497 1 acstrategicincome497.htm 497

 

 

AlphaCentric Strategic Income Fund

Class A: SIIAX Class C: SIICX Class I: SIIIX

 

June 7, 2021

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Prospectus provides important information about the Fund that you should know before investing. Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FUND SUMMARY: ALPHACENTRIC STRATEGIC INCOME FUND 1
HOW TO BUY SHARES 54
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES 61
VALUING THE FUND’S ASSETS 64
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES 64
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND 65
INTERMEDIARY-SPECIFIC SALES CHARGE REDUCTIONS AND WAIVERS 68
PRIVACY NOTICE 74
FOR MORE INFORMATION 76

 

 

 
 

FUND SUMMARY: AlphaCentric STRATEGIC INCOME Fund

Investment Objective: The Fund’s investment objective is total return through current income and capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Examples below.  You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund's prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 54 and “Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers” and in the sections of the Fund's Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 40 and Waiver of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 41.

 

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

Class
A
Class
C
Class
I
Maximum Sales Charge
(Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price)
4.75% None None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) None None None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed

on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions

None None None
Redemption Fee None None None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

     
Management Fees 1.50% 1.50% 1.50%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses1 0.37% 0.37% 0.37%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1 2.12% 2.87% 1.87%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement1,2 (0.38)% (0.38)% (0.38)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement1 1.74% 2.49% 1.49%

1 Estimated for the current fiscal year.

2 The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding certain expenses including brokerage costs; underlying fund expenses; borrowing costs, such as (a), interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; and, extraordinary expenses) at 1.74%, 2.49% and 1.49% of the Fund’s Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class I shares, respectively, through July 31, 2022. This agreement may only be terminated by the Fund's Board of Trustees on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor and upon the termination of the Management Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the Advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived or (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

 

Example: This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example only accounts for the Fund’s expense limitation in place through its expiration period, July 31, 2022, and then depicts the Fund’s total annual expenses thereafter. The Example

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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:

 

Year Class A Class C Class I
1 $643 $252 $152
3 $1,073 $853 $551

 

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 may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. Because the Portfolio has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, the portfolio turnover rate for the last fiscal year is not available. In the future, the portfolio turnover rate for the most recent fiscal year will be provided here.

Principal Investment Strategies:

Goshen Rock Capital, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”) seeks undervalued investments and endeavors to identify overlooked factors that lead to price appreciation. The Sub-Advisor uses a fundamental, research driven approach to detect market inefficiencies and to identify what it perceives to be attractive risk-adjusted return potential. The Sub-Advisor’s analytic framework typically incorporates a “bottom up,” value-oriented evaluation of an investment’s potential. For fixed income securities, analysis is focused on understanding credit risks as well as structural nuances that could affect value. For equity securities, the focus revolves around asset-based analysis to uncover overlooked sources of value. The Sub-Advisor endeavors to purchase securities at a discount to their actual value based on the Sub-Advisor’s assessment of quantitative and qualitative factors (i.e., “intrinsic value”). The Sub-Adviser generally sells a security when it is at or near its intrinsic value or to facilitate the purchase of a security with a more attractive risk-adjusted return potential. Ultimately, investment decisions rely on the judgement and experience of the Sub-Advisor.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in interest-bearing fixed income securities and dividend paying equity securities. The Fund focuses its investments in agency and non-agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), including MBS secured by sub-prime mortgages; and debt and equity securities of companies engaged in real estate and mortgage related businesses, including, but not limited to, mortgage originators, mortgage servicers and real estate investment trusts (mortgage and equity) (“REITs"). The Fund may also invest in senior and subordinate collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), and the senior and subordinate debt securities and equity securities of businesses unrelated to real estate and mortgages. The Fund’s CDO or CLO investments will be concentrated in debt tranches, a portion of which could be subordinate debt tranches rated below investment grade. The Fund may invest in domestic and foreign entities.

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The Fund concentrates its investments (i.e., invests more than 25% of its net assets) in securities of real estate industry companies. Real estate industry companies are defined by the Fund as REITs, MBS and companies that derive a majority of their revenue from real estate or mortgage related businesses or have a majority of their assets invested in real estate or mortgages.

The Fund may invest in debt securities of any maturity or duration. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The more sensitive a security is to changes in interest rates, the higher its volatility risk. The Fund may invest in distressed asset backed securities and other below investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk") without limitation. Below investment grade securities are rated below Baa3 by Moody's Investor Services or equivalently by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization as well as non-rated securities. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest include the common stock, preferred stock and American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”) of companies of any capitalization. The Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. The Fund may use derivatives for hedging purposes. The Fund may hedge against rising interest rates through interest rate swaps, interest rate-linked futures and options. The Fund may hedge against rising default rates through credit default swaps, total return swaps linked to an asset or asset class that is representative of the default risks faced by the Fund, and credit spread options.

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), which means a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors.

Distribution Policy: The Fund’s distribution policy is to make monthly distributions to shareholders. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) from time to time. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. For more information about the Fund’s distribution policy, please turn to “Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks – Principal Investment Strategies – AlphaCentric Strategic Income Fund Distribution Policy and Goals” section in the Fund’s Prospectus.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund:

As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.

 

The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

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·ADRs Risk. ADRs, which are typically issued by a bank, are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign company and are alternatives to purchasing foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies and involve risks that are not found in investments in U.S. companies.

 

·Call Risk. Call risk is the risk that a security may be redeemed prior to its anticipated maturity. Call risk may impact the Fund’s profits and/or require it to reinvest at lower yields than were expected

 

·CDOs and CLOs Risk: CDOs and CLOs are securities backed by an underlying portfolio of debt and loan obligations, respectively. CDOs and CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield and may experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, decrease of market value due to collateral defaults and removal of subordinate tranches, market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CDO and CLO securities as a class. The risks of investing in CDOs and CLOs depend largely on the tranche invested in and the type of the underlying debts and loans in the tranche of the CDO or CLO, respectively, in which the Fund invests. Losses incurred by a CDO or CLO are borne first by holders of equity and the most subordinate tranches. CDOs and CLOs also carry risks including, but not limited to, interest rate risk and credit risk.

 

·Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk. The current low interest rate environment was created in part by actions taken by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) in response to COVID-19 to keep the federal funds rate at a low level, including expanding the scope of its repurchase agreement operations, and purchasing large quantities of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities on the open market. Any future interest rate increases could cause the value of the Fund to decrease to the extent that it invests in fixed rate fixed income securities. Federal Reserve policy changes may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility and may reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, which could cause the value of the Fund’s investments and share price to decline. If the Fund invests in derivatives tied to fixed-income markets, the Fund may be more substantially exposed to these risks than a fund that does not invest in derivatives. To the extent the Fund experiences high redemptions because of these policy changes, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, which will increase the costs the Fund incurs and may lower its performance. Furthermore, if rising interest rates cause the Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund. In addition, decreases in fixed income dealer market-making capacity may persist in the future, potentially leading to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets.

 

·Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.

 

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·Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security and other instrument will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund, particularly with respect to the non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund invests.

 

·Derivatives Risk. The Fund may use derivatives (including options, futures and swaps) to hedge against market declines and rising default rates. The Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time.

 

·Distribution Policy Risk. The Fund’s distribution policy is not designed to generate, and is not expected to result in, distributions that equal a fixed percentage of the Fund’s current net asset value per share. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e., from your original investment). Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares.

 

·Equity Security 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. Warrants and rights may expire worthless if the price of a common stock is below the conversion price of the warrant or right. 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.

 

·Extension Risk. Extension risk is the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected.

 

·Fixed Income Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund's share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.

 

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·Foreign Securities Risk. Since the Fund’s investments may include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and foreign securities, the Fund is subject to risks beyond those associated with investing in domestic securities. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies. In addition, foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards generally differ from those applicable to U.S. companies.

 

The departure of the United Kingdom and the potential departure of additional countries from the European Union may have significant political and financial consequences on global markets. Uncertainty relating to the withdrawal procedures and timeline may have adverse effects on valuations and the renegotiation of current trade agreements, as well as an increase in financial regulation in such markets.

 

·Industry Concentration Risk. A fund that concentrates its investments in an industry or group of industries is more vulnerable to adverse market, economic, regulatory, political or other developments affecting such industry or group of industries than a fund that invests its assets more broadly.

 

·Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. From time to time, the maturity and effective duration of the Fund’s bond portfolio may vary. While interest rates are at historic lows, a heightened risk to the Fund is posed by the greater potential for rising interest rates to the extent the Fund’s portfolio includes longer-term fixed income securities.

 

·Issuer Specific Risk. The value of a specific security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than those of larger issuers. The value of certain types of securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. The value of each underlying pool will be dependent on the success of the strategies used by its manager or managers. Certain managers may be dependent upon a single individual or small group of individuals, the loss of which could adversely affect their success.

 

·Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as "high yield" or "junk" bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund's ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund's share price.

 

·Large Capitalization Stock Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with
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smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.

 

·Legislative Risk. Legislative changes can adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. Legal, tax and other regulatory changes can be expected to occur over time that may adversely affect the Fund. The regulatory environment with respect to investment funds and their managers is evolving, and changes in regulations that affect investment funds and asset managers may result in an adverse effect on the value of the investments made by the Fund and on the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment objectives.

 

·LIBOR Risk. The Fund has exposure to LIBOR-linked investments and anticipates that LIBOR will be phased out by the end of 2021. While some instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate setting methodology, not all instruments may have such provisions and there is significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies and potential for short-term and long-term market instability. Because of the uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, the Fund cannot reasonably estimate the impact of the anticipated transition away from LIBOR at this time. If the LIBOR replacement rate is lower than market expectations, there could be an adverse impact on the value of preferred and debt securities with floating or fixed-to-floating rate coupons.

 

·Limited History of Operations. The Fund is a new mutual fund and has a limited history of operations for investors to evaluate.

 

·         Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments of the Fund would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations. The global impact of the coronavirus on the economic and financial markets have caused severe market dislocations and liquidity constraints in fixed income markets including many of the securities the Fund holds. To satisfy shareholder redemptions, it is more likely the Fund will be required to dispose of portfolio investments at unfavorable prices compared to their intrinsic value.

 

·Management Risk. The portfolio manager's judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests or sells short may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio manager's judgment will produce the desired results.

 

·Market Risk. Overall market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.

 

·Model and Data Risk. Like all quantitative analysis, the investment models utilized by the Sub-Advisor carry the risk that the ranking system, valuation results and predictions might be based on one or more incorrect assumptions, insufficient historical data, inadequate design, or may not be suitable for the purpose intended. In addition, models may not perform as intended
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for many reasons including errors, omissions, imperfections or malfunctions. Because the use of models are usually based on data supplied by third parties, the success of the Sub-Advisor’s use of such models is dependent on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied data. Historical data inputs may be subject to revision or corrections, which may diminish data reliability and quality of predictive results. Changing and unforeseen market dynamics could also lead to a decrease in the short-term or long-term effectiveness of a model. Models may lose their predictive validity and incorrectly forecast future market behavior and asset prices, leading to potential losses. No assurance can be given that a model will be successful under all or any market conditions.

 

·Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-backed securities represent participating interests in pools of residential mortgage loans, some of which are guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. However, the guarantee of these types of securities relates to the principal and interest payments and not the market value of such securities. In addition, the guarantee only relates to the mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund and not the purchase of shares of the Fund. Mortgage-backed securities do not have a fixed maturity and their expected maturities may vary when interest rates rise or fall. An increased rate of prepayments on the Fund’s mortgage-backed securities will result in an unforeseen loss of interest income to the Fund as the Fund may be required to reinvest assets at a lower interest rate. A decreased rate of prepayments lengthens the expected maturity of a mortgage-backed security. The prices of mortgage-backed securities may decrease more than prices of other fixed-income securities when interest rates rise. The liquidity of mortgage-backed securities may change over time. Subprime mortgages are riskier and potentially less liquid than mortgage-backed securities.

 

·New Sub-Advisor Risk. The Sub-Advisor has not previously managed a mutual fund. Mutual funds and their advisors are subject to restrictions and limitations imposed by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Internal Revenue Code that do not apply to the management of other types of individual and institutional accounts. As a result, investors do not have a long-term track record of managing a mutual fund from which to judge the Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisor may not achieve the intended result in managing the Fund.

 

·Non-diversification Risk. Because a relatively high percentage of a non-diversified Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors, the Fund’s portfolio may be more susceptible 60 to any single economic, technological or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund.

 

·Preferred Stock Risk. The value of preferred stocks will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of preferred stock. Preferred stocks are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that an issuer of preferred stock will fail to make its dividend payments.

 

·Prepayment Risk. Prepayment risk is the risk that principal on a debt obligation may be repaid earlier than anticipated. Prepayment risk may impact the Fund’s profits and/or require it to reinvest at lower yields than were expected.
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·Real Estate and REIT Risk.  The Fund is subject to the risks of the real estate market as a whole, such as taxation, regulations and economic and political factors that negatively impact the real estate market and the direct ownership of real estate.  These may include decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, rising operating costs, interest rates and property taxes. In addition, some real estate related investments are not fully diversified and are subject to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects. Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those associated with the real estate sector generally. REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or region are also subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks. By investing in REITs through the Fund, a shareholder will bear expenses of the REITs in addition to Fund expenses.

 

·Sector Concentration Risk. Sector concentration risk is the possibility that securities within the same sector will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If a Fund invests more heavily in a particular sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector. As a result, the Fund's share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors. Additionally, some sectors could be subject to greater government regulation than other sectors. Therefore, changes in regulatory policies for those sectors may have a material effect on the value of securities issued by companies in those sectors.

 

·Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund's portfolio.

 

·Smaller and Mid Capitalization Stock Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks. The earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies. Smaller-sized companies may experience higher failure rates than do larger companies. The trading volume of securities of smaller-sized companies is normally less than that of larger companies and, therefore, may disproportionately affect their market price, tending to make them fall more in response to selling pressure than is the case with larger companies. Smaller-sized companies may have limited markets, product lines or financial resources and may lack management experience.

 

·Sub-Prime Mortgage Risk. Lower-quality notes, such as those considered “sub-prime” are more likely to default than those considered “prime” by a rating evaluation agency or service provider. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for sub-prime notes and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell these securities. The lack of a liquid market for these securities could decrease the Fund’s share price. Additionally, borrowers may seek bankruptcy protection which would delay resolution of security holder claims and may eliminate or materially reduce liquidity.

 

Performance: The Fund acquired all the assets and liabilities of Strategos Deep Value Fund LP (the “Predecessor Fund”) in a tax-free reorganization on May 28, 2021.  In connection with this acquisition, shares of the Predecessor Fund were exchanged for Class I shares of the Fund.  The

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Fund’s investment objective, policies, restrictions, and guidelines are, in all material respects, equivalent to the Predecessor Fund’s investment objective, policies, restrictions, and guidelines. The Fund’s Sub-Advisor is an affiliate of the adviser to the Predecessor Fund and the Portfolio Managers for the Fund were also the portfolio managers for the Predecessor Fund. The financial statements for the Predecessor Fund can be found in the Fund’s SAI. The performance information set forth below reflects the historical performance of the Predecessor Fund shares.

 

The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.   The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s Class I shares for each full calendar year since the Predecessor Fund’s inception. Although Class A and Class C shares have similar annual returns to Class I shares because the classes are invested in the same portfolio of securities, the returns for Class A and Class C shares are different from Class I shares because Class A, and Class C shares have different expenses than Class I shares. Class A sales charges are reflected in the information shown below in the average annual total return table. The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s shares over time to the performance of a broad-based securities market index and supplemental broad-based securities market index composed of U.S. REITs.  You should be aware that the Fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

The Fund’s performance provided below for periods prior to the commencement of the Fund’s operations is that of the Predecessor Fund, which includes all the Predecessor Fund’s gross fees and expenses over various periods ended December 31, 2020, in the case of the performance table, as adjusted to include the applicable sales loads of each class of shares of the Fund. The performance of the Predecessor Fund has not been restated to reflect the fees, estimated expenses and fee waivers and/or expense limitations applicable to each class of shares of the Fund. If the performance of the Predecessor Fund had been restated to reflect the applicable fees and expenses of each class of shares of the Fund, the performance would have been lower. The Predecessor Fund did not have a distribution policy. It was a limited partnership, did not qualify as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes, and did not pay dividends or distributions. As a result of the different tax treatment, we are unable to show the after-tax returns for the Predecessor Fund. The Predecessor Fund was not registered under the 1940 Act and, therefore, was not subject to certain investment restrictions, limitations and diversification requirements that are imposed by the 1940 Act. If the Predecessor Fund had been registered under the 1940 Act, the Predecessor Fund’s performance may have been adversely affected. 

 

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Annual Total Returns*

 

 

*The returns shown are for the Class I shares of the Fund. Class A and Class C shares would have substantially similar returns because the shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the annual returns would differ only to the extent the Classes do not have the same expenses.

 

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 24.17% (quarter ended June 30, 2020), and the lowest return for a quarter was (9.89)% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The Fund’s Class I shares year-to-date returns as of March 31, 2021 was 8.99%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2020)

  1 Year

 

 

 

 

5 Year

Since the Predecessor Fund’s Inception

(August 1, 2011)

Class I Shares1 50.45% 15.81% 13.58%
Class A Shares1,2 41.48% 14.17% 12.58%
Class C Shares1 49.06% 14.66% 12.45%
Bloomberg U.S. MBS TR Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
3.87% 3.05% 2.77%
S&P U.S. REIT Net TR Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
(8.62)% 3.34% 6.12%

1. Includes the effect of performance fees paid by the investors of the Predecessor Fund.

2. Includes the effect of the maximum sales load.

 

Updated performance information and daily net asset value per share are available at no cost by calling toll-free 1-844-223-8637.

 

Advisor: AlphaCentric Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor: Goshen Rock Capital, LLC is the Fund’s investment sub-advisor.

 

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Portfolio Managers: David Gregory, Managing Member and Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, and Alex Cigolle, CFA, a Member and Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, are co-portfolio managers of the Fund and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day to day management of the Fund's portfolio. They have served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2021.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in all share classes of the Fund is $2,500 for regular and IRA accounts, and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in all share classes of the Fund is $100. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.

 

Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.

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

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund’s investment objective is total return through current income and capital appreciation. The investment objective of the Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”) without shareholder approval. If the Board decides to change the Fund’s investment objective, shareholders will be given 60 days’ advance notice.

 

PRINCIPAL AND NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Fund’s main investment strategies are discussed in this prospectus and are the strategies that the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor believes are most likely to be important in trying to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. You should note, however, that the Fund may use other non-principal strategies and invest in other securities not described in this prospectus, which are disclosed in detail in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). For a copy of the SAI please

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call toll free at 1-844-ACFUNDS (844-223-8637) or visit the Fund’s website at www.AlphaCentricFunds.com.

AlphaCentric Strategic Income Fund

Goshen Rock Capital, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”) seeks to uncover undervalued investments and endeavors to identify overlooked factors that will ultimately lead to price appreciation. The Sub-Advisor uses a fundamental, research driven approach to detect market inefficiencies and to identify what it perceives to be attractive risk-adjusted return potential. The Sub-Advisor’s analytic framework typically incorporates a “bottom up,” value-oriented evaluation of an investment’s potential. A “bottom up” approach focuses on the analysis of the individual investment and de-emphasizes the significance of macroeconomic and market cycles.

For fixed income securities, analysis is focused on gaining a thorough understanding of credit risks as well as structural nuances that could affect value. The Sub-Advisor considers the structural protection offered by subordinate debt, preferred and common shares when evaluating the senior debt of an issuer. For equity securities, the focus revolves around asset-based analysis which attempts to uncover overlooked sources of value.

The Sub-Advisor endeavors to utilize this analysis to purchase securities for the Fund at a discount to its actual value based on the Sub-Advisor’s assessment of quantitative and qualitative factors (i.e., “intrinsic value”). Quantitative factors are observable factors that reflect the health and profitability of a company, such as its assets, liabilities, revenue and price-to-earnings ratio. Qualitative factors are subjective factors such as a company’s brand or reputation. The Sub-Adviser generally sells a security when it is at or near its intrinsic value or to facilitate the purchase of a security with a more attractive risk-adjusted return potential. Ultimately, investment decisions made for the Fund rely on the judgement and experience of the Sub-Advisor.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in interest-bearing fixed income securities and dividend paying equity securities. The Fund focuses its investments in agency and non-agency residential and commercial MBS, including MBS secured by sub-prime mortgages; and debt and equity securities of companies engaged in real estate and mortgage related businesses, including, but not limited to, mortgage originators, mortgage servicers and REITs (mortgage and equity).

The Fund may also invest in senior and subordinate CDOs and CLOs, and the senior and subordinate debt securities and equity securities of businesses unrelated to real estate and mortgages. The Fund’s CDO or CLO investments will be concentrated in debt tranches, a portion of which could be subordinate debt tranches rated below investment grade. The Fund may invest in domestic and foreign entities.

The Fund concentrates its investments (i.e., invests more than 25% of its net assets) in securities of real estate industry companies. Real estate industry companies are defined by the Fund as REITs, MBS and companies that derive a majority of their revenue from real estate or mortgage related businesses or have a majority of their assets invested in real estate or mortgages. When assessing the value of MBS, the Sub-Advisor evaluates the credit quality of the underlying pool

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of mortgages as well as the structural protections offered by subordinate tranches of the particular MBS.

 

The Fund may invest in debt securities of any maturity or duration. Maturity refers to the period of time before the principal amount of a debt instrument becomes due. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. For example, if a bond has a duration of 5 years, a 1% rise in rates would result in a 5% decline in share price. If a bond has a duration of 10 years, a 1% rise in interest rates would result in a 10% decline in share price. The Fund may invest in distressed asset backed securities and other below investment grade securities (commonly referred to as "junk") without limitation. Below investment grade securities are rated below Baa3 by Moody's Investor Services or equivalently by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) as well as non-rated securities. An NRSRO is an SEC registered credit rating agency that provides an assessment of the creditworthiness of a security. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest include the common stock, preferred stock and ADRs of companies of any capitalization. The Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. The Fund may use derivatives for hedging purposes. The Fund may hedge against rising interest rates through interest rate swaps, interest rate-linked futures and options. The Fund may hedge against rising default rates through credit default swaps, total return swaps linked to an asset or asset class that is representative of the default risks faced by the Fund, and credit spread options.

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors.

Distribution Policy and Goals:

The Fund’s distribution policy is to make monthly distributions to shareholders. A portion of the distribution may be a return of capital. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) from time to time.

The Fund generally distributes to shareholders substantially all its net income (for example, interest and dividends) monthly as well as substantially all of its net capital gains (that is, long-term capital gains from the sale of portfolio securities and short-term capital gains from both the sale of portfolio securities and option premium earned) annually. In addition, pursuant to its distribution policy, the Fund may make distributions that are treated as a return of capital. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital. A return of capital is not taxable to a shareholder unless it exceeds a shareholder’s tax basis in the shares.

Returns of capital reduce a shareholder’s tax cost (or “tax basis”). Once a shareholder’s tax basis is reduced to zero, any further return of capital would be taxable. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any,

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upon disposition of their shares. As required under the 1940 Act, the Fund will provide a notice to shareholders at the time of distribution when such distribution does not consist solely of net income. Additionally, each distribution payment will be accompanied by a written statement which discloses the estimated source or sources of each distribution. The IRS requires you to report these amounts, excluding returns of capital, on your income tax return for the year declared. The Fund will provide disclosures, with each monthly distribution, that estimate the percentages of the current and year-to-date distributions that represent (1) net investment income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital. At the end of the year, the Fund may be required under applicable law to characterize distributions made previously during that year among (1) ordinary income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital for tax purposes. An additional distribution may be made in December, and other additional distributions may be made with respect to a particular fiscal year in order to comply with applicable law. Distributions declared in December, if paid to shareholders by the end of January, are treated for federal income tax purposes as if received in December.

Temporary Defensive Positions

From time to time, the Fund may take temporary defensive positions, which are inconsistent with the Fund's principal investment strategies, in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions. For example, the Fund may hold all or a portion of its assets in money market instruments, including cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, other investment grade fixed income securities, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper, money market funds and repurchase agreements. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited. If the Fund invests in a money market fund, the shareholders of the Fund generally will be subject to duplicative management fees. Although the Fund would do this only in seeking to avoid losses, the Fund will be unable to pursue its investment objective during that time, and it could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.

Manager-of-Managers Order

Mutual Fund Series Trust and the Advisor have received an exemptive order (the "Order") from the SEC that would permit the Advisor, with the approval of the Trust's Board of Trustees, to enter into sub-advisory agreements with one or more sub-advisors without obtaining shareholder approval. The Order permits the Advisor, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, to replace sub-advisors or amend sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Advisor and the Trustees believe such action will benefit the Fund and its shareholders.

INVESTMENT RISKS

 

All mutual funds carry a certain amount of risk. As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant. An investment in the Fund is not a complete investment program.

 

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The table below identifies the Fund’s principal and non-principal risks.

 

Principal Risk: ●

Non-Principal Risk: ○

Not Applicable: blank

 

Risks  
Acquired Funds Risk
ADR Currency Risk
ADRs Risk
Affiliated Investment Company Risk
Allocation Risk
Asset-Backed and Mortgage Backed Security Risk
Bank Loans Risk
Basic Materials Industry Risk
Business Development Companies (“BDC”) Risk
Call Options Risk
Call Risk
Capacity Risk
Cash or Cash Equivalents Risk
CDOs and CLOs Risk
Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk
Collateralized Bond Obligation Risk
Commodity Risk
Common Stock Risk
Conflict of Interest – Advisors/Sub-Advisors Risk
Conflict of Interest – Portfolio Manager Risk
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk
Consumer Staples Sector Risk
Convertible Bond Risk
Convertible Securities Risk
Counterparty Risk
Credit Default Swap Index Products Risk
Credit Default Swap Risk
Credit Risk
Credit Risk (for Floating Rate Loans)
Currency Risk
Derivatives Risk
Development Stage Company Risk
Distribution Policy Risk
Dividend Yield Risk
Duration Risk
Emerging Market Risk
Energy Related Securities Risk
Equity Security Risk
ETF Risk
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Exchange Traded Notes Risk
Extension Risk
Financial Sector Risk
Fixed Income Risk
Foreign Currency Risk
Foreign Exchanges Risk
Foreign Securities Risk
Forwards Risk
Futures Contract Risk
Geographic Concentration Risk
Growth Stock Risk
Healthcare Sector Risk
Hedging Risk
Index Risk
Index-Linked Derivatives Securities Risk
Industry Concentration Risk
Inflation-Indexed Bond Risk
Inflation Protected Securities Risk
Interest Rate Risk
Interest Rate Risk (for Floating Rate Loans)
Inverse ETF Risk
Investment Style Risk
IPO Risk
Issuer Specific Risk
Junk Bond Risk
Large Capitalization Stock Risk
Legislative Risk
Leverage Risk
Leveraged ETF Risk
LIBOR Risk
Life Science Sector Risk
Limited History of Operations
Liquidity Risk
Litigation Risk
Loan Risk
Machinery and Electrical Equipment Industry Risk
Management Risk
Market Risk
Market Price Variance Risk
Market Volatility-Linked ETFs Risk
Micro Capitalization Risk
MLP and MLP-Related Securities Risk
Model and Data Risk
Mortgage Backed Security Risk
Municipal Markets Risk
Municipal Securities Risk
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New Sub-Advisor Risk
Non-diversification Risk
Options Market Risk
Options Risk
OTC Trading Risk
Overlay Risk
Preferred Stock Risk
Prepayment Risk
Privately Held Companies Risk
Real Estate and REIT Risk
Regulatory Risk
Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Agreement Risk
Restricted Securities Risk
Risk Management Risk
Sector Concentration Risk
Security Risk
Segregation Risk
Short Selling Risk
Smaller and Mid Capitalization Stock Risk
Sovereign Debt Risk
Structured Note Risk
Sub-Prime Mortgage Risk
Swap Risk
Tax Reform Risk on Municipals
Taxation Risk
Technology Sector Risk
Tender Option Bonds Risk
Tracking Risk of ETFs  
Turnover Risk
U.S. Agency Securities Risk
U.S. Government Obligations Risk
Utilities Sector Risk
Volatility Risk
Wholly Owned Subsidiary Risk  

 

Descriptions of these principal risks as well as the non-principal risks of the Fund are set forth below. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

Acquired Funds Risk. Other investment companies, including mutual funds, ETFs and closed-end funds (“Underlying Funds”) in which the Fund invests are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, the cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the Underlying Funds and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Each of the Underlying Funds is subject to its own specific risks, but the Advisor expects the principal investments risks of such Underlying Funds will be similar

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to the risks of investing in the Fund. Additional risks of investing in ETFs and mutual funds are described below:

• Closed-End Fund Risk. Closed-end funds are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing will be higher than the cost of investing directly in a closed-end fund and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Closed-end funds are also subject to management risk because the adviser to the underlying closed-end fund may be unsuccessful in meeting the fund's investment objective. These funds may also trade at a discount or premium to their net asset value and may trade at a larger discount or smaller premium subsequent to purchase by the Fund. Since closed-end funds trade on exchanges, the Fund will also incur brokerage expenses and commissions when it buys or sells closed-end fund shares.

• ETF Tracking Risk: Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive ETFs in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive ETFs in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive ETFs may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive ETFs' ability to track their applicable indices.

• Inverse Correlation Risk: Underlying Funds that are inverse funds should lose value as the index or security tracked by such fund’s benchmark increases in value; a result that is the opposite from traditional mutual funds. Successful use of inverse funds requires that the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor correctly predict short term market movements. If the Fund invests in an inverse fund and markets rise, the Fund could lose money. Inverse funds may also employ leverage such that their returns are more than one times that of their benchmark.

• Management Risk: When the Fund invests in Underlying Funds there is a risk that the investment advisers of those Underlying Funds may make investment decisions that are detrimental to the performance of the Fund.

• Mutual Fund Risk: Mutual funds are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing will be higher than the cost of investing directly in a mutual fund and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Mutual funds are also subject management risk because the adviser to the underlying mutual fund may be unsuccessful in meeting the fund's investment objective and may temporarily pursue strategies which are inconsistent with the applicable Fund's investment objective.

• Net Asset Value and Market Price Risk: The market value of ETF shares may differ from their net asset value. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for fund shares at any point in time is not always identical to the

19 
 

supply and demand in the market for the underlying basket of securities. Accordingly, there may be times when shares trade at a premium or discount to net asset value.

• Strategies Risk: Each Underlying Fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the fund. These risks could include liquidity risk, sector risk, and foreign currency risk, as well as risks associated with fixed income securities and commodities.

ADR Currency Risk. To establish a value for the shares, the issuer establishes a “conversion rate” equal to one share of an ADR for a certain number of shares of the stock of a foreign company. This “conversion rate” establishes a universal monetary relationship between the value of the ADR and the local currency of the foreign company stock. Although an ADR is priced in the US dollar, in order to preserve the uniformity of the established “conversion rate,” movements in the exchange rate of the local currency versus the US dollar are automatically reflected in the price of the ADR in US dollars. Therefore, even if the price of the foreign security does not change on its market, if the exchange rate of the local currency relative to the US Dollar declines, the ADR price would decline by a similar measure.

 

Although an ADR is priced in the US dollar, in order to preserve the uniformity of the established “conversion rate,” movements in the exchange rate of the local currency versus the US dollar are automatically reflected in the price of the ADR in US dollars. Therefore, even if the price of the foreign security does not change on its market, if the exchange rate of the local currency relative to the US Dollar declines, the ADR price would decline by a similar measure.

 

ADRs Risk. ADRs, which are typically issued by a bank, are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign company and are alternatives to purchasing foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies and involve risks that are not found in investments in U.S. companies. In addition to the risks of investing in foreign securities discussed below, there is no guarantee that an ADR issuer will continue to offer a particular ADR. As a result, the Fund may have difficulty selling the ADR, or selling them quickly and efficiently at the prices at which they have been valued. In a sponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign company assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositary’s transaction fees. Under an unsponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign company assumes no obligations and the depositary’s transaction fees are paid directly by the ADR holders. Because unsponsored ADR arrangements are organized independently and without the cooperation of the foreign company, available information concerning the foreign company may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through. ADRs may not track the price of the underlying foreign securities on which they are based, and their value may change materially at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading. Certain ADRs are not listed on an exchange and therefore may be considered to be illiquid.

 

Affiliated Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in affiliated underlying funds (the “Affiliated Funds”), unaffiliated underlying funds, or a combination of both. The Advisor, therefore, is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating the Fund’s assets among the Affiliated Funds. The Advisor will receive more revenue to the extent it selects Affiliated Fund rather than an unaffiliated fund for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the Advisor may have an incentive to allocate the Fund’s assets to those Affiliated Funds for which the net advisory fees payable to the Advisor are higher than the fees payable by other Affiliated Funds.

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Allocation Risk. The risk that if the Fund’s strategy for allocating assets among different assets classes does not work as intended, the Fund may not achieve its objective or may underperform other funds with the same or similar investment strategy.

 

Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Security Risk. Prepayment risk is associated with mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If interest rates fall, the underlying debt may be repaid ahead of schedule, reducing the value of the Fund’s investments. If interest rates rise, there may be fewer prepayments, which would cause the average bond maturity to rise, increasing the potential for the Fund to lose money. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market’s perception of issuers, and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Fund’s Advisor or Sub-Advisor to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. The more senior security classes are generally entitled to receive payment before the subordinate classes if the cash flow generated by the underlying assets is not sufficient to pay all investors. Certain mortgage-backed securities may be secured by pools of mortgages on single-family, multi-family properties, as well as commercial properties. Similarly, asset backed securities may be secured by pools of loans, such as student loans, automobile loans, equipment leases, and credit card receivables. The credit risk on such securities is affected by borrowers or lessees defaulting on their payments. The values of assets underlying mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may decline and, therefore, may not be adequate to cover underlying investors. Mortgage-backed securities and other securities issued by participants in housing and commercial real estate finance, as well as other real estate-related markets have experienced extraordinary weakness and volatility in certain years. Possible legislation in the area of residential mortgages, credit cards and other loans that may collateralize the securities in which the Fund may invest could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments. To the extent the Fund focuses its investments in particular types of mortgage-backed or asset-backed securities, the Fund may be more susceptible to risk factors affecting such types of securities. The liquidity of these assets may decrease over time.

 

Bank Loans Risk. The market for bank loans may not be highly liquid and the Fund may have difficulty selling them. These investments expose the Fund to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower. Bank loans settle on a delayed basis, potentially leading to the sale proceeds of such loans not being available to meet redemptions for a substantial period of time after the sale of the bank loans. Certain bank loans may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the protections of federal securities laws, including anti-fraud provisions.

 

Basic Materials Industry Risk. To the extent that the Fund’s investments are exposed to issuers conducting business in basic materials, the Fund is subject to the risk that the securities of such issuers will underperform the market as a whole due to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting that economic sector. The prices of the securities of basic materials companies also may fluctuate widely in response to such events.

 

21 
 

Business Development Companies (“BDC”) Risk. BDCs may carry risks similar to those of a private equity or venture capital fund. BDC company securities are not redeemable at the option of the shareholder and they may trade in the market at a discount to their net asset value. A BDC is a form of investment company that is required to invest at least 70% of its total assets in securities (typically debt) of private companies, thinly traded U.S. public companies, or short-term high quality debt securities. The BDCs held by the Fund may leverage their portfolios through borrowings or the issuance of preferred stock. While leverage often serves to increase the yield of a BDC, this leverage also subjects a BDC to increased risks, including the likelihood of increased volatility and the possibility that a BDC’s common share income will fall if the dividend rate of the preferred shares or the interest rate on any borrowings rises. A significant portion of a BDC’s investments are recorded at fair value as determined by its board of directors which may create uncertainty as to the value of the BDC’s investments. Non-traded BDCs are illiquid and it may not be possible to redeem shares or to do so without paying a substantial penalty. Publicly-traded BDCs usually trade at a discount to their net asset value because they invest in unlisted securities and have limited access to capital markets. BDCs are subject to high failure rates among the companies in which they invest and federal securities laws impose restraints upon the organization and operations of BDCs that can limit or negatively impact the performance of a BDC. However, the Fund does not believe it would be liable for the actions of any entity in which it invests and that only its investment is at risk. Also, BDCs may engage in certain principal and joint transactions that a mutual fund or closed-end fund may not without an exemptive order from the SEC.

 

Call Options Risk.  There are risks associated with the sale and purchase of call options.  As the seller (writer) of a covered call option, the Fund assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the purchase price of the underlying security less the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security above the exercise option price.  The Fund continues to bear the risk that it will lose money if the value of the security falls below the strike price. Option premiums are treated as short-term capital gains and when distributed to shareholders, are usually taxable as ordinary income, which may have a higher tax rate than long-term capital gains for shareholders holding Fund shares in a taxable account. As the buyer of a call option, the Fund assumes the risk that the market price of the underlying security will not increase above the strike price plus the premiums paid, so the Fund bears the risk that it will lose the premium paid for the option.

 

Call Risk. Call risk is the risk that a security may be redeemed prior to its anticipated maturity. Call risk may impact the Fund’s profits and/or require it to reinvest at lower yields than were expected.

 

Capacity Risk. The markets and securities in which the Fund invests may, at times, be limited. Under such conditions, the execution of the Fund’s strategy may be affected and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. In addition, the Fund may not be able to purchase or sell securities at favorable market prices.

 

Cash or Cash Equivalents Risk: At any time, the Fund may have significant investments in cash or cash equivalents. When a substantial portion of a portfolio is held in cash or cash equivalents, there is the risk that the value of the cash account, including interest, will not keep pace with inflation, thus reducing purchasing power over time.

22 
 

 

CDOs and CLOs Risk. CDOs and CLOs are securities backed by an underlying portfolio of debt and loan obligations, respectively. CDOs and CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield and may experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, decrease of market value due to collateral defaults and removal of subordinate tranches, market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CDO and CLO securities as a class. The risks of investing in CDOs and CLOs depend largely on the tranche invested in and the type of the underlying debts and loans in the tranche of the CDO or CLO, respectively, in which the Fund invests. Losses incurred by a CDO or CLO are borne first by holders of equity and the most subordinate tranches. CDOs and CLOs also carry risks including, but not limited to, interest rate risk and credit risk.

 

Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk. In response to the financial crisis in 2007, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) has attempted to support the U.S. economic recovery by keeping the federal funds rate at a historically low level, expanding the scope of its repurchase agreement operations, and purchasing large quantities of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities on the open market. Any future interest rate increases could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. Federal Reserve policy changes may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility and may reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, which could cause the value of the Fund’s investments and share price to decline. If the Fund invests in derivatives tied to fixed-income markets, the Fund may be more substantially exposed to these risks than a fund that does not invest in derivatives. To the extent the Fund experiences high redemptions because of these policy changes, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, which will increase the costs the Fund incurs and may lower its performance. Furthermore, if rising interest rates cause the Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund. In addition, decreases in fixed income dealer market-making capacity may persist in the future, potentially leading to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets.

 

Collateralized Bond Obligation Risk. The pool of securities underlying collateralized bond obligations is typically separated in groupings called tranches representing different degrees of credit quality. The higher quality tranches have greater degrees of protection and pay lower interest rates. The lower tranches, with greater risk, pay higher interest rates.

 

Commodity Risk: The Fund's exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments, commodity-based exchange traded trusts and commodity-based exchange traded funds and notes may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or sectors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments.

 

Common Stock 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. Investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including

23 
 

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.

 

Conflict of Interest - Advisor/Sub-Advisor Risk. The Advisor, Sub-Advisor, portfolio managers and other individuals associated with the Advisor and Sub-Advisor may have compensation and/or other arrangements that may be in conflict to the interests of the Fund.

 

Conflict of Interest - Portfolio Manager Risk. Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other accounts. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple funds are presented with the following potential conflicts:

 

·The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. The management of multiple funds and accounts also may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as the portfolio manager must allocate his time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts.
·With respect to securities transactions for the Fund, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor determine which broker to use to execute each order, consistent with the duty to seek best execution of the transaction. The portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by the Fund. Securities selected for funds or accounts other than the Fund may outperform the securities selected for the Fund.
·The appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where the Advisor or Sub-Advisor has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee. The management of personal accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest; there is no assurance that the Fund’s code of ethics will adequately address such conflicts. One of the portfolio manager's numerous responsibilities is to assist in the sale of Fund shares. Because a portfolio manager’s compensation is indirectly linked to the sale of Fund shares, the portfolio manager may have an incentive to devote time to marketing efforts designed to increase sales of Fund shares
·The Advisor and Sub-Advisor has adopted a code of ethics that, among other things, permits personal trading by employees under conditions where it has been determined that such trades would not adversely impact client accounts. Nevertheless, the management of personal accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, and there is no assurance that these codes of ethics will adequately address such conflicts.

 

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The consumer staples sector may be affected by the regulation of various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors

24 
 

affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.

 

Convertible Bond Risk. Convertible bonds are hybrid securities that have characteristics of both bonds and common stocks and are subject to fixed income security risks and conversion value-related equity risk. Convertible bonds are similar to other fixed-income securities because they usually pay a fixed interest rate and are obligated to repay principal on a given date in the future. The market value of fixed-income securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible bonds are particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates when their conversion to equity feature is small relative to the interest and principal value of the bond. Convertible issuers may not be able to make principal and interest payments on the bond as they become due. Convertible bonds may also be subject to prepayment or redemption risk. If a convertible bond is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to surrender the security for redemption, convert it into the issuing company's common stock or cash at a time that may be unfavorable to the Fund. Convertible securities have characteristics similar to common stocks especially when their conversion value is greater than the interest and principal value of the bond. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of economic or political changes. Stock prices in general may decline over short or even extended periods of time. Market prices of equity securities in broad market segments may be adversely affected by a prominent issuer having experienced losses or by the lack of earnings or such an issuer's failure to meet the market's expectations with respect to new products or services, or even by factors wholly unrelated to the value or condition of the issuer, such as changes in interest rates. When a convertible bond's value is more closely tied to its conversion to stock feature, it is sensitive to the underlying stock's price.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities, such as convertible preferred stocks, subject the Fund to the risks associated with both fixed-income securities and equity securities. If a convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will likely increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying equity security.

 

Counterparty Risk. The Fund may engage in transactions in securities and financial instruments that involve counterparties. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

Credit Default Swap Index Products Risk. Credit default swap index products ("CDSIP") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer the credit exposure of the constituents of an index between the two parties (for example, between an exchange and the Fund). Under a typical CDSIP, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer"). The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument. The use of CDSIP involves investment techniques and risks different from those

25 
 

associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions, such as potentially heightened counterparty, concentration and exposure risks.

 

Credit Default Swap Risk. Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties. Under a typical CDS, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer"). The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument. The use of CDS involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions, such as potentially heightened counterparty, concentration and exposure risks.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will fail to pay principal and interest in a timely manner, reducing the Fund's total return. In addition, the credit quality of fixed income securities held by the Fund may be lowered if an issuer's financial condition changes. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.

 

Credit Risk (for Floating Rate Loans). Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security and other instrument will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. The value of the Fund’s shares, and the Fund’s ability to pay dividends, is dependent upon the performance of the assets in its portfolio. Prices of the Fund’s investments can fall if the actual or perceived financial health of the borrowers on, or issuers of, such investments deteriorates, whether because of broad economic or issuer-specific reasons. In severe cases, the borrower or issuer could be late in paying interest or principal, or could fail to pay altogether.

 

In the event a borrower fails to pay scheduled interest or principal payments on an investment held by the Fund, the Fund will experience a reduction in its income and a decline in the market value of such investment. This will likely reduce the amount of dividends paid by the Fund and likely lead to a decline in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares.

 

The Fund may invest in floating rate loans that are senior in the capital structure of the borrower or issuer, and that are secured with specific collateral. Loans that are senior and secured generally involve less risk than unsecured or subordinated debt and equity instruments of the same borrower because the payment of principal and interest on senior loans is an obligation of the borrower that, in most instances, takes precedence over the payment of dividends or the return of capital to the borrower’s shareholders, and payments to bond holders; and because of the collateral supporting the repayment of the debt instrument. However, the value of the collateral may not equal the Fund’s investment when the debt instrument is acquired or may decline below the principal amount of the debt instrument subsequent to the Fund’s investment. Also, to the extent that collateral consists of stocks of the borrower, or its subsidiaries or affiliates, the Fund bears the risk that the stocks may decline in value, be relatively illiquid, or may lose all or substantially all of their value, causing the Fund’s investment to be undercollateralized. Therefore, the liquidation of the collateral underlying a floating rate loan in which the Fund has invested, may not satisfy the borrower’s obligation to the Fund in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal, and the collateral may not be able to be readily liquidated.

 

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In the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower or issuer, the Fund could experience delays and limitations on its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing the Fund’s investment. Among the risks involved in a bankruptcy are assertions that the pledge of collateral to secure a loan constitutes a fraudulent conveyance or preferential transfer that would have the effect of nullifying or subordinating the Fund’s rights to the collateral.

 

The floating rate debt in which the Fund invests may be generally rated lower than investment-grade credit quality, i.e., rated lower than “Baa3” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or “BBB-” by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”), or have been made to borrowers who have issued debt securities that are rated lower than investment-grade in quality or, if unrated, would be rated lower than investment-grade credit quality. Investment decisions for the Fund will be based largely on the credit analysis performed by the Sub-Advisor, and not entirely on rating agency evaluation. This analysis may be difficult to perform. Information about a loan and its borrower generally is not in the public domain. Many borrowers have not issued securities to the public and are not subject to reporting requirements under federal securities laws. Generally, however, borrowers are required to provide financial information to lenders and information may be available from other loan market participants or agents that originate or administer loans.

 

Currency Risk. Currency trading involves significant risks, including market risk, interest rate risk, country risk, counterparty credit risk and short sale risk. Market risk results from the price movement of foreign currency values in response to shifting market supply and demand. Since exchange rate changes can readily move in one direction, a currency position carried overnight or over a number of days may involve greater risk than one carried a few minutes or hours. Interest rate risk arises whenever a country changes its stated interest rate target associated with its currency. Country risk arises because virtually every country has interfered with international transactions in its currency. Interference has taken the form of regulation of the local exchange market, restrictions on foreign investment by residents or limits on inflows of investment funds from abroad. Restrictions on the exchange market or on international transactions are intended to affect the level or movement of the exchange rate. This risk could include the country issuing a new currency, effectively making the "old" currency worthless. The Fund may also take short positions, through derivatives, if the Advisor or Sub-Advisor believes the value of a currency is likely to depreciate in value. A "short" position is, in effect, similar to a sale in which the Fund sells a currency it does not own but, has borrowed in anticipation that the market price of the currency will decline. The Fund must replace a short currency position by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement, which may be more or less than the price at which the Fund took a short position in the currency.

 

Derivatives Risk. The Fund may use derivatives (including options, futures, swap contracts and other transactions) to hedge against market declines. The Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to: changing supply and demand

27 
 

relationships; government programs and policies; national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation and changes in supply and demand relationships. Trading derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities including:

 

oLeverage and Volatility Risk: Derivative contracts ordinarily have leverage inherent in their terms. The low margin deposits normally required in trading derivatives, including futures contracts, permit a high degree of leverage. Accordingly, a relatively small price movement may result in an immediate and substantial loss to the Fund. The use of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations or to meet collateral segregation requirements. The use of leveraged derivatives can magnify the Fund's potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund's share price.
oLiquidity Risk: It is possible that particular derivative investments might be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from executing positions at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring them to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy their obligations. Most U.S. commodity futures exchanges impose daily limits regulating the maximum amount above or below the previous day's settlement price which a futures contract price may fluctuate during a single day. During a single trading day no trades may be executed at prices beyond the daily limit. Once the price of a particular futures contract has increased or decreased to the limit point, it may be difficult, costly or impossible to liquidate a position. It is also possible that an exchange or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"), which regulates commodity futures exchanges, may suspend trading in a particular contract, order immediate settlement of a contract or order that trading to the liquidation of open positions only.
oRisk of Options: Because option premiums paid or received by the Fund are small in relation to the market value of the investments underlying the options, buying and selling put and call options can be more speculative than investing directly in securities.

 

Development Stage Company Risk. The Fund may invest a substantial portion of the portfolio in development stage companies that are not generating meaningful revenue.

 

Distribution Policy Risk. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions from time to time. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e., from your original investment). Distributions in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares. The Fund will provide disclosures, with each monthly distribution, that estimate the percentages of the current and year-to-date distributions

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that represent (1) net investment income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital. At the end of the year, the Fund may be required under applicable law to re-characterize distributions made previously during that year among (1) ordinary income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital for tax purposes.

 

Dividend Yield Risk. While the Fund may hold securities of companies that have historically paid a dividend, those companies may reduce or discontinue their dividends, thus reducing the yield of the Fund. Lower priced securities in the Fund may be more susceptible to these risks. Past dividend payments are not a guarantee of future dividend payments. Also, the market return of high dividend yield securities, in certain market conditions, may be worse than the market return of other investment strategies or the overall stock market.

 

Duration Risk. Longer-term securities may be more sensitive to interest rate changes. Given the recent, historically low interest rates and the potential for increases in those rates, a heightened risk is posed by rising interest rates to a fund whose portfolios include longer-term fixed income securities. Effective duration estimates price changes for relatively small changes in rates. If rates rise significantly, effective duration may tend to understate the drop in a security’s price. If rates drop significantly, effective duration may tend to overstate the rise in a security’s price.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. The Fund may invest in countries with newly organized or less developed securities markets. There are typically greater risks involved in investing in emerging markets securities. Generally, economic structures in these countries are less diverse and mature than those in developed countries and their political systems tend to be less stable. Emerging market economies may be based on only a few industries, therefore security issuers, including governments, may be more susceptible to economic weakness and more likely to default. Emerging market countries also may have relatively unstable governments, weaker economies, and less-developed legal systems with fewer security holder rights. Investments in emerging markets countries may be affected by government policies that restrict foreign investment in certain issuers or industries. The potentially smaller size of their securities markets and lower trading volumes can make investments relatively illiquid and potentially more volatile than investments in developed countries, and such securities may be subject to abrupt and severe price declines. Due to this relative lack of liquidity, the Fund may have to accept a lower price or may not be able to sell a portfolio security at all. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect the Fund's value or prevent the Fund from being able to meet cash obligations or take advantage of other investment opportunities.

 

Energy Related Securities Risk. Risks of energy related securities include the risks that a decrease in the production of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, coal or other energy commodities or a decrease in the volume of such commodities available for transportation, mining, processing, storage or distribution may adversely impact the financial performance of energy related securities. To maintain or grow their revenues, these companies need to maintain or expand their reserves through exploration of new sources of supply, through the development of existing sources, through acquisitions, or through long-term contracts to acquire reserves. The financial performance of energy related securities may be adversely affected if an MLP, or the companies to whom it provides the service, are unable to cost-effectively acquire additional reserves sufficient to replace the natural decline. Various governmental authorities have the power to enforce

29 
 

compliance with regulations and the permits issued under them, and violators are subject to administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including civil fines, injunctions or both. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may adversely affect the financial performance of energy related securities. Volatility of commodity prices, which may lead to a reduction in production or supply, may also negatively impact the performance of energy related securities. energy related securities are also subject to risks that are specific to the industry they serve. Energy related entities that provide crude oil, refined product, natural gas liquids and natural gas services are subject to supply and demand fluctuations in the markets they serve which will be impacted by a wide range of factors, including fluctuating commodity prices, weather, increased conservation or use of alternative fuel sources, increased governmental or environmental regulation, depletion, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or foreign production, accidents or catastrophic events, and economic conditions, among others.

 

Equity Security Risk. Common and preferred 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. Dividends are not guaranteed, and the amount of dividends may change over time. Warrants and rights may expire worthless if the price of a common stock is below the conversion price of the warrant or right. Convertible bonds may decline in value if the price of a common stock falls below the conversion price. 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.

 

ETF Risk: The ETFs (“Underlying Funds”) in which the Fund invests are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, the cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the Underlying Funds and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Each of the Underlying Funds is subject to its own specific risks, but the Sub-Advisor expects the principal investments risks of such Underlying Funds will be similar to the risks of investing in the Fund. Like an open-end investment company (mutual fund), the value of an ETF can fluctuate based on the prices of the securities owned by the ETF, and ETFs are also subject to the following additional risks: (i) the ETF’s market price may be less than its net asset value; (ii) an active market for the ETF may not develop; and (iii) market trading in the ETF may be halted under certain circumstances. Additional risks of investing in ETFs and mutual funds are described below:

 

oClosed-End Fund Risk. Closed-end funds are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing will be higher than the cost of investing directly in a closed-end fund and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Closed-end funds are also subject to management risk because the adviser to the underlying closed-end fund may be unsuccessful in meeting the fund's investment objective. These funds may also trade at a discount or premium to their net asset value and may trade at a larger discount or smaller premium subsequent to purchase by the Fund. Since closed-end funds trade on exchanges, the Fund will also incur brokerage expenses and commissions when it buys or sells closed-end fund shares.
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oETF Tracking Risk: Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive ETFs in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive ETFs in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive ETFs may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive ETFs' ability to track their applicable indices.
oInverse Correlation Risk: Underlying Funds that are inverse funds should lose value as the index or security tracked by such fund’s benchmark increases in value; a result that is the opposite from traditional mutual funds. Successful use of inverse funds requires that the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor correctly predict short term market movements. If the Fund invests in an inverse fund and markets rise, the Fund could lose money. Inverse funds may also employ leverage such that their returns are more than one times that of their benchmark.
oManagement Risk: When the Fund invests in Underlying Funds there is a risk that the investment advisers of those Underlying Funds may make investment decisions that are detrimental to the performance of the Fund.
oMutual Fund Risk: Mutual funds are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing will be higher than the cost of investing directly in a mutual fund and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Mutual funds are also subject management risk because the adviser to the underlying mutual fund may be unsuccessful in meeting the fund's investment objective and may temporarily pursue strategies which are inconsistent with the Fund's investment objective.
oNet Asset Value and Market Price Risk: The market value of ETF shares may differ from their net asset value. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for fund shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the underlying basket of securities. Accordingly, there may be times when shares trade at a premium or discount to net asset value.
oStrategies Risk: Each Underlying Fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the fund. These risks could include liquidity risk, sector risk, and foreign currency risk, as well as risks associated with fixed income securities and commodities.

Exchange Traded Notes Risk. Similar to ETFs, owning an ETN generally reflects the risks of owning the assets that comprise the underlying market benchmark or strategy that the ETN is designed to reflect. ETNs also are subject to issuer and fixed-income risk.

 

Extension Risk. Refers to the risk that if interest rates rise, repayments of principal on certain debt securities, including, but not limited to, floating rate loans and mortgage-related securities, may occur at a slower rate than expected and the expected maturity of those securities could lengthen

31 
 

as a result. Securities that are subject to extension risk generally have a greater potential for loss when prevailing interest rates rise, which could cause their values to fall sharply.

 

Financials Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The impact of more stringent capital requirements, recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or recent or future regulation of the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted.

 

Fixed Income Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities (“U.S. Treasuries”), the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). Recently, interest rates have been historically low and interest rate risk may be heightened. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default). Lowered credit ratings may cause a drop in a fixed income security’s price and are associated with greater risk of default on interest and principal payments. Certain fixed income securities may be paid off early when the issuer can repay the principal prior to a security’s maturity. If interest rates are falling, the Fund may have to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. If interest rates rise, repayments of principal on certain fixed income securities may occur at a slower rate than expected and the expected maturity of those securities could lengthen as a result, which reduces the Fund’s ability to reinvest at higher rates. These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.

 

The Fund may have exposure to LIBOR-linked investments, and anticipates that LIBOR will be phased out by the end of 2021. While some instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate setting methodology, not all instruments may have such provisions and there is significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies and potential for short-term and long-term market instability. Because of the uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, the Fund cannot reasonably estimate the impact of the anticipated transition away from LIBOR at this time. If the LIBOR replacement rate is lower than market expectations, there could be an adverse impact on the value of preferred and debt securities with floating or fixed-to-floating rate coupons.

 

Foreign Currency Risk. Currency trading risks include market risk, credit risk and country risk. Market risk results from adverse changes in exchange rates in the currencies the Fund is long or short. Credit risk results because a currency-trade counterparty may default. Country risk arises because a government may interfere with transactions in its currency.

 

Foreign Exchanges Risk. A portion of the derivatives trades made by the Fund may be take place on foreign markets. Neither existing CFTC regulations nor regulations of any other U.S.

32 
 

governmental agency apply to transactions on foreign markets. Some of these foreign markets, in contrast to U.S. exchanges, are so-called principals’ markets in which performance is the responsibility only of the individual counterparty with whom the trader has entered into a commodity interest transaction and not of the exchange or clearing corporation. In these kinds of markets, there is risk of bankruptcy or other failure or refusal to perform by the counterparty.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in foreign securities, the Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund’s performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector. Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies. The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar. There may also be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information. The values of foreign investments may be affected by changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy (in this country or abroad) or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees and other costs of investing in foreign securities are generally higher than in the United States. Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to greater risk and will be more dependent on the Sub-Advisor’s ability to assess such risk than if the Fund invested solely in more developed countries.

 

The departure of the United Kingdom and the potential departure of additional countries from the European Union may have significant political and financial consequences on global markets. Uncertainty relating to the withdrawal procedures and timeline may have adverse effects on valuations and the renegotiation of current trade agreements, as well as an increase in financial regulation in such markets.

 

Forwards Risk. Foreign currency forward contract are a type of derivative contract whereby the Fund may agree to buy or sell a country's or region's currency at a specific price on a specific date, usually 30, 60, or 90 days in the future. These contracts are subject to the risk of political and economic factors applicable to the countries issuing the underlying currencies and may fall in value due to foreign market downswings or foreign currency value fluctuations. Forward foreign currency contracts are individually negotiated and privately traded so they are dependent upon the creditworthiness of the counterparty and subject to counterparty risk. The Fund's investment or hedging strategies may not achieve their objective. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to: changing supply and demand relationships; government programs and policies; national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation and changes in supply and demand relationships. Derivative contracts ordinarily have leverage inherent in their terms and low margin deposits normally required in trading derivatives permit a high degree of leverage. Accordingly, a relatively small price movement may result in an immediate and substantial loss to the Fund. The use of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations or to meet collateral segregation

33 
 

requirements. The use of leveraged derivatives can magnify the Fund's potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund's share price.

 

Futures Contract Risk. The Fund’s use of futures involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) leverage risk (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the futures contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying index. Investments in futures involve leverage, which means a small percentage of assets invested in futures can have a disproportionately large impact on the Fund. This risk could cause the Fund to lose more than the principal amount invested. Futures contracts may become mispriced or improperly valued when compared to the Advisor’s and Sub-Advisor’s expectation and may not produce the desired investment results. Additionally, changes in the value of futures contracts may not track or correlate perfectly with the underlying index because of temporary, or even long-term, supply and demand imbalances and because futures do not pay dividends unlike the stocks upon which they are based. Foreign futures markets may be subject to fewer regulations, fewer investor protections, and may have less liquidity than domestic futures markets.

 

Geographic Concentration Risk. The Fund may be particularly susceptible to economic, political, regulatory or other events or conditions affecting countries within the specific geographic regions in which the Fund invests. Currency devaluations could occur in countries that have not yet experienced currency devaluation to date, or could continue to occur in countries that have already experienced such devaluations. As a result, the Fund's net asset value may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund.

 

Growth Stock Risk. "Growth" stocks can react differently to issuer, political, market, and economic developments than the market as a whole and other types of stocks. "Growth" stocks also tend to be more expensive relative to their earnings or assets compared to other types of stocks. As a result, "growth" stocks tend to be sensitive to changes in their earnings and more volatile in price than the stock market as a whole. In addition, companies that the Advisor or Sub-Advisor believes have significant growth potential are often companies with new, limited or cyclical product lines, markets or financial resources and the management of such companies may be dependent upon one or a few key people. The stocks of such companies can therefore be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than stocks of larger, more established companies or the stock market in general.

 

Healthcare Sector Risk. Companies in the healthcare sector, including drug related companies, may be heavily dependent on clinical trials with uncertain outcomes and decisions made by the governments and regulatory authorities. Further, these companies are dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of the companies. Additionally, the profitability of some healthcare and life sciences companies may be dependent on a relatively limited number of products, and their products can become obsolete due to sector innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments.

 

o       Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industry Risk. The profitability of these companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs and the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information. These

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companies may be significantly affected by the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights. Research and other costs associated with developing or procuring new drugs and the related intellectual property rights can be significant and may not be successful. Many pharmaceutical companies face intense competition from new products and less costly generic products, which may make it difficult to raise the prices of their products and may result in price discounting. In addition, the process for obtaining regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there is no assurance that the necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained by these companies.

 

These companies may be adversely affected by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates from third-party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations. The profitability of these companies may be dependent on a relatively limited number of products. Additionally, their products can become obsolete due to industry innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments.

 

o       Healthcare Facilities and Services Industry Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that the companies in that industry are likely to react similarly to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting their market segment. Due to the rapid pace of technological development, there is the risk that the products and services developed by these companies may become rapidly obsolete or have relatively short product cycles. There is also the risk that the products and services offered by these companies will not meet expectations or even reach the marketplace.

 

o       Medical Equipment and Devices Industry Risk. Many companies in the medical equipment and devices industry are affected by the expiration of patents, litigation based on product liability, industry competition, product obsolescence and regulatory approvals, among other factors.

 

Hedging Risk. Hedging is a strategy in which the Fund uses a security or derivative to reduce the risks associated with other Fund holdings. There can be no assurance that the Fund's hedging strategy will reduce risk or that hedging transactions will be either available or cost effective. The Fund is not required to use hedging strategies and may choose not to do so.

 

Index Risk. If the derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it will be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.

 

Index-Linked Derivative Securities Risk. If the derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it will be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.

 

Industry Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, because the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the drug related industries.

Industrials Sector Risk. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face

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obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Companies in the industrials sector, particularly aerospace and defense companies, may also be adversely affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this sector rely to a significant extent on government demand for their products and services.

 

Inflation-Indexed Bond Risk. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities whose principal values are periodically adjusted according to a measure of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation indexed bonds. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal. With regard to municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds, the inflation adjustment is reflected in the semi-annual coupon payment. As a result, the principal value of municipal inflation-indexed bonds and such corporate inflation indexed bonds does not adjust according to the rate of inflation. The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Inflation-indexed bonds may cause a potential cash flow mismatch to investors, because an increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be treated as interest income currently subject to tax at ordinary income rates even though investors will not receive repayment of principal until maturity. If the Fund invests in such bonds, it will be required to distribute such interest income in order to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and eliminate the Fund-level tax, without a corresponding receipt of cash, and therefore may be required to dispose of portfolio securities at a time when it may not be desirable.

 

Inflation Protected Securities Risk. Inflation-protected debt securities tend to react to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. In general, the price of an inflation-protected debt security can fall when real interest rates rise, and can rise when real interest rates fall. Interest payments on inflation-protected debt securities can be unpredictable and will vary as the principal and/or interest is adjusted for inflation.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. From time to time, the maturity and effective duration of the Fund’s bond portfolio may vary. While interest rates are at historic lows, a heightened risk

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to the Fund is posed by the greater potential for rising interest rates to the extent the Fund’s portfolio includes longer-term fixed income securities.

 

Interest Rate Risk (for Floating Rate Loans). Changes in short-term market interest rates will directly affect the yield on the shares of the Fund whose investments are normally invested in floating rate debt. If short-term market interest rates fall, the yield on the Fund’s shares will also fall. Conversely, when short-term market interest rates rise, because of the lag between changes in such short-term rates and the resetting of the floating rates on the floating rate debt in the Fund’s portfolio, the impact of rising rates will be delayed to the extent of such lag. The impact of market interest rate changes on the Fund’s yield will also be affected by whether, and the extent to which, the floating rate debt in the Fund’s portfolio is subject to floors on the LIBOR base rate on which interest is calculated for such loans (a “LIBOR floor”). So long as the base rate for a loan remains under the LIBOR floor, changes in short-term interest rates will not affect the yield on such loans. In addition, to the extent that the interest rate spreads on floating rate debt in the Fund’s portfolio experience a general decline, the yield on the Fund’s shares will fall and the value of the Fund’s assets may decrease, which will cause the Fund’s net asset value to decrease. With respect to the Fund’s investments in fixed rate instruments, a rise in interest rates generally causes values to fall. The values of fixed rate securities with longer maturities or duration are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Inverse ETF Risk. Investing in inverse ETFs may result in increased volatility due to the Fund’s possible use of short sales of securities and derivatives such as options and futures. The use of leverage by an ETF increases risk to the Fund. The more the Fund invests in leveraged instruments, the more the leverage will magnify any gains or losses on those investments. During periods of increased volatility, inverse ETFs may not perform in the manner they are designed.

 

Investment Style Risk. The particular type of investments in which the Fund focuses (such as large-capitalization stocks or growth stocks) may underperform other asset classes or the overall market. Individual market segments such as the large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap U.S. equity market segments tend to go through cycles of performing better or worse than other types of securities. These periods may last as long as several years. Additionally, a particular market segment could fall out of favor with investors, causing the Fund that focuses on that market segment to underperform those that favor other kinds of securities.

 

IPO Risk. The Fund may invests in IPOs at the time of the initial offering and in post-IPO trading. The stocks of such companies are unseasoned equities lacking a trading history, a track record of reporting to investors and widely available research coverage. IPOs are thus often subject to extreme price volatility and speculative trading. These stocks may have above-average price appreciation in connection with the initial public offering prior to inclusion in the Fund. The price of stocks included in the Fund may not continue to appreciate. In addition, IPOs share similar liquidity risks as private equity and venture capital. Such liquidity risks exist when particular investments of the Fund would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations. The free float shares held by the public in an IPO are typically a small percentage of the market capitalization. The ownership of many IPOs often includes large holdings by venture capital and

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private equity investors who seek to sell their shares in the public market in the months following an IPO when shares restricted by lock-up are released, causing greater volatility and possible downward pressure during the time that locked-up shares are released.

 

Issuer Specific Risk. The value of a specific security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than those of larger issuers. The value of certain types of securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. The value of each underlying pool will be dependent on the success of the strategies used by its manager or managers. Certain managers may be dependent upon a single individual or small group of individuals, the loss of which could adversely affect their success.

 

Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as "high yield" or "junk" bonds, present a significant risk for loss of principal and interest. These bonds offer the potential for higher return, but also involve greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased possibility that the bond's issuer, obligor or guarantor may not be able to make its payments of interest and principal (credit quality risk). If that happens, the value of the bond may decrease, and the Fund's share price may decrease and its income distribution may be reduced. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates (interest rate risk) could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund's ability to sell its bonds (liquidity risk). Such securities may also include "Rule 144A" securities, which are subject to resale restrictions. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund's share price.

 

Large Capitalization Stock Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.

 

Legislative Risk. Legislative changes can adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. Legal, tax and other regulatory changes can be expected to occur over time that may adversely affect the Fund. The regulatory environment with respect to investment funds and their managers is evolving, and changes in regulations that affect investment funds and asset managers may result in an adverse effect on the value of the investments made by the Fund and on the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment objectives. In addition, the securities and futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes and regulations and the authority of SEC and CFTC with regard to such matters was greatly augmented by the Dodd-Frank Act. Securities and commodities regulators in the United States and elsewhere and self-regulatory organizations are authorized to take extraordinary actions in times of market crisis and this could have an adverse effect on the Fund. The U.S. Congress and the governing bodies of non-U.S. jurisdiction may periodically consider certain legislation impacting greater regulation of the private investment fund industry, such as certain changes under the Dodd-Frank Act that the SEC is in the process of implementing with regard to the registration of, or reporting by, investment advisers. It is impossible to predict what, if any, changes in the regulations applicable to the Fund, or the Sub-Advisors, the markets in which they trade and invest or the counterparties with which they do business may be instituted in the

38 
 

future. Any such regulation could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s performance. In addition, there is a risk that there could be changes in legislation at the federal or state level which could affect the ability of states and municipal issuers to declare bankruptcy. Currently, there are statutory prohibitions in numerous jurisdictions against such occurrence and even in the absence of express prohibition there are significant legal and practical restrictions on such an option. However, there is increasing discussion of changing the law in this area. Any such change in law, or even the specter of the possibility of such change in law, could have an adverse effect on the municipal bond market as a whole and the Fund in particular.

 

Leverage Risk. The Fund may use of actual and economic leverage. Using derivatives like futures to increase the Fund’s combined long and short exposure creates leverage, which can magnify the Fund’s potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price. The purchase of closed end funds could also add leverage as many of these funds have embedded leverage. Inverse floaters also can be used to add leverage, as would borrowings. The Fund’s use of a line of credit is direct leverage. The embedded borrowing of municipal closed-end funds is indirect, or embedded, leverage. Inverse floaters and the futures and swaps used in the overlay strategy is economic leverage. The use of leverage exposes the Fund to additional levels of risk including (i) greater losses from positions than would otherwise have been the case had the Fund not borrowed to take the positions, (ii) margin calls or changes in margin requirements on the municipal bonds or the futures contracts or credit default swaps used by the overlay may force premature liquidations of positions and (iii) losses on positions where the positions fail to earn a return that equals or exceeds the Fund’s cost of leverage related to such positions. In case of a sudden, precipitous drop in value of the Fund’s assets, the Fund might not be able to liquidate assets quickly enough to repay its borrowings, further magnifying the losses incurred by the Fund. The use of leverage by the Fund, such as borrowing money to purchase securities or the use of derivatives, will cause the Fund to incur additional expenses and magnify the Fund's gains or losses.

 

Leveraged ETF Risk. Investing in leveraged ETFs will amplify the Fund’s gains and losses. Most leveraged ETFs “reset” daily. Due to the effect of compounding, their performance over longer periods of time can differ significantly from the performance of their underlying index or benchmark during the same period of time.

 

LIBOR Risk. The Fund has exposure to LIBOR-linked investments and anticipates that LIBOR will be phased out by the end of 2021. While some instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate setting methodology, not all instruments may have such provisions and there is significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies and potential for short-term and long-term market instability. Because of the uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, the Fund cannot reasonably estimate the impact of the anticipated transition away from LIBOR at this time. If the LIBOR replacement rate is lower than market expectations, there could be an adverse impact on the value of preferred and debt securities with floating or fixed-to-floating rate coupons.

Life Science Sector Risk. Companies in the life science sector, including drug related companies, may be heavily dependent on clinical trials with uncertain outcomes and decisions made by the governments and regulatory authorities. Further, these companies are dependent on patent

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protection, and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of the companies. Additionally, the profitability of some healthcare and life sciences companies may be dependent on a relatively limited number of products, and their products can become obsolete due to sector innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments.

 

Limited History of Operations Risk.  The Fund may have a limited history of operations for investors to evaluate. Due to the Fund's small asset size, certain of the Fund's expenses and its portfolio transaction costs may be higher than those of a fund with a larger asset size. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to an economically viable size, in which case the Fund may cease operations. In such an event, investors may be required to liquidate or transfer their investments at a loss.

 

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments of the Fund would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations.

 

Litigation Risk. The Fund may be named in a lawsuit despite no wrongdoing by the Fund, its Advisor or Sub-Advisor or any other service provider to the Fund. The defense of a lawsuit may detrimentally impact the Fund and its shareholders, including incurring legal defense cost, regulatory costs and increased insurance premiums.

 

Loan Risk. Investments in bank loans may subject the Fund to heightened credit risks because such loans tend to be highly leveraged and potentially more susceptible to the risks of interest deferral, default and/or bankruptcy. Senior floating rate loans are often rated below investment grade, but may also be unrated. The risks associated with these loans can be similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income instruments. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior floating rate loan may lose significant market value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior floating rate loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the loan’s value. Unlike the securities markets, there is no central clearinghouse for loan trades, and the loan market has not established enforceable settlement standards or remedies for failure to settle. Therefore, portfolio transactions in loans may have uncertain settlement time periods. Senior floating rate loans are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, including liquidity risk and the risk of investing in below-investment grade fixed income instruments.

 

Machinery and Electrical Equipment Industry Risk. The machinery and electrical equipment industries can be significantly affected by general economic trends, including employment, economic growth, and interest rates; changes in consumer sentiment and spending; overall capital spending levels, which are influenced by an individual company’s profitability and broader factors such as interest rates and foreign competition; commodity prices; technical obsolescence; labor relations legislation; government regulation and spending; import controls; and worldwide competition. Companies in these industries also can be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control.

 

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Management Risk. The Advisor’s and Sub-Advisor's reliance on its strategy and its judgments about the value and potential appreciation securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect, including the tactical allocation of the Fund’s portfolio among its investments. The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the Sub-Advisor’s proprietary investment process. The Advisor’s and Sub-Advisor’s assessment of the relative value of securities, their attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the investment strategy will produce the desired results.

 

Market Risk. Overall market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Factors such as economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels, exchange rates and political events affect the securities markets. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments. Unexpected local, regional or global events and their aftermath, such as war; acts of terrorism; financial, political or social disruptions; natural, environmental or man-made disasters; the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health issues; recessions and depressions; or other tragedies, catastrophes and events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s net asset value, and may impair market liquidity, thereby increasing liquidity risk. Such events can cause investor fear and panic, which can adversely affect the economies of many companies, sectors, nations, regions and the market in general, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. In times of severe market disruptions you could lose your entire investment.

 

An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and subsequently spread globally. This coronavirus has resulted in, among other things, travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, significant disruptions to business operations, market closures, cancellations and restrictions, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, and significant volatility and declines in global financial markets, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19 has adversely affected, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future could adversely affect, the economies of many nations and the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty.

 

Market Price Variance Risk. The Fund bears the risk that the market price that it pays for an inverse ETF will not be equal to the ETF’s true value.

 

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Market Volatility-Linked ETFs Risk. ETFs that are linked to market volatility have the risks associated with investing in futures. An ETF’s use of futures involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) leverage risk (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the futures contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying index. Investments in futures involve leverage, which means a small percentage of assets invested in futures can have a disproportionately large impact on the Fund. This risk could cause the ETF to lose more than the principal amount invested. Futures contracts may become mispriced or improperly valued when compared to the Advisor’s expectation and may not produce the desired investment results. Additionally, changes in the value of futures contracts may not track or correlate perfectly with the underlying index because of temporary, or even long-term, supply and demand imbalances and because futures do not pay dividends unlike the stocks upon which they are based.

 

MBS and CMO Risk. MBS and CMOs are subject to credit risk because underlying loan borrowers may default. MBS and CMO default rates tend to be sensitive to overall economic conditions and to localized property vacancy rates and prices. Borrower default rates may be significantly higher than estimated. Certain individual securities may be more sensitive to default rates because payments may be subordinated to other securities of the same issuer. The Sub-Advisor’s assessment, or a rating agency’s assessment, of borrower credit quality, default rates and loss rates may prove to be overly optimistic. Additionally, MBS and CMOs are subject to prepayment risk because the underlying loans held by the issuers may be paid off prior to maturity at faster or lower rates than expected. The value of these securities may go down as a result of changes in prepayment rates on the underlying mortgages or loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment rates usually increases and the Fund may have to reinvest prepayment proceeds at a lower interest rate. CMOs may be less susceptible to this risk because payment priorities within the CMO may have the effect of a prepayment lock out period.

 

Micro Capitalization Risk. Micro capitalization companies may be newly formed or have limited product lines, distribution channels and financial and managerial resources. The risks associated with those investments are generally greater than those associated with investments in the securities of larger, more established companies. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value to be more volatile when compared to investment companies that focus only on large capitalization companies.

 

Generally, securities of micro capitalization companies are more likely to experience sharper swings in market value, less liquid markets in which it may be more difficult for the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor to sell at times and at prices that the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor believes appropriate and generally are more volatile than those of larger companies. Compared to large companies, micro capitalization companies are more likely to have (i) less information publicly available, (ii) more limited product lines or markets and less mature businesses, (iii) fewer capital resources, (iv) more limited management depth and (v) shorter operating histories. Further, the equity securities of micro capitalization companies are often traded over the counter and generally experience a lower trading volume than is typical for securities that are traded on a national securities exchange. Consequently, the Fund may be required to dispose of these securities over a larger period of time

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(and potentially at less favorable prices) than would be the case for securities of larger companies, offering greater potential for gains and losses and associated tax consequences.

 

MLP and MLP-Related Securities Risk. Investments in MLPs and MLP-related securities involve risks different from those of investing in common stock including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP or MLP-related security, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between an MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks (which could occur if the MLP raises capital and then invests it in projects whose return fails to exceed the cost of capital raised) and risks related to the general partner’s limited call right. MLPs and MLP-related securities are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the use of MLPs or MLP-related securities could enhance or harm the overall performance of the Fund.

 

MLP Tax Risk. MLPs, typically, do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Instead, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. Thus, if any of the MLPs owned by the Fund were treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of your investment in the Fund and lower income, as compared to an MLP that is not taxed as a corporation.

 

Model and Data Risk. Like all quantitative analysis, the investment models utilized by the Sub-Advisor carry the risk that the ranking system, valuation results and predictions might be based on one or more incorrect assumptions, insufficient historical data, inadequate design, or may not be suitable for the purpose intended. In addition, models may not perform as intended for many reasons including errors, omissions, imperfections or malfunctions, and the Sub-Advisor may misinterpret the models’ output. Because the use of models are usually based on data supplied by third parties, the success of the Sub-Advisor’s use of such models is dependent on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied data. Historical data inputs may be subject to revision or corrections, which may diminish data reliability and quality of predictive results. Changing and unforeseen market dynamics could also lead to a decrease in the short-term or long-term effectiveness of a model. Models may lose their predictive validity and incorrectly forecast future market behavior and asset prices, leading to potential losses. No assurance can be given that a model will be successful under all or any market conditions.

 

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-backed securities represent participating interests in pools of residential mortgage loans, some of which are guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. However, the guarantee of these types of securities relates to the principal and interest payments and not the market value of such securities. In addition, the guarantee only relates to the mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund and not the purchase of shares of the Fund.

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Mortgage-backed securities do not have a fixed maturity and their expected maturities may vary when interest rates rise or fall. An increased rate of prepayments on the Fund’s mortgage-backed securities will result in an unforeseen loss of interest income to the Fund as the Fund may be required to reinvest assets at a lower interest rate. A decreased rate of prepayments lengthens the expected maturity of a mortgage-backed security. The prices of mortgage-backed securities may decrease more than prices of other fixed-income securities when interest rates rise.

 

Municipal Market Risks. The municipal market is a fragmented market that is very technically driven. There can be regional variations in economic conditions or supply-demand fundamentals. Municipals essentially cannot be shorted or be the subject of standard repurchase agreements, and any interest or other expenses incurred for their purchase cannot be deducted for U.S. federal income tax purposes. What is issued by municipalities must be held by beneficial owners for their interest to be treated as tax-exempt in the U.S. The municipal market is also still predominantly a retail buyer-driven market which impacts supply-demand fundamentals for the market. This is particularly evident with fund flows into mutual funds which in the past have been very sensitive to “headline” risk. For these reasons, it is subject to very different supply-demand fundamentals than those of the securities underlying the futures used in the overlay’s interest rate strategy. Public information in the municipal market is also less available than in other markets, increasing the difficulty of evaluating and valuing securities. Some bonds in the municipal market are insured by private companies. Changes in market conditions affecting the bonds insured, the availability of capacity of such private insurance companies to insure, or the downgrade or insolvency of any or all of such insurers could have a negative impact on the municipal market and the Fund’s performance. A Sub-Advisor will rely on the issuer’s counsel’s tax opinions on the exemption of a security’s interest income from federal taxation. At times, the tax-exempt nature of a municipal bond’s interest income is challenged or denied by the Internal Revenue Service. Were this to occur for a security held by the Fund, there could be a significant loss of value in that security.

 

Municipal Securities Risk. The value of municipal bonds that depend on a specific revenue source or general revenue source to fund their payment obligations may fluctuate as a result of changes in the cash flows generated by the revenue source(s) or changes in the priority of the municipal obligation to receive the cash flows generated by the revenue source(s). In addition, changes in federal tax laws or the activity of an issuer may adversely affect the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. There is no guarantee that a municipality will pay interest or repay principal. In addition, the ability of an issuer to make payments or repay interest may be affected by litigation or bankruptcy. In the event of such an issuer’s bankruptcy, the Fund could experience delays in collecting principal and interest, and may not, in all circumstances, be able to collect all principal and interest to which it is entitled. To enforce its rights in the event of a default in the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or both, a debt holder may, in some instances, take possession of, and manage, the assets securing the issuer’s obligations on such securities, which may increase the Fund’s operating expenses. Any income derived from the Fund’s ownership or operation of such assets may not be tax-exempt. Municipal bonds are generally subject to interest rate, credit and market risk.

 

Because many municipal bonds are issued to finance similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), conditions in those sectors may affect

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the overall municipal securities market. In addition, changes in the financial condition of an individual municipal issuer can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal bonds backed by current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets can be negatively affected by the discontinuance of the supporting taxation or the inability to collect revenues for the specific project or specific assets. Municipal bonds are subject to the risk that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) may determine that an issuer has not complied with applicable tax requirements and that interest from the municipal bond is taxable, which may result in a 20 significant decline in the value of the security. Municipal bonds may be less liquid than taxable bonds and there may be less publicly available information on the financial condition of municipal bond issuers than for issuers of other securities, and the investment performance of the Fund may, therefore, be more dependent on the analytical abilities of the Municipal Sub-Advisor than if the Fund held other types of investments. The secondary market for municipal bonds also tends to be less well-developed or liquid than many other securities markets, a by-product of lower capital commitments to the asset class by the dealer community, which may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell municipal bonds at attractive prices or value municipal bonds.

 

New Sub-Advisor Risk. The Sub-Advisor has not previously managed a mutual fund. Mutual funds and their advisors are subject to restrictions and limitations imposed by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Internal Revenue Code that do not apply to the management of other types of individual and institutional accounts. As a result, investors do not have a long-term track record of managing a mutual fund from which to judge the Sub-Advisor and the Sub-Advisor may not achieve the intended result in managing the Fund.

 

Non-diversification Risk. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may invest a larger portion of its assets in a limited number of companies than a diversified fund. Because a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors, the Fund’s portfolio may be more susceptible to any single economic, technological or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund.

 

Options Market Risk. Markets for options and options on futures may not always operate on a fair and orderly basis. At times, prices for options and options on futures may not represent fair market value and prices may be subject to manipulation, which may be extreme under some circumstances. The dysfunction and manipulation of volatility and options markets may make it difficult for the fund to effectively implement its investment strategy and achieve its objectives and could potentially lead to significant losses.

 

Options Risk. There are risks associated with the Fund’s options strategy. Generally, options may not be an effective hedge because they may have imperfect correlation to the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. Additionally, the underlying reference instrument on which the option is based may have imperfect correlation to the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. As the buyer of a call option, the Fund risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the underlying reference instrument does not rise above the strike price, which means the option will expire worthless. As the buyer of a put option, the Fund risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the underlying reference instrument does not fall below the strike price, which means the option will expire worthless. Additionally, purchased options may decline in value due to changes

45 
 

in price of the underlying reference instrument, passage of time and changes in volatility. As a seller (writer) of a put option, the Fund will lose money if the value of the underlying reference instrument falls below the strike price. As a seller (writer) of a call option, the Fund will lose money if the value of the underlying reference instrument rises above the strike price. The Fund's losses are potentially large in a written put transaction and potentially unlimited in a written call transaction. Option premiums are treated as short-term capital gains and when distributed to shareholders, are usually taxable as ordinary income, which may have a higher tax rate than long-term capital gains for shareholders holding Fund shares in a taxable account.

 

In general, option prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to: changing supply and demand relationships; government programs and policies; national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation and changes in supply and demand relationships. Trading options involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities including:

 

oLeverage and Volatility Risk: Option contracts ordinarily have leverage inherent in their terms. The low initial investment normally required in trading options permits a high degree of leverage. Accordingly, a relatively small price movement in the underlying reference instrument may result in an immediate and substantial loss. The use of options leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations or to meet collateral requirements. The use of options can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund's share price.

 

oLiquidity Risk: Although it is anticipated that the options traded will be actively traded, it is possible that particular options might be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from executing positions at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring it to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations.

 

oTracking Risk: Options may not be perfect substitutes for the securities or other underlying reference instrument they are intended to track or hedge. Factors such as differences in supply and demand for certain options may cause their returns to deviate from the Sub-Advisor's expectations. Consequently, option returns may not be highly correlated to the securities they are intended to hedge.

 

oSub-strategy Risk: Certain hedging strategies know as spreads or straddles expose the Fund to the risk that these sub-strategies may not perform as expected. In a spread transaction the Fund will invest in a combination of long and sold (written) positions on an option on an underlying reference instrument but with, for example, different strike prices. The long option may underperform while the sold option increases in price more than the Sub-Advisor expects. In a straddle transaction the Fund will invest in long puts and calls or sell puts and calls on an underlying reference instrument. Long straddle options may expire worthless. Short straddle options expose the Fund to potentially large losses on sold puts and potentially unlimited losses on sold calls.

 

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Over-the-Counter (“OTC”) Trading Risk. Certain of the derivatives in which the Fund may invest may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. While the OTC derivatives market is the primary trading venue for many derivatives, it is largely unregulated. As a result and similar to other privately negotiated contracts, the Fund is subject to counterparty credit risk with respect to such derivative contracts.

 

Overlay Risk. The overlay is expected to help mitigate interest rate and credit spread risks. Generally, hedging is a strategy in which the Fund uses a derivative or other type of security to offset the risks associated with other Fund holdings. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s incorporating an interest rate and credit spread overlay strategy will reduce overall risk or mitigate changes in value of the municipal securities. In addition, the overlay strategy may increase overall interest rate risk or credit risk in certain markets, increasing the volatility of the Fund. The overlay strategy is not required to hedge interest rate or credit spread risk and may not do so in certain market environments.

 

Preferred Stock Risk. The value of preferred stocks will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of preferred stock. Preferred stocks are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that an issuer of preferred stock will fail to make its dividend payments. Preferred stock prices tend to move more slowly upwards than common stock prices. In an issuer bankruptcy, preferred stock holders are subordinate to the claims of debtholders and may receive little or no recovery.

 

Prepayment Risk. The Fund may invest in debt securities that may be paid off early when the issuer of a debt security can repay the principal prior to a security’s maturity. If interest rates are falling, the Fund may have to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.

 

Privately Held Companies Risk. Privately held companies are not subject to SEC reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, the Sub-Advisor may not have timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the privately held companies in which the fund invests. Investments in privately held companies may be illiquid and difficult to value.

Real Estate and REIT Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of the real estate market as a whole, such as taxation, regulations and economic and political factors that negatively impact the real estate market and the direct ownership of real estate. These may include decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, rising operating costs, interest rates and property taxes. In addition, some real estate related investments are not fully diversified and are subject to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects. Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those associated with the real estate sector generally. REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or region are also subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks. By investing in REITs through the Fund, a shareholder will bear expenses of the REITs in addition to Fund expenses. An entity that fails to qualify as a REIT would be subject to a corporate level tax, would

47 
 

not be entitled to a deduction for dividends paid to its shareholders and would not pass through to its shareholders the character of income earned by the entity.

 

Regulatory Risk. Regulatory authorities in the United States or other countries may adopt rules that restrict the ability of the Fund to fully implement its strategy, either generally, or with respect to certain securities, industries or countries, which may impact the Fund’s ability to fully implement its investment strategies. Regulators may interpret rules differently than the Fund or the mutual fund industry generally, and disputes over such interpretations can increase in legal expenses incurred by the Fund.

 

Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements in which it purchases a security (known as the "underlying security") from a securities dealer or bank. In the event of a bankruptcy or other default by the seller of are purchase agreement, the Fund could experience delays in liquidating the underlying security and losses in the event of a decline in the value of the underlying security while the Fund is seeking to enforce its rights under the repurchase agreement. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment, and involve the risk that (i) the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner, or at all, and (ii) the market value of assets that are required to be repurchased decline below the purchase price of the asset that has to be sold, resulting in losses to the Fund.

 

Restricted Securities Risk. The Fund may hold securities that are restricted as to resale under the U.S. federal securities laws. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular restricted security. Limitations on the resale of these securities may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at reasonable prices or at all. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration. Also, restricted securities may be difficult to value because market quotations may not be readily available, and the values of restricted securities may have significant volatility.

 

Risk Management Risk. The measures that the Advisor, Sub-Advisor or portfolio manager use to monitor and manage the risks of the Fund may not accomplish the intended results and the Fund may experience losses significantly greater than expected.

 

Sector Concentration Risk. Sector concentration risk is the possibility that securities within the same sector will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Fund invests more heavily in a particular sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector. As a result, the Fund's share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors. Additionally, some sectors could be subject to greater government regulation than other sectors. Therefore, changes in regulatory policies for those sectors may have a material effect on the value of securities issued by companies in those sectors.

 

Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio. The net asset value of the Fund will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the securities in which the Fund invests. The Fund invests in securities that may be more volatile and carry more risk than some other forms of

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investment. The price of securities may rise or fall because of economic or political changes. Security prices in general may decline over short or even extended periods of time. Market prices of securities in broad market segments may be adversely affected by a prominent issuer having experienced losses, lack of earnings, failure to meet the market's expectations with respect to new products or services, or even by factors wholly unrelated to the value or condition of the issuer, such as changes in interest rates.

 

Segregation Risk. In order to secure its obligations to cover its short positions on options, the Fund will either own the underlying assets, enter into offsetting transactions or set aside cash or readily marketable securities. This requirement may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities, due to a lack of sufficient cash or readily marketable securities. This requirement may also cause the Fund to realize losses on offsetting or terminated derivative contracts or special transactions.

 

Short Selling Risk. If a security or other instrument sold short increases in price, the Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. The Fund may have substantial short security positions and must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. Thus, the Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons.

 

The Fund also may be required to pay a commission and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the commission, dividends, interest or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

 

Until the Fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances the Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral. Additionally, the Fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral pledged to the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover the short sale obligations. This may limit the Fund's investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

 

Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot go below zero.

 

Smaller and Mid Capitalization Stock Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks. The earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies. Smaller-sized companies may experience higher failure rates than do larger companies. The trading volume of securities of

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smaller-sized companies is normally less than that of larger companies and, therefore, may disproportionately affect their market price, tending to make them fall more in response to selling pressure than is the case with larger companies. Smaller-sized companies may have limited markets, product lines or financial resources and may lack management experience.

 

Sovereign Debt Risk. Sovereign debt securities are issued or guaranteed by foreign governmental entities. These investments are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies. If a governmental entity defaults, it may ask for more time in which to pay or for further loans. There is no legal process for collecting sovereign debts that a government does not pay nor are there bankruptcy proceedings through which all or part of the sovereign debt that a governmental entity has not repaid may be collected. Securities issued by certain governmental entities may be lower rated securities. These securities are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these securities and lead to liquidity risk. These risks are magnified to the extent that the Fund concentrates its investments in the sovereign debt of a single country. The market prices of sovereign debt, and the Fund’s net asset value, may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations.

 

Structured Note Risk. The Fund may seek investment exposure to sectors through structured notes that may be exchange traded or may trade in the over-the-counter market. These notes are typically issued by banks or brokerage firms, and have interest and/or principal payments which are linked to changes in the price level of certain assets or to the price performance of certain indices. The value of a structured note will be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for this type of note, interest rate and market volatility, changes in the issuer's credit quality rating, and economic, legal, political, events that affect the industry, and adverse changes in the index or reference asset to which payments are linked. In addition, there may be a lag between a change in the value of the underlying reference asset and the value of the structured note. Structured notes may also be subject to issuer default risk. The Fund is also exposed to increased transaction costs when it seeks to sell such notes in the secondary market.

 

Sub-Prime Mortgage Risk. Lower-quality notes, such as those considered "sub-prime" are more likely to default than those considered "prime" by a rating evaluation agency or service provider. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for sub-prime notes and reduce the Fund's ability to sell these securities. The lack of a liquid market for these securities could decrease the Fund's share price. Additionally, borrowers may seek bankruptcy protection which would delay resolution of security holder claims and may eliminate or materially reduce liquidity.

 

Swap Risk. The Fund may use swaps to enhance returns and manage risk. The Fund's use of swaps involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or

50 
 

improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to: changing supply and demand relationships; government programs and policies; national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation and changes in supply and demand relationships. Trading derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. Derivative contracts ordinarily have leverage inherent in their terms. The low margin deposits normally required in trading derivatives, including futures contracts, permit a high degree of leverage. Accordingly, a relatively small price movement may result in an immediate and substantial loss to the Fund. The use of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations or to meet collateral segregation requirements. The use of leveraged derivatives can magnify the Fund's potential for loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund's share price.

 

Taxation Risk. If the Fund invests in commodities indirectly through a subsidiary, the Fund will obtain exposure to the commodities markets within the federal tax requirements that apply to the Fund. A subsidiary is classified as a controlled foreign corporation for US tax purposes. Typically any gains/losses from trading in 1256 futures contracts, such as exchange-traded commodity futures contracts, are taxed 60% as long-term capital gains/losses and 40% short term capital gains/losses. However, because a subsidiary is a controlled foreign corporation, any income received from its investments will be passed through to the Fund as ordinary income and reflected on shareholder's tax Form 1099s as such.

 

Tax Reform Risk on Municipals. Municipal bonds are appealing to many investors, both retail and institutional, due to the federal (and state) tax preference on their interest income. Changes to the tax code could change the desirability and value of municipal bonds versus alternatives and hence the value of the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio. Of particular concern would be large changes in marginal income tax rates or the elimination of the tax preference for municipal interest income versus currently taxable interest income. Also, the failure or possible failure of such debt issuances to qualify for tax-exempt treatment in the U.S. may cause the prices of such municipal securities to decline, possibly adversely affecting the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Technology Sector Risk. Technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.

 

Tender Option Bonds Risk. The Fund’s participation in tender option bond transactions may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Investments in tender option bond transactions expose the Fund to counterparty risk and leverage risk. An investment in a tender option bond

51 
 

transaction typically will involve greater risk than an investment in a municipal fixed rate security, including the risk of loss of principal. Distributions on TOB Residuals will bear an inverse relationship to short-term municipal security interest rates. Distributions on TOB Residuals paid to the Fund will be reduced or, in the extreme, eliminated as short-term municipal interest rates rise and will increase when short-term municipal interest rates fall. TOB Residuals generally will underperform the market for fixed rate municipal securities in a rising interest rate environment. The Fund may invest in TOB Trusts on either a non-recourse or recourse basis. If the Fund invests in a TOB Trust on a recourse basis, it could suffer losses in excess of the value of its TOB Residuals.

 

Tracking Risk of ETFs. The ETFs in which the Fund may invest will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices or sector they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the ETFs in which the Fund may invest will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the ETFs may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the ETFs’ ability to track their applicable indices.

 

Turnover Rate Risk. The Fund may have portfolio turnover rates in excess of 100%. Increased portfolio turnover causes the Fund to incur higher brokerage costs, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and may produce increased taxable distributions.

 

U.S. Agency Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. government or agency obligations. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government sponsored entities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the Fund must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments.

 

U.S. Government Obligations Risk. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The Fund may be subject to such risk to the extent it invests in securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises.

 

Utilities Sector Risk. Deregulation may subject utility companies to greater competition and may adversely affect their profitability. As deregulation allows utility companies to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business, utility companies may engage in riskier ventures. In addition, deregulation may eliminate restrictions on the profits of certain utility companies, but may also subject these companies to greater risk of loss. Companies in the utilities industry may have difficulty obtaining an adequate return on invested capital, raising capital, or financing large construction projects during periods of inflation or unsettled capital markets; face restrictions on operations and increased cost and delays attributable to environmental considerations and regulation; find that existing plants, equipment or products have been rendered

52 
 

obsolete by technological innovations; or be subject to increased costs because of the scarcity of certain fuels or the effects of man-made or natural disasters. Existing and future regulations or legislation may make it difficult for utility companies to operate profitably. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will grant rate increases in the future, or that such increases will be adequate to permit the payment of dividends on stocks issued by a utility company. Energy conservation and changes in climate policy may also have a significant adverse impact on the revenues and expenses of utility companies.

 

Volatility Risk. Using derivatives can create leverage, which can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund's share price and make the Fund's returns more volatile, which means that the Fund’s performance may be subject to substantial short-term changes up or down.

 

Wholly-Owned Subsidiary Risk. The Subsidiary will not be registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in this Prospectus, will not be subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, could result in the inability of the Fund and/or Subsidiary to operate as described in this Prospectus and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. Your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher because you indirectly bear the expenses of the Subsidiary. Shareholders of the Fund will indirectly be subject to the principal risks of the Subsidiary by virtue of the Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary. The Fund and the Subsidiary are “commodity pools” under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act, and the Advisor is a “commodity pool operator” registered with and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). As a result, additional CFTC-mandated disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping obligations apply with respect to the Fund and the Subsidiary and subject each to CFTC penalties if reporting was found to be deficient.

 

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Policies

A description of the Fund’s policies regarding disclosure of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio is found in the Statement of Additional Information.

Cybersecurity

 

The computer systems, networks and devices used by the Fund and its service providers to carry out routine business operations employ a variety of protections designed to prevent damage or interruption from computer viruses, network failures, computer and telecommunication failures, infiltration by unauthorized persons and security breaches. Despite the various protections utilized by the Fund and its service providers, systems, networks, or devices potentially can be breached. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of a cybersecurity breach.

 

Cybersecurity breaches can include unauthorized access to systems, networks, or devices; infection from computer viruses or other malicious software code; and attacks that shut down, disable, slow, or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, or website access or functionality. Cybersecurity breaches may cause disruptions and impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value; impediments to trading; the inability of the Fund, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor

53 
 

and other service providers to transact business; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs; as well as the inadvertent release of confidential information.

 

Similar adverse consequences could result from cybersecurity breaches affecting issuers of securities in which the Fund invests; counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions; governmental and other regulatory authorities; exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies, and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for the Fund’s shareholders); and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred by these entities in order to prevent any cybersecurity breaches in the future.

HOW TO BUY SHARES

Purchasing Shares

You may buy shares on any business day. This includes any day that the Fund is open for business, other than weekends and days on which the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is closed, including the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

The Fund calculates its net asset value (“NAV”) per share as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE every day the NYSE is open. The NYSE normally closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”). The Fund’s NAV is calculated by taking the total value of the Fund’s assets, subtracting its liabilities, and then dividing by the total number of shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent.

All shares will be purchased at the NAV per share (plus applicable sales charges, if any) next determined after the Fund receives your application or request in good order. All requests received in good order by the Fund before 4:00 p.m. (ET) will be processed on that same day. Requests received after 4:00 p.m. will be processed on the next business day.

 

 

Good Order:  When making a purchase request, make sure your request is in good order.  “Good order” means your purchase request includes:

·         the name of the Fund and share class

·         the dollar amount of shares to be purchased

·         a completed purchase application or investment stub

·         check payable to the Fund

 

 

Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions Available Through Certain Financial Intermediaries

 

The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Fund or through a financial intermediary. Intermediaries may impose different sales charges other than those listed below for Class A shares and may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of sales load and waivers or reductions. Such intermediary-specific sales charge variations are described in Appendix A to this

54 
 

prospectus, titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers.” Appendix A is incorporated by reference into (or legally considered part of) this prospectus.

 

In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to notify the Fund or the shareholder’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the shareholder for sales charge reductions or waivers. For reductions and waivers not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another intermediary to receive these reductions or waivers.

 

Multiple Classes

 

The Fund offers Class A, Class C and Class I shares through this prospectus. Each class of shares has a different distribution arrangement and expenses to provide for different investment needs. This allows you to choose the class of shares most suitable for you depending on the amount and length of investment and other relevant factors. Sales personnel may receive different compensation for selling each class of shares. Each class of shares represents an interest in the same portfolio of investments in the Fund. Not all share classes may be available in all states.

Class A Shares

 

You can buy Class A shares at the public offering price, which is the NAV plus an up-front sales charge. You may qualify for a reduced sales charge, or the sales charge may be waived, as described below. The up-front sales charge also does not apply to Class A shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions. Intermediary-specific sales charge variations are described in Appendix A to this prospectus, titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers.” Class A shares are subject to a 12b-1 fee of 0.25% which is lower than the 12b-1 fee of 1.00% for the Class C shares.

The up-front Class A sales charge and the commissions paid to dealers for the Fund are as follows:

Amount of Purchase Sales Charge as % of Public Offering Price Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested Authorized Dealer Commission as % of Public Offering Price
Less than $50,000 4.75% 4.99% 4.00%
$50,000 but less than $100,000 4.25% 4.44% 3.50%
$100,000 but less than $250,000 3.75% 3.90% 3.00%
$250,000 but less than $500,000 2.50% 2.56% 2.00%
$500,000 but less than $1,000,000 2.00% 2.04% 1.50%
$1,000,000 and above 1.00% 1.01% 1.00%

 

How to Reduce Your Sales Charge

 

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The Fund offers a number of ways to reduce or eliminate the up-front sales charge on Class A shares.

Class A Sales Charge Reductions

 

Reduced sales charges are available to shareholders with investments of $50,000 or more. In addition, you may qualify for reduced sales charges under the following circumstances.

Letter of Intent: An investor may qualify for a reduced sales charge immediately by stating his or her intention to invest in one or more of the funds in the AlphaCentric Family of Funds, during a 13-month period, an amount that would qualify for a reduced sales charge and by signing a Letter of Intent, which may be signed at any time within 90 days after the first investment to be included under the Letter of Intent. However, if an investor does not buy enough shares to qualify for the lower sales charge by the end of the 13-month period (or when you sell your shares, if earlier), the additional shares that were purchased due to the reduced sales charge credit the investor received will be liquidated to pay the additional sales charge owed.

Rights of Accumulation: You may add the current value of all of your existing AlphaCentric Fund shares to determine the front-end sales charge to be applied to your current Class A purchase. Only balances currently held entirely at the Fund or, if held in an account through a financial services firm, at the same firm through whom you are making your current purchase, will be eligible to be added to your current purchase for purposes of determining your Class A sales charge. You may include the value of AlphaCentric Funds’ investments held by the members of your immediate family, including the value of the Fund’s investments held by you or them in individual retirement plans, such as individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, provided such balances are also currently held entirely at the Fund or, if held in an account through a financial services firm, at the same financial services firm through whom you are making your current purchase. The value of shares eligible for a cumulative quantity discount equals the cumulative cost of the shares purchased (not including reinvested dividends) or the current account market value; whichever is greater. The current market value of the shares is determined by multiplying the number of shares by the previous day’s NAV. If you believe there are cumulative quantity discount eligible shares that can be combined with your current purchase to achieve a sales charge breakpoint, you must, at the time of your purchase (including at the time of any future purchase) specifically identify those shares to your current purchase broker-dealer.

Class A Sales Charge Waivers: The Fund may sell Class A shares at NAV (i.e. without the investor paying any initial sales charge) to certain categories of investors, including: (1) investment advisory clients or investors referred by the Advisor or its affiliates; (2) officers and present or former Trustees; directors and employees of selected dealers or agents; the spouse, sibling, direct ancestor or direct descendant (collectively “relatives”) of any such person; any trust, individual retirement account or retirement plan account for the benefit of any such person or relative; or the estate of any such person or relative; if such shares are purchased for investment purposes (such shares may not be resold except to the Fund); (3) the Advisor or its affiliates and certain employee benefit plans for employees of the Advisor or any of its affiliates; (4) fee-based financial planners and registered investment advisors who are purchasing on behalf of their clients, where there is an agreement in place with respect to such purchases; (5) registered representatives of broker-dealers who have entered into selling agreements with the Advisor for their own accounts; and (6)

56 
 

participants in no-transaction-fee programs of broker dealers that have entered into an agreement with the Fund, Advisor or Distributor with respect to such purchases.

For more information regarding which intermediaries may have agreements with the Fund or distributor and their policies and procedures with respect to purchases at NAV, see Appendix A to this prospectus, titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers.” In addition, certain intermediaries may also provide for different sales charge discounts, which are also described in Appendix A to this prospectus.

Please refer to the Statement of Additional Information for detailed program descriptions and eligibility requirements. Additional information is available by calling 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637). Your financial advisor can also help you prepare any necessary application forms. You or your financial advisor must notify the Fund at the time of each purchase if you are eligible for any of these programs. The Fund may modify or discontinue these programs at any time. Information on sales charge reductions and/or waivers is not separately available on the Fund’s website because it is contained in this Prospectus.

Class C Shares

 

You can buy class C shares at NAV. Class C shares are subject to a 12b-1 fee of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, payable to the Advisor or selected dealers. Because Class C shares pay a higher 12b-1 fee than Class A shares, Class C shares have higher ongoing expenses than Class A shares.

Class I Shares

 

You can buy Class I shares at NAV. Sales of Class I shares are not subject to a front-end sales charge. The Fund has adopted a 12b-1 plan for Class I shares pursuant to which the Class is subject to a 12b-1 fee of 0.25% of its average daily net assets. The 12b-1 plan has not been implemented for the class and there are no plans to do so. Availability of Class I shares is subject to agreement between the distributor and each financial intermediary. Class I shares may also be available on certain brokerage platforms. An investor transacting in Class I shares through a broker acting as an agent for the investor may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker.

Distribution Plans

 

The Fund has adopted distribution and service plans under Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 that allows the Fund to pay distribution and/or service fees in connection with the distribution of its Class A and Class C shares and for services provided to shareholders. Because these fees are paid out of Fund assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.

Class A Shares - Under the Fund’s Plan related to the Class A shares, the Fund may pay an annual fee of up to 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A shares (the “Class A 12b-1 Fee”) for shareholder services and distribution related expenses. The Fund is currently paying a Class A 12b-1 Fee of 0.25% of its average daily net assets. If authorized by the Board of Trustees

57 
 

and upon notice to shareholders, the Fund may increase the percentage paid under the Plan up to the Class A 12b-1 Fee amount. All or a portion of the distribution and services fees may be paid to your financial advisor for providing ongoing services to you.

Class C Shares - Under the Fund’s Plan related to the Class C shares, the Fund pays an annual fee of 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class C shares. All or a portion of the distribution and services fees may be paid to your financial advisor for providing ongoing service to you.

Class I Shares - Under the Fund’s Plan related to the Class I shares, the Fund pays an annual fee of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class I shares. The Fund is not currently paying 12b-1 fees and there are no plans to impose these fees.

 

Opening an Account

You may purchase shares directly through the Fund’s transfer agent or through a brokerage firm or other financial institution that has agreed to sell Fund shares. If you purchase shares through a brokerage firm or other financial institution, you may be charged a fee by the firm or institution.

If you are investing directly in the Fund for the first time, please call toll-free 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637) to request a Shareholder Account Application. You will need to establish an account before investing. Be sure to sign up for all the account options that you plan to take advantage of. For example, if you would like to be able to redeem you shares by telephone, you should select this option on your Shareholder Account Application. Doing so when you open your account means that you will not need to complete additional paperwork later.

If you are purchasing through the Fund’s transfer agent, send the completed Shareholder Account Application and a check payable to the Fund to the following address:

Regular Mail

 

AlphaCentric Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

P.O. Box 541150

Omaha, Nebraska 68154

Express/Overnight Mail

 

AlphaCentric Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100

Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022-3474

 

 

All purchases must be made in U.S. dollars and checks must be drawn on U.S. banks. No cash, credit cards or third party checks will be accepted. A $20 fee will be charged against your account for any payment check returned to the transfer agent or for any incomplete electronic funds transfer, or for insufficient funds, stop payment, closed account or other reasons. If a check does not clear your bank or the Fund is unable to debit your predesignated bank account on the day of purchase, the Fund reserves the right to cancel the purchase. If your purchase is canceled, you will be responsible for any losses or fees imposed by your bank and losses that may be incurred as a result of a decline in the value of the canceled purchase. Your investment in the Fund should be intended to serve as a long-term investment vehicle. The Fund is not designed to provide you with

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a means of speculating on the short-term fluctuations in the stock market. The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase request that it regards as disruptive to the efficient management of the Fund, which includes investors with a history of excessive trading. The Fund also reserves the right to stop offering shares at any time.

If you choose to pay by wire, you must call the Fund’s transfer agent, at 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637) to obtain instructions on how to set up your account and to obtain an account number and wire instructions.

Wire orders will be accepted only on a day on which the Fund, custodian and transfer agent are open for business. A wire purchase will not be considered made until the wired money and purchase order are received by the Fund. Any delays that may occur in wiring money, including delays that may occur in processing by the banks, are not the responsibility of the Fund or the transfer agent. The Fund presently does not charge a fee for the receipt of wired funds, but the Fund may charge shareholders for this service in the future.

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. This means that when you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask for other identifying documents or information, and may take additional steps to verify your identity. We may not be able to open your account or complete a transaction for you until we are able to verify your identity.

Minimum Purchase Amount

The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, $2,500 for an IRA account, or $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $100. The Fund reserves the right to change the amount of these minimums from time to time or to waive them in whole or in part for certain accounts. Investment minimums may be higher or lower for investors purchasing shares through a brokerage firm or other financial institution. To the extent investments of individual investors are aggregated into an omnibus account established by an investment advisor, broker or other intermediary, the account minimums apply to the omnibus account, not to the account of the individual investor.

Automatic Investment Plan

 

You may open an automatic investment plan account with a $100 initial purchase and a $100 monthly investment. If you have an existing account that does not include the automatic investment plan, you can contact the Fund’s transfer agent to establish an automatic investment plan. The automatic investment plan provides a convenient method to have monies deducted directly from your bank account for investment in the Fund. You may authorize the automatic withdrawal of funds from your bank account for a minimum amount of $100. The Fund may alter, modify or terminate this plan at any time. To begin participating in this plan, please complete the Automatic Investment Plan Section found on the application or contact the Fund at 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637).

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Additional Investments

The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $100. You may purchase additional shares of the Fund by check or wire. Your bank wire should be sent as outlined above. You also may purchase Fund shares by making automatic periodic investments from your bank account. To use this feature, select the automatic investment option in the account application and provide the necessary information about the bank account from which your investments will be make. You may revoke your election to make automatic investments by calling 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637) or by writing to the Fund at:

AlphaCentric Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

P.O. Box 541150

Omaha, Nebraska 68154

 

Other Purchase Information

The Fund may limit the amount of purchases and refuse to sell to any person. If your electronic funds transfer is incomplete, payment is not completed due to insufficient funds, stop payment, closed account, a check does not clear your bank, or the Fund is unable to debit your predesignated bank account, you will be responsible for any loss incurred by the Fund. If you are already a shareholder, the Fund can, with notice, redeem shares from any identically registered account in the Fund as reimbursement for any loss incurred. You may be prohibited or restricted from making future purchases in the Fund.

The Fund has authorized certain broker-dealers and other financial institutions (including their designated intermediaries) to accept on its behalf purchase and sell orders. These broker-dealers and financial institutions may charge a fee for their services. The Fund is deemed to have received an order when the authorized person or designee receives the order, and the order is processed at the NAV next calculated thereafter.

Market Timing

The Fund discourages market timing. Market timing is an investment strategy using frequent purchases, redemptions and/or exchanges in an attempt to profit from short term market movements. To the extent that the Fund significantly invests in small or mid-capitalization equity securities or derivative investments, because these securities are often infrequently traded, investors may seek to trade Fund shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities (referred to as price arbitrage). Market timing may result in dilution of the value of Fund shares held by long term shareholders, disrupt portfolio management and increase Fund expenses for all shareholders. The Board has adopted a policy directing the Fund to reject any purchase order with respect to one investor, a related group of investors or their agent(s), where it detects a pattern of purchases and sales of the Fund that indicates market timing or trading that it determines is abusive. This policy applies uniformly to all Fund shareholders. While the Fund attempts to deter market timing, there is no assurance that they will be able to identify and eliminate all market timers. For example, certain accounts called “omnibus accounts” include multiple shareholders. Omnibus accounts typically provide the Fund with a net purchase or redemption

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request on any given day where purchasers of Fund shares and redeemers of Fund shares are netted against one another and the identities of individual purchasers and redeemers whose orders are aggregated are not known by the Fund. The netting effect often makes it more difficult for the Fund to detect market timing, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so.

HOW TO REDEEM SHARES

You may redeem your shares on any business day. Redemption orders received in proper order by the Fund’s transfer agent or by a brokerage firm or other financial institution, authorized to accept redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf, before 4:00 p.m. ET (or before the NYSE closes if the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. ET) will be effective at that day’s NAV.

The Fund typically expects that it will take up to seven calendar days following the receipt of your redemption request by any method to pay out redemption proceeds by check or electronic transfer. Shares of the Fund may be redeemed by mail or telephone. You may receive redemption payments in the form of a check or federal wire transfer, subject to any applicable redemption fee.

By Mail. You may redeem any part of your account in the Fund at no charge by mail. Your request, in good order, should be addressed to:

Regular Mail

 

AlphaCentric Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

P.O. Box 541150

Omaha, Nebraska 68154

Express/Overnight Mail

 

AlphaCentric Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100

Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022-3474

 

 

“Good order” means your request for redemption must:

 

·Include the Fund name and account number;
·Include the account name(s) and address;
·State the dollar amount or number of shares you wish to redeem; and
·Be signed by all registered share owner(s) in the exact name(s) and any special capacity in which they are registered.

The Fund may require that the signatures be guaranteed if you request the redemption check be mailed to an address other than the address of record, or if the mailing address has been changed within 30 days of the redemption request. The Fund may also require that signatures be guaranteed for redemptions of $100,000 or more. Signature guarantees are for the protection of shareholders. You can obtain a signature guarantee from most banks and securities dealers, but not from a notary public. For joint accounts, both signatures must be guaranteed. Please call the transfer agent at 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637) if you have questions. At the discretion of the Fund, you may be required to furnish additional legal documents to insure proper authorization.

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By Telephone. You may redeem any part of your account in the Fund by calling the transfer agent at 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637). You must first complete the Optional Telephone Redemption and Exchange section of the investment application to institute this option. The Fund, the transfer agent and the custodian are not liable for following redemption instructions communicated by telephone to the extent that they reasonably believe the telephone instructions to be genuine. However, if they do not employ reasonable procedures to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine, they may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. Procedures employed may include recording telephone instructions and requiring a form of personal identification from the caller.

The Fund may terminate the telephone redemption procedures at any time. During periods of extreme market activity, it is possible that shareholders may encounter some difficulty in telephoning the Fund, although neither the Fund nor the transfer agent have ever experienced difficulties in receiving and in a timely fashion responding to telephone requests for redemptions or exchanges. If you are unable to reach the Fund by telephone, you may request a redemption or exchange by mail.

Redemptions in Kind:  The Fund reserves the right to honor requests for redemption or repurchase orders by making payment in whole or in part in readily marketable securities (“redemption in kind”) if the amount is greater than the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s assets.  The securities will be chosen by the Fund and valued under the Fund’s net asset value procedures.  A shareholder will be exposed to market risk until these securities are converted to cash and may incur transaction expenses in converting these securities to cash. However, the Board has determined that, until otherwise approved by the Board, all redemptions in the Fund be made in cash only. If the Board determines to allow the Fund to redeem in kind in the future, the Fund will provide shareholders with notice of such change to the redemption policy.

Additional Information. If you are not certain of the requirements for redemption please call the transfer agent at 1-844-ACFUNDS (1-844-223-8637). Redemptions specifying a certain date or share price cannot be accepted and will be returned. You may be assessed a fee if the Fund incurs bank charges because you request that the Fund re-issue a redemption check. Also, when the NYSE is closed (or when trading is restricted) for any reason other than its customary weekend or holiday closing or under any emergency circumstances, as determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund may suspend redemptions or postpone payment dates.

Because the Fund incurs certain fixed costs in maintaining shareholder accounts, the Fund may require you to redeem all of your shares in the Fund on 30 days written notice if the value of your shares in the Fund is less than $2,500 due to redemption, or such other minimum amount as the Fund may determine from time to time. You may increase the value of your shares in the Fund to the minimum amount within the 30-day period. All shares of the Fund are also subject to involuntary redemption if the Board determines to liquidate the Fund. An involuntary redemption will create a capital gain or a capital loss, which may have tax consequences about which you should consult your tax advisor.

Exchange Privilege

 

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You may exchange shares of Class A, Class C and Class I shares of the Fund only for shares of the same class of another AlphaCentric Fund, including for shares of AlphaCentric Funds offered in other prospectuses. For example, you can exchange Class A shares of the Fund for Class A shares of the Income Opportunities Fund. Shares of the Fund selected for exchange must be available for sale in your state of residence. You must meet the minimum purchase requirements for the Fund you purchase by exchange. In order to exchange shares of the Fund on a particular day, the Fund or its designated agent must receive your request before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) that day. Exchanges are made at the NAV determined after the order is considered received. You will not be charged the upfront sales charge or the CDSC on exchanges of Class A shares. For tax purposes, exchanges of shares involve a sale of shares of the Fund you own and a purchase of the shares of the other Fund, which may result in a capital gain or loss.

Converting Shares

 

Shareholders of the Fund may elect on a voluntary basis to convert their shares in one class of the Fund into shares of a different class of the same Fund, subject to satisfying the eligibility requirements for investment in the new share class.

 

Shares held through a financial intermediary offering different programs and fee structures that has an agreement with the Advisor or the Fund’s distributor may be converted by the financial intermediary, without notice, to another share class of the Fund, including share classes with a higher expense ratio than the original share class, if such conversion is consistent with the fee-based or wrap fee program’s policies.

 

An investor may directly or through his or her financial intermediary contact the Fund to request a voluntary conversion between share classes of the same Fund as described above. You may be required to provide sufficient information to establish eligibility to convert to the new share class.

Class C shares convert automatically to Class A shares after ten years (unless otherwise specified by your financial intermediary), provided that the financial intermediary through which you purchased Class C shares has records verifying that the Class C shares have been held for at least ten years. Class A shares are available for purchase by persons in your state or territory of residence and the shares are not subject to a CDSC. Under the Fund’s Plan related to Class A shares, the Fund may pay an annual fee of up to 0.50% of the average daily net assets of its Class A shares (the “Class A 12b-1 Fee”) for shareholder services and distribution related expenses (Class C shares presently pay a 1.00% 12b-1 fee). The Fund is currently paying a Class A 12b-1 Fee of 0.25% of its average daily net assets. If authorized by the Board and upon notice to the shareholders, the Fund may increase the percentage paid under the 12b-1 Plan up to the Class A 12b-1 Fee amount. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. You should consult your financial representative for more information about eligibility for Class C share conversion.

 

All permissible conversions will be made on the basis of the relevant NAVs of the two classes without the imposition of any front-end sales load. A share conversion within the Fund will not result in a capital gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. The Fund may change, suspend or terminate this these conversion features at any time.

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VALUING THE FUND’S ASSETS

The Fund's assets are generally valued at their market value. If market prices are not available or, in the Advisor's opinion, market prices do not reflect fair value, or if an event occurs after the close of trading on the domestic or foreign exchange or market on which the security is principally traded (but prior to the time the NAV is calculated) that materially effects fair value, the Advisor will value the Fund’s assets at their fair value according to policies approved by the Board. For example, if trading in a portfolio security is halted and does not resume before the Fund calculates its NAV, the Advisor may need to price the security using the Fund’s fair value pricing guidelines. In these cases, the Fund's NAV will reflect certain portfolio securities' fair value rather than their market price. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. The fair value prices can differ from market prices when they become available or when a price becomes available. Without a fair value price, short term traders could take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity and dilute the NAV of long-term investors. Securities trading on overseas markets present time zone arbitrage opportunities when events affecting portfolio security values occur after the close of the overseas market, bur prior to the close of the U.S. market. Fair valuation of the Fund’s securities can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities available to short term traders, but there is no assurance that fair value pricing policies will prevent dilution of the Fund’s NAV by short term traders. The Fund may use pricing services to determine market value. The NAV for the Fund investing in other investment companies is calculated based upon the NAV of the underlying investment companies in its portfolio or at market price, and the prospectuses of those companies explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing. Because the Fund may invest in securities primarily listed on foreign exchanges, and these exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of some of the Fund's portfolio securities may change on days when you may not be able to buy or sell Fund shares.

DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

Dividends and Distributions

The Fund typically distributes substantially all of its net investment income in the form of dividends and taxable capital gains to its shareholders. These distributions are automatically reinvested in the applicable Fund unless you request cash distributions on your application or through a written request to the Fund. The Fund expects that its distributions will consist of both capital gains and dividend income. A portion of the distribution may be a return of capital. The Fund intends to make monthly dividend distributions. The Fund may make distributions of its net realized capital gains (after any reductions for capital loss carry forwards) annually.

Please refer to the sections heading “Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks – Principal Investment Strategies –Distribution Policy and Goals” and “Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks – Principal Investment Risks” for a detailed description of the Fund’s distribution policy and tax consequences.

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Taxes

In general, selling shares of the Fund and receiving distributions (whether reinvested or taken in cash) are taxable events. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital and will reduce the tax basis of your shares. Depending on the purchase price and the sale price, you may have a gain or a loss on any shares sold. Any tax liabilities generated by your transactions or by receiving distributions are your responsibility. You may want to avoid making a substantial investment when the Fund is about to make a taxable distribution because you would be responsible for any taxes on the distribution regardless of how long you have owned your shares. The Fund may produce capital gains even if it does not have income to distribute and performance has been poor.

Early each year, the Fund will mail to you a statement setting forth the federal income tax information for all distributions made during the previous year. If you do not provide your taxpayer identification number, your account will be subject to backup withholding.

The tax considerations described in this section do not apply to tax-deferred accounts or other non-taxable entities. Because each investor’s tax circumstances are unique, please consult with your tax advisor about your investment.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

Advisor

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC, a Delaware limited liability company located at 53 Palmeras St. Suite 601, San Juan, PR 00901, serves as Advisor to the Fund. The Advisor was formed in February 2014. Management of investment companies is currently its primary business. The Advisor is under common control with Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC and Rational Advisors, Inc., the investment advisers of other funds in the same group of investment companies also known as a “fund complex.” Information regarding the funds in the Fund Complex can be found at http://intelligentalts.com. Under the terms of the management agreement, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC is responsible for formulating the Fund’s investment policies, making ongoing investment decisions and engaging in portfolio transactions.

Sub-Advisor

 

Goshen Rock Capital, LLC

 

Goshen Rock Capital, LLC (“GRC”), founded in February 2021 and located at 2929 Arch Street, Suite 1703, Philadelphia, PA 19104, serves as investment sub-advisor to the Fund’s portfolio. The management of the Fund’s portfolio is currently its primary business. GRC is under common control with Strategos Capital Management, LLC (“SCM”) an SEC registered investment advisor founded in 2004.

 

Subject to the oversight and approval of the Advisor, GRC is responsible for making investment decisions and executing portfolio transactions for the Fund. In addition, GRC is responsible for

65 
 

maintaining certain transaction and compliance related records of the Fund. As compensation for the sub-advisory services it provides to the Fund, the Advisor will pay GRC 50% of the net management fees that the Advisor receives from the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

David Gregory and Alex Cigolle, CFA are the Fund’s portfolio managers and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day to day management of the Fund's portfolio.

 

David Gregory

Mr. Gregory is the Chief Investment Officer, Managing Member and a Portfolio Manager of GRC since its inception in 2021. Mr. Gregory is also a Portfolio Manager at SCM, where he has been employed since 2006. Mr. Gregory has responsibility for portfolio management and trading at both SCM and GRC. Over his career, he has gained over thirteen years of trading experience with a focus on securitized products. In addition to his expertise pertaining to fundamental analysis and deal structure, his sourcing capabilities have led to investments in multiple new asset classes for SCM’s client accounts. His primary focus has been on real estate related securities with a particular expertise in complex asset classes including non-Agency RMBS, derivatives, CMBS, esoteric ABS and CDOs. He also serves on the investment committee for a family scholarship fund and investment partnership. Mr. Gregory is a graduate of Bucknell University (2006), where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a focus on Finance.

 

Alex Cigolle, CFA

Mr. Cigolle is a Member and Portfolio Manager of GRC since its inception in 2021. He is also the founding Member of SCM and has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of SCM since its inception in September 2004. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Cigolle served as Vice President of Delaware Investments in the Structured Products Group. At Delaware Investments, Mr. Cigolle directed the trading and structuring of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). In addition, Mr. Cigolle was responsible for credit analysis of various structured products including ABS, MBS, and CDOs. Prior to Delaware Investments, Mr. Cigolle was employed with Bank of America Securities where he was a structurer in the Structured Credit Products Group. Mr. Cigolle is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a bachelor's degree in Economics.

 

The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed and ownership of securities in the Fund.

 

Advisory Fees

 

The Fund is authorized to pay the Advisor an annual fee based on its average daily net assets pursuant to an advisory agreement between the Advisor and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Management Agreement”). The advisory fee is paid monthly. The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses, but only to the extent necessary to maintain the Fund’s total annual operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; underlying fund expenses; borrowing costs, such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; and extraordinary expenses) at a certain level through July 31, 2022. This agreement may only be

66 
 

terminated by the Board on 60 days' written notice to the Advisor and upon the termination of the Management Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the Advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) if such recoupment can be achieved within the lesser of the expense limitation in place at the time of waiver/reimbursement and the expense limitation in place at the time of recapture. so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed either: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived or (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

The following table describes the contractual advisory fee and the expense limitation for the Fund.

Contractual Advisory Fee Expense Limitation
1.50%

Class A – 1.74%

Class C – 2.49%

Class I – 1.49%

 

 

The Fund may directly enter into agreements with financial intermediaries (which may include banks, brokers, securities dealers and other industry professionals) pursuant to which the Fund will pay the financial intermediary for services such as networking or sub-transfer agency, including the maintenance of “street name” or omnibus accounts and related sub-accounting, record-keeping and administrative services provided to such accounts. The Fund, through its rule 12b-1 distribution plan, or the Advisor or Sub-Advisor (not the Fund) may also pay certain financial intermediaries a fee for providing distribution related services for each respective Fund’s shareholders to the extent these institutions are allowed to do so by applicable statute, rule or regulation. Please refer to the section of the Statement of Additional Information entitled "Additional Compensation to Financial Intermediaries" for more information.

A discussion regarding the basis of the Board approval of the management agreement and the sub-advisory agreement will be available in the Trust’s semi-annual report to shareholders for the period ending September 30, 2021.

 

FINANCIALHIGHLIGHTS

Because the Fund has only recently commenced operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.

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Appendix A

INTERMEDIARY-SPECIFIC SALES CHARGE REDUCTIONS AND WAIVERS

Specific intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of sales charge reductions and waivers, which are discussed below. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to notify the Fund or the shareholder’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the shareholder for sales charge reductions or waivers.

 

MERRILL LYNCH

 

Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch
 

·         Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.

 

·         Shares purchased by a 529 Plan (does not include 529 Plan units or 529-specific share classes or equivalents).

 

·         Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program.
·         Shares exchanged due to the holdings moving from a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant to Merrill Lynch’s policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers.

·         Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch’s platform.

 

·         Shares of funds purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform.

 

·         Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).

 

·         Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund pursuant to Merrill Lynch’s policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers.
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·         Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members.

 

·         Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus.

 

 

·         Eligible shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement). Automated transactions (i.e. systematic purchases and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay Merrill Lynch’s account maintenance fees are not eligible for reinstatement.

 

 
CDSC Waivers on A, B and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch  
   
·         Death or disability of the shareholder,  

·         Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus.

 

 
·         Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account  
·         Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.  

·         Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch.

 

 
·         Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.  
·         Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to certain fee based accounts or platforms (applicable to A and C shares only).  
·         Shares received through an exchange due to the holdings moving from a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant to Merrill Lynch’s policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers.  
Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent  
   
·         Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.  
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·         Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts as described in the Fund’s prospectus will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts (including 529 program holdings, where applicable) within the purchaser’s household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
·         Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time.

RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC (“RBC”)

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at RBC

·         Employer-sponsored retirement plans.

 

RAYMOND JAMES & ASSOCIATES, INC., RAYMOND JAMES FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. & EACH ENTITY'S AFFILIATES (“Raymond James”)

 

Effective March 1, 2019, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment adviser for which Raymond James provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this fund’s prospectus or SAI.

 

 

Front-end sales load waivers on Class A shares available at Raymond James

 

·Shares purchased in an investment advisory program.
·Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions.
·Employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James.
·Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement).
·A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James.
·Death or disability of the shareholder.
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·Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s prospectus.
·Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
·Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the fund’s prospectus.
·Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James.
·Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

 

 

Front-end load discounts available at Raymond James: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent

 

·Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

 

·Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Raymond James. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

·Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

 

JANNEY MONTGOMERY SCOTT LLC

Effective May 1, 2020, if you purchase fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

 

Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney

 

·Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
·Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
·Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following
71 
 

the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).

·Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
·Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
·Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.

 

CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at Janney

 

·Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
·Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
·Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
·Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and other retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½ as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
·Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
·Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
·Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.

 

Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent

 

·Breakpoints as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
·Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
·Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
72 
 

 

*Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”

 

 

The information disclosed in the appendix is part of, and incorporated in, the prospectus

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PRIVACY NOTICE

Mutual Fund Series Trust

Rev. July 2017

FACTS WHAT DOES MUTUAL FUND SERIES TRUST DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Why? Financial companies choose how they share your personal information.  Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some, but not all sharing.  Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information.  Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do.
     

 

What?

The types of personal information we collect and share depends on the product or service that you have with us. This information can include:

· Social Security number and wire transfer instructions

· account transactions and transaction history

· investment experience and purchase history
When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice.

 

How? All financial companies need to share customers' personal information to run their everyday business.  In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers' personal information; the reasons Mutual Fund Series Trust chooses to share; and whether you can limit this sharing.

 

Reasons we can share your personal information: Does Mutual Fund Series Trust share information? Can you limit this sharing?  
For our everyday business purposes - such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus. YES NO
For our marketing purposes - to offer our products and services to you. NO We don't share
For joint marketing with other financial companies. NO We don't share
For our affiliates' everyday business purposes - information about your transactions and records. NO We don't share
For our affiliates' everyday business purposes - information about your credit worthiness. NO We don't share
For our affiliates to market to you NO We don't share
For non-affiliates to market to you NO We don't share

 

QUESTIONS?   Call 1-844-223-8637

 

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PRIVACY NOTICE

Mutual Fund Series Trust

 

What we do:

 

How does Mutual Fund Series Trust protect my personal information?

To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings.

Our service providers are held accountable for adhering to strict policies and procedures to prevent any misuse of your nonpublic personal information.

 

How does Mutual Fund Series Trust collect my personal information?

We collect your personal information, for example, when you:

· open an account or deposit money

· direct us to buy securities or direct us to sell your securities

· seek advice about your investments

We also collect your personal information from others, such as credit bureaus, affiliates, or other companies.

 

Why can't I limit all sharing?

Federal law gives you the right to limit only:

· sharing for affiliates' everyday business purposes – information about your creditworthiness.

· affiliates from using your information to market to you.

· sharing for non-affiliates to market to you.

State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing.

 

Definitions
Affiliates

Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and non-financial companies.

· Mutual Fund Series Trust does not share with affiliates.

Non-affiliates

Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and non-financial companies.

· Mutual Fund Series Trust doesn't share with non-affiliates so they can market to you.

Joint marketing

A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies that together market financial products or services to you.

· Mutual Fund Series Trust doesn’t jointly market.

 

 

 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Several additional sources of information are available to you. The Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"), incorporated into this Prospectus by reference, contains detailed information on Fund policies and operations, including policies and procedures relating to the disclosure of portfolio holdings by the Fund’s affiliates. Annual and semi-annual reports contain management's discussion of market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance results as of the Fund’s latest semi-annual or annual fiscal year end.

Call the Fund at 1-844-ACFUNDS (844-223-8637) to request free copies of the SAI, the annual report and the semi-annual report, to request other information about the Fund and to make shareholder inquiries. You may also obtain this information from the Fund’s internet site at www.AlphaCentricFunds.com.

You may obtain reports and other information about the Fund on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http.//www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investment Company Act File No. 811-21872

 

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STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

June 7, 2021

 

MUTUAL FUND SERIES TRUST

 

AlphaCentric Strategic Income Fund

Class A: SIIAX Class C: SIICX Class I: SIIIX

 

17645 Wright Street, Suite 200

Omaha, Nebraska 68130

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus of the AlphaCentric Strategic Income Fund (the “Fund”), dated June 7, 2021. The Fund is a separate series of Mutual Fund Series Trust (“Trust”), an open-end management company organized as an Ohio business trust. The Fund acquired all the assets and liabilities of the Strategos Deep Value Fund LP (the “Predecessor Fund”), in a tax-free reorganization on May 28, 2021. In connection with this acquisition, shares of the Predecessor Fund were exchanged for Class I shares of the Fund. Certain information included on the following pages is that of the Predecessor Fund.

 

This SAI has been incorporated in its entirety into the Prospectus. Copies of the Prospectus may be obtained at no charge from the Trust by writing to the above address or calling 1-844-ACFUNDS (844-223-8637).

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Mutual Fund Series Trust 2
Investment Restrictions 2
Other Investment Policies 3
Additional Information about Investments and Risks 4
Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings 24
Trustees and Officers 25
Principal Shareholders 30
Advisor and Sub-Advisors 31
Code of Ethics 34
Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting Agent and Administrator 34
Compliance Services 35
Custodian 35
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 35
Counsel 35
Distributor 36
Additional Compensation to Financial Intermediaries 37
Proxy Voting Policy 38
Portfolio Turnover 38
Portfolio Transactions 38
Purchase and Redemption of Shares 40
Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A 40
Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A 41
Exchange Privilege 41
Net Asset Value 42
Tax Information 42
Investments In Foreign Securities 43
Backup Withholding 44

Foreign Shareholders

Financial Statement

44

44

Appendix A 45
Appendix B 47
Appendix C 50
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MUTUAL FUND SERIES TRUST

 

The Trust, an Ohio business trust, is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company (or mutual fund). The Trust was formed by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust on February 27, 2006. The Trust Agreement permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest of separate series without par value. The Fund is a separate non-diversified series of the Trust. There are currently several other series (or funds) and additional series may be created by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board” or “Trustees”) from time to time.

 

 

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC (“AlphaCentric” or the “Advisor”) acts as the investment advisor to the Fund.

 

Goshen Rock Capital, LLC (“GRC” or a “Sub-Advisor”) acts as the investment sub-advisor to the Fund.

 

The Trust does not issue share certificates. All shares are held in non-certificate form registered on the books of the Trust and the Trust’s transfer agent for the account of the shareholder. Each share of a series represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets and liabilities belonging to that series with each other share of that series and is entitled to such dividends and distributions out of income belonging to the series as are declared by the Trustees. The shares do not have cumulative voting rights or any preemptive or conversion rights, and the Trustees have 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 interest in the assets belonging to that series and the rights of shares of any other series are in no way affected. In case of any liquidation of a series, the holders of shares of the series being liquidated will be entitled to receive as a class a distribution out of the assets, net of the liabilities, belonging to that series. Expenses attributable to any series are borne by that series. There can be no assurance that a series will grow to an economically viable size, in which case the Trustees may determine to liquidate the series at a time that may not be opportune for shareholders. Any general expenses of the Trust not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular series are allocated by or under the direction of the Trustees in such manner as the Trustees determine to be fair and equitable. No shareholder is liable to further calls or to assessment by the Trust without his or her express consent.

The Fund offers three classes of shares: Class A, Class C and Class I shares. Each share class represents an interest in the same assets of the Fund, has the same rights and is identical in all material respects except that (i) each class of shares may bear different distribution fees; (ii) each class of shares may be subject to different (or no) sales charges; (iii) certain other class specific expenses will be borne solely by the class to which such expenses are attributable; and (iv) each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters relating to its own distribution arrangements. The Board may classify and reclassify the shares of the Fund into additional classes of shares at a future date.

 

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

 

The following investment restrictions are fundamental policies of the Fund and cannot be changed unless the change is approved by the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting of shareholders if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund.

 

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

 

(a)        borrow money, except as permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“the 1940 Act”)*, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

 

(b)        issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act*, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

 

(c)        engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities;

 

2 
 

(d)        purchase or sell real estate, which does not include securities of companies which deal in real estate or mortgages or investments secured by real estate or interests therein, except that the Fund reserves freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate acquired as a result of the Fund's ownership of securities;

 

(e)        purchase or sell physical commodities;

 

(f)        make loans to others, except (a) where each loan is represented by a note executed by the borrower, (b) through the purchase of debt securities in accordance with its investment objectives and policies, (c) to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement, in a manner consistent with the Fund’s investment policies or as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act, is deemed to be a loan, and (d) by loaning portfolio securities; and

 

(g)       invest more than 25% or more of its total assets in a particular industry or group of industries except for real estate industry companies (as defined in the Prospectus). This limitation is not applicable to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities or repurchase agreements with respect thereto. The Fund will consider the investments of underlying investment companies when determining its compliance with this restriction.

 

*The 1940 Act limits the Fund’s ability to borrow money, prohibiting the Fund from issuing senior securities, except the Fund may borrow from any bank provided that immediately after any such borrowing there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings by the Fund and provided further, that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300%, the Fund shall, within three days thereafter or such longer period as the SEC may prescribe by rules and regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to such an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowing shall be at least 300%.

 

OTHER INVESTMENT POLICIES

 

The following investment policies are not fundamental and may be changed by the Board without the approval of the shareholders of the Fund:

 

(a)       The Fund will not purchase securities or evidences of interest thereon on “margin.” This limitation is not applicable to short-term credit obtained by the Fund for the clearance of purchases and sales or redemption of securities, or to arrangements with respect to transactions involving futures contracts, and other permitted investments and techniques;

 

(b)                The Fund will not mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or in any manner transfer, as security for indebtedness, any assets of the Fund except as may be necessary in connection with permitted borrowings. The Fund will maintain asset coverage of 300% of all borrowing. Margin deposits, security interests, liens and collateral arrangements with respect to transactions involving options, futures contracts, short sales, securities lending and other permitted investments and techniques are not deemed to be a mortgage, pledge or hypothecation of assets for purposes of this limitation; and

 

(c)                 The Fund will not purchase any security while borrowings (including reverse repurchase transactions) representing more than one third of its total assets are outstanding.

 

If a restriction on the Fund’s investments is adhered to at the time an investment is made, a subsequent change in the percentage of Fund assets invested in certain securities or other instruments, or change in average duration of the Fund’s investment portfolio, resulting from changes in the value of the Fund’s total assets, will not be considered a violation of the restriction; provided, however, that the asset coverage requirement applicable to borrowings shall be maintained in the manner contemplated by applicable law.

 

Pursuant to Rule 22e-4, the Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in investments for which there are legal or contractual restrictions on resale and other illiquid investments. Rule 144A securities with registration rights are not considered to be illiquid. If illiquid investments exceed 15% of a Fund’s net assets, the Fund will take corrective action consistent with Rule 22e-4.

 

3 
 

Temporary Defensive Positions

From time to time, the Fund may take temporary defensive positions, which are inconsistent with the Fund's principal investment strategies, in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions. For example, the Fund may hold all or a portion of its assets in money market instruments, including cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, other investment grade fixed income securities, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper, money market funds and repurchase agreements. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited.  If the Fund invests in a money market fund, the shareholders of the Fund generally will be subject to duplicative management fees. Although the Fund would do this only in seeking to avoid losses, the Fund will be unable to pursue its investment objective during that time, and it could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market. The Fund also may also invest in money market instruments at any time to maintain liquidity or pending selection of investments in accordance with its policies. The Fund may also invest in money market instruments at any time to maintain liquidity or pending selection of investments in accordance with its policies.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENTS AND RISKS

 

Unless restricted by the fundamental policies of the Fund, the following policies supplement the investment objective and policies of the Fund as set forth in the Prospectus.

 

Common Stocks. The Fund may invest in common stocks, which include the common stock of any class or series of domestic or foreign corporations or any similar equity interest, such as a trust or partnership interest. These investments may or may not pay dividends and may or may not carry voting rights. Common stock occupies the most junior position in a company’s capital structure. The Fund may also invest in warrants and rights related to common stocks.

 

Investments in Small and Unseasoned Companies. Unseasoned and small companies may have limited or unprofitable operating histories, limited financial resources, and inexperienced management. In addition, they often face competition from larger or more established firms that have greater resources. Securities of small and unseasoned companies are frequently traded in the over-the-counter market or on regional exchanges where low trading volumes may result in erratic or abrupt price movements. To dispose of these securities, the Fund may need to sell them over an extended period or below the original purchase price. Investments by the Fund in these small or unseasoned companies may be regarded as speculative.

 

Securities of Other Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in securities issued by other investment companies. The Fund intends to limit its investments in accordance with applicable law or as permitted by an SEC rule or exemptive order. Among other things, such law would limit these investments so that, as determined immediately after a securities purchase is made by the Fund: (a) not more than 5% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company (the "5% Limitation"); (b) not more than 10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate in securities of investment companies as a group (the "10% Limitation"); (c) not more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund; and (d) not more than 10% of the outstanding voting stock of any one closed-end investment company will be owned by the Fund together with all other investment companies that have the same advisor. Under certain sets of conditions, different sets of restrictions may be applicable. As a shareholder of another investment company, the Fund would bear, along with other shareholders, its pro rata portion of that investment company’s expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses would be in addition to the advisory and other expenses that the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. Investment companies in which the Fund may invest may also impose a sales or distribution charge in connection with the purchase or redemption of their shares and other types of commissions or charges. Such charges will be payable by the Fund and, therefore, will be borne directly by shareholders.

 

The AlphaCentric Funds intend to rely on Rule 12d1-3, which allows unaffiliated mutual funds to exceed the 5% Limitation and the 10% Limitation, provided the aggregate sales loads any investor pays (i.e., the combined distribution expenses of both the acquiring fund and the acquired funds) does not exceed the limits on sales loads established by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) for funds of funds.

 

Exchange Traded Funds. The Fund may invest in a range of exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"). An ETF is an investment company that offers investors a proportionate share in a portfolio of stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies or other

4 
 

securities. Like individual equity securities, ETFs are traded on a stock exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the day. Traditional ETFs attempt to achieve the same investment return as that of a particular market index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. To mirror the performance of a market index, an ETF invests either in all of the securities in the index or a representative sample of securities in the index. Some ETFs also invest in futures contracts or other derivative instruments to track their benchmark index. Unlike traditional indexes, which generally weight their holdings based on relative size (market capitalization), enhanced or fundamentally weighted indexes use weighting structures that include other criteria such as earnings, sales, growth, liquidity, book value or dividends. Some ETFs also use active investment strategies instead of tracking broad market indexes. Investments in ETFs are considered to be investment companies, see "Securities of Other Investment Companies" above.

 

When the Fund invests in ETFs, it is subject to the specific risks of the underlying investment of the ETF. These risks could include those associated with small companies, illiquidity risk, sector risk, foreign and emerging market risk, short selling, leverage as well as risks associated with fixed income securities, real estate investments, and commodities. ETFs in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices or sector they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the ETFs in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the ETFs may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the ETFs' ability to track their applicable indices.

When the Fund invests in sector ETFs, there is a risk that securities within the same group of industries will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Fund invests more heavily in a particular sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector. As a result, the Fund’s share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of industries. Additionally, some sectors could be subject to greater government regulation than other sectors. Therefore, changes in regulatory policies for those sectors may have a material effect on the value of securities issued by companies in those sectors. The sectors in which the Fund may be more heavily invested will vary.

To offset the risk of declining security prices, the Fund may invest in inverse ETFs.  Inverse ETFs are funds designed to rise in price when stock prices are falling.   Inverse ETF index funds seek to provide investment results that will match a certain percentage of the inverse of the performance of a specific benchmark on a daily basis.  For example, if an inverse ETFs current benchmark is the inverse of the Russell 2000 Index and the ETF meets its objective, the value of the ETF will tend to increase on a daily basis when the value of the underlying index decreases (e.g., if the Russell 2000 Index goes down 5% then the inverse ETF’s value should go up 5%).  Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not acquire shares of another investment company (ETFs or other investment companies) if, immediately after such acquisition, the Fund and its affiliated persons would hold more than 3% of the ETF’s or investment company’s total outstanding stock (“3% Limitation”). Accordingly, the Fund is subject to the 3% Limitation unless: (i) the ETF or the Fund has received an order for exemptive relief from the 3% Limitation from the SEC that is applicable to the Fund; and (ii) the ETF and the Fund take appropriate steps to comply with any conditions in such order. The SEC has issued such an exemptive order to iShares Trust and iShares, Inc. which permits investment companies to invest in the various series of the iShares Trust and iShares, Inc. (“iShares Funds”) beyond the 3% Limitation, subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the iShares Funds. The Fund may seek to qualify to invest in iShares Funds in excess of the 3% Limitation.

 

To the extent the 3% Limitation applies to certain ETFs, that limitation may prevent the Fund from allocating its investments in the manner that the Fund’s advisor, considers optimal, or cause the Fund to select a similar index or sector-based mutual fund or other investment company (“Other Investment Companies”), or a similar basket of stocks (a group of securities related by index or sector that are pre-selected by, and made available through, certain brokers at a discounted brokerage rate) (“Stock Baskets”) as an alternative. The Fund may also invest in Other Investment Companies or Stock Baskets when the Advisor believes they represent more attractive opportunities than similar ETFs. The Fund’s investments in Other Investment Companies will be subject to the same 3% Limitation described above.

 

ETFs or Inverse ETFs may employ leverage, which magnifies the changes in the underlying stock index upon which they are based.  Any strategy that includes inverse or leveraged securities could cause the Fund to suffer significant losses. 

 

5 
 

Closed-End Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in “closed-end” investment companies (or “closed-end funds”), subject to the investment restrictions set forth below. The Fund, together with any company or companies controlled by the Fund, and any other investment companies having a sub-advisor as an investment advisor, may purchase only up to 10% of the total outstanding voting stock of any closed-end fund. Typically, the common shares of closed-end funds are offered to the public in a one-time initial public offering by a group of underwriters who retain a spread or underwriting commission. Such securities are then listed for trading on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter markets. Because the common shares of closed-end funds cannot be redeemed upon demand to the issuer like the shares of an open-end investment company (such as the Fund), investors seek to buy and sell common shares of closed-end funds in the secondary market. The common shares of closed-end funds may trade at a price per share which is more or less than the net asset value (“NAV”) per share, the difference representing the “market premium” and the “market discount” of such common shares, respectively.

 

There can be no assurance that a market discount on common shares of any closed-end fund will ever decrease. In fact, it is possible that this market discount may increase and the Fund may suffer realized or unrealized capital losses due to further decline in the market price of the securities of such closed-end funds, thereby adversely affecting the NAV of the fund’s shares. Similarly, there can be no assurance that the common shares of closed-end funds which trade at a premium will continue to trade at a premium or that the premium will not decrease subsequent to a purchase of such shares by the Fund. The Fund may also invest in preferred shares of closed-end funds.

 

An investor in the Fund should recognize that he may invest directly in closed-end funds and that by investing in closed-end funds indirectly through the Fund he will bear not only his proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund (including operating costs and investment advisory and administrative fees) but also, indirectly, similar fees of the underlying closed-end funds. An investor may incur increased tax liabilities by investing in the Fund rather than directly in the underlying funds.

 

Business Development Companies (BDCs) and Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). The Fund may invest in BDCs and SPACs. Federal securities laws impose certain restraints upon the organization and operations of BDCs and SPACs. For example, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or in thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt instruments that mature in one year or less. SPACs typically hold 85% to 100% of the proceeds raised from their IPO in trust to be used at a later date for a merger or acquisition. The SPAC must sign a letter of intent for a merger or acquisition within 18 months of the IPO. Otherwise it will be forced to dissolve and return the assets held in the trust to the public stockholders. However, if a letter of intent is signed within 18 months, the SPAC can close the transaction within 24 months. In addition, the target of the acquisition must have a fair market value that is equal to at least 80% of the SPAC’s assets at the time of acquisition and a majority of shareholders voting must approve this combination with no more than 20% of the shareholders voting against the acquisition and requesting their money back. When a deal is proposed, a shareholder can stay with the transaction by voting for it or elect to sell his shares in the SPAC if voting against it. SPACs are more transparent than private equity as they may be subject to certain SEC regulations, including registration statement requirements under the Securities Act of 1933 and 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K financial reporting requirements. Since SPACs are publicly traded, they provide limited liquidity to an investor (i.e. investment comes in the form of common shares and warrants which can be traded). Other than the risks normally associated with IPOs, SPACs’ public shareholders' risks include limited liquidity of their securities (as shares are generally thinly traded), loss of 0-15% of their investments (resulting from the SPACs operating costs) if no deals are made and lack of investment diversification as assets are invested in a single company.

 

Options on Securities. The Fund may purchase put or call options on equity securities (including securities of ETFs). The Fund may also write call options and put options on stocks only if they are covered, as described below, and such options must remain covered so long as the Fund is obligated as a writer. Option transactions can be executed either on a national exchange or through a private transaction with a broker-dealer (an “over-the-counter” transaction). The Fund may write (sell) “covered” call options and purchase options in a spread to hedge (cover) written options, and to close out options previously written by it.

 

A call option gives the holder (buyer) the “right to purchase” a security at a specified price (the exercise price) at any time until a certain date (the expiration date). So long as the obligation of the writer (seller) of a call option continues, the writer may be assigned an exercise notice by the broker-dealer through whom such option was sold, requiring the writer to deliver

6 
 

the underlying security against payment of the exercise price. This obligation terminates upon the expiration of the call option, or such earlier time at which the writer effects a closing purchase transaction by purchasing an option identical to that previously sold. To secure the obligation to deliver the underlying security upon exercise of a call option subject to the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”), a writer is required to deposit in escrow the underlying security or other assets in accordance with OCC rules.

 

The purpose of writing covered call options is to generate additional premium income for the Fund. This premium income will serve to enhance the Fund’s total return and will reduce the effect of any price decline of the security involved in the option. Covered call options will generally be written on securities which, in the opinion of the Advisor, are not expected to make any major price moves in the near future but which, over the long term, are deemed to be attractive investments for the particular Fund.

 

The Fund may write only call options that are “covered” or for which the Fund has segregated liquid assets equal to the exercise liability of the option that are adjusted daily to the option’s current market value. A call option is “covered” if the Fund either owns the underlying security or has an absolute and immediate right (such as a call with the same or a later expiration date) to acquire that security. In addition, the Fund will not permit the call to become uncovered without segregating liquid assets as described above prior to the expiration of the option or termination through a closing purchase transaction as described below. If the Fund writes a call option, the purchaser of the option has the right to buy (and the Fund has the obligation to sell) the underlying security at the exercise price throughout the term of the option. The initial amount paid to the Fund by the purchaser of the option is the “premium”. The Fund’s obligation as the writer of a call option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price will terminate either upon expiration of the option or earlier if the Fund is able to effect a “closing purchase transaction” through the purchase of an equivalent option. There can be no assurance that a closing purchase transaction can be effected at any particular time or at all. The Fund would not be able to effect a closing purchase transaction after it had received notice of exercise. Fund securities on which call options may be written will be purchased solely on the basis of investment considerations consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The writing of covered call options is a conservative investment technique believed to involve relatively little risk (in contrast to the writing of naked or uncovered options, which the Fund will not do unless the Fund arranges to have its custodian segregate sufficient cash or liquid assets as described above), but capable of enhancing the Fund’s total return. When writing a covered call option, the Fund, in return for the premium, gives up the opportunity for profit from a price increase in the underlying security above the exercise price, but retains the risk of loss should the price of the security decline. Unlike one who owns securities not subject to an option, the Fund has no control over when the Fund may be required to sell the underlying securities, since it may be assigned an exercise notice at any time prior to the expiration of its obligation as a writer. If a call option which the Fund has written expires, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium; however, such gain may be offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying security during the option period. If the call option is exercised, the Fund will realize a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security. The security, cash or other liquid assets covering the call will be maintained either in a segregated status by the Fund’s custodian or on deposit in escrow in accordance with OCC rules.

 

The premium received is the market value of an option. The premium the Fund will receive from writing a call option will reflect, among other things, the current market price of the underlying security, the relationship of the exercise price to such market price, the historical price volatility of the underlying security, and the length of the option period. Once the decision to write a call option has been made, the Advisor, in determining whether a particular call option should be written on a particular security, will consider the reasonableness of the anticipated premium and the likelihood that a liquid secondary market will exist for such option. The premium received by the Fund for writing covered call options will be recorded as a liability in the Fund’s statement of assets and liabilities. This liability will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value which is the mean of the closing bid and asked prices, after closing rotation is completed (i.e., after such closing prices are computed, currently at 4:02 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., depending on the type of contract), the closing prices as of the time at which the net asset value per share of the Fund is computed (the close of the New York Stock Exchange). The liability will be extinguished upon expiration of the option, the purchase of an identical option in a closing transaction, or delivery of the underlying security upon the exercise of the option.

 

Closing transactions will be effected in order to realize a profit on an outstanding call option, to prevent an underlying security from being called, or to permit the sale of the underlying security. Furthermore, effecting a closing transaction will permit the Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with either a different exercise price or expiration date or both. If the Fund desires to sell a particular security from its portfolio on which it has written a call option, and it

7 
 

does not wish to segregate cash or other liquid assets equal in value to the exercise liability of the option adjusted daily to the option’s current market value, the Fund will seek to effect a closing transaction prior to, or concurrently with, the sale of the security. There is, of course, no assurance that the Fund will be able to effect such closing transactions at a favorable price. If the Fund cannot effect such a closing transaction, and it does not wish to segregate cash or other liquid assets equal in value to the exercise liability of the option adjusted daily to the option’s current market value, the Fund may be required to hold a security that it might otherwise have sold, in which case it would continue to be at market risk on the security. The Fund will pay transaction costs in connection with the writing of options to close out previously written options. Such transaction costs are normally higher than those applicable to purchases and sales of portfolio securities.

 

The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to, or above the current market values of the underlying securities at the time the options are written. From time to time, the Fund may purchase an underlying security for delivery in accordance with an exercise notice of a call option assigned to the Fund, rather than delivering such security from its portfolio. In such cases, additional costs will be incurred.

 

The Fund will realize a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction is less or more than the premium received from the writing of the option. It is possible that the cost of effecting a closing transaction may be greater than the premium received by the Fund for writing the option. Because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss resulting from the purchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying security owned by the Fund.

 

In order to write a call option, the Fund is required to comply with OCC rules and the rules of the various exchanges with respect to collateral requirements.

 

The Fund may also purchase put options so long as they are listed on an exchange. If the Fund purchases a put option, it has the option to sell the subject security at a specified price at any time during the term of the option.

 

Purchasing put options may be used as a portfolio investment strategy when the Advisor perceives significant short-term risk but substantial long-term appreciation for the underlying security. The put option acts as an insurance policy, as it protects against significant downward price movement while it allows full participation in any upward movement. If the Fund is holding a stock that the Advisor feels has strong fundamentals, but for some reason may be weak in the near term, it may purchase a listed put on such security, thereby giving itself the right to sell such security at a certain strike price throughout the term of the option. Consequently, the Fund will exercise the put only if the price of such security falls below the strike price of the put. The difference between the put option’s strike price and the market price of the underlying security on the date the Fund exercises the put, less transaction costs, will be the amount by which the Fund will be able to hedge against a decline in the underlying security. If, during the period of the option the market price for the underlying security remains at or above the put option’s strike price, the put will expire worthless, representing a loss of the price the Fund paid for the put, plus transaction costs. If the price of the underlying security increases, the profit the Fund realizes on the sale of the security will be reduced by the premium paid for the put option less any amount for which the put may be sold.

 

The Fund may write put options on a fully covered basis on a stock the Fund intends to purchase or where the Fund arranges with its Custodian to segregate cash or other liquid asset equal in value to the exercise liability of the put option adjusted daily to the option’s current market value. If the Fund writes a put option, the purchaser of the option has the right to sell (and the Fund has the obligation to buy) the underlying security at the exercise price throughout the term of the option. The initial amount paid to the Fund by the purchaser of the option is the “premium”. The Fund’s obligation to purchase the underlying security against payment of the exercise price will terminate either upon expiration of the option or earlier if the Fund is able to effect a “closing purchase transaction” through the purchase of an equivalent option. There can be no assurance that a closing purchase transaction can be effected at any particular time or at all. In all cases where a put option is written, that is not covered by the Fund’s having an immediate and absolute right to sell such securities, the Fund will segregate with its custodian, or pledge to a broker as collateral any combination of “qualified securities” (which consists of cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid securities) with a market value at the time the option is written of not less than 100% of the exercise price of the put option multiplied by the number of options contracts written times the option multiplier, which will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value.

 

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The Fund may purchase a call option or sell a put option on a stock (including securities of ETFs) it may purchase at some point in the future. The purchase of a call option or sale of a put option is viewed as an alternative to the purchase of the actual stock. The number of option contracts purchased multiplied by the exercise price times the option multiplier will normally not be any greater than the number of shares that would have been purchased had the underlying security been purchased. If the Fund purchases a call option, it has the right but not the obligation to purchase (and the seller has the obligation to sell) the underlying security at the exercise price throughout the term of the option. The initial amount paid by the Fund to the seller of the call option is known as the “premium”. If during the period of the option the market price of the underlying security remains at or below the exercise price, the Fund will be able to purchase the security at the lower market price. The profit or loss the Fund may realize on the eventual sale of a security purchased by means of the exercise of a call option will be reduced by the premium paid for the call option. If, during the period of the call option, the market price for the underlying security is at or below the call option’s strike price, the call option will expire worthless, representing a loss of the price the Fund paid for the call option, plus transaction costs.

 

Stock Index Options. Except as described below, the Fund will write call options on stock indexes only if on such date it holds a portfolio of stocks at least equal to the value of the index times the multiplier times the number of contracts or the Fund arranges with its Custodian to segregate cash or other liquid assets equal in value to the exercise liability of the call option adjusted daily to the option’s current market value. When the Fund writes a call option on a broadly-based stock market index, it will segregate with its custodian, and/or pledge to a broker as collateral for the option, any combination of “qualified securities” (which consists of cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid securities) with a market value at the time the option is written of not less than 100% of the current index value times the multiplier times the number of contracts.

 

If at the close of business on any business day the market value of such qualified securities so segregated or pledged falls below 100% of the current stock index value times the multiplier times the number of contracts, the Fund will so segregate and/or pledge an amount in cash or other liquid assets or securities equal in value to the difference. However, if the Fund holds a call on the same index as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written or greater than the exercise price of the call written if the difference is maintained in cash, short-term U.S. Government securities, or other liquid securities (including common stocks) in a segregated account with the custodian, it will not be subject to the requirements described in this section.

 

Risks of Transactions in Stock Options. Purchase and sales of options involves the risk that there will be no market in which to effect a closing transaction. An option position may be closed out only on an exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series or if the transaction was an over-the-counter transaction, through the original broker-dealer. Although the Fund will generally buy and sell options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and for some options no secondary market on an exchange may exist. If the Fund, as a covered call or put option writer, is unable to effect an offsetting closing transaction in a secondary market, and does not arrange with its custodian to segregate cash or other liquid assets equal in value to the Fund’s exercise liability of the option adjusted daily to the option’s current market value, it will, for a call option it has written, not be able to sell the underlying security until the call option expires and, for a put option it has written, not be able to avoid purchasing the underlying security until the put option expires.

 

Risks of Options on Stock Indexes. The Fund’s purchase and sale of options on stock indexes will be subject to risks described above under “Risks of Transactions in Stock Options”. In addition, the distinctive characteristics of options on stock indexes create certain risks that are not present with stock options.

 

Since the value of a stock index option depends upon the movements in the level of the stock index, rather than the price of a particular stock, whether the Fund will realize a gain or loss on the purchase or sale of an option on a stock index depends upon movements in the level of stock prices in the stock market generally or in an industry or market segment rather than movements in the price of a particular stock. Accordingly, successful use by the Fund of options on stock indexes is subject to the Advisor’s ability to correctly predict movements in the direction of the stock market generally or of a particular industry or market segment. This requires skills and techniques different from predicting changes in the price of individual stocks.

 

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Stock index prices may be distorted if trading of certain stocks included in the stock index is interrupted. Trading in the stock index options also may be interrupted in certain circumstances, such as if trading were halted in a substantial number of stocks included in the stock index. If this occurred, the Fund would not be able to close out options that it had purchased or written and, if restrictions on exercise were imposed, might not be able to exercise an option that it was holding, which could result in substantial losses to the Fund. It is the policy of the Fund to purchase or write options only on stock indexes that include a number of stocks sufficient to minimize the likelihood of a trading halt in the stock index, for example, the S&P 100 or S&P 500 index option.

 

Trading in stock index options commenced in April 1983 with the S&P 100 option (formerly called the CBOE 100). Since that time, a number of additional stock index option contracts have been introduced, including options on industry stock indexes. Although the markets for certain stock index option contracts have developed rapidly, the markets for other stock index options are still relatively illiquid. The ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that this market will develop in all stock index option contracts. The Fund will not purchase or sell stock index option contracts unless and until, in the Advisor’s opinion, the market for such options has developed sufficiently that the risk in connection with these transactions is no greater than the risk in connection with options on stock.

 

Hedging. Hedging is a means of transferring risk that an investor does not wish to assume during an uncertain market environment. The Fund is permitted to enter into these transactions solely: (a) to hedge against changes in the market value of portfolio securities and against changes in the market value of securities intended to be purchased, (b) to close out or offset existing positions, or (c) to manage the duration of a portfolio’s fixed income investments.

 

Hedging activity in the Fund may include buying or selling (writing) put or call options on stocks, shares of exchange traded funds or stock indexes, entering into stock index futures contracts or buying or selling options on stock index futures contracts or financial futures contracts, such as futures contracts on U.S. Treasury securities and interest related indices, and options on financial futures. The Fund will buy or sell options on stock index futures traded on a national exchange or board of trade and options on securities and on stock indexes traded on national securities exchanges or through private transactions directly with a broker-dealer. The Fund may hedge a portion of its portfolio by selling stock index futures contracts or purchasing puts on these contracts to limit exposure to an actual or anticipated market decline. The Fund may hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates, in connection with its investments in foreign securities, by purchasing foreign forward currency exchange contracts. All hedging transactions must be appropriate for reduction of risk and they cannot be for speculation.

 

The Fund may engage in transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts.

 

Regulation as a Commodity Pool Operator. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has filed with the National Futures Association (“NFA”), a notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), and the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) promulgated thereunder, with respect to the Fund's operations.  Accordingly, the Fund is not currently subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator.

Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in convertible securities, including debt securities or preferred stock that may be converted into common stock or that carry the right to purchase common stock. Convertible securities entitle the holder to exchange the securities for a specified number of shares of common stock, usually of the same company, at specified prices within a certain period of time. They also entitle the holder to receive interest or dividends until the holder elects to exercise the conversion privilege.

 

The terms of any convertible security determine its ranking in a company’s capital structure. In the case of subordinated convertible debentures, the holder’s claims on assets and earnings are generally subordinate to the claims of other creditors, and senior to the claims of preferred and common stockholders. In the case of convertible preferred stock, the holder’s claims on assets and earnings are subordinate to the claims of all creditors and are senior to the claims of common stockholders. As a result of their ranking in a company’s capitalization, convertible securities that are rated by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations are generally rated below other obligations of the company and many convertible securities are not rated.

 

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Preferred Stock. The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, offers a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer’s earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative or non-cumulative, participating, or auction rate. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of the preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline.

 

Warrants. The Fund may invest in warrants. The Fund may purchase warrants issued by domestic and foreign companies to purchase newly created equity securities consisting of common and preferred stock. Warrants are securities that give the holder the right, but not the obligation to purchase equity issues of the company issuing the warrants, or a related company, at a fixed price either on a date certain or during a set period. The equity security underlying a warrant is authorized at the time the warrant is issued or is issued together with the warrant.

 

Investing in warrants can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security, and, thus, can be a speculative investment. At the time of issue, the cost of a warrant is substantially less than the cost of the underlying security itself, and price movements in the underlying security are generally magnified in the price movements of the warrant. This leveraging effect enables the investor to gain exposure to the underlying security with a relatively low capital investment. This leveraging increases an investor’s risk, however, in the event of a decline in the value of the underlying security and can result in a complete loss of the amount invested in the warrant. In addition, the price of a warrant tends to be more volatile than, and may not correlate exactly to, the price of the underlying security. If the market price of the underlying security is below the exercise price of the warrant on its expiration date, the warrant will generally expire without value. The value of a warrant may decline because of a decline in the value of the underlying security, the passage of time, changes in interest rates or in the dividend or other policies of the company whose equity underlies the warrant or a change in the perception as to the future price of the underlying security, or any combination thereof. Warrants generally pay no dividends and confer no voting or other rights other than to purchase the underlying security.

 

United States Government Obligations. The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, or by its agencies or instrumentalities. Obligations issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include Treasury bills, Treasury notes, Treasury bonds, and obligations of the Government National Mortgage Association, the Farmers Home Administration, and the Export-Import Bank. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the Fund must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments. Securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include, but are not limited to, obligations of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the United States Postal Service, each of which has the right to borrow from the United States Treasury to meet its obligations, and obligations of the Federal Farm Credit System and the Federal Home Loan Banks, both of whose obligations may be satisfied only by the individual credits of each issuing agency.

 

Foreign Government Obligations. The Fund may invest in short-term obligations of foreign sovereign governments or of their agencies, instrumentalities, authorities or political subdivisions. These securities may be denominated in United States dollars or in another currency. See “Foreign Investments.”

 

Bank Obligations. The Fund may invest in bank obligations such as bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposit, and time deposits.

 

Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange typically 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. Investments will be in bankers’ acceptances guaranteed by domestic and foreign banks having, at the time of investment, capital, surplus, and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 (as of the date of their most recently published financial statements).

 

Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank or a savings and loan association for a definite period of time and earning a specified return.

 

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Commercial Paper. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes, including Master Notes, issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return. Master Notes, however, are obligations that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid and permit daily changes in the amount borrowed.

 

Master Notes are governed by agreements between the issuer and the Advisor acting as agent, for no additional fee, in its capacity as advisor to the Fund and as fiduciary for other clients for whom it exercises investment discretion. The monies loaned to the borrower come from accounts maintained with or managed by the Advisor or its affiliates pursuant to arrangements with such accounts. Interest and principal payments are credited to such accounts. The Advisor, acting as a fiduciary on behalf of its clients, has the right to increase or decrease the amount provided to the borrower under an obligation. The borrower has the right to pay without penalty all or any part of the principal amount then outstanding on an obligation together with interest to the date of payment. Since these obligations typically provide that the interest rate is tied to the Treasury bill auction rate, the rate on Master Notes is subject to change. Repayment of Master Notes to participating accounts depends on the ability of the borrower to pay the accrued interest and principal of the obligation on demand which is continuously monitored by the Advisor. Master Notes typically are not rated by credit rating agencies.

 

The Fund may purchase commercial paper consisting of issues rated at the time of purchase within the three highest rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”). The Fund may also invest in commercial paper that is not rated but is determined by the Advisor, under guidelines established by the Trust’s Board of Trustees, to be of comparable quality.

 

Other Fixed Income Securities. Other fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest include nonconvertible preferred stocks and nonconvertible corporate debt securities.

 

The Fund may invest in short-term investments (including repurchase agreements “collateralized fully,” as provided in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; interest-bearing or discounted commercial paper, including dollar denominated commercial paper of foreign issuers; and any other taxable and tax-exempt money market instruments, including variable rate demand notes, that are “Eligible Securities” as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act).

 

Variable Amount Master Demand Notes. Variable amount master demand notes are unsecured demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary and provide for periodic readjustments in the interest rate according to the terms of the instrument. They are also referred to as variable rate demand notes. Because master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and the issuer, they are not normally traded. Although there is no secondary market in the notes, the Fund may demand payment of principal and accrued interest at any time or during specified periods not exceeding one year, depending upon the instrument involved, and may resell the note at any time to a third party. The Advisor will consider the earning power, cash flow, and other liquidity ratios of the issuers of such notes and will continuously monitor their financial status and ability to meet payment on demand.

 

Variable and Floating Rate Notes. A variable rate note is one whose terms provide for the readjustment of its interest rate on set dates and which, upon such readjustment, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. A floating rate note is one whose terms provide for the readjustment of its interest rate whenever a specified interest rate changes and which, at any time, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. Such notes are frequently not rated by credit rating agencies. These notes must satisfy the same quality standards as commercial paper investments. Unrated variable and floating rate notes purchased by the Fund must be determined by the Advisor under guidelines approved by the Board to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase to rated instruments eligible for purchase under the Fund’s investment policies. In making such determinations, the Advisor will consider the earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios of the issuers of such notes (such issuers include financial, merchandising, bank holding and other companies) and will continuously monitor their financial condition. Although there may be no active secondary market with respect to a particular variable or floating rate note purchased by the Fund, the Fund may resell the note at any time to a third party. The absence of an active secondary market, however, could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of a variable or floating rate note in the event the issuer of the note defaulted on its payment obligations and the Fund could, as a result or for other reasons, suffer a loss to the extent of the default. Variable or floating rate notes may be secured by bank letters of credit.

 

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Foreign Investments. The Fund may invest in certain obligations or securities of foreign issuers. Certain of these investments may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts “EDRs, Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), other similar depositary receipts, and ETFs”) or other investment companies that invest in foreign securities, Yankee Obligations, and U.S. dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign branches of U.S. and foreign banks. Foreign investments may subject the Fund to investment risks that differ in some respects from those related to investment in obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks include future adverse political and economic developments, possible seizure, nationalization, or expropriation of foreign investments, less stringent disclosure requirements, the possible establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source or other taxes, and the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions.

 

Additional risks include less publicly available information, less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers and issuers, the risk that companies may not be subject to the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements of U.S. companies, the risk that foreign securities markets may have less volume and that therefore many securities traded in these markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than U.S. securities, and the risk that custodian and brokerage costs may be higher. Foreign issuers of securities or obligations are often subject to accounting treatment and engage in business practices different from those respecting domestic issuers of similar securities or obligations. Foreign branches of U.S. banks and foreign banks may be subject to less stringent reserve requirements than those applicable to domestic branches of U.S. banks. Certain of these investments may subject the Fund to currency fluctuation risks.

 

Other investment risks include the possible imposition of foreign withholding taxes on certain amounts of the Fund’s income which may reduce the net return on non-U.S. investments as compared to income received from a U.S. issuer, the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign assets and the possible establishment of exchange controls, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, other foreign governmental laws or restrictions which might affect adversely payments due on securities held by the Fund, the lack of extensive operating experience of eligible foreign subcustodians and legal limitations on the ability of the Fund to recover assets held in custody by a foreign subcustodian in the event of the subcustodian’s bankruptcy.

 

In addition, there may be less publicly-available information about a non-U.S. issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and non-U.S. issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial record-keeping standards and requirements as U.S. issuers. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of an emerging market country issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had the financial statements been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, for an issuer that keeps accounting records in local currency, inflation accounting rules may require, for both tax and accounting purposes, that certain assets and liabilities be restated on the issuer’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits. Consequently, financial data may be materially affected by restatements for inflation and may not accurately reflect the real condition of those issuers and securities markets.

 

Finally, in the event of a default of any such foreign obligations, it may be more difficult for the Fund to obtain or enforce a judgment against the issuers of such obligations. The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies in certain emerging market countries, as well as limitations on such investments, also may have an adverse impact on the operations of the Fund. For example, the Fund may be required in certain of such countries to invest initially through a local broker or other entity and then have the shares purchased re-registered in the name of the Fund. Re-registration may in some instances not be able to occur on a timely basis, resulting in a delay during which the Fund may be denied certain of its rights as an investor.

 

Depositary Receipts. The Fund’s investments may include securities of foreign issuers in the form of sponsored or unsponsored ADRs, GDRs and EDRs. ADRs are depositary receipts typically issued by a United States bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs and GDRs are typically issued by foreign banks or trust companies, although they also may be issued by United States banks or trust companies, and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by either a foreign or a United States corporation. Generally, depositary receipts in registered form are designed for use in the United States securities market and depositary receipts in bearer form are designed for use in securities markets outside the United States Depositary receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. Ownership of unsponsored

13 
 

depositary receipts may not entitle the Fund to financial or other reports from the issuer of the underlying security, to which it would be entitled as the owner of sponsored depositary receipts.

 

Emerging Markets. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers located in “emerging markets” (lesser developed countries located outside of the U.S.) or ETFs or other investment companies that invest in emerging market securities. Investing in emerging markets involves not only the risks described above with respect to investing in foreign securities, but also other risks, including exposure to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature than, and to political systems that can be expected to have less stability than, those of developed countries. For example, many investments in emerging markets experienced significant declines in value due to political and currency volatility in emerging markets countries during the latter part of 1997 and the first half of 1998. Other characteristics of emerging markets that may affect investment include certain national policies that may restrict investment by foreigners in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests and the absence of developed structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. The typically small size of the markets of securities of issuers located in emerging markets and the possibility of a low or nonexistent volume of trading in those securities may also result in a lack of liquidity and in price volatility of those securities.

 

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. Delivery of and payment for these securities may take as long as a month or more after the date of the purchase commitment. The value of these securities is subject to market fluctuation during this period and no interest or income accrues to the Fund until settlement. The Fund will maintain with the custodian a separate account with a segregated portfolio of liquid assets consisting of cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid high-grade debt securities in an amount at least equal to these commitments. When entering into a when-issued or delayed delivery transaction, the Fund will rely on the other party to consummate the transaction; if the other party fails to do so, the Fund may be disadvantaged. It is the current policy of the Fund not to enter into when-issued commitments exceeding in the aggregate 25% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets, less liabilities other than the obligations created by these commitments.

 

Lower Rated or Unrated Securities. Securities rated Baa by Moody’s or BBB by S&P or lower, or deemed of comparable quality by the Advisor, may have speculative characteristics. Securities rated below investment grade, i.e., below Baa or BBB, or deemed of comparable quality by the Advisor, have higher yields but also involve greater risks than higher rated securities. Under guidelines used by rating agencies, securities rated below investment grade, or deemed of comparable quality, have large uncertainties or major risk exposures in the event of adverse conditions, which features outweigh any quality and protective characteristics. Securities with the lowest ratings are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing, to have a current identifiable vulnerability to default, to be unlikely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due in the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, and/or to be in default or not current in the payment of interest or principal. Such securities are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations. Accordingly, it is possible that these types of factors could, in certain instances, reduce the value of such securities held by the Fund with a commensurate effect on the value of its shares.

 

The secondary market for lower rated securities is not as liquid as that for higher rated securities. This market is concentrated in relatively few market makers and participants in the market are mostly institutional investors, including insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions and investment companies. In addition, the trading market for lower rated securities is generally lower than that for higher-rated securities, and the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. These factors may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to dispose of these securities and may limit its ability to obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of determining the value of its assets. If the Fund is not able to obtain precise or accurate market quotations for a particular security, it will become more difficult to value its portfolio, requiring them to rely more on judgment. Less liquid secondary markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to sell securities at their fair value. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets, measured at the time of investment, in illiquid securities, which may be more difficult to value and to sell at fair value. If the secondary markets for high yield debt securities are affected by adverse economic conditions, the proportion of the Fund’s assets invested in illiquid securities may increase.

 

In the case of corporate debt securities, while the market values of securities rated below investment grade and comparable unrated securities tend to react less to fluctuations in interest rate levels than do those of higher-rated securities, the market values of certain of these securities also tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in

14 
 

economic conditions than higher-rated securities. Price volatility in these securities will be reflected in the Fund’s share value. In addition, such securities generally present a higher degree of credit risk. Issuers of these securities often are highly leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them, so that their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired. The risk of loss due to default by such issuers is significantly greater than with investment grade securities because such securities generally are unsecured and frequently are subordinated to the prior payment of senior indebtedness.

 

A description of the quality ratings of certain NRSROs is contained in Appendix A.

 

Zero Coupon Securities. The Fund may invest in “zero coupon” U.S. Treasury, foreign government and U.S. and foreign corporate convertible and nonconvertible debt securities, which are bills, notes and bonds that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons and custodial receipts or certificates of participation representing interests in such stripped debt obligations and coupons. A zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder prior to maturity. Accordingly, such securities usually trade at a deep discount from their face or par value and will be subject to greater fluctuations of market value in response to changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current distributions of interest. The Fund anticipates that it will not normally hold zero coupon securities to maturity. Redemption of shares of the Fund that require it to sell zero coupon securities prior to maturity may result in capital gains or losses that may be substantial. Federal tax law requires that a holder of a zero coupon security accrue a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased as income each year, even though the holder receives no interest payment on the security during the year. Such accrued discount will be includible in determining the amount of dividends the Fund must pay each year and, in order to generate cash necessary to pay such dividends, the Fund may liquidate portfolio securities at a time when it would not otherwise have done so.

 

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“forward contract”) in connection with its investments in foreign securities. A forward contract may be used by the Fund only to hedge against possible variations in exchange rates of currencies in countries in which it may invest. A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are traded in the interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades.

 

Futures Contracts. The Fund may invest in futures contracts and options thereon (stock index futures contracts, interest rate futures contracts or currency futures contracts or options thereon) to hedge or manage risks associated with the Fund’s securities investments. When a futures contract is executed, each party deposits with a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) or broker (“Custodian”), or in a segregated custodial account, a specified percentage of the contract amount, called the initial margin, and during the term of the contract, the amount of the deposit is adjusted based on the current value of the futures contract by payments of variation margin to or from the FCM or broker or segregated custodial account. In the case of options on futures, the holder of the option pays a premium and receives the right, upon exercise of the option at a specified price during the option period, to assume the option writer’s position in the futures contract and related margin account. If the option is exercised on the last trading day, cash in an amount equal to the difference between the option exercise price and the closing level of the relevant index, interest rate or currency price, as applicable, on the expiration date is delivered.

 

As required by the 1940 Act, the Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts or options thereon only if the Fund’s liability for the futures position is “covered” by an offsetting position in a futures contract or option thereon, or by the Fund’s segregating liquid assets equal to the Fund’s liability on the futures contract or option thereon, which are adjusted daily to equal the current market value of Fund’s liability on the futures contract or option thereon. To enter into a futures contract, an amount of cash, U.S. Government securities, or other liquid securities or assets, equal to the market value of the futures contract, is segregated with the Custodian and/or in a margin account with a FCM or broker, and this amount of cash or cash equivalents is adjusted daily to the current market value of the futures contract to collateralize the position and thereby ensure that the use of such futures is unleveraged. Alternatively, the Fund may cover such positions by purchasing offsetting positions, or by using a combination of offsetting positions and cash or other liquid securities or assets.

 

Positions in futures contracts may be closed out only on an exchange that provides a secondary market for such futures. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any

15 
 

specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures position. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund had insufficient cash, it might have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it would be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund might be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying futures contracts it holds. The inability to close positions in futures or options thereon also could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to hedge or manage risks effectively.

 

Successful use of futures by the Fund is also subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict movements correctly in the direction of the market. There is typically an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the future and movements in the price of the securities that are the subject of the hedge. In addition, the price of futures may not correlate perfectly with movement in the cash market due to certain market distortions. Due to the possibility of price distortion in the futures market and because of the imperfect correlation between the movements in the cash market and movements in the price of futures, a correct forecast of general market trends or interest rate movements by the Advisor may still not result in a successful hedging transaction over a short time frame.

 

The trading of futures contracts is also subject to the risk of trading halts, suspension, exchange or clearing house equipment failures, government intervention, insolvency of a commodities or brokerage firm or clearing house or other disruption of normal trading activity, which could at times make it difficult or impossible to liquidate existing positions or to recover excess variation margin payments.

 

The purchase and sale of futures contracts or related options will not be a primary investment technique of the Fund. The Fund will purchase or sell futures contracts (or related options thereon) in accordance with the CFTC regulations described above.

 

Interest Rate Futures. The Fund may purchase an interest rate futures contract as a hedge against changes in interest rates. An interest rate futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and the purchase by the other party of a certain amount of a specific interest rate sensitive financial instrument (debt security) at a specified price, date, time and place. Generally, if market interest rates increase, the value of outstanding debt securities declines (and vice versa). Thus, if the Fund holds long-term debt obligations and the Advisor anticipates a rise in long-term interest rates, the Fund could, instead of selling its debt obligations, enter into an interest rate futures contract for the sale of similar long-term securities. If interest rates rise, the value of the futures contract would also rise, helping to offset the price decline of the obligations held by the Fund. The Fund might also purchase futures contracts as a proxy for underlying securities that it cannot currently buy.

 

Stock Index Futures. The Fund may purchase and sell stock index futures contracts as a hedge against changes resulting from market conditions in the values of securities that are held in its portfolio or that it intends to purchase or when such purchase or sale is economically appropriate for the reduction of risks inherent in the ongoing management of the Fund. A stock index futures contract is an agreement in which one party agrees to deliver to the other an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific stock index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made.

 

The Fund may hedge a portion of its portfolio by selling stock index futures contracts or purchasing puts on these contracts to limit exposure to an actual or anticipated market decline. This provides an alternative to liquidation of securities positions. Conversely, during a market advance or when the Advisor anticipates an advance, the Fund may hedge a portion of its portfolio by purchasing stock index futures, or options on these futures. This affords a hedge against the Fund not participating in a market advance when it is not fully invested and serves as a temporary substitute for the purchase of individual securities, which may later be purchased in a more advantageous manner.

 

The Fund’s successful use of stock index futures contracts depends upon the Advisor’s ability to predict the direction of the market and is subject to various additional risks. The correlation between movement in the price of the stock index future and the price of the securities being hedged is imperfect and the risk from imperfect correlation increases as the composition of the Fund’s portfolio diverges from the composition of the relevant index. In addition, if the Fund purchases futures to hedge against market advances before it can invest in common stock in an advantageous manner and the market declines, there may be a loss on the futures contracts. In addition, the ability of the Fund to close out a futures position or an option on futures depends on a liquid secondary market. There is no assurance that liquid secondary markets will exist for any particular futures contract or option on a futures contract at any particular time. The risk of loss to the Fund is theoretically

16 
 

unlimited when the Fund sells an uncovered futures contract because there is an obligation to make delivery unless the contract is closed out, regardless of fluctuations in the price of the underlying security.

 

Foreign Currency Futures Transactions. Unlike forward foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currency futures contract are standardized as to amount and delivery period and may be traded on boards of trade and commodities exchanges or directly with a dealer which makes a market in such contracts and options. It is anticipated that such contracts may provide greater liquidity and lower cost than forward foreign currency exchange contracts. As part of their financial futures transactions, the Fund may use foreign currency futures contracts and options on such futures contracts. Through the purchase or sale of such contracts, the Fund may be able to achieve many of the same objectives as through investing in forward foreign currency exchange.

 

Foreign Currency Options. A foreign currency option provides the option buyer with the right to buy or sell a stated amount of foreign currency at the exercise price at a specified date or during the option period. A call option gives its owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy the currency, while a put option gives its owner the right, but not the obligation, to sell the currency. The option seller (writer) is obligated to fulfill the terms of the option sold if it is exercised. However, either seller or buyer may close its position during the option period in the secondary market for such options at any time prior to expiration.

 

The Fund may write only foreign currency options that are “covered” or for which the Fund has segregated liquid assets equal to the exercise liability of the option that are adjusted daily to the option’s current market value. A call option is “covered” if the Fund either owns the underlying currency or has an absolute and immediate right (such as a call with the same or a later expiration date) to acquire that currency. The Fund may write put options on a fully covered basis on a currency the Fund intends to purchase or where the Fund arranges with its Custodian to segregate cash or other liquid asset equal in value to the exercise liability of the put option adjusted daily to the option’s current market value. In addition, the Fund will not permit the option to become uncovered without segregating liquid assets as described above prior to the expiration of the option or termination through a closing purchase transaction as described in “Options on Securities” above.

 

A foreign currency call option rises in value if the underlying currency appreciates. Conversely, a foreign currency put option rises in value if the underlying currency depreciates. While purchasing a foreign currency option may protect the Fund against an adverse movement in the value of a foreign currency, it would not limit the gain which might result from a favorable movement in the value of the currency. For example, if the Fund were holding securities denominated in an appreciating foreign currency and had purchased a foreign currency put to hedge against a decline in the value of the currency, it would not have to exercise its put. In such an event, however, the amount of the Fund’s gain would be offset in part by the premium paid for the option. Similarly, if the Fund entered into a contract to purchase a security denominated in a foreign currency and purchased a foreign currency call to hedge against a rise in the value of the currency between the date of purchase and the settlement date, the Fund would not need to exercise its call if the currency instead depreciated in value. In such a case, the Fund would acquire the amount of foreign currency needed for settlement in the spot market at a lower price than the exercise price of the option.

 

REITs. The Fund may invest in securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs are publicly traded corporations or trusts that specialize in acquiring, holding and managing residential, commercial or industrial real estate. A REIT is not taxed at the entity level on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it distributes to shareholders or unitholders at least 95% of its taxable income for each taxable year and complies with regulatory requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets and income.

 

REITs generally can be classified as “Equity REITs”, “Mortgage REITs” and “Hybrid REITs.” An Equity REIT invests the majority of its assets directly in real property and derives its income primarily from rents and from capital gains on real estate appreciation which are realized through property sales. A Mortgage REIT invests the majority of its assets in real estate mortgage loans and services its income primarily from interest payments. A Hybrid REIT combines the characteristics of an Equity REIT and a Mortgage REIT. Although the Fund can invest in all three kinds of REITs, its emphasis is expected to be on investments in Equity REITs.

 

Investments in the real estate industry involve particular risks. The real estate industry has been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past and may continue to be in the future. Real property values, and income from real property continue to be in the future. Real property values and income from real

17 
 

property may decline due to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, regulatory limitations on rents, changes in neighborhoods and in demographics, increases in market interest rates, or other factors. Factors such as these may adversely affect companies that own and operate real estate directly, companies that lend to such companies, and companies that service the real estate industry.

 

Direct investments in REITs also involve risks. Equity REITs will be affected by changes in the values of and income from the properties they own, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the credit quality of the mortgage loans they hold. In addition, REITs are dependent on specialized management skills and on their ability to generate cash flow for operating purposes and to make distributions to shareholders or unitholders REITs may have limited diversification and are subject to risks associated with obtaining financing for real property, as well as to the risk of self-liquidation. REITs also can be adversely affected by their failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through treatment of their income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or their failure to maintain an exemption from registration under the 1940 Act. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder bears not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also may indirectly bear similar expenses of some of the REITs in which it invests.

 

Structured Securities. The Fund may purchase any type of publicly traded or privately negotiated fixed income security, including mortgage-backed securities; structured notes, bonds or debentures; and assignments of and participations in loans.

 

Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities, such as those issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”) or certain foreign issuers. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participations in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property. The mortgages backing these securities include, among other mortgage instruments, conventional 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, graduated payment mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages. The government or the issuing agency typically guarantees the payment of interest and principal of these securities. However, the guarantees do not extend to the securities’ yield or value, which are likely to vary inversely with fluctuations in interest rates, nor do the guarantees extend to the yield or value of the Fund’s shares. These securities generally are “pass-through” instruments, through which the holders receive a share of all interest and principal payments from the mortgages underlying the securities, net of certain fees.

 

Yields on pass-through securities are typically quoted by investment dealers and vendors based on the maturity of the underlying instruments and the associated average life assumption. The average life of pass-through pools varies with the maturities of the underlying mortgage loans. A pool’s term may be shortened by unscheduled or early payments of principal on the underlying mortgages. The occurrence of mortgage prepayments is affected by various factors, including the level of interest rates, general economic conditions, the location, scheduled maturity and age of the mortgage and other social and demographic conditions. Because prepayment rates of individual pools vary widely, it is not possible to predict accurately the average life of a particular pool. For pools of fixed-rate 30-year mortgages in a stable interest rate environment, a common industry practice in the U.S. has been to assume that prepayments will result in a 12-year average life, although it may vary depending on numerous factors. At present, pools, particularly those with loans with other maturities or different characteristics, are priced on an assumption of average life determined for each pool. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayment tends to increase, thereby shortening the actual average life of a pool of mortgage-related securities. Conversely, in periods of rising rates the rate of prepayment tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the actual average life of the pool. However, these effects may not be present, or may differ in degree, if the mortgage loans in the pools have adjustable interest rates or other special payment terms, such as a prepayment charge. Actual prepayment experience may cause the yield of mortgage-backed securities to differ from the assumed average life yield. Reinvestment of prepayments may occur at higher or lower interest rates than the original investment, thus affecting the Fund’s yield.

 

The rate of interest on mortgage-backed securities is lower than the interest rates paid on the mortgages included in the underlying pool due to the annual fees paid to the servicer of the mortgage pool for passing through monthly payments to certificate holders and to any guarantor, such as GNMA, and due to any yield retained by the issuer. Actual yield to the holder may vary from the coupon rate, even if adjustable, if the mortgage-backed securities are purchased or traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount. In addition, there is normally some delay between the time the issuer receives mortgage payments from the servicer and the time the issuer makes the payments on the mortgage-backed securities, and this delay reduces the effective yield to the holder of such securities.

18 
 

 

Asset-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities, which represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales, installment loan contracts, student loans, leases of various types of real and personal property (including aircraft) and receivables from revolving credit (credit card) agreements. Such assets are securitized through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations. Payments or distributions of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit or a pool insurance policy issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trust or corporation.

 

Asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by other securities in which the Fund may invest. Automobile receivables generally are secured by automobiles. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the loan servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in the underlying automobiles. Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured, and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. In addition, there is no assurance that the security interest in the collateral can be realized.

 

Structured Notes, Bonds and Debentures. The Fund may invest in structured notes, bonds and debentures. Typically, the value of the principal and/or interest on these instruments is determined by reference to changes in the value of specific currencies, interest rates, commodities, indexes or other financial indicators (the “Reference”) or the relevant change in two or more References. The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may be increased or decreased depending upon changes in the applicable Reference. The terms of the structured securities may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity and, therefore, may result in the loss of the Fund’s entire investment. The value of structured securities may move in the same or the opposite direction as the value of the Reference, so that appreciation of the Reference may produce an increase or decrease in the interest rate or value of the security at maturity. In addition, the change in interest rate or the value of the security at maturity may be a multiple of the change in the value of the Reference so that the security may be more or less volatile than the Reference, depending on the multiple. Consequently, structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk and volatility than other types of debt obligations.

 

Assignments and Participations. The Fund may invest in assignments of and participations in loans issued by banks and other financial institutions.

 

When the Fund purchases assignments from lending financial institutions, the Fund will acquire direct rights against the borrower on the loan. However, since assignments are generally arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender.

 

Participations in loans will typically result in the Fund having a contractual relationship with the lending financial institution, not the borrower. The Fund would have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender of the payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing a participation, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not benefit directly from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased a participation. As a result, the Fund purchasing a participation will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.

 

The Fund may have difficulty disposing of assignments and participations because there is no liquid market for such securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market will have an adverse impact on the value of such securities and on the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular assignments or participations when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a liquid

19 
 

market for assignments and participations also may make it more difficult for the Fund to assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and calculating its net asset value.

 

The Fund may invest in fixed and floating rate loans (“Loans”) arranged through private negotiations between a foreign government (a “Borrower”) and one or more financial institutions (“Lenders”). The majority of the Fund’s investments in Loans are expected to be in the form of participations in Loans (“Participations”) and assignments of portions of Loans from third parties (“Assignments”). Participations typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with the Lender, not with the Borrower. The Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the Lender selling the Participation and only upon receipt by the Lender of the payments from the Borrower. In connection with purchasing Participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the Loan, nor any rights of set-off against the Borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the Loan in which it has purchased the Participation. As a result, the Fund will assume the credit risk of both the Borrower and the Lender that is selling the Participation. In the event of the insolvency of the Lender selling a Participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the Lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the Lender and the Borrower. The Fund will acquire Participations only if the Lender interpositioned between the Fund and the Borrower is determined by the Advisor to be creditworthy.

 

When the Fund purchases Assignments from Lenders, the Fund will acquire direct rights against the Borrower on the Loan. However, since Assignments are generally arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an Assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning Lender.

 

There are risks involved in investing in Participations and Assignments. The Fund may have difficulty disposing of them because there is no liquid market for such securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market will have an adverse impact on the value of such securities and on the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular Participations or Assignments when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the Borrower. The lack of a liquid market for Participations and Assignments also may make it more difficult for the Fund to assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and calculating its net asset value.

 

The Fund may also acquire privately offered collateralized or unsecured loans directly from a borrower or through a placement agent. These loans have the risks of Assignments as described above, but may be subject to heightened liquidity risk.

 

Restricted and Illiquid Securities. The Fund may acquire, in privately negotiated transactions, securities that cannot be offered for public sale in the United States without first being registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”). Restricted securities are subject to restrictions on resale under federal securities law. Because of these restrictions, the Fund may not be able to readily resell these securities at a price equal to what it might obtain for similar securities with a more liquid market. The Fund’s valuation of these securities will reflect relevant liquidity considerations. Under criteria established by the Board, certain restricted securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act may be determined to be liquid. To the extent that restricted securities are not determined to be liquid, the Fund will limit its purchase, together with other illiquid securities including non-negotiable time deposits and repurchase agreements providing for settlement in more than seven days after notice, to no more than 15% of its net assets.

 

Restricted securities in which the Fund may invest may include commercial paper issued in reliance on the exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper is restricted as to disposition under federal securities law, and is generally sold to institutional investors, such as the Fund, who agree that they are purchasing the paper for investment purposes and not with a view to public distribution. Any resale by the purchaser must be in an exempt transaction. Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper is normally resold to other institutional investors like the Fund through or with the assistance of the issuer or investment dealers who make a market in Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper, thus providing liquidity. The Advisor believes that Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper and possibly certain other restricted securities which meet the criteria for liquidity established by the Board are quite liquid. The Fund intends, therefore, to treat the restricted securities which meet the criteria for liquidity established by the Trustees, including Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper, as determined by the Advisor, as liquid and not subject to the investment limitations applicable to illiquid securities.

20 
 

 

Repurchase Agreements. Securities held by the Fund may be subject to repurchase agreements. These transactions permit the Fund to earn income for periods as short as overnight. The Fund could receive less than the repurchase price on any sale of such securities. Under the terms of a repurchase agreement, the Fund would acquire securities from member banks of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and registered broker-dealers and other financial institutions that the Advisor deems creditworthy under guidelines approved by the Board of Trustees, subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase such securities at a mutually agreed-upon date and price. The repurchase price would generally equal the price paid by the Fund plus interest negotiated on the basis of current short-term rates, which may be more or less than the rate on the underlying portfolio securities. The seller under a repurchase agreement will be required to maintain continually the value of collateral held pursuant to the agreement at not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). If the seller were to default on its repurchase obligation or become insolvent, the Fund holding such obligation would suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from a sale of the underlying portfolio securities were less than the repurchase price under the agreement, or to the extent that the disposition of such securities by the Fund were delayed pending court action. Additionally, there is no controlling legal precedent confirming that the Fund would be entitled, as against a claim by such seller or its receiver or trustee in bankruptcy, to retain the underlying securities, although the Trust believes that, under the regular procedures normally in effect for custody of the Fund’s securities subject to repurchase agreements and under federal laws, a court of competent jurisdiction would rule in favor of the Trust if presented with the question. Securities subject to repurchase agreements will be held by the Fund’s custodian or another qualified custodian or in the Federal Reserve/Treasury book-entry system. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans by the Fund under the 1940 Act.

 

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund sells a security and agrees to repurchase it at a mutually agreed upon date and at a price reflecting the interest rate effective for the term of the agreement. This may also be viewed as the borrowing of money by the Fund. The Fund will not invest the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement for a period which exceeds the duration of the reverse repurchase agreement. No Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements exceeding in the aggregate one-third of the market value of its total assets, less liabilities other than the obligations created by reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund will segregate assets consisting of cash or liquid securities in an amount at least equal to its repurchase obligations under its reverse repurchase agreements.

 

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained by the Fund may decline below the price of the securities it has sold but is obligated to repurchase under the agreement. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of proceeds from the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party or its trustee or receiver whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities.

 

Loans of Portfolio Securities. The Fund may lend securities if such loans are secured continuously by liquid assets consisting of cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid debt securities or by a letter of credit in favor of the Fund at least equal at all times to 100% of the market value of the securities loaned, plus accrued interest. While such securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any income accruing thereon. Loans will be subject to termination by the Fund in the normal settlement time, currently three Business Days after notice, or by the borrower on one day’s notice (as used herein, “Business Day” shall denote any day on which the New York Stock Exchange and the custodian are both open for business). Any gain or loss in the market price of the borrowed securities that occurs during the term of the loan inures to the lending Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may pay reasonable finders’ and custodial fees, including fees to an advisor or its affiliate, in connection with loans. In addition, the Fund will consider all facts and circumstances including the creditworthiness of the borrowing financial institution, and the Fund will not lend their securities to any director, officer, employee, or affiliate of the Advisor, the Administrator or Distributor (as defined below), unless permitted by applicable law. Loans of portfolio securities involve risks, such as delays or an inability to regain the securities or collateral adjustments in the event the borrower defaults or enters into bankruptcy.

 

Short Sales “Against The Box.” The Fund may engage in short sales “against the box.” In a short sale, the Fund sells a borrowed security and has a corresponding obligation to the lender to return the identical security. The seller does not immediately deliver the securities sold and is said to have a short position in those securities until delivery occurs. The Fund may engage in a short sale if at the time of the short sale the Fund owns or has the right to obtain without additional cost an equal amount of the security being sold short. This investment technique is known as a short sale “against the box.” It may be entered into by the Fund to, for example, lock in a sale price for a security the Fund does not wish to sell immediately.

21 
 

If the Fund engages in a short sale, the collateral for the short position will be segregated in an account with the Fund’s custodian or qualified sub-custodian. No more than 10% of the Fund’s net assets (taken at current value) may be held as collateral for short sales against the box at any one time.

 

The Fund may make a short sale as a hedge, when it believes that the price of a security may decline, causing a decline in the value of a security owned by the Fund (or a security convertible or exchangeable for such security). In such case, any future losses in the Fund’s long position should be offset by a gain in the short position and, conversely, any gain in the long position should be reduced by a loss in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses are reduced will depend upon the amount of the security sold short relative to the amount the Fund owns. There will be certain additional transaction costs associated with short sales against the box, but the Fund will endeavor to offset these costs with the income from the investment of the cash proceeds of short sales.

 

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

 

Short Sales (excluding Short Sales “Against the Box”). The Fund may sell securities short or purchase ETFs that sell securities short. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells securities it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market price of the securities.

 

To deliver the securities to the buyer, the Fund must arrange through a broker to borrow the securities and, in so doing, the Fund becomes obligated to replace the securities borrowed at their market price at the time of replacement, whatever that price may be. The Fund will make a profit or incur a loss as a result of a short sale depending on whether the price of the securities decreases or increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund purchases the security to replace the borrowed securities that have been sold. The amount of any loss would be increased (and any gain decreased) by any premium or interest the Fund is required to pay in connection with a short sale.

 

The Fund’s obligation to replace the securities borrowed in connection with a short sale will be secured by cash or liquid securities deposited as collateral with the broker. In addition, the Fund will place in a segregated account with its custodian or a qualified sub-custodian an amount of cash or liquid securities equal to the difference, if any, between (i) the market value of the securities sold at the time they were sold short and (ii) any cash or liquid securities deposited as collateral with the broker in connection with the short sale (not including the proceeds of the short sale). Until it replaces the borrowed securities, the Fund will maintain the segregated account daily at a level so that (a) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker (not including the proceeds from the short sale) will equal the current market value of the securities sold short and (b) the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker (not including the proceeds from the short sale) will not be less than the market value of the securities at the time they were sold short.

 

Municipal Securities. Municipal securities are debt obligations issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities such as airports, bridges, highways, housing, hospitals, mass transportation, schools, streets and water and sewer works. Other public purposes for which municipal securities may be issued include refunding of outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses and obtaining funds to loan to other public institutions and facilities. In addition, certain types of industrial development bonds are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately-operated housing facilities, sports facilities, convention or trade show facilities, airport, mass transit, port or parking facilities, air or water pollution control facilities and certain local facilities for water supply, gas, electricity, or sewage or solid waste disposal. Such obligations, which may include lease arrangements, are included within the term “municipal securities” if the interest paid thereon qualifies as exempt from federal income tax. Other types of industrial development bonds, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute municipal securities, although the current federal tax laws place substantial limitations on the size of such issues.

 

The two principal classifications of municipal securities are "general obligation" and "revenue" bonds. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer's pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest.

22 
 

Revenue bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Industrial development bonds that are municipal securities are in most cases revenue bonds and do not generally involve the pledge of the credit of the issuer of such bonds. There are, of course, variations in the degree of risk of municipal securities, both within a particular classification and between classifications, depending upon numerous factors.

 

The yields on municipal securities are dependent upon a variety of factors, including general money market conditions, general conditions of the municipal securities market, size of particular offering, maturity of the obligation and rating of the issue. The ratings of Moody's and S&P represent their opinions as to the quality of the municipal securities which they undertake to rate. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, municipal securities with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields, while municipal securities of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield.

 

The Fund may invest in "private activity" bonds. The Fund may also purchase participation interests in municipal securities (such as industrial development bonds) from financial institutions, including banks, insurance companies and broker-dealers. A participation interest gives the Fund an undivided interest in the municipal securities in the proportion that the Fund's participation interest bears to the total principal amount of the municipal securities. These instruments may be variable or fixed rate.

 

Provisions of the federal bankruptcy statutes relating to the adjustment of debts of political subdivisions and authorities of states of the United States provide that, in certain circumstances, such subdivisions or authorities may be authorized to initiate bankruptcy proceedings without prior notice to or consent of creditors, which proceedings could result in material and adverse modification or alteration of the rights of holders of obligations issued by such subdivisions or authorities.

 

Litigation challenging the validity under state constitutions of present systems of financing public education has been initiated or adjudicated in a number of states, and legislation has been introduced to effect changes in public school finances in some states. In other instances there has been litigation challenging the issuance of pollution control revenue bonds or the validity of their issuance under state or federal law which litigation could ultimately affect the validity of those Municipal Securities or the tax-free nature of the interest thereon.

 

Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into swap agreements for purposes of attempting to gain exposure to equity, debt, or other asset markets without actually purchasing those assets, or to hedge a position. Swap agreements are typically two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or "swapped" between the parties are calculated with respect to a "notional amount," i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a "basket" of securities representing a particular index or other reference asset. The Fund may enter into credit default swaps. In a credit default swap, one party makes a stream of payments to another party in exchange for the right to receive a specified return in the event of a default by a third party, on its obligation. The Fund may also use a market-standard high-yield reference portfolio of credit default swaps commonly referred to as the CDX high-yield index (more formally "credit default swap high-yield index"). The CDX high-yield index is composed of 5-year credit default swaps on 100 relatively liquid high-yield fixed income securities issued by BB and B rated North American corporate entities. The fund may also use MBS-referenced index baskets. The index is selected and maintained by Markit Group Limited ("Markit Group") using specific debt instrument swap recommendations and current market-based default swap rates provided by major high-yield market participants such as commercial banks and broker-dealers. Markit Group also provides daily updates of the then-current average credit default swap rate associated with each of the reference securities in the CDX index. The CDX index and its average credit default swap rate may be used by the Fund and its counterparties to set the terms of each CDX-referenced credit default swap. Markit Group also provides credit default loss information and required credit event payments by conducting a current price survey among brokers and dealers on index securities which have suffered a credit event. This loss information is used to calculate default-related payments due from a credit protection seller to the protection buyer. A new index is created every six months to update the index for the purpose of replacing swaps on defaulted issuers and including swap on new issuers, which are representative of the then-current high-yield market. The Fund expects that it may maintain original credit default swaps or enter into new transactions which terminate the old swap and replace it with one using the newly-updated index. The Fund may use swaps linked to the CDX high-yield index to capture returns of the high-yield segment generally. The Fund may use credit default swaps to provide a measure of

23 
 

protection against defaults of issuers (i.e., to reduce risk where the Fund owns or has exposure to the issuer or group of issuers) and may use credit default swaps to take an active long or short position with respect to the likelihood of a particular issuer's or group of issuers default.

 

Most swap agreements entered into by the Fund calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a "net basis." Consequently, the Fund's current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the "net amount"). Payments may be made at the conclusion of a swap agreement or periodically during its term.

 

Swap agreements do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, if a swap is entered into on a net basis, if the other party to a swap agreement defaults, the Fund's risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.

 

The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund's obligations over its entitlements with respect to a swap agreement entered into on a net basis will be accrued daily and an amount of cash or liquid asset having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in an account with the Custodian. The Fund will also establish and maintain such accounts with respect to its total obligations under any swaps that are not entered into on a net basis. Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be "senior securities" for purposes of the Fund's investment restriction concerning senior securities.

 

Because they are two-party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid for the Fund's illiquid investment limitations. The Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless the Sub-Advisor believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. The Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty.

 

The Fund may also enter into a swap agreement in circumstances where the Sub-Advisor believes that it may be more cost effective or practical than buying the securities represented by such index or a futures contract or an option on such index. The counterparty to any swap agreement will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer. The counter-party will generally agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap agreement would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks represented in the index, plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. The Fund will agree to pay to the counter-party a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swap agreement plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on any swap agreement should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount.

 

The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are traded in the OTC market.

 

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

 

The Board has adopted policies and procedures for the public and nonpublic disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

 

As a general matter, no information concerning the portfolio holdings of the Fund may be disclosed to any unaffiliated third party except (1) to service providers that require such information in the course of performing their duties (for example, the Fund’s custodian, administrator, Advisor, Sub-Advisor, independent public accountants, attorneys, officers and trustees) and are subject to a duty of confidentiality including duties not to trade on non-public information, and (2) pursuant to certain exceptions that serve a legitimate business purpose. These exceptions may include: (1) disclosure of portfolio holdings only after such information has been publicly disclosed on the Fund’s website, in marketing materials (provided the portfolio holdings disclosed in the materials are at least 15 days old) or through filings with the SEC as described below and (2) to third-party vendors, that (a) agree to not distribute the portfolio holdings or results of the analysis to third parties, other departments or persons who are likely to use the information for purposes of purchasing or selling the Fund before the portfolio holdings or results of the analysis become publicly available; and (b) sign a written confidentiality agreement.

24 
 

The confidentiality agreement must provide, but is not limited to, that the recipient of the portfolio holdings information agrees to limit access to the portfolio holdings information to its employees who, on a need to know basis are (1) authorized to have access to the portfolio holdings information and (2) subject to confidentiality obligations, including duties not to trade on non-public information, no less restrictive that the confidentiality obligations contained in the confidentiality agreement.

 

The Fund’s portfolio holdings are currently disclosed to the public through filings with the SEC. The Fund discloses its portfolio holdings by mailing the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders approximately two months after the end of the fiscal year and semi-annual period. In addition, the Fund discloses its portfolio holdings reports on Form N-CSR two months after the end of each quarter/semi-annual period and Form N-PORT 30 days after each fiscal quarter end.

 

Neither the Fund or the Advisor may enter into any arrangement providing for the disclosure of non-public portfolio holding information for the receipt of compensation or benefit of any kind. Any exceptions to the policies and procedures may only be made by the consent of the Trust’s chief compliance officer upon a determination that such disclosure serves a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interests of the Fund and will be reported to the Board at the Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting.

 

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

 

The Board manages the business and affairs of the Trust and appoints or elects officers responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the execution of policies established by Board resolution or directive. In the absence of such provisions, the respective officers have the powers and discharge the duties customarily held and performed by like officers of corporations similar in organization and business purposes.

 

The Trustees who are not “interested persons” (for regulatory purposes) of the Trust or the Advisor or the Distributor (the “Independent Trustees”) are charged with, among other functions, recommending to the full Board approval of the distribution, transfer agency and accounting services agreements and the investment advisory agreements. When considering approval of the existing advisory agreements, the Independent Trustees evaluate the nature and quality of the services provided by the Advisor, the performance of the Fund, the Advisor’s costs and the profitability of the agreements to the Advisor, ancillary benefits to the Advisor or their affiliates in connection with its relationship to the Fund and the amount of fees charged in comparison to those of other investment companies.

 

The Board currently has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, Special Committee, and the Risk and Compliance Committee. The Trust has a standing Valuation Committee. Each committee is described below.

 

The term of office for each Trustee is for the duration of the Trust or until death, removal, resignation or retirement. The term of office of each officer is until the successor is elected.

 

Information pertaining to the Trustees and officers of the Trust, including their principal occupations for the last five years, is set forth below.

 

Independent Trustees

 

Name, Address
Year of Birth
Position(s) Held
with Registrant
Term and Length Served* Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
Number of Portfolios Overseen in the Fund Complex** Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years
25 
 

 

Tobias Caldwell

c/o Mutual Fund Series Trust

36 N. New York Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743

Year of Birth: 1967

Trustee Since 6/2006 Manager of Genovese Family Enterprises LLC & affiliates, a real estate/investment firm, since 1999. Managing Member of PTL Real Estate LLC, 2000 2019; Managing Member of Bear Properties, LLC, a real estate firm, since 2006. 52

Trustee of Variable Insurance Trust since 2010; Chairman of the Board of Mutual Fund and Variable Insurance Trust since 2016; Chairman of the Board of Strategy Shares since 2016; Trustee of M3Sixty Funds Trust since 2016; Chairman of the Board of AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund since 2018

 

Tiberiu Weisz

c/o Mutual Fund Series Trust

36 N. New York Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743

Year of Birth: 1949

Trustee Since 6/2006

Retired, Attorney with and shareholder of Gottlieb, Rackman & Reisman, P.C., from 1994 to 2015.

 

38 Trustee of Variable Insurance Trust since 2010

 

Dr. Bert Pariser

c/o MITCU Corporation

860 East Broadway, Suite 2D, Long Beach, NY 11561

Year of Birth: 1940

 

Trustee

 

Since

5/2007

 

Managing Partner of The MITCU Corporation, a technology consulting firm since 2004. Retired Faculty Member Technical Career Institutes, from 1991 to 2017.

 

38

 

Trustee of Variable Insurance Trust since 2010

 

Interested Trustee*** and Officers

 

Name, Address,
Year of Birth
Position(s) Held
with Registrant
Term and Length Served* Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
Number of Portfolios Overseen In The Fund Complex**

Other Directorships Held

During Past 5 Years

26 
 

 

 

Jerry Szilagyi

53 Palmeras St. Suite 601

San Juan, PR 00901

Year of Birth:  1962

 

Chairman of the Board and President

 

Trustee since 7/2006; President since 2/2012

 

President, Rational Advisors, Inc., 1/2016 - present; Chief Executive Officer, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC, 1/2006- present; Member, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC, 2/2014 to Present; Managing Member, MFund Distributors LLC, 10/2012-present; Managing Member, MFund Services LLC, 1/2012 – Present; President, Abbington Capital Group LLC, 1998- present; CEO, Catalyst Capital International, LLC 2017-present; President, USA Mutuals, Inc., 3/2011 to 7/2016; President, Cross Sound LLC, 6/11 to 7/2016; CEO, Catalyst International Advisors LLC, 11/2019 to present; CEO, Insights Media LLC, 11/2019 to present; CEO, MFund Management LLC, 11/2019 to present.

 

38

 

Variable Insurance Trust since 2010

 

Erik Naviloff

4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, Nebraska, 68022

Year of Birth:  1968

 

 

Treasurer

 

 

 

Since 4/2012

 

 

Vice President – Fund Administration, Gemini Fund Services, LLC, since 2011.

 

 

N/A

 

N/A

Aaron Smith

4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, Nebraska, 68022

Year of Birth:  1974

 

Assistant

Treasurer

Since

11/2013

Assistant Vice President, Gemini Fund Services, LLC, since 2017. Manager - Fund Administration, Gemini Fund Services, LLC, 2012-2017.

 

N/A

N/A

 

Brian Curley

4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, Nebraska, 68022

Year of Birth:  1970

 

Assistant

Treasurer

Since

11/2013

Vice President, Gemini Fund Services, LLC since 1/2015.

 

N/A N/A

Sam Singh

4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, Nebraska, 68022

Year of Birth:  1976

 

Assistant

Treasurer

Since

2/2015

Vice President, Gemini Fund Services, LLC since 1/2015.

 

N/A N/A

Frederick J. Schmidt

36 N. New York Avenue

Huntington, NY 11743

Year of Birth: 1959

Chief Compliance Officer Since 5/2015 Director, MFund Services LLC since 5/2015. N/A N/A
27 
 

 

 

Jennifer A. Bailey

36 N. New York Avenue

Huntington, NY

11743

Year of Birth: 1968

 

Secretary

 

Secretary since 4/2014

 

Director of Legal Services, MFund Services LLC, since 2012.    

 

 

N/A

 

N/A

 

Michael Schoonover

53 Palmeras St. Suite 601

San Juan, PR 00901

Year of Birth: 1983

 

Vice President

 

Since 6/2018

 

Chief Operating Officer, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC & Rational Advisors, Inc., June 2017 to present; Portfolio Manager, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC 12/2013 to present; Portfolio Manager, Rational Advisors, Inc. 1/2016 to 5/2018; President, MFund Distributors LLC, 1/2020 to present; COO, Catalyst International Advisors LLC, 11/2019 to present; COO, Insights Media LLC, 11/2019 to present; COO, MFund Management LLC, 11/2019 to present.

 

N/A

 

N/A

* The term of office of each Trustee is indefinite.

** The ‘Fund Complex’ includes the Trust, Variable Insurance Trust, Mutual Fund and Variable Insurance Trust, Strategy Shares, and AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund, each a registered investment company.

***The Trustee who is an “interested person” of the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act is an interested person by virtue of being an officer of the advisor to certain series of the Trust.

 

Leadership Structure. The Trust is led by Mr. Jerry Szilagyi, who has served as the Chairman of the Board since 2010. Mr. Szilagyi is an interested person by virtue of his controlling interest in the Advisor and AlphaCentric Advisors LLC, investment advisers to certain series of the Trust. The Board is comprised of Mr. Szilagyi, an Interested Trustee, and Mr. Tobias Caldwell, Mr. Tiberiu Weisz and Dr. Bert Pariser, each an Independent Trustee. Mr. Caldwell serves as the Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead Independent Trustee serves as a key point person for dealings between management and the Independent Trustees and assists in setting the agendas for Board meetings. The Independent Trustees meet in executive session at each Board meeting. Under the Trust’s bylaws and governance guidelines, the Chairman of the Board is responsible for (a) chairing Board meetings, (b) setting the agendas for these meetings and (c) providing information to Board members in advance of each Board meeting and between Board meetings. The Trustees believe this is the most appropriate leadership structure for the Trust given Mr. Szilagyi’s background in the investment management industry and his experience in providing both advisory and administrative services to other mutual funds. Additionally, as the Managing Member of MFund Services LLC (“MFund”), which provides management and administrative services to the Fund, Mr. Szilagyi is well positioned and informed regarding issues requiring the attention of the Board, and as the leader of the Board, can ensure such issues are included in the Board’s agenda for meetings and that appropriate time is allocated to discuss such issues and take any necessary actions.

Risk Oversight. In its risk oversight role, the Board oversees risk management, and the full Board engages in discussions of risk management and receives reports on investment and compliance risk at quarterly meetings and on an ad hoc basis, when and if necessary. The Board, directly or through its Audit Committee, reviews reports from among others, the advisors, sub-advisors, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, and the Independent Trustees’ counsel, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Trust and the Fund and the risk management programs of the Trust, the advisors and certain service providers. The full Board regularly engages in discussions of risk management and receives compliance reports that inform its oversight of risk management from the Trust’s Chief

28 
 

Compliance Officer at quarterly meetings and on an ad hoc basis, when and if necessary. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer also meets at least quarterly in executive session with the Independent Trustees. The actual day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund resides with the Fund’s advisor and other service providers to the Fund. Although the risk management policies of the advisor and the service providers are designed to be effective, those policies and their implementation vary among service providers and over time, and there is no guarantee that they will be effective. Generally, the Board believes that its oversight of material risks is adequately maintained through the risk-reporting chain where the Chief Compliance Officer is the primary recipient and communicator of such risk-related information.

Audit Committee. Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Weisz and Dr. Pariser serve on the Board’s Audit Committee. The Board’s Audit Committee is a standing independent committee with a separate chair.  The primary function of the Audit Committee is to assist the full Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities to the shareholders and the investment community relating to fund accounting, reporting practices and the quality and integrity of the financial reports. To satisfy these responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviews with the independent auditors, the audit plan and results and recommendations following independent audits, reviews the performance of the independent auditors and recommends engagement or discharge of the auditors to the full Board, reviews the independence of the independent auditors, reviews the adequacy of the Fund’s internal controls and prepares and submits Audit Committee meeting minutes and supporting documentation to the full Board. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, the Audit Committee met 4 times.

 

Risk and Compliance Committee. Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Weisz and Dr. Pariser serve on the Board’s Risk and Compliance Committee. The Risk and Compliance Committee is a standing independent committee with a separate chair. The primary function of the Risk and Compliance Committee is to assist the full Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities to the shareholders and the investment community relating to the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s compliance program and to oversee the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer. The Risk and Compliance Committee meets as often as necessary, and no less than quarterly. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, the Risk and Compliance Committee met 4 times.

 

Special Committee. Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Weisz and Dr. Pariser serve on a Special Committee responsible for reviewing the allegations contained in any class action lawsuit filed against the Trust, demand for books and records served upon the Trust, or any derivative lawsuit that may be filed against the Trust. The Special Committee is also responsible for taking such other actions that may be referred to it from time to time by the Board. The Special Committee met as needed during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021.

 

Valuation Committee. The Trust has established a Fair Value Committee. The Committee shall consist of at least three of the following: (1) either the Trust's Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, and (2) either the Trust's Chief Compliance Officer or another Fund Officer (President/Secretary) that is independent of the Advisor/Sub-Advisor and the Fund involved in the subject valuation, and (3) the Portfolio Manager or a Delegate of the Advisor/Sub-Advisor of the Fund involved in the subject valuation. The Fair Value Committee may include other officers or trustees of the Fund or of the Advisor/Sub-Advisor to the Fund. The Committee shall be responsible for overseeing the processes used in pricing the Fund’s securities. The Committee may also make recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding new policies or procedures that might be adopted, as well as the processes that should be implemented regarding the pricing of the Fund’s securities. The Fair Value Committee is authorized to act by at least a majority vote of a quorum thereof. A quorum shall consist of at least three members present in person or by telephone. If the market prices for securities normally provided by a pricing service for the calculation of the Fund’s NAV are not received in a timely manner to calculate the NAV at the time of market close, the standing members of the Fair Value Committee are authorized to meet to determine valuations for such securities without participation by and without input from any ad hoc members.

 

Background and Qualifications of the Trustees. Mr. Szilagyi is a member of AlphaCentric Advisors LLC, an investment advisor to other series of the Trust, President of Rational Advisors, Inc., the investment advisor to funds in Mutual Fund and Variable Insurance Trust and Strategy Shares, and the managing member of Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC, an investment advisor and original sponsor of the Trust. He is also the managing member of MFund, which provides management and administrative services to the Trust. Mr. Szilagyi has many years of experience managing mutual funds and providing administrative services to other mutual funds. His experience in the investment management industry makes him uniquely qualified to serve as the Trust’s Chairman.

29 
 

Mr. Caldwell is the manager of a real estate investment firm. Mr. Caldwell’s experience in the real estate and investment industries provides the Board with an additional perspective and understanding of investment strategies used by advisors to the funds. Mr. Caldwell also serves on the boards of other mutual funds.

 

Mr. Weisz is an attorney and provides the Board with insight and experience regarding their duties and standards of care as well as legal procedures related to the Board’s responsibilities.

 

Dr. Pariser is the managing partner of a technology consulting firm and has served on the boards of many other companies. His experience with other boards provides the Trustees with insight as to the manner in which matters are handled in other corporate settings, including the hiring and use of professionals such as counsel and audit firms.

 

Share Ownership in the Fund

 

Fund Shares Owned by Trustees as of December 31, 2020

 

Name of Trustee Mr. Caldwell Mr. Weisz Dr. Pariser Mr. Szilagyi

 

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in Fund*

 

None

 

None

 

None

 

None

 

Aggregated Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies overseen by Trustee in the Trust

 

Over $100,000

 

None

 

Over $100,000

 

Over $100,000

 

Compensation of the Board of Trustees

 

The Independent Trustees are paid a quarterly retainer and receive compensation for each special in-person meeting attended. The fees paid to the Independent Trustees for their attendance at a meeting are shared equally by the funds of the Trust. The Lead Independent Trustee of the Trust and the Chairman of the Trust’s Audit Committee receive an additional quarterly retainer.

 

The following table describes the compensation paid to the Trustees of the Trust during the most recent fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. The Trust has no retirement or pension plans. The Fund was not in operation during the Trust’s fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. The compensation amounts provided in the table below for the Fund is the estimated compensation to be paid by the Fund to the Trustees for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.

 

Compensation Table
Name of Person, Position(s) Mr. Caldwell Mr. Weisz Dr. Pariser Mr. Szilagyi**
Aggregate Compensation from the Fund $3,671 $2,684 $2,763 $0
Total Compensation from Fund Complex* $259,850 $139,500 $142,000 $0

 

* The ‘Fund Complex’ includes the Trust, Variable Insurance Trust, Mutual Fund and Variable Insurance Trust, Strategy Shares, the TCG Financial Series Trusts I-X and AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund, each a registered open-end investment company.

** Mr. Szilagyi is compensated by AlphaCentric for advisory services and MFund for administrative support services to the Trust. Please see the “Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting and Administrator” section for more details.

 

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

 

Persons controlling the Fund can determine the outcome of any proposal submitted to the shareholders for approval, including changes to the Fund's fundamental policies or the terms of the advisory agreement with the advisor. Persons

30 
 

owning 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund (or a class of shares of the Fund) may be deemed to control the Fund (or class of the Fund). Persons owning 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund (or a class of shares of the Fund) may be deemed principal shareholders of the Fund (or a class of the Fund). Below are the beneficial and/or record holders of 5% or more of the Fund.

 

As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, the Fund had not yet commenced operations and had no shareholders.

 

ADVISOR AND SUB-ADVISOR

 

Advisor

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC has been retained by the Fund under a Management Agreement to act as the Fund’s advisor, subject to the oversight of the Board. AlphaCentric was organized under the laws of Delaware in February 2014. AlphaCentric oversees the day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund and continuously reviews, supervises and administers the Fund’s investment program. The address of AlphaCentric is 53 Palmeras St., Suite 601, San Juan, PR 00901. AlphaCentric is controlled by Jerry Szilagyi. The Advisor is under common control with Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC and Rational Advisors, Inc., the investment advisor of other funds in the same group of investment companies also known as a “fund complex.”

 

The Management Agreement provides that the Advisor will provide the Fund with investment advice and supervision and will continuously furnish an investment program for the Fund consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund. The Advisor is responsible for the payment of the salaries and expenses of all of its personnel, office rent and the expenses of providing investment advisory and related clerical expenses.

 

Under the terms of the Management Agreement, the Advisor manages the investment of the assets of the Fund in conformity with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund. It is the responsibility of the Advisor to make investment decisions for the applicable Fund and to provide continuous supervision of the investment portfolios of the Fund.

 

For its services under the Management Agreement, the Advisor is paid a monthly management fee at the annual rate of 1.50% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The Advisor pays expenses incurred by it in connection with acting as advisor, other than costs (including taxes and brokerage commissions, borrowing costs, costs of investing in underlying funds and extraordinary expenses, if any) of securities purchased for the Fund and other expenses paid by the Fund as detailed in the Fund’s Management Agreement. The Advisor pays for all employees, office space and facilities required by it to provide services under the Management Agreement, except for specific items of expense referred to below.

 

Except for the expenses described above that have been assumed by the Advisor, all expenses incurred in administration of the Fund will be charged to the Fund, including investment management fees; fees and expenses of the Board; interest charges; taxes; brokerage commissions; expenses of valuing assets; expenses of continuing registration and qualification of the Fund and the shares under federal and state law; share issuance expenses; fees and disbursements of independent accountants and legal counsel; fees and expenses of custodians, including sub-custodians and securities depositories, transfer agents and shareholder account servicing organizations; expenses of preparing, printing and mailing prospectuses, reports, proxies, notices and statements sent to shareholders; expenses of shareholder meetings; costs of investing in underlying funds; and insurance premiums. The Fund is also liable for nonrecurring expenses, including litigation to which it may from time to time be a party. Expenses incurred for the operation of a particular Fund, including the expenses of communications with its shareholders, are paid by the Fund.

 

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses but only to the extent necessary to maintain the Fund’s total annual operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; 12b-1 fees, borrowing costs, such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; costs of investing in acquired funds, and extraordinary expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses) at 1.74%, 2.49% and 1.49% for Class A, Class C and lass I, respectively, through July 31, 2022.  This agreement may only be terminated by the Board on 60 days' written notice to the Advisor and upon the termination of the Management Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the Advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense

31 
 

ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived or (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment, and the repayment is approved by the Board.

 

The Management Agreement with the Fund continues in effect for an initial two year term and then from year to year as long as its continuation is approved at least annually by the Board, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons,” or by the shareholders of the applicable Fund. The Management Agreement may be terminated at any time upon 60 days’ written notice by the relevant Fund or by a majority vote of the outstanding shares or 90 days’ written notice by the Advisor and will terminate automatically upon assignment. The Management Agreement was initially approved by the Board at a meeting held on February 22, 2021. A discussion of the matters considered by the Board in connection with the approval of the Management Agreement will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders dated September 30, 2021.

 

The Management Agreement provides that the Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the performance of its duties, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Advisor in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder.

 

Sub-Advisor

Goshen Rock Capital, LLC, an investment advisory firm founded in February 2021, has been retained to act as the sub-advisor to the Fund under a Sub-Advisory Agreement (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”) with the Advisor. The management of the Fund’s portfolio is currently the Sub-Advisor’s primary business. The Sub-Advisor is under common control with Strategos Capital Management, LLC (“SCM”) an SEC registered investment advisor founded in 2004. The portfolio managers of the Sub-Advisor are also portfolio managers of SCM. The Advisor and the Trustees have chosen to engage the Sub-Advisor as a subadvisor to the Fund in part because of the Sub-Advisor’s portfolio managers prior expertise and performance at SCM with other accounts similar in objective to that of the Fund, including the Predecessor Fund. The Sub-Advisor is controlled by David Gregory, one of the Fund’s portfolio managers.

As compensation for the sub-advisory services the Sub-Advisors provide to the Fund, the Advisor will pay the Sub-Advisor 50% of the net advisory fees earned by the Advisor from the Fund. For this purpose, “net advisory fees” mean advisory fees collected from the Fund (net of fee waivers due to expense caps) less any revenue sharing and asset-based fees paid to broker-dealers or custodians with assets in the Fund. The fee paid to the Sub-Advisor by the Advisor will be paid from the Advisor’s management fee and is not an additional cost to the Fund. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and continues in effect for successive twelve-month periods, provided that the Board of Trustees annually approves it for continuance. A discussion of the matters considered by the Board in connection with the approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund will be available in Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ended September 30, 2021.

 

Portfolio Managers

Subject to the oversight and approval of the Advisor, Alex Cigolle, CFA, and David Gregory are the Fund’s portfolio managers and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day to day management of the Fund's portfolio.

 

Messrs. Cigolle and Gregory receive a proportionate share of the Sub-Advisor’s net profits.

 

As of March 31, 2021, the number of, and total assets in all registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts overseen by Messrs. Cigolle and Gregory are as follows:

 

Name of Portfolio Manager Registered Investment Companies Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed Other Accounts Managed
Number Total Asset   (in millions) Number

Total Assets

(in millions)_

Number

Total Assets

(in millions)_

             
32 
 

 

Alex Cigolle 0  $0 2  $120,159,102 1  $13,763,557
David Gregory 0  $0 2 $120,159,102 1 $13,763,557

 

Of the accounts above, the following are subject to performance-based fees:

 

Name of Portfolio Manager Registered Investment Companies Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed Other Accounts Managed
Number

Total Assets

(in millions)_

Number

Total Assets

(in millions)_

Number

Total Assets

(in millions)_

Alex Cigolle 0  $0 2  $120,159,102 1  $13,763,557
David Gregory 0  $0 2 $120,159,102 1 $13,763,557

As of March 31, 2021, the Fund had not yet commenced operations and, therefore, the portfolio managers did not beneficially own any shares of the Fund.

 

Potential Conflicts of Interest – Advisor and Sub-Advisor

 

Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other accounts. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple funds are presented with the following potential conflicts:

 

The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. The management of multiple funds and accounts also may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as the portfolio manager must allocate his time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts.

 

·                 With respect to securities transactions for the Fund, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor determines which broker to use to execute each order, consistent with the duty to seek best execution of the transaction.  The portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by the Fund. Securities selected for funds or accounts other than the Fund may outperform the securities selected for the Fund.

 

·                 The appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where the Advisor or Sub-Advisor has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee. The management of personal accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest; there is no assurance that the Fund’s code of ethics will adequately address such conflicts.  One of the portfolio manager's numerous responsibilities is to assist in the sale of Fund shares.  Because the portfolio manager’s compensation is indirectly linked to the sale of Fund shares, they may have an incentive to devote time to marketing efforts designed to increase sales of Fund shares.

 

·                 The Fund may invest in affiliated funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating the Fund’s assets among the affiliated funds. The Advisor will receive more revenue when it selects an affiliated fund rather than an unaffiliated fund for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio. This conflict may provide an incentive for the Advisor to invest Fund assets in affiliated funds that perform less well than unaffiliated funds. The Advisor may have an incentive to allocate the Fund’s assets to those affiliated funds for which the net advisory fees payable to the Advisor are higher than the fees payable by other affiliated funds.

 

·                 The Fund has adopted a code of ethics that, among other things, permits personal trading by employees under conditions where it has been determined that such trades would not adversely impact client accounts. Nevertheless, the management of personal accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, and there is no assurance that these codes of ethics will adequately address such conflicts. 

 

33 
 

The Advisor, Sub-Advisor and the Fund has adopted certain compliance procedures which are designed to address these types of conflicts.  However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

The Advisor, Sub-Advisor, Northern Lights Distributors, LLC and the Fund have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1(c) of the 1940 Act.  The purpose of each code is to avoid potential conflicts of interest and to prevent fraud, deception or misconduct with respect to the Fund.  Such codes of ethics permit personnel covered by the codes to invest in securities that may be purchased by the Fund, subject to the restrictions of the code. The codes are filed as exhibits to the Trust’s registration statement.

 

 

TRANSFER AGENT, FUND ACCOUNTING AGENT AND ADMINISTRATOR

 

Gemini Fund Services, LLC (“GFS” or the “Administrator”), which has its principal office at 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022, serves as administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent for the Fund pursuant to a Fund Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Trust and subject to the supervision of the Board. GFS is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and transfer agent services to retail and institutional mutual funds. GFS is an affiliate of the distributor.

 

GFS may also provide persons to serve as officers of the Fund. Such officers may be directors, officers or employees of GFS or its affiliates.

 

The Agreement provides that it will remain in effect for an initial term of three years from the applicable effective date for the Fund, and will continue in effect for successive twelve-month periods provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board.  The Agreement is terminable by the Board or GFS on 90 days’ written notice and may be assigned by either party, provided that the Trust may not assign this agreement without the prior written consent of GFS. The Agreement provides that GFS shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to the Agreement.

 

Under the Agreement, GFS performs administrative services, including:  (1) monitoring the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to the Trust by others service providers; (2) monitoring Fund holdings and operations for post-trade compliance with the Fund registration statement and applicable laws and rules; (3) preparing and coordinating the printing of semi-annual and annual financial statements; (4) preparing selected management reports for performance and compliance analyses; (5) preparing and disseminating materials for and attending and participating in meetings of the Board; (6) determining income and capital gains available for distribution and calculate distributions required to meet regulatory, income, and excise tax requirements; (7) reviewing the Trust's federal, state, and local tax returns as prepared and signed by the Trust's independent public accountants; (8) preparing and maintaining the Trust's operating expense budget to determine proper expense accruals to be charged to the Fund to calculate its daily net asset value; (9) assisting in and monitoring the preparation, filing, printing and where applicable, dissemination of periodic reports to the Trustees, shareholders and the SEC, notices pursuant to Rule 24f-2, proxy materials and reports to the SEC on Forms N-CEN, N-CSR, N-PORT and N-PX; (10) coordinating the Trust's audits and examinations by assisting the Fund’s independent public accountants; (11) determining, in consultation with others, the jurisdictions in which shares of the Trust shall be registered or qualified for sale and facilitate such registration or qualification; (12) monitoring sales of shares and ensure that the shares are properly and duly registered with the SEC; (13) monitoring the calculation of performance data for the Fund; (14) preparing, or causing to be prepared, expense and financial reports; (15) preparing authorization for the payment of Trust expenses and paying, from Trust assets, all bills of the Trust; (16) providing information typically supplied in the investment company industry to companies that track or report price, performance or other information with respect to investment companies; (17) upon request, assisting the Fund in the evaluation and selection of other service providers, such as independent public accountants, printers, EDGAR providers and proxy solicitors (such parties may be affiliates of GFS); and (18) performing other services, recordkeeping and assistance relating to the affairs of the Trust as the Trust may, from time to time, reasonably request.

34 
 

 

GFS also provides the Fund with accounting services, including:  (i) daily computation of net asset value; (ii) maintenance of security ledgers and books and records as required by the 1940 Act; (iii) production of the Fund’s listing of portfolio securities and general ledger reports; (iv) reconciliation of accounting records; (v) calculation of yield and total return for the Fund; (vi) maintenance of certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciliation of account information and balances among the Fund’s custodian and Advisor; and (vii) monitoring and evaluation of daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of shares of the Fund.

 

GFS also acts as transfer, dividend disbursing, and shareholder servicing agent for the Fund pursuant to the Agreement. Under the Agreement, GFS is responsible for administering and performing transfer agent functions, dividend distribution, shareholder administration, and maintaining necessary records in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.

 

For the services rendered to the Fund by GFS, the Fund pays GFS the greater of an annual minimum fee or an asset based fee, which scales downward based upon net assets for fund administration, fund accounting and transfer agency services. The Fund also pays GFS for any out-of-pocket expenses.  

 

MFund provides the Fund with various management and administrative services. For these services, the Fund pays MFund $5,000 annually, plus an annual asset-based fee in accordance with the schedule set forth below applied at the Fund family level (i.e., all the funds in the Trust advised by AlphaCentric Advisors LLC):

 

0.10% of net assets up to $50 million;

0.07% of net assets from $50 million to $100 million;

0.05% of net assets from $100 million to $250 million;

0.04% of net assets from $250 million to $500 million;

0.03% of net assets from $500 million to $1 billion;

0.02% of net assets from $1 billion

 

In addition, the Fund reimburses MFund for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of its duties under the Management Services Agreement. Jerry Szilagyi is the controlling member of MFund, the controlling member of the Advisor, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (an advisor to other series of the Trust), and a Trustee of the Trust.

 

COMPLIANCE SERVICES

 

MFund provides the Chief Compliance Officer and certain compliance related services to the Trust pursuant to a Compliance Services Agreement, including payroll services, office space, supplies, and health insurance and other benefits.

 

CUSTODIAN

 

Pursuant to a Custody Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bank National Association (the “Custodian”), 1555 N. Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212, the Custodian serves as the custodian of the Fund. The Custodian has custody of all securities and cash of the Fund. The Custodian, among other things, attends to the collection of principal and income and payment for and collection of proceeds of securities bought and sold by the Fund. The Custodian also serves as custodian to the subsidiary.

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

The Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm is Cohen & Company, Ltd., 151 North Franklin Street, Suite 575, Chicago, IL 60606 . Shareholders will receive annual financial statements, together with a report of independent accountants, and semiannual unaudited financial statements of the Fund. Cohen & Company, Ltd. will report on the Fund’s annual financial statements, review certain regulatory reports and the Fund’s income tax returns, and perform other professional accounting, auditing, tax and advisory services when engaged to do so by the Fund.

 

COUNSEL

 

Thompson Hine LLP, 41 South High Street, Suite 1700, Columbus, OH 43215, serves as counsel for the Trust.

35 
 

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

Northern Lights Distributors, LLC, located at 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE, 68022 (the “Distributor”), serves as the principal underwriter and national distributor for the shares of the Fund pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement with the Trust (the “Underwriting Agreement”). The Distributor is registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and each state’s securities laws and is a member of FINRA. The offering of the Fund’s shares is continuous. The Underwriting Agreement provides that the Distributor, as agent in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, will use its reasonable efforts to facilitate the sale of the Fund’s shares.

 

The Underwriting Agreement provides that, unless sooner terminated, it will continue in effect for two years initially and thereafter shall continue from year to year, subject to annual approval by (a) the Board or a vote of a majority of the outstanding shares, and (b) by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust or of the Distributor by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

 

The Underwriting Agreement may be terminated by the Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the entire Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund on 60 days' written notice to the Distributor, or by the Distributor at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days' written notice to the Fund. The Underwriting Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment.

 

12b-1 Plans

 

The Fund has adopted Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plans pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Plans”). Rule 12b-1 provides that any payments made by the Fund in connection with the distribution of its shares may be made only pursuant to a written plan describing all material aspects of the proposed financing of the distribution and also requires that all agreements with any person relating to the implementation of a plan must be in writing. Under the Fund’s Plan related to the Class A shares, the Fund incurs an annual fee of up to 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the respective Fund’s Class A shares (the “Class A 12b-1 Fee”). Class A shares of the Fund are currently incurring an annual fee of up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets. If authorized by the Board and upon notice to shareholders, the Fund may increase the percentage paid under the Plan up to the Class A 12b-1 Fee amount. Under the Fund’s Plan related to the Class C shares, the Fund incurs an annual fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class C shares (the “Class C 12b-1 Fee”). Under the Fund’s Plan related to the Class I shares the Fund incurs an annual fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class I shares (“Class I 12b1 Fee”) (the Class A 12b-1 Fee, Class C 12b-1 Fee and Class I 12b-1 Fee are collectively referred to as the “12b-1 Fees”). The Fund is not currently paying Class I 12b-1 Fees and there are no plans to impose these fees. Brokers receive a 1% commission from the Fund for the sale of Class C shares. The Advisor reimburses the Fund for this expense, and recoups the expense during the first year as it receives 12b-1 payments.

 

Each 12b-1 Fee may be used to pay a fee on a quarterly basis to broker-dealers, including the Distributor and affiliates of the Distributor, the Advisor, banks and savings and loan institutions and their affiliates and associated broker-dealers that have entered into Service Agreements with the Distributor (“Service Organizations”) of annual amounts of up to 0.25% of the average net asset value of all shares of the respective Fund owned by shareholders with whom the Service Organization has a servicing relationship. The 12b-1 Fees may also be used to reimburse parties for shareholder services and distribution related expenses.

 

The Plan continues in effect from year to year, provided that each such continuance is approved at least annually by a vote of the Board , including a majority of the trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any agreements entered into in connection with the Plan (the “Qualified Trustees”). The Plan may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by vote of a majority of the Qualified Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Any amendment to a Plan to increase materially the amount the Fund is authorized to pay thereunder would require approval by a majority of the outstanding shares of the respective Fund. Other material amendments to the Plan would be required to be approved by vote of the Board, including a majority of the Qualified Trustees. The Distributor may at its own discretion waive a portion of its fees from time to time, although such waiver is not required.

 

36 
 

Dealers who are holders or dealers of record for accounts in one or more of the Fund may receive payments from 12b-1 Fees. A dealer’s marketing support services may include business planning assistance, educating dealer personnel about the Fund and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the dealer’s preferred or recommended fund list, and access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the dealer. Dealers are compensated differently depending upon, among other factors, the level and/or type of marketing support provided by the dealer. From time to time, the Advisor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation to dealers that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of the Fund. Such compensation provided by the Advisor may include financial assistance to dealers that enable the Advisor to participate in and/or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client and investor events and other dealer-sponsored events. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by state laws or any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. The Advisor makes payments for events they deem appropriate, subject to applicable law. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event.

 

Since the Fund has not yet commenced operations, the Fund has paid no distribution plan fees and no commissions.

 

ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

The Fund may directly enter into agreements with “financial intermediaries” pursuant to which the Fund will pay the financial intermediary for services such as networking or sub-transfer agency, including the maintenance of “street name” or omnibus accounts and related sub-accounting, record-keeping and administrative services provided to such accounts. Payments made pursuant to such agreements are generally based on either: (1) a percentage of the average daily net assets of clients serviced by such financial intermediary, or (2) the number of accounts serviced by such financial intermediary. Any payments made pursuant to such agreements are in addition to, rather than in lieu of, Rule 12b-1 or shareholder service fees the financial intermediary may also be receiving. From time to time, the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, or their affiliates may pay a portion of the fees for networking or sub-transfer agency at its or their own expense and out of its or their legitimate profits. These payments may be material to financial intermediaries relative to other compensation paid by the Fund and/or the Underwriter, the Advisor and their affiliates. The payments described above may differ and may vary from amounts paid to the Fund’s transfer agent or other service providers for providing similar services to other accounts. The financial intermediaries are not audited by the Fund, the Advisor or their service providers to determine whether such intermediaries are providing the services for which they are receiving such payments.

The Advisor, Sub-Advisor, or their affiliates may also, at their own expense and out of their own legitimate profits, provide additional cash payments to financial intermediaries who sell shares of the Fund. These additional cash payments are payments over and above sales commissions or reallowances, distribution fees or servicing fees (including networking, administration and sub-transfer agency fees) payable to a financial intermediary which are disclosed elsewhere in the prospectus or this SAI. These additional cash payments are generally made to financial intermediaries that provide sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, shareholder or administrative services or marketing support. Marketing support may include: (i) access to sales meetings or conferences, sales representatives and financial intermediary management representatives; (ii) inclusion of the Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, or other sales programs to which financial intermediaries provide more marketing support than to other sales programs on which the Advisor or its affiliates may not need to make additional cash payments to be included; (iii) promotion of the sale of the Fund’s shares in communications with a financial intermediary’s customers, sales representatives or management representatives; and/or (iv) other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Fund’s shares. These additional cash payments also may be made as an expense reimbursement in cases where the financial intermediary provides shareholder services to Fund shareholders. The Advisor, Sub-Advisor, and their affiliates may also pay cash compensation in the form of finders’ fees or referral fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of shares sold.

The amount and value of additional cash payments vary for each financial intermediary. The availability of these additional cash payments, the varying fee structure within a particular additional cash payment arrangement and the basis for and manner in which a financial intermediary compensates its sales representatives may create a financial incentive for a particular financial intermediary and its sales representatives to recommend the Fund’s shares over the shares of other mutual funds based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. A financial intermediary and its sales representatives may have similar financial incentives to recommend a particular class of the Fund’s shares over other classes of the Fund’s shares. You should consult with your financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to compensation received by your financial advisor.

37 
 

Although the Fund may use financial firms that sell its shares to effect portfolio transactions for the Fund, the Fund and the Advisor will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

PROXY VOTING POLICY

 

The Board has delegated the responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Fund to the Sub-Advisor. The Sub-Advisor may delegate such proxy voting to a third party proxy voting service provider. The Sub-Advisor will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures. In some instances, the Sub-Advisor may be asked to cast a proxy vote that presents a conflict between its interests and the interests of the Fund’s shareholders. In such a case, the Trust’s policy requires that the Sub-Advisor abstain from making a voting decision and to forward all necessary proxy voting materials to the Trust to enable the Board to make a voting decision. When the Board is required to make a proxy voting decision, only the Trustees without a conflict of interest with regard to the security in question or the matter to be voted upon shall be permitted to participate in the decision of how the Fund’s vote will be cast. The Sub-Advisor has developed a detailed proxy voting policy that has been approved by the Board. A copy of the proxy voting policies is attached hereto as Appendix B.

Information on how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 as well as a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-844-ACFUNDS (844-223-8637) or on the SEC's Internet site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures is also available by calling 1-844-ACFUNDS (844-223-8637) and will be sent within three business days of receipt of a request.

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

 

Turnover rates are primarily a function of the Fund’s response to market conditions. Since the Fund had not yet commenced operations as of the end of the Trust's last fiscal year, it does not have any annual portfolio turnover data to report. Such information will be provided in future filings.

 

 

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

 

Purchases and sales of securities on a securities exchange are effected by brokers, and the Fund pays a brokerage commission for this service. In transactions on stock exchanges, these commissions are negotiated. In the over-the-counter market, securities (e.g., debt securities) are normally traded on a "net" basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of the securities usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price, which includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or discount.

 

The primary consideration in placing portfolio security transactions with broker-dealers for execution is to obtain and maintain the availability of execution at the most favorable prices and in the most effective manner possible. The Advisor attempts to achieve this result by selecting broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the Fund on the basis of the broker-dealers' professional capability, the value and quality of their brokerage services and the level of their brokerage commissions.

 

Although commissions paid on every transaction will, in the judgment of the Advisor, be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage services provided, under each Management Agreement and as permitted by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Advisor may cause the Fund to pay a commission to broker-dealers who provide brokerage and research services to the Advisor for effecting a securities transaction for the Fund. Such commission may exceed the amount other broker-dealers would have charged for the transaction, if the Advisor determines in good faith that the greater commission is reasonable relative to the value of the brokerage and the research and investment information services provided by the executing broker-dealer viewed in terms of either a particular transaction or the Advisor’s overall responsibilities to the Fund and to their other clients. Such research and investment information services may include advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, the availability of securities or of purchasers or sellers of securities, furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic

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factors and trends, portfolio strategy and the performance of accounts, and effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto such as clearance and settlement.

 

Research provided by brokers is used for the benefit of all of the clients of the Advisor and not solely or necessarily for the benefit of the Fund. The Advisor's investment management personnel attempt to evaluate the quality of research provided by brokers. Results of this effort are sometimes used by the Advisor as a consideration in the selection of brokers to execute portfolio transactions.

 

The investment advisory fees that the Fund pays to the Advisor will not be reduced as a consequence of the Advisor's receipt of brokerage and research services. To the extent the Fund's portfolio transactions are used to obtain such services, the brokerage commissions paid by the Fund will exceed those that might otherwise be paid, by an amount which cannot be presently determined. Such services would be useful and of value to the Advisor in serving both the Fund and other clients and, conversely, such services obtained by the placement of brokerage business of other clients would be useful to the Advisor in carrying out its obligations to the Fund.

 

Certain investments may be appropriate for the Fund and also for other clients advised by the Advisor. Investment decisions for the Fund and other clients are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives and after consideration of such factors as their current holdings, availability of cash for investment and the size of their investments generally. To the extent possible, Fund transactions are traded separately from trades of other clients advised by the Advisor. Occasionally, a particular security may be bought or sold for one or more clients in different amounts. In such event, and to the extent permitted by applicable law and regulations, such transactions with respect to the Advisor, will be allocated among the clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. Ordinarily, such allocation will be made on the basis of the weighted average price of such transactions effected during a trading day.

The Fund has no obligation to deal with any broker or dealer in the execution of its transactions. However, the Fund may place a significant portion of its transactions, both in stocks and options, with affiliates of the Advisor. As the level of option writing or stock trading increases, the level of commissions paid by the Fund to the affiliates increases. Such transactions will be executed at competitive commission rates through the affiliated broker’s clearing broker. Because the affiliates receive compensation based on the amount of transactions completed, there could be an incentive on the part of the Advisor to effect as many transactions as possible, thereby maximizing the commissions and premiums it receives. In connection with the execution of transactions, subject to its policy of best execution, the Fund may pay higher brokerage commissions to the affiliate than it might pay to unaffiliated broker-dealers.

 

In order for the affiliated broker to effect any portfolio transactions for the Fund on an exchange, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by the affiliated broker must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on an exchange during a comparable period of time. This standard would allow the affiliated broker to receive no more than the remuneration that would be expected to be received by an unaffiliated broker in a commensurate arms-length transaction.

 

Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Advisor, the Distributor or an affiliate of the Advisor or Distributor, may be prohibited from dealing with the Fund as a principal in the purchase and sale of securities.

 

The Management Agreement provides that affiliates of the Advisor may receive brokerage commissions in connection with effecting such transactions for the Fund. In determining the commissions to be paid to an affiliated broker, it is the policy of the Trust that such commissions will, in the judgment of the Board, be (a) at least as favorable to the Fund as those which would be charged by other qualified brokers having comparable execution capability and (b) at least as favorable to the Fund as commissions contemporaneously charged by the affiliated broker on comparable transactions for its most favored unaffiliated customers, except for customers of the affiliated broker considered by a majority of the Trust’s disinterested Trustees not to be comparable to the Fund. The disinterested Trustees from time to time review, among other things, information relating to the commissions charged by an affiliated broker to the Fund and its other customers, and rates and other information concerning the commissions charged by other qualified brokers.

 

The Management Agreement does not provide for a reduction of the Distributor's or Advisor’s fee by the amount of any profits earned by an affiliated broker from brokerage commissions generated from portfolio transactions of the Fund. While

39 
 

other brokerage business may be given from time to time to other firms, the affiliated brokers will not receive reciprocal brokerage business as a result of the brokerage business placed by the Fund with others.

 

The Fund will not acquire portfolio securities issued by, or enter into repurchase agreements or reverse repurchase agreements with, the Advisor, the Distributor or their affiliates.

 

 

Purchase and Redemption of Shares

 

Fund shares may be purchased from investment dealers who have sales agreements with the Distributor or from the Distributor directly. As described in the Prospectus, the Fund provides you with alternative ways of purchasing Fund shares based upon your individual investment needs and preferences by offering Class A shares as described below.

 

Class A Shares

 

You may purchase Class A shares at a public offering price equal to the applicable net asset value per share plus an up-front sales charge imposed at the time of purchase as set forth in the Prospectus.

 

Shares may be purchased at the public offering price through any securities dealer having a sales agreement with the Distributor. Shares may also be purchased through banks and certain other financial institutions that have agency agreements with the Distributor. These financial institutions will receive transaction fees that are the same as the commissions to dealers and may charge their customers service fees relating to investments in the Fund. Purchase requests should be addressed to the dealer or agent from which this Prospectus was received which has a sales agreement with the Distributor. Such dealer or agent may place a telephone order with the Distributor for the purchase of Fund shares. It is a dealer’s or broker’s responsibility to promptly forward payment and registration instructions (or completed applications) to the Transfer Agent for shares being purchased in order for investors to receive the next determined net asset value (or public offering price). Reference should be made to the wire order to ensure proper settlement of the trade. Payment for redemptions of shares purchased by telephone should be processed within three business days. Payment must be received within seven days of the order or the trade may be canceled, and the dealer or broker placing the trade will be liable for any losses.

 

18f-1 Election

 

The Trust has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act pursuant to which the Trust is obligated during any 90 day period to redeem shares for any one shareholder of record solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the NAV of the Fund at the beginning of such period. The Trust has made this election to permit funds of the Trust to deliver, in lieu of cash, readily marketable securities from its portfolio should a redemption exceed such limitations. The securities delivered will be selected at the sole discretion of such Fund, will not necessarily be representative of the entire portfolio and may be securities, which the Fund would otherwise sell. The redeeming shareholder will usually incur brokerage costs in converting the securities to cash. The method of valuing securities used to make the redemptions in kind will be the same as the method of valuing portfolio securities and such valuation will be made as of the same time the redemption price is determined. However, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has determined that, until otherwise approved by the Board, all redemptions in the Fund be made in cash only. If the Board determines to allow the Fund to redeem in kind in the future, the Fund will provide shareholders with notice of such change to the redemption policy.

 

Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares

 

Letters of Intent

 

An investor may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares immediately by stating his or her intention to invest in Class A shares of one or more of the funds in the AlphaCentric family of funds, during a 13-month period, an amount that would qualify for a reduced sales charge shown in the Fund’s Prospectus under “How to Buy Shares — Class A Shares” and by signing a non-binding Letter of Intent, which may be signed at any time within 90 days after the first investment to be included under the Letter of Intent. After signing the Letter of Intent, each investment in Class A shares made by an investor will be entitled to the sales charge applicable to the total investment indicated in the Letter of Intent. If an investor

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does not complete the purchases under the Letter of Intent within the 13-month period, the sales charge will be adjusted upward, corresponding to the amount actually purchased. When an investor signs a Letter of Intent, Class A shares of the Fund with a value of up to 5% of the amount specified in the Letter of Intent will be restricted. If the total purchases of Class A shares made by an investor under the Letter of Intent, less redemptions, prior to the expiration of the 13-month period equals or exceeds the amount specified in the Letter of Intent, the restriction on the shares will be removed. In addition, if the total purchases of Class A shares exceed the amount specified and qualify for a further quantity discount, the Distributor will make a retroactive price adjustment and will apply the adjustment to purchase additional Class A shares at the then current applicable offering price. If an investor does not complete purchases under a Letter of Intent, the sales charge is adjusted upward, and, if after written notice to the investor, he or she does not pay the increased sales charge, sufficient Class A restricted shares will be redeemed at the current net asset value to pay such charge.

Rights of Accumulation

 

A right of accumulation ("ROA") permits an investor to aggregate shares (of any class) owned by the investor, his spouse, children and grandchildren under 21 (cumulatively, the "Investor") in the Fund and other AlphaCentric funds (collectively the “AlphaCentric Funds”) to reach a breakpoint discount on the up-front sales charge applicable to Class A shares. This includes accounts held with other financial institutions and accounts established for a single trust estate or single fiduciary account, including a qualified retirement plan such as an IRA, 401(k) or 403(b) plan (some restrictions may apply). The value of shares eligible for a cumulative quantity discount equals the cumulative cost of the shares purchased (not including reinvested dividends) or the current account market value; whichever is greater. The current market value of the shares is determined by multiplying the number of shares by the previous day’s net asset value.

 

For example, if an Investor owned Class A shares of the AlphaCentric Income Opportunities Fund worth $40,000 at the current net asset value and purchased an additional $10,000 of Class A shares of the Fund, the sales charge for the $10,000 purchase of the Fund would be at the rate applicable to a single $50,000 purchase.

 

To qualify for a ROA on a purchase of Class A shares through a broker-dealer, when each purchase is made, the individual investor or the broker-dealer must provide the Fund or other AlphaCentric Fund with sufficient information to verify that the purchase qualifies for the discount.

 

Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares

 

The Prospectus describes the classes of persons that may purchase shares without an up-front sales charge. The elimination of the up-front sales charge for redemptions by certain classes of persons is provided because of anticipated economies of scale and sales related efforts.

 

To qualify for a waiver of the up-front sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares through a broker-dealer, when each purchase is made, the individual investor or the broker-dealer must provide the respective Fund with sufficient information to verify that the purchase qualifies for the discount.

 

The Fund makes available, free of charge, more information about sales charge reductions and waivers through the prospectus.

 

Exchange Privilege

 

As described in the Fund’s Prospectus under “How To Redeem Shares—Exchange Privilege,” the Fund offers an exchange privilege pursuant to which a shareholder in the Fund may exchange some or all of his shares in any of the funds in the Trust, in the same class shares at net asset value. The exchange privilege may be changed or discontinued upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders and is available only to shareholders where such exchanges may be legally made. A shareholder considering an exchange should obtain and read the prospectus of the Fund and consider the differences between it and the Fund whose shares he owns before making an exchange. For further information on how to exercise the exchange privilege, contact the Transfer Agent.

 

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NET ASSET VALUE

 

For the Fund, NAV per share is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund's assets, less any liabilities, by the number of shares of the Fund outstanding.

 

The net asset value per share of the Fund is determined by the Administrator as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading. The New York Stock Exchange is closed on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, as observed.

 

Assets for which market quotations are available are valued as follows: (a) each listed security is valued at its closing price obtained from the respective primary exchange on which the security is listed, or, if there were no sales on that day, at its last reported current bid price; (b) each unlisted security is valued at the last current bid price obtained from the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System; (c) United States Government and agency obligations are valued based upon bid quotations from the Federal Reserve Bank for identical or similar obligations; (d) short-term money market instruments (such as certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances and commercial paper) are most often valued by bid quotation or by reference to bid quotations of available yields for similar instruments of issuers with similar credit ratings. All of these prices are obtained by the Administrator from services, which collect and disseminate such market prices. Bid quotations for short-term money market instruments reported by such a service are the bid quotations reported to it by the major dealers.

 

When approved by the Board, certain securities may be valued on the basis of valuations provided by an independent pricing service when such prices the Board believes reflect the fair value of such securities. These securities would normally be those, which have no available recent market value, have few outstanding shares and therefore infrequent trades, or for which there is a lack of consensus on the value, with quoted prices covering a wide range. The lack of consensus would result from relatively unusual circumstances such as no trading in the security for long periods of time, or a company's involvement in merger or acquisition activity, with widely varying valuations placed on the company's assets or stock. Prices provided by an independent pricing service may be determined without exclusive reliance on quoted prices and may take into account appropriate factors such as institutional-size trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other market data.

 

In the absence of an ascertainable market value, assets are valued at their fair value as determined by the Advisor using methods and procedures reviewed and approved by the Board.

 

Short-term securities with remaining maturities of sixty days or less for which market quotations and information pricing service are not readily available are valued either at amortized cost or at original cost plus accrued interest, both of which approximate current value.

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company, or “RIC”, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Qualification generally will relieve the Fund of liability for federal income taxes. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify for the special tax treatment afforded regulated investment companies, all of its taxable income will be subject to federal tax at regular corporate rates (without any deduction for distributions to its shareholders). In such event, dividend distributions would be taxable to shareholders to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, and would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporations.

The Fund’s net realized capital gains from securities transactions will be distributed only after reducing such gains by the amount of any available capital loss carryforwards. Capital losses incurred in tax years beginning after December 22, 2010 may now be carried forward indefinitely and retain the character of the original loss. Under previously enacted laws, capital losses could only be carried forward to offset any capital gains for eight years, and carried forward as short-term capital, irrespective of the character of the original loss. Capital loss carryforwards are available to offset future realized capital gains. To the extent that these carryforwards are used to offset future capital gains it is probable that the amount offset will not be distributed to shareholders.

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Under current law, certain U.S. shareholders, including individuals and estates and trusts, are subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” generally including dividends from the Fund and net gains from the disposition of shares of the Fund. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in the Fund.

 

Payments to a shareholder that is either a foreign financial institution (“FFI”) or a non-financial foreign entity (“NFFE”) within the meaning of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on: (a) income dividends paid by the Fund and (b) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares paid by the Fund. FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, subject to any applicable intergovernmental agreement or other exemption, if it enters into a valid agreement with the IRS to, among other requirements, report required information about certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) if it does have such owners, reports information relating to them. The Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of the Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.

 

INVESTMENTS IN FOREIGN SECURITIES

 

The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding taxes on income from certain foreign securities. This, in turn, could reduce the Fund's income dividends paid to you.

 

Pass-Through of Foreign Tax Credits. The Fund may be subject to certain taxes imposed by the countries in which it invests or operates. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and if more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of any taxable year consists of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to treat any foreign taxes paid by the Fund that qualify as income or similar taxes under U.S. income tax principles as having been paid by the Fund’s shareholders. It is not likely that the Fund will be able to do so. For any year for which the Fund makes such an election, each shareholder will be required to include in its gross income an amount equal to its allocable share of such taxes paid by the Fund and the shareholders will be entitled, subject to certain limitations, to credit their portions of these amounts against their U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, or to deduct their portions from their U.S. taxable income, if any. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by individuals who do not itemize deductions. In any year in which it elects to “pass through” foreign taxes to shareholders, the Fund will notify shareholders within 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year of the amount of such taxes and the sources of its income. Furthermore, the amount of the foreign tax credit that is available may be limited to the extent that dividends from a foreign corporation qualify for the lower tax rate on “qualified dividend income.”

 

Effect of Foreign Debt Investments and Hedging on Distributions. Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates, which occur between the time the Fund accrues receivables or liabilities denominated in a foreign currency, and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities, generally are treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on disposition of certain options and futures contracts, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains when distributed are taxable to you as ordinary income, and any losses reduce the Fund's ordinary income otherwise available for distribution to you. This treatment could increase or decrease the Fund's ordinary income distributions to you, and may cause some or all of the Fund's previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. A return of capital generally is not taxable to you, but reduces the tax basis of your shares in the Fund. Any return of capital in excess of your basis, however, is taxable as a capital gain.

 

PFIC securities. The Fund may invest in securities of foreign entities that could be deemed for tax purposes to be passive foreign investment companies (PFICs). In general, a foreign corporation is classified as a PFIC if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets, or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. When investing in PFIC securities, the Fund may elect to mark-to-market a PFIC and recognize any gains at the end of its fiscal and excise (described above) tax years. Deductions for losses are allowable only to the extent of any current or previously recognized gains. These gains (reduced by allowable losses) are treated as ordinary income that the Fund is required to distribute, even

43 
 

though it has not sold the securities. You should also be aware that distributions from a PFIC are generally not eligible for the reduced rate of tax on “qualified dividend income.” In the alternative, the Fund may elect to treat the PFIC as a qualified electing fund (a “QEF”), in which case the Fund would be required to include its share of the company’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives distributions from the company. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may require the Fund to sell securities it would have otherwise continued to hold in order to make distributions to shareholders to avoid any Fund-level tax. Income from investments in PFICs generally will not qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income.

 

BACKUP WITHHOLDING

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at the fourth lowest tax rate applicable to unmarried individuals (currently 28%) of all reportable payments, including dividends, capital gain distributions and redemptions payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

 

FOREIGN SHAREHOLDERS

 

The United States generally imposes a withholding tax (at a 30% or lower treaty rate) on all Fund dividends of ordinary income. Capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from its net long-term capital gains and exempt-interest dividends are generally exempt from this withholding tax.  Relief from the U.S. withholding tax may be available for certain properly designated distributions to non-U.S. investors of “interest-related dividends” and “short term capital gain dividends,” assuming the investor provides valid tax documentation certifying non-U.S. status. 

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

The Fund has not yet commenced operations and, therefore, has not produced financial statements. Once produced, you can obtain a copy of the financial statements contained in the Fund’s Annual or Semi-Annual Report without charge by calling the Fund at 1-844-ACFUNDS (844-223-8637).

 

The Predecessor Fund’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 are attached as Appendix C. The audited financial statements of the Predecessor Fund have been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, the independent auditor for the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

 

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Appendix A—Description of Commercial Paper and Bond Ratings

 

Description of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Short-Term Debt Ratings

 

Prime-1. Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 (“P-1”) have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. P-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by many of the following characteristics: leading market positions in well-established industries; high rates of return on funds employed; conservative capitalization structure with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection; broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation; well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.

 

Prime-2. Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 (“P-2”) have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.

 

Description of Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group (“Standard & Poor’s”), Commercial Paper Ratings

 

A. Issues assigned this highest rating are regarded as having the greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are delineated with the numbers 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety. A-1. This designation indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is strong. Those issues determined to possess extremely strong safety characteristics are denoted with a plus (+) sign designation. A-2. Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is satisfactory. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high for issues designated A-1.

 

Description of Moody’s Long-Term Debt Ratings

 

Aaa. Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edged.” Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin, and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues; Aa. Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds, because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risk appear somewhat larger than the Aaa securities; A. Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are considered as upper-medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment some time in the future; Baa. Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium-grade obligations (i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured). Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present, but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well; Ba. Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well-assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class; B. Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small; Caa. Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest; Ca. Bonds which are rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings; C. Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds, and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

 

Note: Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa to B. The modifier 1 indicates that the company ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the company ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

 

Description of Standard & Poor’s Corporate Debt Ratings

 

AAA. Debt rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely strong; AA. Debt Rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal and differs from the higher rated issues only in small degree; A. Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories; BBB. Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for debt in this category than in higher rated categories; BB, B, CCC, CC, C. Debt Rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C is regarded, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation.

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BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and C the highest degree of speculation. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are out-weighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions; BB. Debt rated BB has less near-term vulnerability to default than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments. The BB rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BBB- rating; B. Debt rated B has a greater vulnerability to default but currently has the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay principal. The B rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BB or BB- rating; CCC. Debt rated CCC has a currently identifiable vulnerability to default and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet timely payment of interest and repayment of principal. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, it is not likely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The CCC rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied B or B- rating; CC. The rating CC is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC rating; C. The rating C is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt which is assigned an actual or implied CCC- debt rating. The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed, but debt service payments are continued; CI. The rating CI is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being paid; D. Debt rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are jeopardized.

 

 

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Appendix B

 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

Proxy Voting Policy

 

This Policy requires the Company to act in the best interest of its Clients when exercising proxy voting authority. The Company will not put its own interests ahead of a Client’s interests at any time and will resolve any potential conflicts between its own interests and those of its Clients in favor of its Clients.

 

These policies and procedures do not mandate that the Company vote every proxy that it receives in regard to securities held by its Clients. There may be circumstances when refraining from voting a proxy or abstaining is in a Client’s best interests. Further, the Company will not vote proxies in circumstances where a Client has expressly retained voting authority. Accordingly, when the Company has the discretionary authority to vote the proxies of its Clients and determines that it is in the best interests of its Clients to do so, it will vote those proxies in the best interest of its Clients and in accordance with this Policy.

 

Proxy Voting Procedures Generally

 

The Private Fund Clients and the Managed Accounts advised by the Company generally invest in RMBS, CMBS and other ABS. Such instruments are not typically the subject of proxies or securities voting matters. However, there may be instances in which the Company, having discretionary authority over such Clients, would be asked, and would accept the authority, to vote the securities of Clients on such matters as removing or amending applicable covenants set forth in an indenture or similar document. In addition, certain of the Private Fund Clients may from time-to-time invest in REITs and such instruments may confer voting rights. Therefore, the Company’s written policies and procedures relate specifically to those limited instances in which the Company may be in a position to vote the securities of its Clients.

 

One of the principals of the Company (the “Program Administrator”) is responsible for ensuring that all decisions with regard to the voting of securities on behalf of Clients are made in accordance with this Policy.

47 
 

Voting Matters

 

The Program Administrator will track each securities position held by Clients and will maintain a log of upcoming events, if any, that would require the Company to vote on behalf of its Clients. The Program Administrator is responsible for ensuring that he or she has received all relevant disclosure materials and proxies or consents such that he or she is in possession of all documentation and information necessary to cast votes in a timely manner.

 

Voting Process

 

The Program Administrator will determine whether there is, or appears to be, a material conflict of interest that could influence the voting decision in a manner that would be adverse to the interests of any Client.

 

Identifying Material Conflicts of Interest

 

It is not possible for the Company to enumerate here all potential conflicts of interest which may be material, but the following relationships are illustrative of conflict potential and are issues (among others) that the Program Administrator considers each time a vote arises:

 

·         The Company has a business or financial conflict of interest in voting the securities in a manner adverse to any Client because:

oThe Company or an affiliate manages a separate account or currently performs financial services for the issuer that is the subject of the voting matter, or for an affiliate of such issuer, or for any member of the senior management or any pension plan of such issuer, or is actively seeking such party(s) as a client;
oThe issuer that is the subject of the proxy or voting mater, or an affiliate of such issuer or any member of the senior management of such issuer is a Client or a substantial investor in a Fund; or
oAn employee (or spouse) of the Company:
§Is a director or a member of the senior management of the issuer that is the subject of the voting matter; or
§Owns a substantial interest in the shares of the issuer that is the subject of the voting matter or otherwise has a substantial financial interest in the outcome of the vote.

 

If the Program Administrator determines there is no material conflict of interest, then the Program Administrator will make the voting determination and will be responsible to take the required voting action. The Program Administrator must ensure that voting action takes place on a timely basis and will maintain a written record of the actual voting action and the basis of the voting determination.

 

Resolving Material Conflicts of Interest

 

If the Program Administrator has identified a material conflict of interest, he or she must determine:

 

·whether the conflict involves the Company, an affiliate or an employee;

·         whether the Program Administrator himself or herself is a conflicted party and, if so, whether an alternative senior employee could be assigned to be responsible for voting, who would not be so conflicted; and

·whether the Company or any senior employee is capable of making an independent determination as to the voting decision.

 

If the Program Administrator determines due to conflicts of interest that no senior employee is capable of making an independent determination as to the voting decision, then the voting decision will be escalated

48 
 

to the independent members of the Risk Committee of the Company. If the conflict cannot be resolved, then the Company will abstain from voting or obtain approval from Clients, following disclosure of the conflict, as to how to vote.

 

Disclosure to Clients

 

Form ADV Disclosure

 

The Company will disclose in its Form ADV Part 2A that Clients may contact the Chief Compliance Officer during regular business hours, via email or telephone, to obtain information on how the Company voted such Client’s proxies for the past 5 years. The summary of this Policy included in the Company’s Form ADV Part 2A will be updated whenever there are material revisions made to this Policy. Clients may also receive a copy of this Policy upon request.

 

Recordkeeping

 

In accordance with the recordkeeping requirements of the Advisers Act, the Company will, for a period of at least 5 years, maintain or have ready access to the following documents:

 

·a copy of this Policy;

 

·a copy of each proxy statement received by the Company regarding securities held on behalf of its Clients;

 

·a record of each vote cast by the Company on behalf of its Clients;

 

·         a copy of any documents prepared by the Company that were material to making a decision on how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for such decision; and

 

·         a copy of each written request received from a Client as to how the Company voted proxies on its behalf, and a copy of any written response from the Company to any such Client request for information.

 

To fulfill some of these recordkeeping requirements, the Company may rely on proxy statements filed on EDGAR and proxy statements and records of proxy votes cast that are maintained with a proxy voting service or other third-party, provided that the Company has obtained an undertaking from such third- party to provide a copy of the documents promptly upon request.

 

The Company shall retain each of the records listed above in accordance with the Company’s

Policy Regarding Recordkeeping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

49 
 

Appendix C

 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

 

 

 

Financial Statements and Independent 

Auditor’s Report

 

 

 

As of and for the year ended December 31, 2020

  

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

 

Financial Statements

 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 

 

Contents
   
Independent Auditor's Report 1

 

Financial Statements:

 
   
Statement of Assets and Liabilities 2
   
Statement of Operations 3
   
Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital 4
   
Statement of Cash Flows 5
   
Notes to Financial Statements 6-11
   

Financial Statements of Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP (the “Master Fund”)

 
   

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM TO THE PARTNERS OF STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP

 

Opinion 

 

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Strategos Deep Value Fund LP as of December 31, 2020, and the results of its operations, changes in partners’ capital, and its cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

This report, including the opinion, has been prepared for and only for the Partners as a body and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving this opinion, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

 

Report on the Financial Statements 

 

We have audited the financial statements of Strategos Deep Value Fund LP (the “Fund”) (a Delaware Limited Partnership), which comprise the statement of assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2020, and the related statements of operations, changes in partners’ capital and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements.

 

Management’s responsibility for the financial statements 

 

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

 

Auditor’s responsibility 

 

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.

 

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

 

  

 

Grant Thornton

Chartered Accountants & Statutory Audit Firm

Dublin

Date: April 16, 2021 

1 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities 

December 31, 2020 

     

Assets

    
Investment in Master Fund, at fair value  $24,374,979 
Withdrawal receivable from Master Fund   2,077,209 
Total assets  $26,452,188 
      
Liabilities and Partners’ Capital     
Liabilities    
Withdrawals payable  $2,077,209 
Management fee payable   51,162 
Other payables   35,000 
Total liabilities   2,163,371 
      
Partners' capital    
General partner   2,899 
Limited partners   24,285,918 
Total partners' capital   24,288,817 
      
Total Liabilities and Partners' capital  $26,452,188 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements and Attached Financial Statements of Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP

2 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Operations 

For the year ended December 31, 2020 

     
Net investment income allocated from Master Fund    
Interest income  $368,596 
Dividend Income   548,005 
Professional fees and other expenses   (106,349)
Net investment income allocated from Master Fund   810,252 
      
Fund level expenses     
      
Management fee   (166,384)
Professional fees and other expenses   (38,525)
Total Fund level expenses   (204,909)
      
Net investment income   605,343 
      
Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investments allocated from Master Fund     
Net realized gain on investments   4,623,527 
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments   3,974,813 
Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investments allocated from Master Fund   8,598,340 
      
Net increase in partners' capital resulting from operations  $9,203,683 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements and Attached Financial Statements of Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

3 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital 

For the year ended December 31, 2020 

             
   General   Limited     
   Partner   Partners   Total 
                
Partners' capital, beginning of year  $2,001   $13,091,846   $13,093,847 
                
Capital contributions       6,450,000    6,450,000 
Capital withdrawals from Master Fund       (3,463,052)   (3,463,052)
Incentive allocation   (224)   (995,437)   (995,661)
Allocation of net increase in partners' capital resulting from operations   1,122    9,202,561    9,203,683 
                
                
Partners' capital, end of year  $2,899   $24,285,918   $24,288,817 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements and Attached Financial Statements of Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

4 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Cash Flows 

For the year ended December 31, 2020 

     
Cash flows from operating activities:    
Net increase in partners' capital resulting from operations  $9,203,683 
Adjustments to reconcile net increase in partners' capital resulting from operations to net cash used in operating activities:     
Capital contributions to Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP   (6,450,000)
Capital withdrawals from Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP   3,536,621 
Net investment income allocated from Master Fund   (810,252)
Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investments allocated from Master Fund   (8,598,340)
Net change in operating assets and liabilities:     
Increase in management fee payable   7,233 
Decrease in other payables   (1,934)
Net cash used in operating activities   (3,112,989)
      
Cash flows from financing activities:     
Capital withdrawals   (3,337,011)
Capital contributions   6,450,000 
Net cash provided by financing activities   3,112,989 
      
Net change in cash    
      
Cash at beginning of year    
      
Cash at end of year  $ 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements and Attached Financial Statements of Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

5 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 

 

 

NOTE 1. NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES

 

Nature of Operations

 

Strategos Deep Value Fund LP (the “U.S. Fund”) is a limited partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (United States). The U.S Fund commenced operations on August 16, 2011. The U.S. Fund was established to allow for investment by “qualified purchasers” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. A revised confidential private placement memorandum (as the same may be amended and/or supplemented from time-to-time, the “PPM”) was issued on January 1, 2018.

 

The U.S. Fund invests all of its assets through a master-feeder structure. The master fund of the structure is the Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP (the “Master Fund”), a Cayman Islands Exempted Limited Partnership. The financial statements of the Master Fund are included elsewhere herein. The financial statements of the U.S. Fund should be read in conjunction with the financial statements of the Master Fund.

 

Investment Objectives

 

The investment objective of the U.S. Fund (through its investment in the Master Fund) is to produce elevated risk-adjusted returns from investments ranging from mortgage-backed securities (MBS) to publicly traded equities. Much of the Fund’s focus is on real estate related securities given the investment team’s extensive experience and penchant for understanding inefficiencies that characterize parts of these markets.

 

Strategos Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the investment manager of the U.S. Fund and the Master Fund. The Investment Manager is registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Strategos Deep Value GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, acts as the sole general partner of the U.S. Fund (the “General Partner”). The General Partner is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Investment Manager.

 

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”), Accounting Standards Codification. The financial statements are measured and presented in United States Dollars, which is the functional and presentation currency of the U.S. Fund.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the U.S. Fund’s management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting year. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material to the financial statements.

6 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 

 

 

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

Cash and cash equivalents include highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased. Cash and cash equivalents may also include short-term liquid investments such as money market funds. The U.S. Fund maintains its cash accounts with a major financial institution in the United States. Periodically, the balances may exceed the insured amount under the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The U.S. Fund to date has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes there is no significant credit risk associated with such accounts.

 

Investment in the Master Fund – Valuation and Risk

 

The U.S. Fund invests all of its assets in the Master Fund and, as such, records its investment in the Master Fund at fair value. Valuation of investments held by the Master Fund, including, but not limited to, the valuation techniques used and classification within the fair value hierarchy of investments held, are discussed in the Notes to the Master Fund financial statements included elsewhere herein. The assets underlying the U.S. Fund’s investment in the Master Fund are subject to credit, interest rate, market and other risks. Such risks are discussed in the Notes to the Master Fund financial statements included elsewhere herein.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

 

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement ("ASU 2018-13"). ASU 2018-13 removes the requirement to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the policy for timing of transfers between levels, the valuation processes for Level 3 fair value measurements and the changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period included in earnings for recurring Level 3 fair value measurement held at the end of the reporting period. Further, under ASU 2018-13, nonpublic entities are not required to complete a reconciliation of the opening balances to the closing balances of recurring Level 3 fair value measurements. Rather, an entity is required to disclose transfers into and out of Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy and purchases and issues of Level 3 assets and liabilities. ASU 2018-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The U.S. Fund does not hold investments classified as 'Level 3' (as defined in Note 3 of the Master Fund's financial statements) and does not anticipate ASU 2018-13 to have a significant impact on the financial statements.

 

In August 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for hedging activities ("ASU 2018-13"). ASU 2017-12 targets improvements that aligns an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. 

7 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 

 

 

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements (continued)

 

For fair value hedges, the entire change in the fair value of the hedging instrument included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness is presented in the same income statement line that is used to present the earnings effect of the hedged item. For cash flow and net investment hedges, the entire change in the fair value of the hedging instrument included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness is recorded in other comprehensive income (for cash flow hedges) or in the currency translation adjustment section of other comprehensive income (for net investment hedges). Those amounts are reclassified to earnings in the same income statement line item that is used to present the earnings effect of the hedged item when the hedged item affects earnings. ASU 2017-12 contains further improvements and is effective from December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted.

 

The General Partner of the U.S. Fund have assessed the impact of ASU 2017-12 and found that it will be immaterial as the U.S. Fund does not have any hedging activities affected by ASU 2017-12.

 

Investment Income and Expenses

 

The U.S. Fund generally records its proportionate share of the Master Fund’s income, expenses, and realized and unrealized gains and losses. In addition, the U.S. Fund incurs and accrues its own expenses.

 

Income Taxes

 

The U.S. Fund is treated as a partnership for United States tax purposes and, therefore, does not record a provision for federal, state, or local income taxes because the partners report their share of the U.S. Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns.

 

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the U.S. Fund is required to determine whether its tax positions are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant taxing authorities. Based on its analysis, the U.S. Fund has determined that it has not incurred any liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2020. The U.S. Fund does not expect that its assessment regarding unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months. However, the U.S. Fund’s conclusions may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to: questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, compliance with tax laws, rules and regulations, and changes in the administrative practices and precedents of the relevant taxing authorities. The U.S. Fund is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities for 2014 and thereafter.

 

NOTE 3. PARTNERS’ CAPITAL ACCOUNTS

 

In accordance with the PPM, profits and losses of the U.S. Fund are generally allocated to the partners according to their respective interest in the U.S. Fund. The minimum initial subscription for investment in the U.S. Fund is $1,000,000 and the minimum additional subscription is $250,000. The General Partner may, in its sole discretion, accept subscriptions of a lesser amount.

 

Limited partners have withdrawal rights which contain certain restrictions with respect to rights of withdrawal from the U.S. Fund as specified in the PPM, such as early withdrawal (less than one year) penalties and investor gates. Any full or final withdrawal is subject to a ten percent holdback, which will be released once the financial statement audit is completed for the calendar year in which the withdrawal was processed. All funds subject to a holdback are placed in a separate escrow account. See Note 4, Management Fee and Incentive Allocation, for a more detailed discussion regarding fees paid by each investor to the Investment Manager and/or the General Partner.

8 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020  

 

 

NOTE 4. MANAGEMENT FEE AND INCENTIVE ALLOCATION

 

Management Fee

 

The Master Fund, on behalf of the U.S. Fund, pays the Investment Manager on a quarterly basis a management fee (the “Management Fee”), in arrears, equal to 0.375% (or 1.5% per annum) of the net asset value of each partner’s capital account (exclusive of any interim accrual for the Incentive Allocation) as of the last day of the previous fiscal quarter. The Management Fee is payable on the first day of each quarter with respect to the previous quarter. A pro rata portion of the Management Fee will be due with respect to any subscription/withdrawal during a calendar quarter based on the number of actual days in the applicable quarter amounts were outstanding.

 

Management Fees charged to expenses were $166,384 for the year ended December 31, 2020, of which $51,162 remained outstanding as of December 31, 2020.

 

Incentive Allocation

 

The General Partner is entitled to receive an incentive allocation (the “Incentive Allocation”) equal to 20% of all net realized and unrealized profits of each partner’s capital account (as more fully described in the PPM) subject to a high water-mark. The Incentive Allocation is determined on an annual basis on the last business day of each year (or as of the date of any withdrawal) and credited to the General Partner at the level of the Master Fund.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2020, an Incentive Allocation of $995,661 related to the U.S. Fund was allocated to the General Partner’s account at the Master Fund.

 

The Investment Manager and/or the General Partner, as the case may be, may modify, reduce or waive the Management Fee or the Incentive Allocation otherwise payable by certain limited partners, including with respect to: its employees, affiliates, the family members of its employees or affiliates, or for any limited partner without entitling any other limited partner to a modification, reduction or waiver and without notice to or the consent of any other limited partner.

 

NOTE 5. ADMINISTRATION FEES

 

Apex Fund and Custody Services LLC (the “Administrator”) serves as the administrator of the U.S. Fund, pursuant to an administration agreement (the “Administration Agreement”). In such capacity the Administrator is responsible for administering certain day-to-day aspects of the U.S. Fund’s operations, including calculating and publishing the net asset value of the U.S. Fund and each limited partner’s capital account, providing registrar and transfer agent services in connection with the issuance, transfer and withdrawal of interests, communicating with limited partners, disbursing fees and expenses owed by the U.S. Fund, and performing bookkeeping and accounting functions (other than the annual audit). The Administrator is not bound by the U.S. Fund in any way by any agreement or contract other than the Administration Agreement.

 

Administration Fees charged to expenses were $55,232 for the year ended December 31, 2020, of which $1,250 remained outstanding as of December 31, 2020.

9 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 

 

 

NOTE 6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

The U.S. Fund considers the General Partner and Investment Manager, their principal owners, members of management, members of their immediate families, and entities under common control to be related parties to the U.S. Fund. Amounts due from and due to related parties are generally settled in the normal course of business without formal payment terms.

 

As at December 31, 2020, the Investment Manager and its related parties including employees own 15.09% of the net asset value of the U.S. Fund, which is $3,665,517 in Class A - No Fees.

 

Fees payable to the General Partner and Investment Manager are disclosed in Note 4.

 

NOTE 7. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS – LIMITED PARTNERS’ CAPITAL

 

Financial highlights for the year ended December 31, 2020 are as follows:

 

   Class A - No 
   Class A    Fees  Fund level
Total return               
                
Total return before reallocation to General Partner   56.15%   58.43%   56.96%
Reallocation to General Partner   (10.79%)   (0.00%)   (6.46%)
Total return after reallocation to General Partner   45.36%   58.43%   50.50%
                
Ratio to average limited partners’ capital               
                
Operating expenses   2.48%   0.67%   1.74%
Reallocation to General Partner   9.42%   0.00%   5.57%
Expenses and reallocation to General Partner   11.90%   0.67%   7.31%
                
Net investment income   2.53%   4.63%   3.39%
                
Net realized and unrealized gain on investments   45.75%   51.60%   48.14%

 

Financial highlights are calculated for the limited partner class taken as a whole. An individual limited partner’s return and ratios may vary based on participation in new issues, private investments, different performance and/or management fee arrangements, and the timing of capital transactions.

10 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE FUND LP 

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 

 

 

NOTE 8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

On January 25, 2021, Strategos Capital Management, LLC sent a letter to investors in the Strategos Deep Value Fund LP to solicit interest in potentially converting the U.S. Fund into a mutual fund. Through April 16, 2021 this conversion has not occurred.

 

Subsequent events impacting the Master Fund, including withdrawals and subscriptions are disclosed in the subsequent events footnote of the Master Fund financial statements included elsewhere herein.

 

The U.S. Fund has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events through April 16, 2021, which is the date that the financial statements were available to be issued, and has determined that there were no any other subsequent events requiring adjustment to or disclosure in the financial statements.

11 

 

STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE MASTER FUND II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

  

 

 

 

 

Financial Statements and Independent Auditor's Report

 

 

 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

  

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Financial Statements

 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

Independent Auditor's Report 1-2
   
Financial Statements:  
   
Schedule of Investments 3-5
   
Statement of Assets and Liabilities 6
   
Statement of Operations 7
   
Statement of Changes in Partners' Capital 8
   
Statement of Cash Flows 9
   
Notes to Financial Statements 10-17
   

  

 

 

 

 

 

Grant Thornton Cayman Islands

2nd floor, Century Yard

Cricket Square, 171 Elgin Avenue 

 

George Town, PO Box 1044 

Grand Cayman, KY1-1102

Cayman Islands

 

T: +1 345 949 8588

F: +1 345 949 7325

E: info@ky.gt.com

www.grantthornton.ky

  

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

TO THE GENERAL PARTNER OF STRATEGOS DEEP VALUE MASTER FUND II LP

 

We have audited the accompanying financial statements of Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP (the “Master Fund”) (a Cayman Islands Limited Partnership), which comprise the statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments as of December 31, 2020, and the related statements of operations, changes in partners’ capital, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements.

 

This report, including the opinion, has been prepared for and only for the Master Fund’s General Partner as a body and for regulatory filing purposes only. We do not, in giving this opinion, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

 

Management’s responsibility for the financial statements 

 

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”); this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

 

Auditor’s responsibility 

 

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement. 

 

 

 

Grant Thornton Cayman Islands 

Member of Grant Thornton International Ltd 

1 

 

 

 

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (continued)

 

Auditor’s responsibility (continued) 

 

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

 

Opinion 

 

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP as of December 31, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

  

 

 

George Town, 

Grand Cayman 

April 16, 2021

 

 

Grant Thornton Cayman Islands    
Member of Grant Thornton International Ltd    

2 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Schedule of Investments 

December 31, 2020 

             
       % of     
       Partners’     
Description  Shares   Capital   Fair Value 
             
Investments in Securities, at Fair Value               
Common Stocks               
Japan               
Communication Services               
SoftBank Group Corp., ADR   120,000    8.94%  $4,639,200 
Total Japan (cost $2,929,353)        8.94%   4,639,200 
United States               
Consumer Discretionary               
Amazon.com, Inc. (a)   50    0.31%   162,847 
Financials               
Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corp.   162,000    2.85%   1,480,680 
Chimera Investment Corp.   70,000    1.38%   717,500 
Ellington Financial, Inc.   243,800    6.97%   3,617,992 
MFA Financial, Inc.   649,118    4.86%   2,525,069 
MGIC Investment Corp.   150,000    3.63%   1,882,500 
Mr. Cooper Group, Inc. (a)   85,000    5.08%   2,637,550 
New Residential Investment Corp.   1,093,839    20.94%   10,872,760 
New York Mortgage Trust, Inc.   675,000    4.80%   2,490,750 
Ocwen Financial Corp. (a)   95,384    5.31%   2,757,551 
PennyMac Mortgage Financial Services, Inc.   6,000    0.76%   393,720 
PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust   118,866    4.03%   2,090,853 
Redwood Trust, Inc.   367,138    6.21%   3,223,472 
         66.82%   34,690,397 
Total United States (cost $27,219,255)        67.13%   34,853,244 
Total Common Stocks (cost $30,148,608)        76.07%   39,492,444 
                
Preferred Stocks               
United States               
Financials               
Chimera Investment Corp., Series B, 8.00% (b)   15,000    0.66%   341,850 
Chimera Investment Corp., Series C, 7.75% (b)   35,000    1.47%   764,400 
Chimera Investment Corp., Series D, 8.00% (b)   10,000    0.43%   221,700 
FNMA, Series S, 8.25% (b)   9,500    0.16%   81,510 
Total United States (cost $1,083,655)        2.72%   1,409,460 
Total Preferred Stocks (cost $1,083,655)        2.72%  $1,409,460 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

3 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Schedule of Investments (continued) 

December 31, 2020 

             
       % of     
       Partners’     
Description  Principal   Capital   Fair Value 
Mortgage-Backed Securities               
United States               
Financials               
Aegis Asset Backed Securities Trust, Series 2005-5, Class M2 (USD 1 Month LIBOR +0.675%), 0.82%, 12/25/35(c)   1,184,800    1.48%  $768,575 
Asset Backed Securities Corp. Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2005-HE6, Class M7 (USD 1 Month LIBOR +2.025%), 2.17%, 07/25/35(c)   1,175,000    1.69%   877,208 
Credit-Based Asset Servicing & Securitization LLC, Series 2003-CB2, Class M2, 4.68%, 08/25/32(d)   7,000,000    1.22%   634,250 
Countrywide Alternative Loan Trust, Series 2003-J2, Class B2, 6.00%, 10/25/33   608,400    0.00%   1,542 
GNMA, Series 2017-119, Class IO, 0.76%, 10/16/59(e)   8,300,000    0.62%   319,734 
Goldman Sachs Alternative Mortgage Products Trust, Series 2005-WMC3, Class M1 (USD 1 Month LIBOR +0.675%), 0.82%, 12/25/35(c)   1,276,000    1.05%   547,645 
Morgan Stanley ABS Capital I, Inc. Trust, Series 2005-HE3, Class M6 (USD 1 Month LIBOR +1.11%), 1.26%, 07/25/35(c)   1,800,928    2.44%   1,265,402 
Morgan Stanley Bank of America Merrill Lynch Trust, Series 2013-C9, Class C, 4.03%, 05/15/46(e)   500,000    0.97%   501,775 
Nomura Asset Acceptance Corp. Alternative Loan Trust, Series 2006-S2, Class A1 (USD 1 Month LIBOR +0.20%), 0.35%, 04/25/36(c)   14,900,000    0.00%   752 
Total United States (cost $4,161,184)        9.47%   4,916,883 
Total Mortgage-Backed Securities (cost $4,161,184)        9.47%   4,916,883 
                
Total Investments in Securities, at Fair Value (cost $35,393,447)        88.26%  $45,818,787 
Other Assets less Liabilities        11.74%   6,093,423 
Total Partners' Capital        100.00%  $51,912,210 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

4 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Schedule of Investments (continued) 

December 31, 2020 

 

 

(a)Non-income producing security.

 

(b)Perpetual maturity security.

 

(c)Floating rate security. Rate disclosed is as of December 31, 2020.

 

(d)Debt obligation initially issued at one coupon rate which converts to a higher coupon rate at a specified date. Rate disclosed is as of December 31, 2020.

 

(e)Variable or adjustable rate security, the interest rate of which adjusts periodically based on changes in current interest rates. Rate disclosed is as of December 31, 2020.

 

ADR - American Depositary Receipt

 

FNMA - Federal National Mortgage Association

 

GNMA - Government National Mortgage Association

 

LIBOR - London Interbank Offered Rate

 

Gross unrealized appreciation  $10,575,204 
Gross unrealized depreciation   (149,864)
Net unrealized appreciation  $10,425,340 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

5 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities 

Year Ended December 31, 2020 

     
Assets    
Investments in securities, at fair value (cost $35,393,447)  $45,818,787 
Cash and cash equivalents   7,944,799 
Interest receivable   10,120 
Dividend receivable, net of withholding taxes   412,878 
Other assets   7,315 
Total assets  $ 54,193,899 
      

Liabilities and Partners' Capital

     
Liabilities     
Withdrawals payable  $2,154,421 
Accrued expenses and other liabilities   127,268 
Total liabilities   2,281,689 
      
Partners' Capital     
General partner   4,335,920 
Limited partners   47,576,290 
Total Partners' Capital   51,912,210 
      
Total Liabilities and Partners' Capital  $54,193,899 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

6 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Operations 

Year Ended December 31, 2020 

     
Investment income    
Interest income  $685,258 
Dividend income (net of withholding taxes of $192,825)   856,165 
Total investment income   1,541,423 
      
Expenses     
Professional fees and other expenses   188,707 
Total expenses   188,707 
      
Net investment income   1,352,716 
      
Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investments     
Net realized gain on investments in securities   8,696,518 
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments in securities   8,147,358 
      
Total realized and change in unrealized gain on investments   16,843,876 
      
Net increase in net partners' capital resulting from operations  $18,196,592 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

7 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Changes in Partners' Capital 

Year Ended December 31, 2020 

             
   General
Partner
   Limited
Partners
   Total 
             
Partners' capital at January 1, 2020  $1,154,585   $18,798,415   $19,953,000 
                
Capital contributions       18,450,000    18,450,000 
Capital withdrawals       (4,687,382)   (4,687,382)
                
Allocation of net increase in Partners' capital resulting from operations :               
Allocation to all Partners   690,180    17,506,412    18,196,592 
Incentive allocation to General Partner   2,491,155    (2,491,155)    
Partners' capital at December 31, 2020  $4,335,920   $47,576,290   $51,912,210 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

8 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Statement of Cash Flows 

Year Ended December 31, 2020 

     
Cash flows from operating activities:    
Net increase in net partners' capital resulting from operations  $18,196,592 
Adjustments to reconcile net increase in partners' capital resulting from operations to net cash used in operating activities:     
Net realized gain on investments in securities   (8,673,043)
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments in securities   (7,765,773)
Purchases of investment in securities   (170,088,542)
Proceeds from sales of investment in securities   155,197,306 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:     
Decrease in other assets   5,045 
Decrease in interest receivable   19,165 
Increase in dividend receivable, net of withholding taxes   (386,128)
Decrease in accrued expenses and other liabilities   (10,983)
      
Net cash used in operating activities   (13,506,361)
      
Cash flows from financing activities:     
Capital contributions   18,450,000 
Capital withdrawals   (7,903,785)
Net cash provided by financing activities   10,546,215 
      
Net change in cash and cash equivalents during the year  $(2,960,146)
      
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year  $10,904,945 
      
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year  $7,944,799 
      
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:    
Cash received during the year for interest  $704,423 
Cash received during the year for dividend   470,037 

  

See Notes to Financial Statements

9 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP (the "Master Fund") is a limited partnership organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Master Fund was established on October 19, 2017 and commenced operations on January 1, 2018 after a restructuring with Strategos Deep Value Master Fund, ICAV. The Master Fund is part of a “master-feeder” structure. This master-feeder structure includes Strategos Deep Value Fund LP (the “U.S. Fund”), a limited partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States and Strategos Deep Value Fund Ltd. (the “Cayman Feeder Fund”), an exempted limited company formed and registered under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The U.S. Fund and the Cayman Feeder Fund (the “Feeder Funds”), commenced operations on August 16, 2011. Each of the U.S. Fund and the Cayman Feeder Fund invests all or substantially all assets in the Master Fund.

 

As of December 31, 2020 the U.S Fund and Cayman Feeder Fund represented 46.95% and 44.69%, respectively, of the total investment in the Master Fund. The remaining investment in the Master Fund is owned by the General Partner (as defined herein).

 

The investment objective of the Master Fund is to produce elevated risk-adjusted returns from investments ranging from mortgage-backed securities (MBS) to publicly traded equities. Much of the Fund’s focus is on real estate related securities given the investment team’s extensive experience and penchant for understanding inefficiencies that characterize parts of these markets.

 

Strategos Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware (U.S.) limited liability company, serves as the investment manager of the Master Fund (the "Investment Manager"). The Investment Manager is registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is also the investment manager for the Feeder Funds.

 

Strategos Deep Value GP, LLC, a Delaware (U.S.) limited liability company, is the general partner of the Master Fund (the "General Partner). The General Partner has been registered as a foreign company in the Cayman Islands. The Investment Manager is the sole managing member of the General Partner. The General Partner is also the general partner of the U.S. Fund.

10 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

These financial statements are expressed in United States dollars and have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("US GAAP"). The Master Fund is an investment company and follows the accounting and reporting guidance as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification. The Partnership, which is an investment company within the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update 2013-08, follows accounting and reporting guidance under FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, “Financial Services-Investment Companies”.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Master Fund’s management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting year. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material to the financial statements.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

Cash and cash equivalents include highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased. Cash and cash equivalents may also include short-term liquid investments such as money market funds. The Master Fund maintains its cash accounts with a major financial institution. Periodically, the balances may exceed the insured amount under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The Master Fund to date has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes there is no significant credit risk associated with such accounts. As of December 31, 2020, the Master Fund had cash and cash equivalents of $7,694,799 in excess of the FDIC limit.

 

The total amount of the Master Fund’s investment in the money market fund at December 31, 2020 was $7,942,104 in the DWS MMKT Prime-A security which represents 15.30% of the net asset value. The Master Fund values its investment in the money market fund based on its closing net asset value at December 31, 2020. The DWS cash investment trust seeks maximum current income to the extent consistent with stability of principle by investing in high quality, short-term, U. S. dollar denominated money market instruments, including obligations of U. S. and foreign banks, corporate obligations, U. S. government securities, municipal securities, repurchase agreements.

 

Investment Transactions

 

The Master Fund records its transactions in securities on a first in first out basis (FIFO). Realized gains and losses from securities are calculated on the identified cost basis.

 

Securities Valuation

 

Securities traded on a national securities exchange are valued at the closing price on the valuation date based on the closing price as is customarily ascertained by the respective exchange and published by recognised sources such as the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times or disseminated by quotation services such as Bloomberg. Unlisted securities that trade predominantly in the over-the-counter market, the Rule 144A market or similar markets are valued in accordance with the procedures as detailed in the Investment Manager’s Valuation Policy. For structured credit investments, the Administrator, in conjunction with the Investment Manager, conducts the valuation based on assessments of prices from independent pricing services and broker dealers. Initially, the Investment Manager, in conjunction with the Administrator, qualitatively evaluates all quoted prices for each position. Once an initial determination is made, a quantitative assessment of quoted prices for each position is made utilising the valuation from the independent pricing service as a base line. To the extent a broker dealer price is ultimately determined to be the best reflection of fair value, an average of two different broker dealer prices is generally required.

11 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

 

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement ("ASU 2018-13"). ASU 2018-13 removes the requirement to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the policy for timing of transfers between levels, the valuation processes for Level 3 fair value measurements and the changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period included in earnings for recurring Level 3 fair value measurement held at the end of the reporting period. Further, under ASU 2018-13, nonpublic entities are not required to complete a reconciliation of the opening balances to the closing balances of recurring Level 3 fair value measurements. Rather, an entity is required to disclose transfers into and out of Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy and purchases and issues of Level 3 assets and liabilities. ASU 2018-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Master Fund does not hold investments classified as 'Level 3' (as defined in Note 3) and does not anticipate ASU 2018-13 to have a significant impact on the financial statements.

 

In August 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for hedging activities ("ASU 2018-13"). ASU 2017-12 targets improvements that aligns an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results.

 

For fair value hedges, the entire change in the fair value of the hedging instrument included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness is presented in the same income statement line that is used to present the earnings effect of the hedged item. For cash flow and net investment hedges, the entire change in the fair value of the hedging instrument included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness is recorded in other comprehensive income (for cash flow hedges) or in the currency translation adjustment section of other comprehensive income (for net investment hedges). Those amounts are reclassified to earnings in the same income statement line item that is used to present the earnings effect of the hedged item when the hedged item affects earnings. ASU 2017-12 contains further improvements and is effective from December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted.

 

The General Partner of the Master Fund have assessed the impact of ASU 2017-12 and found that it will be immaterial as the Master Fund does not have any hedging activities affected by ASU 2017-12.

 

Credit, Interest Rate and Market Risk

 

The Master Fund is subject to credit risk. For example, the risk that an issuer of securities will be unable to pay principal and interest when due, or that the value of the security will suffer because investors believe the issuer is less able to pay. This is broadly gauged by the credit ratings of the securities in which the Master Fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the agencies issuing them, may change less quickly than relevant circumstances and are not absolute guarantees of the quality of the securities. Furthermore, the Master Fund’s investments may not be rated by any rating agency or may be below investment grade. The Master Fund will be more dependent upon the judgment of the Investment Manager as to the credit quality of such unrated securities. A default, downgrade or credit impairment of any of its investments could result in a significant or even total loss of the investment.

 

The Master Fund may invest in equity securities and potentially equity derivatives as a result of a workout or restructuring. The value of these assets vary based upon the issuer’s performance and movements in the broader equity markets. Numerous economic factors, as well as market sentiment, political, and market-related factors, among others, influence the value of equities. A portfolio could suffer losses if an equity’s performance diverges from expectations or based on adverse equity market movements.

12 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Credit, Interest Rate and Market Risk (continued)

 

The Master Fund may invest in collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). These are debt securities issued by a corporation, trust or custodian or by a U.S. Government agency or instrumentality that are collateralized by a portfolio or pool of mortgages, mortgage pass-through securities, U.S. Government securities or other assets. CMOs issued by private entities are not U.S. government securities and are not guaranteed by any government agency, although the securities underlying a CMO may be subject to guarantee. Therefore, if the collateral securing the CMO, as well as any third party credit support or guarantees, is insufficient to make payment, the holder could sustain a loss. The Master Fund may also invest in stripped mortgage-backed securities such as principal only and interest only bonds. The Master Fund is subject to interest rate risk because it invests in fixed income securities. Interest rate risk arises from the possibility of interest rates moving contrary to expectations.

 

The general state of the mortgage market and its underlying economics, yields, interest rate volatility, governmental monetary and tax policies, political considerations and other factors outside the control of the Master Fund may adversely affect (and such affect may be material) the performance and market value of the Master Fund’s investments, subjecting the Master Fund to market risk.

 

Investment Income and Expense

 

Interest income is recorded on an accrual basis. Amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts on fixed income securities approximates the effective yield to maturity method. Dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date, net of any withholding taxes.

 

Derivative Contracts

 

The Master Fund records its derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from derivative contracts are included in net realized gain (loss) on derivative contracts and net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on derivative contracts in the statement of operations. Derivative contracts include mortgage bond forward contracts related to interest rate risks.

 

Forward contracts

 

Forward contracts are traded on the OTC market. The fair value of forward contracts are valued using observable inputs, such as currency exchange rates or commodity prices, applied to notional amounts stated in the applicable contracts. Forward contracts are generally classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

 

Income Taxes

 

There is currently no taxation imposed on income or capital gains by the Government of the Cayman Islands. The only taxes payable by the Master Fund are withholding taxes applicable to certain investment income. As a result, other than withholding tax, no tax liability or expense has been recorded in the financial statements. The Master Fund has elected to be treated as a partnership for U.S. tax purposes. As a partnership, the Master Fund itself is not subject to U.S. Federal income taxes. Each investor is individually liable for income taxes, if any, on its share of the Master Fund’s net taxable income. The Master Fund is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities for all tax years since 2018.

13 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Income Taxes (continued)

 

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Master Fund is required to determine whether its tax positions are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant taxing authorities. Based on its analysis, the Master Fund has determined that it has not incurred any liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2020. The Master Fund does not expect that its assessment regarding unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months. However, the conclusions may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to: questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, compliance with tax laws, rules and regulations (foreign and domestic), and changes in the administrative practices and precedents of the relevant taxing authorities.

 

Withdrawals Payable

 

Withdrawals are recognized as liabilities when the amount requested in the withdrawal notice become fixed, which generally occurs on the last day of a fiscal quarter. As a result, withdrawals paid after the end of the year, based on partners’ capital balances at year-end, are included in withdrawals payable at December 31, 2020. Withdrawal notices received for which the dollar amount is not fixed remain in partners’ capital until the amount is determined.

 

NOTE 3. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

 

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Master Fund follows the provision for fair value measurements which establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes and ranks the inputs in valuation techniques to measure fair value.

 

The hierarchy used in measuring fair value maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from independent sources. Unobservable inputs reflect the Administrator’s and/or Investment Manager’s assumption about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.

 

The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

 

Level 1 Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Master Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

 

Level 2 Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

 

Level 3 Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

 

Publicly traded securities listed on a national securities exchange are valued at the last sale price on the date of determination. Securities traded in the over-the-counter market are generally valued using independent third-party marks supplied by commercial pricing services or broker-dealers. Assets recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy. The following table presents information about the Master Fund’s assets measured at fair value as of December 31, 2020:

14 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 3. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT (continued)

 

   Unadjusted             
   Quoted             
   Prices in                
   Active   Significant   Significant      
   Markets for   Other   Other      
   Identical
Assets
    Observable
Inputs
    Unobservable Inputs      
Assets (at fair value)   (Level 1)   (Level 2)   (Level 3)    Total 
                     
December 31, 2020                    
Common stocks  $39,492,444   $   $   $39,492,444 
Preferred stocks   1,409,460            1,409,460 
Mortgage backed securities 1       4,916,883        4,916,883 
                     
Total investments in securities  $40,901,904   $4,916,883   $   $45,818,787 

 

1See Schedule of Investment herein to view securities categorized by country/sector.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Master Fund did not have any investments in Level 3 securities and there were no transfers between the levels.

 

The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents whose term is less than twelve months, generally approximates fair value due to the short term nature of the instruments.

 

NOTE 4. MANAGEMENT FEES AND INCENTIVE ALLOCATION

 

The Master Fund, on behalf of the Feeder Funds, pays the Investment Manager on a quarterly basis a management fee (the “Management Fee”), in arrears, equal to 0.375% (or 1.5% per annum) as of the last day of the previous fiscal quarter. The Management Fee is payable on the first day of each quarter with respect to the previous quarter.

 

In addition, a pro rata portion of the Management Fee will be paid to the Investment Manager with respect to any interests purchased or withdrawn other than on the last business day of a fiscal quarter.

 

The General Partner is entitled to receive an incentive allocation (the “Incentive Allocation”) equal to 20.0% of all net realized and unrealized profits subject to a high water-mark (the High Water-Mark). The Incentive Allocation shall be determined at the feeder funds on an annual basis on the last business day of each year (or as of the date of any redemption or withdrawal) and credited to the capital account of the General Partner. The incentive allocation for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $2,491,155.

 

The Investment Manager and/or the General Partner, as the case may be, may modify, reduce or waive any Management Fee or Incentive Allocation that would otherwise be imposed on certain investors, including with respect to employees, affiliates, the family members of employees or affiliates, or any other investor without entitling any other investor to a modification, reduction or waiver and without notice to or the consent of any other investor.

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Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 5. ADMINISTRATOR

 

Apex Fund and Custody Services LLC serves as the administrator of the Master Fund, pursuant to an administration agreement. In such capacity the Administrator is responsible for administering certain day-to-day aspects of the Master Fund’s operations, including calculating and publishing the net asset value of the Master Fund, providing registrar and transfer agent services in connection with the issuance, transfer and withdrawal of interests, communicating with limited partners, disbursing fees and expenses owed by the Master Fund, and performing bookkeeping and accounting functions. The Administrator is not bound by the Master Fund in any way by any agreement or contract other than the Administration Agreement. The Administrator receives a fee based on monthly net assets. The fee is calculated and payable monthly and is included in professional fees and other expenses in the statement of operations. The administration fees for the year ended December 31, 2020 were $72,000 and payable $6,000.

 

NOTE 6. PARTNERS' CAPITAL

 

The Master Fund established and maintains a capital account for the Feeder Funds and the General Partner. All items of income, gain, loss and deduction will generally be allocated between the partners based on their capital balances as of the beginning of any particular period, adjusted for any new subscriptions and/or withdrawals.

 

NOTE 7. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

The Master Fund considers the General Partner and Investment Manager, their principal owners, members of management, members of their immediate families, and entities under common control to be related parties to the Master Fund. Amounts due from and due to related parties are generally settled in the normal course of business without formal payment terms.

 

Fees payable to the General Partner and Investment Manager are disclosed in Note 4.

 

NOTE 8. INDEMNIFICATIONS

 

The Master Fund has entered into several contracts that contain routine indemnification clauses. The Master Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Master Fund that have not yet occurred. However, based on experience, the Master Fund expects the risk of loss from these arrangements to be remote.

16 

 

Strategos Deep Value Master Fund II LP 

(A Cayman Islands Limited Partnership)

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued) 

As of and for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

 

 

NOTE 9. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS – LIMITED PARTNERS’ CAPITAL

 

Financial highlights for the year ended December 31, 2020 are as follows:

 

Total return (1)   57.87%
      
Ratio to Limited Partners’ average net assets     
Operating expenses (including interest expenses)   (0.55)%
Incentive allocation   0.00%
      
Total expense and incentive allocation   (0.55)%
      
Net investment income   3.95%
      
Net realized and unrealized gain on investments   49.54%

 

(1)The incentive allocation at the Master Fund level is an equity adjustment from the Feeder Funds to the General Partner and is presented as an expense at the feeder fund level.

 

Financial highlights are calculated for the limited partner class taken as a whole.

 

NOTE 10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

Capital activity for the Feeder Funds and the General Partner, and therefore indirectly the Master Fund, for periods subsequent to December 31, 2020 total $4.54 million in redemptions. This is apportioned $1.67million from the U.S. Fund, $0.07million from the Cayman Feeder Fund and $2.8million from the General Partner. The Cayman Feeder Fund has a pending subscription of $1million.

 

The Master Fund has evaluated the need for disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events through April 16, 2021, the date the financial statements were available to be issued, and has no any other subsequent or significant events requiring adjustment or disclosure, in these financial statements.

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