net long-term capital gains less net short-term capital losses) are reported as capital gain distributions, such distributions will generally be taxable as long-term capital gains (currently at a maximum rate of 15%) regardless of the length of time that a shareholder has owned Fund shares.  If a net capital loss (net long-term capital losses plus net short-term capital gains) exceeds capital gains, the overall losses generally are subject to deduction limitations.

You will be taxed in the same manner whether you receive your distributions (whether of net investment company taxable income or net capital gains) in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares.  Distributions are generally taxable when received.  However, distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record on a date in such a month and paid the following January are taxable as if received on December 31.

Shareholders who sell or redeem shares generally will have a capital gain or loss from the sale or redemption.  The amount of the gain or loss and the applicable rate of federal income tax will depend generally upon the amount paid for the shares, the amount received from the sale or redemption and how long the shares were held by a shareholder.  Any loss arising from the sale or redemption of shares held for six months or less, however, is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions of net capital gain received on such shares.  In determining the holding period of such shares for this purpose, any period during which your risk of loss is offset by means of options, short sales or similar transactions is not counted.  If you purchase Fund shares within 30 days before or after redeeming other Fund shares at a loss, all or part of your loss will not be deductible and will instead increase the basis of the newly purchased shares.
 
 

 
The federal tax status of all distributions made by the Fund for the preceding year will be annually reported to shareholders.  Distributions by the Fund may also be subject to state and local taxes.  Additional tax information may be found in the SAI.

This section is not intended to be a full discussion of federal tax laws and the effect of such laws on you.  There may be other federal, state, foreign or local tax considerations applicable to a particular investor.  You are urged to consult your own tax adviser.
 
 

 
Financial Highlights
The following financial highlights table shows the Fund’s financial performance information for the period from December 31, 2007 (its commencement of operations) to November 30, 2008 and for the fiscal years ended November 30, 2009 and 2010.  Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund.  The total return in the table represents the rate that you would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming you reinvested all distributions).  This information has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders, which is available upon request.

Per Share Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout each Period
 
   
Year Ended November 30, 2010
   
Year Ended November 30, 2009
   
Period Ended November 30, 2008(1)
 
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
  $ 8.04     $ 6.52     $ 10.00  
                         
Income (loss) from investment operations:
                       
Net investment income (loss)
    (0.04 )     0.03       0.02  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
    1.35       1.74       (3.50 )
                         
Total from Investment Operations
    1.31       1.77       (3.48 )
                         
Less distributions paid:
                       
From net investment income
    (0.02 )     (0.03 )     ---  
From net realized gain on investments
    ---       (0.22 )     ---  
Total distributions paid
    (0.02 )     (0.25 )     ---  
                         
Net Asset Value, End of Period
  $ 9.33     $ 8.04     $ 6.52  
                         
Total Return(2)
    16.35 %     28.12 %     (34.80 )%
                         
Supplemental Data and Ratios:
                       
Net assets at end of period (000’s)
  $ 11,516     $ 10,933     $ 9,486  
Ratio of expenses to average net assets:
                       
Before waiver and expense reimbursement(3)
    2.77 %     3.01 %     2.43 %
After waiver and expense reimbursement(3)
    1.99 %     1.99 %     1.99 %
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets:
                       
Before waiver and expense reimbursement(3)
    (1.19 )%     (0.62 )%     (0.14 )%
After waiver and expense reimbursement(3)
    (0.41 )%     0.40 %     0.30 %
Portfolio turnover rate(2)
    92.86 %     88.52 %     22.49 %
                         

(1)
 
The Fund commenced operations on December 31, 2007.
(2)
 
Not annualized for periods less than a full year.
(3)
 
Annualized for periods less than one year.
 
 

 
PRIVACY NOTICE

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

·  
information we receive about you on applications or other forms;
·  
information you give us orally; and/or
·  
information about your transactions with us or others.

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

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

 
Investment Adviser
Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC
101 Federal Street, Suite 1900
Boston, Massachusetts 02110


Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Deloitte & Touche LLP
555 East Wells Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202


Legal Counsel
Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.
780 North Water Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202


Custodian
U.S. Bank, N. A.
Custody Operations
1555 North RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212


Transfer Agent, Fund Accountant and Fund Administrator
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202


Distributor
Quasar Distributors, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
 
 

 
Thunderstorm Value Fund
a series of Trust for Professional Managers


FOR MORE INFORMATION

You can find more information about the Fund in the following documents:

Statement of Additional Information
The Fund’s SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Fund and certain other additional information.  A current SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference.  This means that the SAI is legally considered a part of this Prospectus even though it is not physically within this Prospectus.  The SAI can be obtained at www.thunderstormvalue.com.

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports
The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports provide the most recent financial reports and portfolio listings. The annual report contains a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that affected the Fund’s performance during the Fund’s last fiscal year.

You can obtain a free copy of these documents, request other information or make general inquiries about the Fund by calling the Fund (toll-free) at 877-374-3888, by visiting the Fund’s website at www.thunderstormvalue.com or by writing to:

Thunderstorm Value Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701

You can review and copy information, including the Fund’s shareholder reports and SAI, at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.  You can obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling (202) 551-8090.  Reports and other information about the Fund are also available:

·  
free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s Internet website at http://www.sec.gov;
·  
for a fee, by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520; or
·  
for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.



(The Trust’s SEC Investment Company Act file number is 811-10401)
 
 
 


Thunderstorm logo




Statement of Additional Information
 
Dated:  March 30, 2011




Thunderstorm Value Fund
(Symbol: THUNX)


This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about the Thunderstorm Value Fund (the “Fund”), a series of Trust for Professional Managers (the “Trust”).  This SAI is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s current prospectus dated March 30, 2011 (the “Prospectus”), as supplemented and amended from time to time, which is incorporated herein by reference.  The Fund’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2010 are incorporated herein by reference to the Fund’s 2010 Annual Report to Shareholders.  To obtain a copy of the Prospectus and/or the Fund’s 2010 Annual Report to Shareholders, please write or call the Fund at the address or telephone number below:

Thunderstorm Value Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701
877-374-3888
 
 
 

 
 
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The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on May 29, 2001, and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company.  The Fund is one series, or mutual fund, formed by the Trust.  The Fund is a diversified series and has its own investment objective and policies.  As of the date of this SAI, shares of twenty-six other series of the Trust are offered in separate prospectuses and statements of additional information.  The Trust may start additional series and offer shares of a new fund under the Trust at any time.

The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of interests (or shares).  Interests in the Fund are represented by shares of beneficial interest each with a par value of $0.001.  Each series of the Trust has equal voting rights and liquidation rights, and are voted in the aggregate and not by the series except in matters where a separate vote is required by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or when the matters affect only the interest of a particular series.  When matters are submitted to shareholders for a vote, each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each full share owned and fractional votes for fractional shares owned.  The Trust does not normally hold annual meetings of shareholders.  The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board of Trustees”) shall promptly call and give notice of a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of voting upon removal of any trustee when requested to do so in writing by shareholders holding 10% or more of the Trust’s outstanding shares.

Each share of the Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets and liabilities belonging to the Fund and is entitled to such distributions out of the income belonging to the Fund as are declared by the Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees has the authority from time to time to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that series so long as the proportionate beneficial interests in the assets belonging to that series and the rights of shares of any other series are in no way affected.  Additionally, in the case of any liquidation of a series, the holders of shares of the series being liquidated are entitled to receive a distribution out of the assets, net of the liabilities, belonging to that series.  Expenses attributable to any series are borne by that series.  Any general expenses of the Trust not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular series are allocated by, or under the direction of, the Board of Trustees on the basis of relative net assets, number of shareholders or other equitable method.  No shareholder is liable to further calls or to assessment by the Trust without his or her express consent.

The assets of the Fund received for the issue or sale of its shares, and all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors, shall constitute the underlying assets of the Fund.  In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the Fund, the holders of shares of the Fund are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders.

Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

The investment objective of the Fund is long-term capital appreciation.  The Fund is diversified.  Under applicable federal laws, to qualify as a diversified fund, the Fund, with respect to 75% of its total assets, may not invest greater than 5% of its total assets in any one issuer and may not hold greater than 10% of the securities of one issuer.  The remaining 25% of the Fund’s total assets does not need to be “diversified” and may be invested in securities of a single issuer, subject to other applicable laws.  The diversification of a mutual fund’s holdings is measured at the time the fund purchases a security.  However, if a fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the fund’s total assets due to movements in the financial markets.  If the market affects several securities held by a fund, the fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of fewer issuers.  Because the Fund is diversified, the Fund is less subject to the risk that its performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few securities.
 
 

 
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.  The following discussion supplements the description of the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies set forth in the Prospectus.  Except for the fundamental investment limitations listed below (see “Fundamental Investment Limitations”), the Fund’s investment strategies and policies are not fundamental and may be changed by sole action of the Board of Trustees, without shareholder approval.  While the Fund is permitted to hold securities and engage in various strategies as described hereafter, it is not obligated to do so.  The Fund’s investment objective and strategies may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.

Whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security, or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition of such security or other asset.  Accordingly, any subsequent change in values, net assets or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether an investment complies with the Fund’s investment policies and limitations.  In addition, if a bankruptcy or other extraordinary event occurs concerning a particular investment by the Fund, the Fund may receive stock, real estate or other investments that the Fund would not, or could not, buy.  If this happens, the Fund will sell such investments as soon as practicable while trying to maximize the return to its shareholders.  Please note, however, that the guidance referenced in the first two sentences of this paragraph does not apply to the Fund’s investments in illiquid securities or the Fund’s borrowing of money.

Recent Market Events
U.S. and international markets have experienced significant volatility in recent years.  The securities markets have experienced substantially lower valuations, reduced liquidity, price volatility, credit downgrades, increased likelihood of default and valuation difficulties, all of which may increase the risks of investing in the securities held by the Fund.

Equity Securities
An equity security (such as a stock, partnership interest or other beneficial interest in an issuer) represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company.  Its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets and general market conditions.  Common stocks and preferred stocks are examples of equity securities.  Preferred stocks are equity securities that often pay dividends at a specific rate and have a preference over common stocks in dividend payments and liquidation of assets.  Some preferred stocks may be convertible into common stock.  Convertible securities are securities (such as debt securities or preferred stock) that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula.

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

 
Warrants
The Fund may invest in warrants as a non-principal investment strategy.  A warrant gives the holder a right to purchase at any time during a specified period a predetermined number of shares of common stock at a fixed price.  Unlike convertible debt securities or preferred stock, warrants do not pay a fixed coupon or dividend.  Investments in warrants involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for resale of the warrants, potential price fluctuations as a result of speculation or other factors and failure of the price of the underlying security to reach or have reasonable prospects of reaching a level at which the warrant can be prudently exercised (in which event the warrant may expire without being exercised, resulting in a loss of the Fund’s entire investment therein).

Foreign Investments and Currencies
The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers that are not publicly traded in the United States.  The Fund may also invest in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), foreign securities traded on a national securities market, purchase and sell foreign currency on a spot basis and enter into forward currency contracts (see “Forward Currency Contracts,” below).  Investments in depository receipts and foreign securities involve certain inherent risks, including the following:

Depositary Receipts.  The Fund may invest its assets in securities of foreign issuers in the form of depositary receipts, such as ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are securities representing securities of foreign issuers.  A purchaser of unsponsored depositary receipts may not have unlimited voting rights and may not receive as much information about the issuer of the underlying securities as with a sponsored depositary receipt.  Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, while EDRs and GDRs, in bearer form, may be denominated in other currencies and are designed for use in capital markets around the world.  ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are depositary receipts typically issued by a U.S. or foreign bank or trust company that give their holders the right to receive securities issued by a foreign company.  Such depositary receipts are denominated in the currency of the country of the bank or trust company that issues them.  For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are deemed to have the same classification as the underlying securities they represent.  Thus, an ADR, EDR or GDR representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emerging Markets.  Some of the securities in which the Fund may invest may be located in developing or emerging markets, which entail additional risks, including: less social, political and economic stability; smaller securities markets and lower trading volume, which may result in less liquidity and greater price volatility; national policies that may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including restrictions on investments in issuers or industries, or expropriation or confiscation of assets or property; and less developed legal structures governing private or foreign investment.

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

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

 
Temporary and Cash Investments
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will stay fully invested according to its principal investment strategies as noted above.  The Fund, however, may temporarily depart from its principal investment strategies by making short-term investments in cash, cash equivalents, and high-quality, short-term debt securities and money market instruments for temporary defensive purposes in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions.  This may result in the Fund not achieving its investment objectives during that period.

For longer periods of time, the Fund may hold a substantial cash position.  If the market advances during periods when the Fund is holding a large cash position, the Fund may not participate to the extent it would have if the Fund had been more fully invested.  To the extent that the Fund uses a money market fund for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such money market fund’s advisory fees and operational expenses.

The Fund may invest in any of the following securities and instruments:

Money Market Mutual Funds.  The Fund may invest in money market mutual funds in connection with its management of daily cash positions or as a temporary defensive measure.  Generally, money market mutual funds seek to earn income consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity.  They primarily invest in high quality money market obligations, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities, bank obligations and high-grade corporate instruments.  These investments generally mature within 397 days from the date of purchase.  An investment in a money market mutual fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any government agency.  The Fund’s investments in money market mutual funds may be used for cash management purposes and to maintain liquidity in order to satisfy redemption requests or pay unanticipated expenses.

Your cost of investing in the Fund will generally be higher than the cost of investing directly in the underlying money market mutual fund shares.  You will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the underlying money market mutual funds in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses.  Furthermore, the use of this strategy could affect the timing, amount and character of distributions to you and therefore may increase the amount of taxes payable by you.

Bank Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits.  The Fund may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits.  Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against monies deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return.  Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity.  Certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances acquired by the Fund will be dollar-denominated obligations of domestic or foreign banks or financial institutions which at the time of purchase have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. Government.

Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely 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 operations of the banking industry.
 
 

 
As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are, among other things, required to maintain specified levels of reserves, limited in the amount which they can loan to a single borrower and subject to other regulations designed to promote financial soundness.  However, such laws and regulations do not necessarily apply to foreign bank obligations that the Fund may acquire.

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

Savings Association Obligations.  The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (interest-bearing time deposits) issued by savings banks or savings and loan associations that have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million, based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such obligations is fully insured by the U.S. Government.

Commercial Paper, Short-Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short-term notes.  Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations.  Issues of commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.

Commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-2” or higher by S&P, “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or, if unrated, will be determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality.

Corporate obligations include bonds and notes issued by corporations to finance longer-term credit needs than supported by commercial paper.  While such obligations generally have maturities of ten years or more, the Fund may purchase corporate obligations which have remaining maturities of one year or less from the date of purchase and which are rated “A” or higher by S&P or “A” or higher by Moody’s.

Illiquid Securities
Certain types of securities in which the Fund may invest may be illiquid at the time of purchase, which means that there may be legal or contractual restrictions on their disposition, or that there are no readily available market quotations for such a security.  Illiquid securities present the risks that the Fund may have difficulty valuing these holdings and/or may be unable to sell these holdings at the time or price desired.  There are generally no restrictions on the Fund’s ability to invest in restricted securities (that is, securities that are not registered pursuant to the Securities Act), except to the extent such securities may be considered illiquid.  Securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act will be considered liquid if determined to be so under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees.  The Adviser is responsible for making the determination as to the liquidity of restricted securities (pursuant to the procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees).  The Adviser will determine a security to be illiquid if it cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at the value at which the Fund has valued the security.  Factors considered in determining whether a security is illiquid may include, but are not limited to: the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase and sell the security and the number of potential purchasers; the number of dealers who undertake to make a market in the security; the nature of the security, including whether it is registered or unregistered, and the market place; whether the security has been rated by an NRSRO; the period of time remaining until the maturity of a debt instrument or until the principal amount of a demand instrument can be recovered through demand; the nature of any restrictions on resale; and with respect to municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, there is reasonable assurance that the obligation will remain liquid throughout the time the obligation is held and, if unrated, an analysis similar to that which would be performed by an NRSRO is performed.  If a restricted security is determined to be liquid, it will not be included within the category of illiquid securities, which may not exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets.  Investing in Rule 144A securities could have the effect of increasing the level of the Fund’s illiquidity to the extent that the Fund, at a particular point in time may be unable to find qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing the securities.  The Fund is permitted to sell restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers.
 
 

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

The Fund may not:

1.
Issue senior securities, borrow money or pledge its assets, except that (i) the Fund may borrow from banks in amounts not exceeding one-third of its total assets (including the amount borrowed): and (ii) this restriction shall not prohibit the Fund from engaging in options transactions or short sales in accordance with its objectives and strategies;

2.
Act as underwriter (except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its investment portfolio);

3.
Invest 25% or more of its net assets, calculated at the time of purchase and taken at market value, in securities of issuers in any one industry (other than U.S. Government securities);

4.
Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities (although the Fund may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies that invest or deal in real estate);

5.
Purchase or sell commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving currencies and futures contracts and options thereon or investing in securities or other instruments that are secured by commodities;

6.
Make loans of money (except for the lending of its portfolio securities, purchases of debt securities consistent with the investment policies of the Fund and except for repurchase agreements); or

7.
With respect to 75% of its total assets, invest 5% or more of its total assets, computed at the time of investment, in securities of a single issuer or hold more than 10% of the voting securities of such issuer (does not apply to investment in the securities of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities or other investment companies).

The following is a list of non-fundamental investment restrictions applicable to the Fund.  These restrictions can be changed by the Board of Trustees, but the change will only be effective after notice is given to shareholders of the Fund:
 
 

 
The Fund may not:

Invest 15% or more of the value of its net assets, taken at the time of investment, in illiquid securities.  Illiquid securities are those securities without readily available market quotations, including repurchase agreements having a maturity of more than seven days.  Illiquid securities may also include restricted securities not determined by the Adviser to be liquid, non-negotiable time deposits and over-the-counter options.

Except with respect to borrowing and investment in illiquid securities, if a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time a transaction is effected, later changes in percentage resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation.


The management and affairs of the Fund are supervised by the Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees consists of four individuals.  The Trustees are fiduciaries for the Fund’s shareholders and are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware in this regard.  The Board of Trustees establishes policies for the operation of the Fund and appoints the officers who conduct the daily business of the Fund.

The Trustees and the officers of the Trust are listed below with their addresses, present positions with the Trust and principal occupations over at least the last five years.

Name, Address and Age
Position(s) Held with the Trust
Term of Office and Length of
Time Served
Number of Portfolios in Trust Overseen
by Trustee
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past Five Years
Other Directorships
Held by Trustee
Independent Trustees
     
Dr. Michael D. Akers
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Age: 55
Trustee
Indefinite Term; Since August 22, 2001
27
Professor and Chair, Department of Accounting, Marquette University (2004-present); Associate Professor of Accounting, Marquette University (1996-2004).
Independent Trustee, USA MUTUALS (an open-end investment company with two portfolios).
Gary A. Drska
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Age: 54
Trustee
Indefinite Term; Since August 22, 2001
27
Captain, Midwest Airlines, Inc. (airline company) (2000-present); Director, Flight Standards & Training (July 1990-December 1999).
 
Independent Trustee, USA MUTUALS (an open-end investment company with two portfolios).
 
 
 
Name, Address and Age
Position(s) Held with the Trust
Term of Office and Length of
Time Served
Number of Portfolios in Trust Overseen
by Trustee
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past Five Years
Other Directorships
Held by Trustee
Jonas B. Siegel
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Age: 67
Trustee
Indefinite Term; Since October 23, 2009
27
Managing Director, Chief Administrative Officer (“CAO”) and Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), Granite Capital International Group, L.P. (an investment management firm) (1994-Present); Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and CCO of Granum Series Trust (an open-end investment company) (1997-2007); President, CAO and CCO, Granum Securities, LLC (a broker-dealer) (1997-2007).
 
 Independent Trustee, Gottex Multi-Asset Endowment Fund complex (three closed-end investment companies); Independent Trustee, Gottex Multi-Alternatives Fund complex (three closed-end investment companies).
Interested Trustee and Officers
Joseph C. Neuberger*
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Age: 48
Chair-person, President and Trustee
Indefinite Term; Since August 22, 2001
27
Executive Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (1994-present).
Trustee, Buffalo Funds (an open-end investment company with ten portfolios); Trustee, USA MUTUALS (an open-end investment company with two portfolios).
John P. Buckel
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI
53202
Age: 53
Vice President,  Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer
Indefinite Term; Since January 10, 2008 (Vice President); Since September 10, 2008 (Treasurer)
 
N/A
Mutual Fund Administrator, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2004-Present); Mutual Fund Administrator, United Missouri Bank (2000-2004).
N/A
 
 
 
Name, Address and Age
Position(s) Held with the Trust
Term of Office and Length of
Time Served
Number of Portfolios in Trust Overseen
by Trustee
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past Five Years
Other Directorships
Held by Trustee
Robert M. Slotky
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI
53202
Age: 63
 
Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President and Anti-Money Laundering Officer
 
Indefinite Term; Since January 26, 2011
N/A
Senior Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, (July 2001 – present).
N/A
Rachel A. Spearo
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Age: 31
 
Secretary
Indefinite Term; Since November 15, 2005
N/A
Vice President and Legal Compliance Officer, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (September 2004-present).
N/A
Jennifer A. Lima
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Age: 37
 
Assistant Treasurer
Indefinite Term; Since January 10, 2008
N/A
Mutual Fund Administrator, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2002-Present).
N/A
* Mr. Neuberger is an “interested person” of the Trust as defined by the 1940 Act by virtue of the fact that he is an interested person of Quasar Distributors, LLC, the Fund’s principal underwriter.

The Board of Trustees provides oversight of the management and operations of the Trust.  Like all mutual funds, the day-to-day responsibility for the management and operation of the Trust is the responsibility of various service providers to the Trust and its individual series, such as the Adviser and the Fund’s distributor, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, each of whom are discussed in greater detail in this SAI.  The Board approves all significant agreements between the Trust and its service providers, including the agreements with these service providers.  The Board has appointed various individuals of certain of these service providers as officers of the Trust, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s day-to-day operations.  In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and service providers regarding the Trust’s operations.  The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who reports directly to the Board and who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters, including an annual compliance review.  Some of these reports are provided as part of formal “Board Meetings,” which are held five times per year, in person, and such other times as the Board determines is necessary, and involve the Board’s review of recent Trust operations.  From time to time one or more members of the Board may also meet with Trust officers in less formal settings, between formal Board Meetings to discuss various topics.  In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust, and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust’s investments, operations or activities.
 
 

 
The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to effectively perform its oversight function.  The Board of Trustees is comprised of three Independent Trustees – Dr. Michael D. Akers, Mr. Gary A. Drska and Mr. Jonas B. Siegel – and one Interested Trustee – Mr. Joseph C. Neuberger.  Accordingly, 75% of the members of the Board are Independent Trustees, who are Trustees who are not affiliated with the Adviser or its affiliates, or any other investment adviser or other service provider to the Trust or any underlying fund.  The Board of Trustees has established three standing committees, an Audit Committee, a Nominating Committee and a Valuation Committee, which are discussed in greater detail under “Board Committees” below.  Each of the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee are comprised entirely of Independent Trustees.  The Independent Trustees have engaged their own independent counsel to advise them on matters relating to their responsibilities in connection with the Trust.

The Trust’s Chairperson, Mr. Neuberger, is an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined by the 1940 Act, by virtue of the fact that he is an interested person of Quasar Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), which acts as principal underwriter to the Fund and many of the Trust’s other underlying funds.  Mr. Neuberger also serves as the Trust’s President and the Executive Vice President of U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, the Fund’s administrator (the “Administrator”).  The Trust has not appointed a lead Independent Trustee.

In accordance with the fund governance standards prescribed by the SEC under the 1940 Act, the Independent Trustees on the Nominating Committee select and nominate all candidates for Independent Trustee positions.  Each Trustee was appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees because of his experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as set forth in the subsection “Trustee Qualifications” below.

The Board reviews its structure regularly in light of the characteristics and circumstances of the Trust, including: the unaffiliated nature of each investment adviser and the fund(s) managed by such adviser; the number of funds that comprise the Trust; the variety of asset classes that those funds reflect; the net assets of the Trust; the committee structure of the Trust; and the independent distribution arrangements of each of the Trust’s underlying funds.

The Board has determined that the function and composition of the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee are appropriate means to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise from the Chairperson’s status as an Interested Trustee.  In addition, the inclusion of all Independent Trustees as members of the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee allows all such Trustees to participate in the full range of the Board of Trustees’ oversight duties, including oversight of risk management processes discussed below.  Given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust as described above, the Trust has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate.

As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and assessments and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel, including personnel of the Trust’s service providers.  Because risk management is a broad concept comprised of many elements (such as, for example, investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risks, business continuity risks, etc.) the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways.  For example, the Chief Compliance Officer regularly reports to the Board during Board Meetings and meets in executive session with the Independent Trustees and their legal counsel to discuss compliance and operational risks.  In addition, the Independent Trustee designated as the Audit Committee’s “audit committee financial expert” meets with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function. The full Board receives reports from the investment advisers to the underlying funds and the portfolio managers as to investment risks as well as other risks that may be discussed during Audit Committee meetings.
 
 

 
The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills appropriate to their continued service as Trustees of the Trust in light of the Trust’s business and structure.  The Trustees have substantial business and professional backgrounds that indicate they have the ability to critically review, evaluate and assess information provided to them.  Certain of these business and professional experiences are set forth in detail in the table above.  In addition, the Trustees have substantial board experience and, in their service to the Trust, have gained substantial insight as to the operation of the Trust.  The Board annually conducts a “self-assessment” wherein the effectiveness of the Board and the individual Trustees is reviewed.

In addition to the information provided in the table above, below is certain additional information concerning each individual Trustee.  The information provided below, and in the table above, is not all-inclusive.  Many of the Trustees’ qualifications to serve on the Board involve intangible elements, such as intelligence, integrity, work ethic, the ability to work together, the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to exercise judgment, the ability to ask incisive questions, and commitment to shareholder interests.  In conducting its annual self-assessment, the Board has determined that the Trustees have the appropriate attributes and experience to continue to serve effectively as Trustees of the Trust.

Dr. Michael D. Akers.  Dr. Akers has served as a Trustee of the Trust since August 2001.  Dr. Akers has also served as an independent trustee of USA Mutuals, an open-end investment company, since 2001.  Dr. Akers has been a Professor and Chair of the Department of Accounting of Marquette University since 2004, and was Associate Professor of Accounting of Marquette University from 1996 to 2004.  Through his experience as a trustee of mutual funds and his employment experience, Dr. Akers is experienced with financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.

Gary A. Drska.  Mr. Drska has served as a Trustee of the Trust since August 2001.  Mr. Drska has also served as an independent trustee of USA Mutuals since 2001.  Mr. Drska has served as a Captain of Midwest Airlines, Inc., an airline company, since 2000.  Through his experience as a trustee of mutual funds, Mr. Drska is experienced with financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.

Joseph C. Neuberger.  Mr. Neuberger has served as a Trustee of the Trust since August 2001.  Mr. Neuberger has also served as a trustee of USA Mutuals since 2001 and Buffalo Funds, an open-end investment company, since 2003.  Mr. Neuberger has served as Executive Vice President of the Administrator, a multi-service line service provider to mutual funds, since 1994.  Through his experience as a trustee of mutual funds and his employment experience, Mr. Neuberger is experienced with financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.

Jonas B. Siegel.  Mr. Siegel has served as a Trustee of the Trust since November 2009.  Mr. Siegel has also served as a trustee of the Gottex Multi-Asset Endowment Fund complex and the Gottex Multi-Alternatives Fund complex, each of which is comprised of three closed-end investment companies, since 2010.  Mr. Siegel has also served as the Managing Director, CAO and CCO of Granite Capital International Group, LP, an investment management firm, since 1994, and previously served as Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and CCO of Granum Series Trust, an open-end investment company, from 1997 to 2007, and as President, CAO and CCO of Granum Securities, LLC, a broker-dealer, from 1997 to 2007.  Through his experience as a trustee of mutual funds and his employment experience, Mr. Siegel is experienced with financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.
 
 

 
As of December 31, 2010, no Trustee or officer of the Trust beneficially owned shares of the Fund or any other series in the Trust.

Furthermore, as of December 31, 2010, neither the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, nor members of their immediate family, own securities beneficially, or of record, in the Adviser, the Distributor or any of their affiliates.  Accordingly, neither the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund nor members of their immediate family, have a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Adviser, the Distributor or any of their affiliates.

Audit Committee.  The Trust has an Audit Committee, which is comprised of the independent members of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Michael D. Akers, Mr. Gary A. Drska and Mr. Jonas B. Siegel.  The Audit Committee reviews financial statements and other audit-related matters for the Fund.  The Audit Committee also holds discussions with management and with the Fund’s independent auditor concerning the scope of the audit and the auditor’s independence. The Audit Committee met twice with respect to the Fund during the Fund’s prior fiscal year.

Nominating Committee.  The Trust has a Nominating Committee, which is comprised of the independent members of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Michael D. Akers, Mr. Gary A. Drska and Mr. Jonas B. Siegel.  The Nominating Committee is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for the position of trustee and meets only as necessary. The Nominating Committee did not meet with respect to the Fund during the Fund’s prior fiscal year.

The Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders for vacancies on the Board of Trustees.  Recommendations for consideration by the Nominating Committee should be sent to the President of the Trust in writing together with the appropriate biographical information concerning each such proposed nominee, and such recommendation must comply with the notice provisions set forth in the Trust’s By-Laws.  In general, to comply with such procedures, such nominations, together with all required information, must be delivered to and received by the Secretary of the Trust at the principal executive office of the Trust not later than 60 days prior to the shareholder meeting at which any such nominee would be voted on. Shareholder recommendations for nominations to the Board of Trustees will be accepted on an ongoing basis and such recommendations will be kept on file for consideration when there is a vacancy on the Board of Trustees.  The Nominating Committee’s procedures with respect to reviewing shareholder nominations will be disclosed as required by applicable securities laws.

Valuation Committee.  The Trust has a Valuation Committee.  The Valuation Committee is responsible for the following: (1) monitoring the valuation of Fund securities and other investments; and (2) as required, when the Board of Trustees is not in session, determining the fair value of illiquid securities and other holdings after consideration of all relevant factors, which determinations are reported to the Board of Trustees.  The Valuation Committee is currently comprised of Mr. Neuberger and Mr. John Buckel and Ms. Jennifer Lima, who each serve as an officer of the Trust.  The Valuation Committee meets as necessary when a price for a portfolio security is not readily available. The Valuation Committee met twice with respect to the Fund during the Fund’s prior fiscal year.

For their service as trustees for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2010, the independent trustees received from the Trust a retainer fee of $25,000, $1,500 per in-person board meeting and $750 per board meeting via telephone for all funds contained in the Trust, as well as reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with attendance at board meetings.  Interested trustees do not receive any compensation for their service as trustees.
 
 

 
Name of Person/Position
Aggregate Compensation From the Fund1
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as
Part of Fund Expenses
Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement
Total Compensation from Fund and the Trust2
Paid to Trustees
Dr. Michael D. Akers,
Independent Trustee
$1,558
None
None
$32,750
Gary A. Drska,
Independent Trustee
$1,558
None
None
$32,750
Jonas B. Siegel,
Independent Trustee
$1,527
None
None
$31,500
Joseph C. Neuberger,
Interested Trustee
None
None
None
None
1
Trustees fees and expenses are allocated among the Fund and any other series comprising the Trust.  Prior to July 1, 2010, the Independent Trustees received a retainer fee of $15,000 per year, $1,000 per in-person board meeting and $500 per telephonic board meeting.
2
There are currently twenty-six other portfolios comprising the Trust.

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund.  A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control.  As of February 28, 2011, the following shareholders were considered to be principal shareholders of the Fund:

Name and Address
% Ownership
Type of Ownership
Dana Hoffman
Bennett Hoffman UTMA
Lauren D. Hoffman UTMA
Doris Downes Testamentary Trust
FBO Bennett Hoffman
41 Church Street
Cortland, NY 13045-2743
 
10.12%
Record
James Burge
1430 Canoochee Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30319-3456
 
8.93%
Beneficial
Jonathan Schwartz
50 North 2nd Street
New Bedford, MA 02740-6249
 
5.47%
Beneficial
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
101 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104-4151
 
5.41%
Record
Michael S. Edwards
P.O. Box 218
Murfreesboro, NC 27855-0218
 
5.14%
Beneficial
Peter Swartz
Robin A. Swartz UTMA
557 Chestnut Street
Newton, MA 02468-1225
 
5.14%
Record
 
 

 
As stated in the Prospectus, investment advisory services are provided to the Fund by Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC, located at 101 Federal Street, Suite 1900, Boston, MA 02110, pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”).  The Adviser is 70% owned by Thunderstorm Capital LLC, an investment management firm serving pension funds, high-net-worth individuals, and charitable foundations.  John R. Dorfman, the Fund’s portfolio manager, owns 40% of Thunderstorm Capital LLC, and also beneficially owns 30% of the Adviser.

Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Adviser is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Fund.  Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides the Fund with such investment advice and supervision as it deems necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments.

After an initial two-year period, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from year to year, only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by: (i) the Board of Trustees or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund; and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement nor interested persons thereof, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.  The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser, when authorized by either: (i) a majority vote of outstanding voting securities of the Fund; or (ii) by a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees, or by the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice to the Trust.  The Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment,” as defined under the 1940 Act.  The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser under such agreement shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution of portfolio transactions for the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder.

In consideration of the services provided by the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is entitled to receive from the Fund a management fee computed daily and paid monthly, based on a rate equal to 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets as specified in the Prospectus.  However, the Adviser may voluntarily agree to waive a portion of the management fees payable to it on a month-to-month basis, including additional fees above and beyond any contractual agreement the Adviser may have to waive management fees and/or reimburse Fund expenses.

Fund Expenses.  The Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses.  The Adviser has agreed to reduce its management fees and/or pay expenses of the Fund to ensure that the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding any front-end or contingent deferred loads, taxes, leverage, interest, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) do not exceed 1.48% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.  Any reduction in management fees or payment of expenses made by the Adviser may be reimbursed by the Fund in subsequent fiscal years if the Adviser so requests.  This reimbursement may be requested if the aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking into account the reimbursement) does not exceed the applicable limitation on Fund expenses.  The Adviser is permitted to be reimbursed for management fee reductions and/or expense payments made in the prior three fiscal years.  Any such reimbursement will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees.  The Fund must pay its current ordinary operating expenses before the Adviser is entitled to any reimbursement of fees and/or expenses.  This agreement may be terminated at any time at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.
 
 

 
The table below sets forth, for the fiscal period ended November 30, 2008 and the fiscal years ended November 30, 2009 and 2010, the management fees accrued by the Fund under the Advisory Agreement, the amount of the management fees and Fund operating expenses waived or reimbursed by the Adviser, and the total management fees paid by the Fund to the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement:

Fiscal Period Ended
Advisory Fee
Waiver
Advisory Fee after Waiver
November 30, 2010
$112,804
$(88,280)
$24,524
November 30, 2009
$92,641
$(94,672)
$0
November 30, 2008(1)
$109,740
$(48,817)
$60,923
(1) The Fund commenced operations on December 31, 2007.

As disclosed in the Prospectus, John R. Dorfman is the portfolio manager (the “Portfolio Manager”) for the Fund and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.

The following provides information regarding other accounts managed or co-managed by the Portfolio Manager as of November 30, 2010:

Category of Account
Total Number of
Accounts Managed
Total Assets in
Accounts Managed
Number of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is
Based on Performance
Assets in Accounts for which Advisory Fee is
Based on Performance
Registered Investment Companies
0
$0
0
$0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
1
$9 million
1
$9 million
Other Accounts
76
$37 million
0
$0

The Adviser may also serve as the investment adviser to other accounts that have investment strategies that are similar to that of the Fund, which could create certain conflicts of interest with respect to timing and allocation of transactions.  All portfolio transactions will be implemented according to the Adviser’s trade allocation policies.  These policies, among other things, ensure that trades are allocated in a manner that fulfills the Adviser’s fiduciary duty to each advisory client and is fair and nondiscriminatory.

As co-owner of the Adviser, the Portfolio Manager receives a percentage of the Adviser’s profits.  The Portfolio Manager is also co-owner of Thunderstorm Capital LLC, the Adviser’s parent company, and is entitled to a percentage of that firm’s profits each year.  The Portfolio Manager is also eligible for the 401(k) plan offered by Thunderstorm Capital LLC.

As of November 30, 2010, the Portfolio Manager beneficially owned shares of the Fund as shown below:

Name of Portfolio Manager
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund
Mr. John Dorfman
$100,001-$500,000

Pursuant to an Administration Agreement (the “Administration Agreement”), between the Trust and the Administrator, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202, acts as administrator for the Fund.  The Administrator provides certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities: coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund’s independent contractors and agents; preparation for signature by an officer of the Trust of all documents required to be filed for compliance by the Trust and the Fund with applicable laws and regulations excluding those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including NAV and yield; responding to shareholder inquiries; and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund, and providing, at its own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out its duties.  In this capacity, the Administrator does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund shares.  Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, for its services, the Administrator receives from the Fund 0.12% of average net assets on the first $50 million of Fund assets, 0.08% of average net assets on the next $250 million and 0.05% on the balance, all subject to an annual minimum fee of $30,000.  The Administrator also acts as fund accountant, transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”) and dividend disbursing agent under separate agreements.
 
 

 
Administration Fees
Paid During Fiscal Periods Ended November 30,
2010
2009
2008(1)
$36,445
$34,895
$32,381
(1) The Fund commenced operations on December 31, 2007.

U.S. Bank, N.A.(the “Custodian”), an affiliate of U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, is the custodian of the assets of the Fund pursuant to a custody agreement between the Custodian and the Trust, whereby the Custodian charges fees on a transactional basis plus out-of-pocket expenses.  The Custodian’s address is 1555 N. River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212.  The Custodian does not participate in decisions relating to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund.  The Custodian and its affiliates may participate in revenue sharing arrangements with the service providers of mutual funds.

Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., 780 North Water Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202 serves as counsel to the Fund.

Deloitte & Touche LLP, 555 East Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund.

The Trust has entered into a Distribution Agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with the Distributor, Quasar Distributors, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202, pursuant to which the Distributor acts as the Fund’s principal underwriter, provides certain administration services and promotes and arranges for the sale of the Fund’s shares.  The offering of the Fund’s shares is continuous.  The Distributor, Administrator and Custodian are affiliated companies.  The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).

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

 
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser determines which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Fund and which broker-dealers are eligible to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions.  Purchases and sales of securities in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market will generally be executed directly with a “market-maker” unless, in the opinion of the Adviser, a better price and execution can otherwise be obtained by using a broker for the transaction.

Purchases of portfolio securities for the Fund will be effected through broker-dealers (including banks) that specialize in the types of securities that the Fund will be holding, unless better executions are available elsewhere.  Dealers usually act as principal for their own accounts.  Purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid and the asked price.  If the execution and price offered by more than one dealer are comparable, the order may be allocated to a dealer that has provided research or other services as discussed below.

In placing portfolio transactions, the Adviser will use reasonable efforts to choose broker-dealers capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable price and execution available.  The full range and quality of services available will be considered in making these determinations, such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the operational facilities of the firm involved, the firm’s risk in positioning a block of securities and other factors.  In those instances where it is reasonably determined that more than one broker-dealer can offer the services needed to obtain the most favorable price and execution available, consideration may be given to those broker-dealers that furnish or supply research and statistical information to the Adviser that it may lawfully and appropriately use in its investment advisory capacities, as well as provide other brokerage services in addition to execution services, although the Adviser does not currently allocate portfolio transactions in order to obtain such research or brokerage services.  The Adviser considers such information, which is in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by it under its Advisory Agreement with the Fund, to be useful in varying degrees, but of indeterminable value.

While it is the Fund’s general policy to first seek to obtain the most favorable price and execution available in selecting a broker-dealer to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund and consideration is not currently given to research and brokerage services that may be offered by a broker-dealer, weight may also given to the ability of a broker-dealer to furnish brokerage and research services to the Fund or to the Adviser, even if the specific services are not directly useful to the Fund and may be useful to the Adviser in advising other clients.  In negotiating commissions with a broker or evaluating the spread to be paid to a dealer, the Fund may therefore pay a higher commission or spread than would be the case if no weight were given to the furnishing of these supplemental services, provided that the amount of such commission or spread has been determined in good faith by the Adviser to be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services provided by such broker-dealer.  The standard of reasonableness is to be measured in light of the Adviser’s overall responsibilities to the Fund.

Investment decisions for the Fund may or may not be made independently from those of other client accounts managed by Thunderstorm Capital.  In certain instances, investment decisions will be made similar to other accounts managed.  In the case where the Fund uses similar strategies, applicable procedures will be taken to ensure trading allocations will be handled fairly and abide by all appropriate rules and regulations.  Nevertheless, it is possible that at times identical securities will be acceptable for both the Fund and one or more of such client accounts.  In such event, the position of the Fund and such client account(s) in the same issuer may vary and the length of time that each may choose to hold its investment in the same issuer may likewise vary.  However, to the extent any of these client accounts seek to acquire the same security as the Fund at the same time, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a position in such security as it desires, or it may have to pay a higher price or obtain a lower yield for such security.  Similarly, the Fund may not be able to obtain as high a price for, or as large an execution of, an order to sell any particular security at the same time.  If one or more of such client accounts simultaneously purchases or sells the same security that the Fund is purchasing or selling, each day’s transactions in such security will be allocated between the Fund and all such client accounts in a manner deemed equitable by the Adviser, taking into account the respective sizes of the accounts and the amount being purchased or sold.  It is recognized that in some cases this system could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security insofar as the Fund is concerned.  In other cases, however, it is believed that the ability of the Fund to participate in volume transactions may produce better executions for the Fund.  Notwithstanding the above, the Adviser may execute buy and sell orders for accounts and take action in performance of its duties with respect to any of its accounts that may differ from actions taken with respect to another account, so long as the Adviser shall, to the extent practical, allocate investment opportunities to accounts, including the Fund, over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis and in accordance with applicable law.
 
 

 
The Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” that the Fund has acquired during its most recent fiscal year. The Fund is also required to identify any brokerage transactions during its most recent fiscal year that were directed to a broker because of research services provided, along with the amount of any such transactions and any related commissions paid by the Fund.  The Fund did not acquire any securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2010.  For the year ended November 30, 2010, the Fund paid no commissions on transactions for research services though research is one factor in the selection of brokers and the allocations of commissions.

The following table shows the amounts paid by the Fund in brokerage commissions for the fiscal periods ended November 30, 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Brokerage Commissions
Paid During Fiscal Periods Ended November 30,
2010
2009
2008(1)
$24,434
$32,233
$11,983
(1) The Fund commenced operations on December 31, 2007.

Although the Fund generally will not invest for short-term trading purposes, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Adviser, investment considerations warrant such action.  Portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing (1) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by (2) the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year.  A 100% turnover rate would occur if all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, with the exception of securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less, were sold and either repurchased or replaced within one year.  A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to above-average transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions, could generate capital gains that must be distributed to shareholders as short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income rates (currently as high as 35%) and could increase brokerage commission costs.  To the extent that the Fund experiences an increase in brokerage commissions due to a higher portfolio turnover rate, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by the increased expenses incurred by the Fund and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions.
 
 

 
For the fiscal periods ended November 30, 2010 and 2009, the portfolio turnover rates for the Fund were as follows:

Portfolio Turnover
During Fiscal Periods Ended November 30,
2010
2009
92.86%
88.52%

The Fund, the Adviser and the Distributor have each adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act.  These Codes permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of the Adviser and Distributor to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.

The Board of Trustees has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policies”) wherein the Trust has delegated to the Adviser the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund as part of its investment advisory services, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Board.  The Proxy Voting Policies of the Adviser are attached as Appendix A.  The Proxy Voting Policies describe the procedures used by the Adviser to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities as well as the procedures the Adviser uses when a vote presents a conflict between the interests of the Fund’s shareholders and the Adviser.  Notwithstanding this delegation of responsibilities, however, the Fund retains the right to vote proxies relating to its portfolio securities.  The fundamental purpose of the Proxy Policies is to ensure that each vote will be in a manner that reflects the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders, taking into account the value of the Fund’s investments.

The actual voting records relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 are available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free to 877-374-3888 or by accessing the Fund’s website at www.thunderstormvalue.com.

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

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

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

 
The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted portfolio holdings disclosure policies (“Portfolio Holdings Policies”) that govern the timing and circumstances of disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Fund.  The Adviser has also adopted the Portfolio Holdings Policies.  Information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings will not be distributed to any third party except in accordance with these Portfolio Holdings Policies.  The Adviser and the Board of Trustees have considered the circumstances under which the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be disclosed under the Portfolio Holdings Policies.  The Adviser and the Board of Trustees also considered actual and potential material conflicts that could arise in such circumstances between the interests of the Fund’s shareholders and the interests of the Adviser, Distributor or any other affiliated person of the Fund.  After due consideration, the Adviser and the Board of Trustees have determined that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for disclosing portfolio holdings to persons described in the Portfolio Holdings Policies.  The Board of Trustees also authorized the Adviser or appointed officers to consider and authorize dissemination of portfolio holdings information to additional parties, after considering the best interests of the shareholders and potential conflicts of interest in making such disclosures.

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

Disclosure of the Fund’s complete holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter, in the annual and semi-annual reports to Fund shareholders, and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q.  These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

In the event of a conflict between the interests of the Fund and the interests of the Adviser or an affiliated person of the Adviser, the CCO of the Adviser, in consultation with the Trust’s CCO, shall make a determination in the best interests of the Fund, and shall report such determination to the Board of Trustees at the end of the calendar quarter in which such determination was made.  Any employee of the Adviser who suspects a breach of this obligation must report the matter immediately to the Adviser’s CCO or to his or her supervisor.

In addition, material non-public holdings information may be provided without lag as part of the normal investment activities of the Fund to each of the following entities which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the Fund, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed:  the Administrator; the Fund’s accountant; the Custodian; the Transfer Agent; the Fund’s independent auditor; counsel to the Fund or the Board of Trustees (current parties are identified in this SAI); broker-dealers (in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities); and regulatory authorities.  Portfolio holdings information not publicly available with the SEC may only be provided to additional third parties, in accordance with the Portfolio Holdings Policies, when the Fund has a legitimate business purpose, and the third party recipient is subject to a confidentiality agreement.  Portfolio holdings information may be separately provided to any person, including rating and ranking organizations such as Lipper and Morningstar, at the same time that it is filed with the SEC.  Portfolio holdings disclosure may be approved under the Portfolio Holdings Policies by the Trust’s CCO, Treasurer or President.
 
 

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

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

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

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

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

The Fund’s securities, including ADRs, which are traded on securities exchanges are valued at the last sale price on the exchange on which such securities are traded, as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the last available bid and asked price.

Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued on the exchange determined by the Adviser to be the primary market.  Securities primarily traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”) shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”).  If the NOCP is not available, such securities shall be valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation, or if there has been no sale on such day, at the mean between the bid and asked prices. OTC securities that are not traded on NASDAQ shall be valued at the most recent trade price.

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

An option that is written by the Fund is generally valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of the last sale price, the average of the quoted bid and asked prices.  An option that is purchased by the Fund is generally valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of the last sale price, the average of the quoted bid and asked prices.  If an options exchange closes after the time at which the Fund’s NAV is calculated, the last sale or last bid and asked prices as of that time will be used to calculate the NAV.
 
 

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


Purchase of Shares
Shares of the Fund are sold in a continuous offering and may be purchased on any business day through financial intermediaries, (each an “Authorized Intermediary”) or directly from the Fund.  The Fund may authorize one or more Authorized Intermediaries to accept purchase orders on the Fund’s behalf.  Authorized Intermediaries are authorized to designate other intermediaries to accept orders on the Fund’s behalf.  In such cases, the Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an Authorized Intermediary or, if applicable, an Authorized Intermediary’s authorized designee, receives the order.

Orders received by financial intermediaries other than Authorized Intermediaries on a business day and that are transmitted to the Fund by the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), on that day will be effected at the NAV per share determined as of the close of trading on the NYSE on that day.  Otherwise, the orders will be processed at the next determined price.  It is the financial intermediary’s responsibility to transmit orders so that they will be received by the Fund before the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time).

Purchase Requests Must be Received in Good Order

Your share price will be based on the next NAV per share calculated after the Transfer Agent or your Authorized Intermediary receives your purchase request in good order.  “Good order” means that your purchase request includes:

·  
the name of the Fund;
·  
the dollar amount of shares to be purchased;
·  
your account application or investment stub; and
·  
a check payable to “Thunderstorm Value Fund.”

All purchase requests received in good order before the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) will be processed on that same day.  Purchase requests received after the close of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) will receive the next business day’s NAV per share.

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

Redemption of Shares
To redeem shares, shareholders may send a written request in “good order” to:

Regular Mail
Overnight or Express Mail
Thunderstorm Value Fund   
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701
877-374-3888
Thunderstorm Value Fund   
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 3rd Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53202
 
 
 
A redemption request will be deemed in “good order” if it includes:

·  
the shareholder’s name;
·  
the name of the Fund;
·  
the account number;
·  
the share or dollar amount to be redeemed; and
·  
signatures by all shareholders on the account (with signature(s) guaranteed if applicable).

Redemption proceeds will be sent to the address of record. Signature guarantees can be obtained from banks and securities dealers, but not from a notary public.  The Fund will not be responsible for interest lost on redemption amounts due to lost or misdirected mail.

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

·  
if ownership is being changed on your account;
·  
when redemption proceeds are payable or sent to any person, address or bank account not on record;
·  
if a change of address request has been received by the Transfer Agent within the last 15 days; and
·  
for all redemptions in excess of $100,000 from any shareholder account.

In addition to the situations described above, the Fund and the Transfer Agent reserve the right to require a signature guarantee or other acceptable signature verification in other instances based on the circumstances relative to the particular situation.  Non-financial transactions including establishing or modifying certain services on an account may require a signature verification from a Signature Verification Program member or other acceptable form of authentication from a financial institution source.

The Fund does not accept signatures authenticated by a notary public.

The Fund and the Transfer Agent have adopted standards for accepting signature guarantees from banks and securities dealers.  The Fund may elect in the future to limit eligible signature guarantors to institutions that are members of a signature guarantee program.  The Fund and the Transfer Agent reserve the right to amend these standards at any time without notice.

Redemption-in-Kind
The Fund does not intend to redeem shares in any form except cash.  The Trust, however, has filed a notice of election under Rule 18f-1 of the 1940 Act that allows the Fund to redeem in-kind redemption requests of a certain amount.  Specifically, if the amount you are redeeming during any 90-day period is in excess of the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets of the Fund, valued at the beginning of such period, the Fund has the right to redeem your shares by giving you the amount that exceeds $250,000 or 1% of the net assets of the Fund in securities instead of cash.  If the Fund pays your redemption proceeds by a distribution of securities, you could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash, and will bear any market risks associated with such securities until they are converted into cash.

Each series of the Trust is treated as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes.  The Fund, as a series of the Trust, intends to qualify and elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended (the “Code”), provided it complies with all applicable requirements regarding the source of its income, diversification of its assets and timing of distributions.  The Fund’s policy is to distribute to its shareholders all of its net investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains for each fiscal year in a manner that complies with the distribution requirements of the Code, so that the Fund will not be subject to any federal income or excise taxes based on net income.  However, the Fund can give no assurances that its anticipated distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all taxes.
 
 

 
If the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company and is unable to obtain relief from such failure, it would be taxed as a corporation and, in such case, it would be more beneficial for a shareholder to directly own the Fund’s underlying investments rather than indirectly owning the underlying investments through the Fund.  If the Fund fails to distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year (i) at least 98% of its ordinary income for such year, (ii) at least 98.2% of capital gain net income for the 12-month period ending on October 31 during such year and (iii) any amounts from the prior calendar year that were not distributed and on which the Fund paid no federal income tax, the Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax.

Net investment income generally consists of interest, dividends and short-term capital gains, less expenses.  Capital gain net income is the excess of the gains from the Fund’s sales or exchanges of capital assets over the losses from such sales or exchanges, including any capital loss carryforward of the Fund.  The Fund may elect to defer certain losses for tax purposes.  At November 30, 2010, the Fund had accumulated net realized capital loss carryovers of $1,539,294 which will expire on November 20, 2017.

Distributions of net investment income are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income.  For individual shareholders, a portion of the distributions paid by the Fund may consist of qualified dividends eligible for taxation at the rate applicable to long-term capital gains to the extent the Fund reports the amount distributed as a qualified dividend and the shareholder meets certain holding period requirements with respect to his or her Fund shares.  In the case of corporate shareholders, a portion of the distributions may qualify for the intercorporate dividends-received deduction to the extent the Fund reports the amount distributed as eligible for deduction and the shareholder meets certain holding period requirements with respect to its Fund shares.  The aggregate amount so reported to either individuals or corporate shareholders cannot, however, exceed the aggregate amount of such dividends received by the Fund for its taxable year.  In view of the Fund’s investment policies, it is expected that part of the distributions by the Fund may be eligible for the qualified dividend income treatment for individual shareholders and the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.

Any long-term capital gain distributions are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains regardless of the length of time shares have been held.  Net capital gains distributions are not eligible for the qualified dividend income treatment or the dividends-received deduction referred to in the previous paragraph.

Distributions of any net investment income and net realized capital gains will be taxable as described above, whether received in shares or in cash.  Shareholders who choose to receive distributions in the form of additional shares will have a cost basis for federal income tax purposes in each share so received equal to the NAV of a share on the reinvestment date.  Distributions are generally taxable when received.  However, distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record on a date in such a month and paid the following January are taxable as if received on December 31.  Distributions are includable in alternative minimum taxable income in computing a shareholder’s liability for the alternative minimum tax.

A redemption or exchange of Fund shares may result in recognition of a taxable gain or loss.  Any loss realized upon a redemption of shares within six months from the date of their purchase will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions of long-term capital gains received on those shares.  Any loss realized upon a redemption may be disallowed under certain wash sale rules to the extent shares of the Fund are purchased (through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the redemption.
 
 

 
Except in the case of certain exempt shareholders, if a shareholder does not furnish the Fund with its correct Taxpayer Identification Number and certain certifications or the Fund receives notification from the Internal Revenue Service requiring back-up withholding, the Fund is required by federal law to withhold federal income tax from the shareholder’s distributions and redemption proceeds currently at a rate of 28% for U.S. residents.  Generally, tax-exempt dividends are not subject to back-up withholding.  Interest and dividends payable on certain foreign investments may be subject to foreign withholding taxes.

Foreign taxpayers (including nonresident aliens) are generally subject to a flat withholding rate, currently 30% on U.S. source income.  This withholding rate may be lower under the terms of a tax convention.  Certain distributions of short-term capital gains and qualified interest income of the Fund will not be subject to such withholding for tax years beginning prior to 2012.

This discussion and the related discussion in the Prospectus have been prepared by Fund management, and counsel to the Fund has expressed no opinion in respect thereof.

This section is not intended to be a full discussion of federal tax laws and the effect of such laws on you.  There may be other federal, state, foreign or local tax considerations to a particular investor.  You are urged to consult your own tax adviser.

The Fund will receive income in the form of dividends and interest earned on its investments in securities.  This income, less the expenses incurred in its operations, is the Fund’s net investment income, substantially all of which will be distributed to the Fund’s shareholders.

The amount of the Fund’s distributions is dependent upon the amount of net investment income received by the Fund from its portfolio holdings, is not guaranteed and is subject to the discretion of the Board of Trustees.  The Fund does not pay “interest” or guarantee any fixed rate of return on an investment in its shares.

The Fund also may derive capital gains or losses in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities.  Any net gain the Fund may realize from transactions involving investments held less than the period required for long-term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing short-term capital gains and losses (taking into account any carryover of capital losses from previous taxable years), although a distribution from capital gains, will be distributed to shareholders with and as a part of the distributions of net investment income giving rise to ordinary income.  If during any year the Fund realizes a net gain on transactions involving investments held for the period required for long-term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing long-term capital gains and losses, the Fund will generally have a net long-term capital gain.  After deduction of the amount of any net short-term capital loss, the balance (to the extent not offset by any capital losses carried over from previous taxable years) will be distributed and treated as long-term capital gains in the hands of the shareholders regardless of the length of time the Fund’s shares may have been held by the shareholders.  Net capital losses of the Fund may be carried over indefinitely, and will generally retain their character as short-term or long-term capital losses.  For more information concerning applicable capital gains tax rates, see your tax adviser.

Any distribution paid by the Fund reduces the Fund’s NAV per share on the date paid by the amount of the distribution per share.  Accordingly, a distribution paid shortly after a purchase of shares by a shareholder would represent, in substance, a partial return of capital (to the extent it is paid on the shares so purchased), even though it would be subject to income taxes.
 
 

 
Distributions will be made in the form of additional shares of the Fund unless the shareholder has otherwise indicated.  Investors have the right to change their elections with respect to the reinvestment of distributions by notifying the Transfer Agent in writing.  However, any such change will be effective only as to distributions for which the record date is five or more business days after the Transfer Agent has received the written request.

The financial statements, accompanying notes and report of the independent registered public accounting firm appearing in the Fund’s 2010 Annual Report to Shareholders are incorporated by reference in this SAI.
 
 

 

Thunderstorm Mutual Funds, LLC

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
Adopted August 13, 2007, Amended November 16, 2007

Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders. Thunderstorm Value Fund will exercise care and diligence to ensure that proxies are voted in a proper and timely manner.

We recognize that not all shareholders have identical interests. We will vote proxies in a way that we believe will be in the interest of the overwhelming majority of shareholders.

We will keep a record of each proxy received, and maintain a log showing how each proxy was voted. If a shareholder wants to know how we voted a particular proxy, we will provide that information. In addition, the entire log is available to shareholders on request.

As a general rule, Thunderstorm Value Fund invests in the stock of companies with management whose ability and candor we respect. That framework dictates some of our specific proxy voting guidelines.

Generally, Thunderstorm Value Fund will vote in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals, including election of directors (where no corporate governance issues are involved), selection of auditors, and increases in or reclassification of common stock.

Generally, Thunderstorm Value Fund will vote against proposals that make it more difficult to replace members of the issuer's board of directors, cause management to be overrepresented on the board, introduce cumulative voting, introduce unequal voting rights, create supermajority voting, or create "poison pill" plans.

For other proposals, Thunderstorm Value Fund will determine whether a proposal is in the best interests of its shareholders and may take into account the following factors among others:

·  
Whether the proposal was recommended by management and the portfolio manager's opinion of management;
·  
Whether the proposal acts to entrench existing management; and
·  
Whether the proposal fairly compensates management for past and future performance. We believe that incentive pay for managers should be reasonable and not excessive, and should be tied to the accomplishment of specific and measurable corporate goals.

 
 
 
 
TRUST FOR PROFESSIONAL MANAGERS
PART C

THUNDERSTORM VALUE FUND

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28.  Exhibits.

(a)
   
Declaration of Trust.
 
(1)
(i)
Amended and Restated Certificate of Trust was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 84 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on April 18, 2008, and is incorporated by reference.
   
(ii)
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust was previously filed with Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 140 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on June 22, 2009, and is incorporated by reference.
(b)
   
Amended and Restated By-Laws.
 
(1)
 
Previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 140 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on June 22, 2009, and is incorporated by reference.
(c)
   
Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders are incorporated by reference to the Declaration of Trust and Bylaws.
(d)
   
Investment Advisory Agreement was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 15, 2007, and is incorporated by reference.
(e)
   
Underwriting Agreement was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 15, 2007, and is incorporated by reference.
(f)
   
Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts – Not Applicable.
(g)
   
Custody Agreement was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 15, 2007, and is incorporated by reference.
(h)
   
Other Material Contracts.
 
(1)
 
Fund Administration Servicing Agreement was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 15, 2007, and is incorporated by reference.
 
(2)
 
Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 15, 2007, and is incorporated by reference.
 
(3)
 
Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 15, 2007, and is incorporated by reference.
 
(4)
 
Power of Attorney was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on March 1, 2011, and is incorporated by reference.
 
(5)
 
Operating Expense Limitation Agreement – Filed herewith.
 
 
 
C-1

 

 
(i)
   
Legal Opinions.
 
(1)
 
Opinion and Consent of Counsel was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 15, 2007, and is incorporated by reference.
 
(2)
 
Consent of Counsel – Filed herewith.
(j)
   
Other Opinions.
 
(1)
 
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – Filed herewith.
(k)
   
Omitted Financial Statements – Not Applicable.
(l)
   
Agreement Relating to Initial Capital.
 
(1)
 
Previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on December 19, 2003, and is incorporated by reference.
(m)
   
Rule 12b-1 Plan — Not applicable.
(n)
   
Rule 18f-3 Plan — Not applicable.
(o)
   
Reserved.
(p)
   
Code of Ethics.
 
(1)
 
Code of Ethics for Registrant was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 162 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on November 9, 2009, and is incorporated by reference.
 
(2)
 
Code of Ethics for Fund and Adviser was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on May 2, 2005, and is incorporated by reference.
 
(3)
 
Code of Ethics for Principal Underwriter was previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 38 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on December 14, 2006, and is incorporated by reference.

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

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

Item 30.  Indemnification.

Reference is made to Article X of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust.

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

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

Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser for the Thunderstorm Value Fund.  The principal business address of the Adviser is 101 Federal Street, Suite 1900, Boston, MA 02110.  With respect to the Adviser, the response to this Item is incorporated by reference to the Adviser’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (“Form ADV”) on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) dated March 10, 2010.  The Adviser’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC's website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Item 32.  Principal Underwriter.

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

Academy Funds Trust
Jensen Portfolio, Inc.
Advisors Series Trust
Keystone Mutual Funds
Allied Asset Advisors Funds
Kiewit Investment Fund, LLLP
Alpine Equity Trust
Kirr Marbach Partners Funds, Inc.
Alpine Income Trust
LKCM Funds
Alpine Series Trust
Masters’ Select Funds Trust
Artio Global Funds
Matrix Advisors Value Fund, Inc.
Brandes Investment Trust
Monetta Fund, Inc.
Brandywine Blue Funds, Inc.
Monetta Trust
Bridges Investment Fund, Inc.
MP63 Fund, Inc.
Buffalo Funds
Nicholas Family of Funds, Inc.
Country Mutual Funds Trust
Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, Inc.
DoubleLine Funds Trust
Perritt Funds, Inc.
Empiric Funds, Inc.
Perritt Microcap Opportunities Fund, Inc.
Evermore Funds Trust
PineBridge Mutual Funds
First American Funds, Inc.
PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds
First American Investment Funds, Inc.
Professionally Managed Portfolios
First American Strategy Funds, Inc.
Prospector Funds, Inc.
Fort Pitt Capital Funds
Purisima Funds
Glenmede Fund, Inc.
Quaker Investment Trust
Glenmede Portfolios
Rainier Investment Management Mutual Funds
Greenspring Fund, Inc.
RBC Funds Trust
Guinness Atkinson Funds
SCS Financial Funds
Harding Loevner Funds, Inc.
Thompson Plumb Funds, Inc.
Hennessy Funds Trust
TIFF Investment Program, Inc.
Hennessy Funds, Inc.
Trust for Professional Managers
Hennessy Mutual Funds, Inc.
USA Mutuals Funds
Hennessy SPARX Funds Trust
Wall Street Fund
Hotchkis and Wiley Funds
Wexford Trust
Intrepid Capital Management Funds Trust
Wisconsin Capital Funds, Inc.
Jacob Funds, Inc.
WY Funds
 
 
 
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(b)           
To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of Quasar Distributors, LLC are as follows:

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

(c)           Not applicable.
 
Item 33.  Location of Accounts and Records.

The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are maintained in the following locations:

Records Relating to:
Are located at:
 
Registrant’s Fund Administrator, Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI  53202
 
Registrant’s Investment Adviser
Thunderstorm Mutual Funds LLC
101 Federal Street, Suite 1900
Boston, MA 02110
 
Registrant’s Custodian
U.S. Bank, National Association
1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, WI 53212
 
Registrant’s Distributor
Quasar Distributors, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI  53202

Item 34.  Management Services.

All management-related service contracts entered into by Registrant are discussed in Parts A and B of this Registration Statement.

Item 35.  Undertakings.

The Registrant hereby undertakes to furnish each person to whom a Prospectus for one or more of the series of the Registrant is delivered with a copy of the relevant latest annual report to shareholders, upon request and without charge.
 
 
 
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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed below on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, on the 23rd day of March, 2011.

TRUST FOR PROFESSIONAL MANAGERS

By:  /s/ John Buckel
John Buckel
Vice President, Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below on March 23, 2011 by the following persons in the capacities indicated.


Signature
 
Title
Joseph C. Neuberger*
Joseph C. Neuberger
 
Chairperson, President and Trustee
Dr. Michael D. Akers*
Dr. Michael D. Akers
 
Independent Trustee
Gary A. Drska*
Gary A. Drska
 
Independent Trustee
Jonas B. Siegel*
Jonas B. Siegel
 
Independent Trustee
* By        /s/ John Buckel                                
John Buckel
*Attorney-in-Fact pursuant to Power of Attorney previously filed with Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A with the SEC on March 11, 2011, and is incorporated by reference.
 
 
 
 
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EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit
Exhibit No.
 
Operating Expense Limitation Agreement
EX-99.h.5
Consent of Counsel
EX-99.i.2
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
EX-99.j.1

 
 
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