485BPOS 1 inetfs20190530_485bpos.htm FORM 485BPOS inetfs20190524_485apos.htm

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 3, 2019.

 

No. 333-146827

No. 811-22135



 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

[  ]

Pre-Effective Amendment No.

[  ]

Post-Effective Amendment No. 214

[x]

 

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

[  ]

Amendment No. 215

[x]

 

Innovator ETFs Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

(Address of Principal Executive Office)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (800) 208-5212

 

 

Corporation Service Company

2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19808

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

Copy to:

Morrison C. Warren, Esq.

Chapman and Cutler LLP

111 West Monroe Street

Chicago, Illinois 60603

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

[X]     Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.

  ]     On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.

  ]     60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485.

  ]     On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485.

  ]     75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

[   ]     On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485.

 

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

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



 

 

 

 

Contents of Post-Effective Amendment No. 214

 

This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and contents:

 

The Facing Sheet

 

Part A - Prospectus for Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™ – June; Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETF™ – June; Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer ETF™ – June

 

Part B - Statement of Additional Information for Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™ – June; Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETF™ – June; Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer ETF™ – June

 

Part C - Other Information

 

Signatures

 

 

 

 

Prospectus

 

Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™ — June

 

(Cboe BZX—BJUN)

 

June 1, 2019

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™— June (the “Fund”)
is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust (the “Trust”) and is an actively managed ETF.

 


 

The Fund will invest substantially all of its assets in FLexible EXchange® Options (“FLEX Options”) on the S&P 500 Price Return Index (“S&P 500 Price Index”). FLEX Options are customizable exchange-traded option contracts guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation. The Fund uses FLEX Options to employ a “defined outcome strategy.” Defined outcome strategies seek to produce pre-determined investment outcomes based upon the performance of an underlying security or index. The pre-determined outcomes sought by the Fund, which include the buffer and cap discussed below (“Outcomes”), are based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the period of June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. This period is referred to as the initial “Outcome Period.” Following this initial Outcome Period, each subsequent Outcome Period will be a one-year period from June 1 to May 31. The Fund will not terminate after the conclusion of the Outcome Period. After the conclusion of the Outcome Period, another will begin. There is no guarantee that the Outcomes for an Outcome Period will be realized.

 

The Fund’s strategy has been specifically designed to produce the Outcomes based upon the S&P 500 Price Index’s returns over the duration of the Outcome Period. The Outcomes may only be realized if you are holding shares on the first day of the Outcome Period and continue to hold them on the last day of the Outcome Period. If you purchase shares after the Outcome Period has begun or sell shares prior to the Outcome Period’s conclusion, you may experience investment returns very different from those that the Fund seeks to provide. There is no guarantee that the Fund will successfully achieve its investment objective.

 

Fund shareholders are subject to an upside return cap (the “Cap”) that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period. Therefore, even though the Fund’s returns are based upon the S&P 500 Price Index, if the Fund experiences returns for the Outcome Period in excess of the Cap, you will not experience those excess gains. The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 16.45% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 15.66%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. Please note, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next. There is no guarantee that the Cap will remain the same upon the conclusion of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund only seeks to provide shareholders that hold shares for the entire Outcome Period with a buffer against the first 9% of S&P 500 Price Index losses (based upon the value of the S&P 500 Price Index at the time the Fund entered into the FLEX Options on the first day of the Outcome Period) during the Outcome Period. You will bear all S&P 500 Price Index losses exceeding 9% on a one-to-one basis. The buffer is provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. A shareholder that purchases shares at the beginning of the Outcome Period may lose their entire investment. While the Fund seeks to limit losses to 91% for shareholders who hold shares for the entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee it will successfully do so. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. For instance, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has decreased in value beyond the pre-determined 9% buffer, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer.

 

(continued on next page)

 

 

 

 

(continued from previous page)

 

Similarly, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer until the Fund’s value has decreased to its value at the commencement of the Outcome Period. An investment in the Fund is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses.

 

The Outcomes are based on the Fund’s net asset value, the per share value of the Fund’s assets (“NAV”) on the first day of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s assets will be principally composed of FLEX Options, the value of which is derived from the performance of the underlying reference asset, the S&P 500 Price Index. However, because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Similarly, the amount of time remaining until the end of the Outcome Period also affects the impact of the buffer on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect prior to the end of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s strategy is designed to produce the Outcomes upon the expiration of the FLEX Options on the last day of the Outcome Period. It should not be expected that the Outcomes will be provided at any point prior to that time and there is no guarantee that the Outcomes will be achieved on the last day of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund’s website, www.innovatoretfs.com/bjun, provides important Fund information (including Outcome Period start and end dates and the Cap and buffer), as well information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in the Fund on a daily basis. If you are contemplating purchasing shares, please visit the website. Investors considering purchasing shares after the Outcome Period has begun or selling shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period should visit the website to fully understand potential investment outcomes.

 

As stated above and explained in greater detail within the prospectus, if the Fund has experienced certain levels of either gains or losses since the beginning of the Outcome Period, there may be little to no ability to achieve gains or benefit from the buffer for the remainder of the Outcome Period. The website contains important information that will assist you in determining whether to buy shares.

 

• Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the shares will develop or be maintained.

 

Although the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The returns that the Fund seeks to provide do not include the costs associated with purchasing shares of the Fund and certain expenses incurred by the Fund. The Fund has characteristics unlike many other traditional investment products and may not be suitable for all investors. The table on the following page provides considerations for determining whether an investment in the Fund is appropriate for you.


 

 

 

 

Investor Suitability Considerations


You should only consider this investment if:

You should not consider this investment if:

• you fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund;

• you desire to invest in a product with a return that depends upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period;

• you are willing to hold shares for the duration of the Outcome Period in order to achieve the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide;

• you fully understand that investments made when the Fund is at or near to the Cap may have limited to no upside;

• you are willing to forgo any gains in excess of the Cap;

• you understand that the Fund’s investments do not provide for dividends to the Fund;

• you fully understand that investments made after the Outcome Period has begun may not fully benefit from the buffer;

• you are willing to accept the risk of losing your entire investment; and

• you have visited the Fund’s website and understand the investment outcomes available to you based upon the time of your purchase.

• you do not fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund;

• you do not desire to invest in a product with a return that depends upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period;

• you are unwilling to hold shares for the duration of the Outcome Period in order to achieve the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide;

• you do not fully understand that investments made when the Fund is at or near to the Cap may have limited to no upside;

• you are unwilling to forgo any gains in excess of the Cap;

• you do not fully understand that the Fund’s investments do not provide for dividends to the Fund;

• you do not fully understand that investments made after the Outcome Period has begun may not fully benefit from the buffer;

• you are unwilling to accept the risk of losing your entire investment; and

• you have not visited the Fund’s website and do not understand the investment outcomes available to you based upon the timing of your purchase.

 

For more information regarding whether an investment in the Fund is right for you,
please see “Investor Suitability” in the prospectus.


 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

   

Summary Information

1

   

Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

13

   

Fund Investments

15

   

Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund

16

   

Investor Suitability

22

   

Management of the Fund

23

   

How to Buy and Sell Shares

25

   

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

26

   

Distributor

30

   

Net Asset Value

30

   

Fund Service Providers

32

   

Financial Highlights

32

   

Premium/Discount Information

32

   

Investments by Other Investment Companies

32

 

 

 

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™ – June

 

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Fund seeks to provide investors with returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index, up to the upside cap of 16.45% (prior to taking into account management fees and other fees) and 15.66% (after taking into account management fees and other fees) while providing a buffer against the first 9% of S&P 500 Price Index losses, over the period from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

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

 

Management Fees

    0.79 %

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

    0.00 %

Other Expenses(1)

    0.00 %

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

    0.79 %
 

(1)

“Other Expenses” are estimates based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

 

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares.

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

$80

$251

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no portfolio turnover information is available at this time.

 

1

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

General Strategy Description. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in FLexible EXchange® Options (“FLEX Options”) that reference the S&P 500 Price Return Index (“S&P 500 Price Index”). FLEX Options are exchange-traded options contracts with uniquely customizable terms. Although guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (the “OCC”), FLEX Options are still subject to counterparty risk with the OCC and may be less liquid than more traditional exchange-traded options. Due to the unique mechanics of the Fund’s strategy, the return an investor can expect to receive from an investment in the Fund has characteristics that are distinct from many other investment vehicles. It is important that an investor understand these characteristics before making an investment in the Fund.

 

In general, an option contract is an agreement between a buyer and seller that gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy or sell a particular asset at a specified future date at an agreed upon price. The reference asset for all of the Fund’s FLEX Options is the S&P 500 Price Index, a large-cap, market-weighted, U.S. equities index that tracks the price (excluding dividends) of the 500 leading companies in leading industries.

 

The pre-determined outcomes sought by the Fund, which include the buffer and Cap discussed below, are based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the period of June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. This period is referred to as the initial “Outcome Period.” Following the initial Outcome Period, each subsequent Outcome Period will be a one-year period from June 1 to May 31. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains over the Outcome Period, the strategy seeks to provide investment returns that match the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index, up to an upside return cap that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period (the “Cap”). The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 16.45% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 15.66%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. The date stipulated in all of the Fund’s FLEX Options is the approximate termination date of the Outcome Period, at which time the Fund will invest in a new set of FLEX Options for the next Outcome Period.

 

Additionally, as is discussed in further detail below, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Option positions will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. The strategy is designed to realize the Outcomes only on the final day of the Outcome Period.

 

2

 

 

The Fund’s investment sub-adviser, Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (“Milliman” or the Sub-Adviser”), has constructed a portfolio principally composed of seven FLEX Options on the S&P 500 Price Index that are each set to expire on the last day of the Outcome Period. The customizable nature of FLEX Options allows the Sub-Adviser to select the price at which the S&P 500 Price Index will be exercised at the expiration of each FLEX Option. This is commonly known as the “strike price.” At the commencement of the Outcome Period, the Sub-Adviser specifically selects the strike price for each FLEX Option such that when the FLEX Options are exercised on the final day of the Outcome Period, the Outcomes may be obtained, depending on the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the duration of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund seeks to generate returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index, up to the Cap (discussed in detail below), while limiting downside losses. The two hypothetical graphical illustrations provided below are designed to illustrate the Outcomes based upon the hypothetical performance of the S&P 500 Price Index for a shareholder that holds Shares for the entirety of the Outcome Period. Additional hypothetical graphical representations of the Outcomes are provided in “Additional Information Regarding the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies.” There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the Outcomes for an Outcome Period. The returns that the Fund seeks to provide do not include the costs associated with purchasing shares of the Fund and certain expenses incurred by the Fund.

 

 

3

 

 

Use of FLEX Options. The Outcomes may be achieved by purchasing and selling call and put FLEX Options to create layers within the Fund’s portfolio. One layer is designed to produce returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index for the Outcome Period if the S&P 500 Price Index has experienced gains during that time. To achieve these returns, the Fund will purchase a call option (giving the Fund the right to receive the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index) and a put option (giving the Fund the right to deliver the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index), while simultaneously selling a call option (giving the Fund the obligation to deliver the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index) and a put option (giving the Fund the obligation to receive the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index). Each of these FLEX Options has a specifically selected strike price. The effect created by these four positions is that if the S&P 500 Price Index has increased in value over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to provide a gain that matches the gain experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. This gain is subject to the Cap, a maximum investment return level, which is discussed below.

 

A separate layer is designed to produce the Fund’s objective to provide returns that are buffered by up to 9% if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences a loss during the course of the Outcome Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns. The buffer that the Fund seeks to provide is only operative against the first 9% of S&P 500 Price Index losses for the Outcome Period. After the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by more than 9%, the Fund will experience all subsequent losses on a one-to-one basis. In seeking to achieve the buffer, the Fund sells both a call option and a put option. Both of these FLEX Options have a specifically selected strike price. The effect created by these two positions is that if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to be returned the amount of its principal investment (if the S&P 500 Price Return Index decreased in value by 9% or less) or experience a loss that is 9% less than the loss experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index (if the S&P 500 Price Return Index decreased in value by more than 9%).

 

Each of the FLEX Options purchased and sold throughout the Outcome Period will have the same terms (i.e., strike price and expiration) as the corresponding FLEX Options purchased and sold on the first day of the Outcome Period. A detailed explanation regarding the terms of the FLEX Options and the mechanics of the Fund’s strategy can be found in “Additional Information Regarding the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies.”

 

The Outcome Period. The Outcomes sought by the Fund are based upon the Fund’s NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period. The Outcome Period begins on the day the FLEX Options are entered into and ends on the day they expire. Each FLEX Option’s value is ultimately derived from the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index during that time. Because the terms of the FLEX Options don’t change, the Cap and buffer both relate to the Fund’s NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period. A shareholder that purchases Shares after the commencement of the Outcome Period will likely have purchased Shares at a different NAV than the NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period (the NAV upon which the Outcomes are based) and may experience investment outcomes very different from those sought by the Fund. A shareholder that sells Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period may also experience investment outcomes very different from those sought by the Fund. To achieve the Outcomes sought by the Fund for the Outcome Period, an investor must be holding Shares on the day that the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and on the day those FLEX Options expire. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the Outcomes.

 

4

 

 

The Fund’s assets will be principally composed of FLEX Options, the value of which is derived from the performance of the underlying reference asset, the S&P 500 Price Index. However, because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, during the Outcome Period, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Similarly, the amount of time remaining until the end of the Outcome Period also affects the impact of the buffer on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect prior to the end of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s strategy is designed to produce the Outcomes upon the expiration of the FLEX Options on the last day of the Outcome Period and it should not be expected that the Outcomes will be provided at any point prior to that time. Taken together, this means that at the midpoint of the Outcome Period, if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by 15%, the Fund’s NAV can be expected to have decreased in value by more than 6% (because the buffer is not yet in full effect), but less than 15% (because the Fund’s NAV will not correlate one-to-one with the S&P 500 Price Index and the Fund’s NAV tends not to participate fully in either S&P 500 Price Index gains or losses).

 

Cap on Potential Upside Returns. Unlike other investment products, the potential returns an investor can receive from an investment in the Fund are subject to an upside return cap. This means that if the Fund experiences gains for the Outcome Period beyond the Cap, a shareholder will not experience those excess gains. Therefore, regardless of the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index, the Cap is the maximum return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period. The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 16.45% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 15.66%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. The definitive Cap will be set forth on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com/bjun.

 

The Cap will change for each Outcome Period based upon prevailing market conditions at the beginning of the Outcome Period. The Cap, and the Fund’s position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund. If an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing Shares at that price has limited to no gains available for the remainder of the Outcome Period but remains vulnerable to significant downside risks.

 

The Cap level is a result of the design of the Fund’s principal investment strategy. In order to provide the buffer, the Fund purchases a series of put and call FLEX Options. As the purchaser of these FLEX Options, the Fund is obligated to pay a premium to the seller of those FLEX Options. However, the strategy is designed so that any premiums that the Fund is obligated to pay are offset by premiums it receives in connection with the selling of FLEX Options. On the first day of the Outcome Period when the Fund enters into its other FLEX Options positions, the portfolio managers will calculate the amount of premiums that the Fund will owe and will then go into the market and sell a FLEX Option with terms that entitle the Fund to receive a premium in an amount equal to the amount that the Fund would otherwise owe. The Cap is the strike price of that sold FLEX Option. The strike price is determined based upon prevailing market conditions at the time the Fund enters into the FLEX Options, most notably current interest rate levels and S&P 500 Price Index volatility, and the relationship of put and calls on the underlying FLEX Options.

 

5

 

 

Buffer. The buffer that the Fund seeks to provide is only operative against the first 9% of S&P 500 Price Index losses for the Outcome Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns. After the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by more than 9%, the Fund will experience all subsequent losses on a one-to-one basis. The buffer is provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. If an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already decreased in value by an amount equal to or greater than 9%, an investor purchasing Shares at that price will have increased gains available prior to reaching the Cap but may not benefit from the buffer that the Fund seeks to offer for the remainder of the Outcome Period. Conversely, if an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already increased in value, then a shareholder may experience losses prior to gaining the protection offered by the buffer. A shareholder that purchases Shares at the beginning of the Outcome Period may lose their entire investment. While the Fund seeks to limit losses to 91% for shareholders who hold Shares for the entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee it will successfully do so. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases Shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. An investment in the Fund is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses.

 

Fund Rebalance. The Fund is a continuous investment vehicle. It does not terminate and distribute its assets at the conclusion of each Outcome Period. On the termination date of an Outcome Period, the Sub-Adviser will invest in a new set of FLEX Options and another Outcome Period will commence.

 

The Fund’s website, www.innovatoretfs.com/bjun, provides information relating to the Outcomes, including the Fund’s position relative to the Cap and buffer, of an investment in the Fund on a daily basis.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

 

Principal Risks

 

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objectives will be achieved.

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

6

 

 

Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem “Creation Units” (as defined in “Purchase and Sale of Shares,”) Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Buffered Loss Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to buffer against S&P 500 Price Index losses if the S&P 500 Price Index decreases over the Outcome Period by 9% or less. A shareholder may lose their entire investment. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index (up to the Cap), while limiting downside losses, if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of each Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available.

 

Cap Change Risk. A new Cap is established at the beginning of each Outcome Period and is dependent on prevailing market conditions. As such, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next and is unlikely to remain the same for consecutive Outcome Periods.

 

Capped Upside Return Risk. The Fund’s strategy seeks to provide returns that are subject to the Cap. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index has gains in excess of the Cap for the Outcome Period, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Cap. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into and the Fund has risen in value to a level near to the Cap, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Shares.

 

Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund intends to effectuate creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that effects its creations and redemption for in-kind securities. Because the Fund will effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of Shares may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. Consequently, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than investments in other ETFs. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Shares in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of Shares than for other ETFs.

 

Correlation Risk. The FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. Prior to the expiration date, the value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the S&P 500 Price Index. Factors that may influence the value of the FLEX Options include interest rate changes and implied volatility levels of the S&P 500 Price Index, among others.

 

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Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

FLEX Options Risk. The Fund will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The value of the underlying FLEX Options will be affected by, among others, changes in the value of the S&P 500 Price Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual and implied volatility of the S&P 500 Price Index and the remaining time to until the FLEX Options expire. The value of the FLEX Options does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the level of the S&P 500 Price Index (although they generally move in the same direction). However, as a FLEX Option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The Fund’s Shares trade on the Exchange at their market price rather than their NAV. The market price may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Shares to deviate significantly from the Fund’s NAV.

 

8

 

 

Investment Objective Risk. Certain circumstances under which the Fund might not achieve its objective include, but are not limited, to (i) if the Fund disposes of FLEX Options, (ii) if the Fund is unable to maintain the proportional relationship based on the number of FLEX Options in the Fund’s portfolio, (iii) significant accrual of Fund expenses in connection with effecting the Fund’s principal investment strategy or (iv) adverse tax law changes affecting the treatment of FLEX Options.

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the Fund’s IIV, and the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

Liquidity Risk. In the event that trading in the underlying FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. There is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, terminating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.

 

Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Sub-Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

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Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Assets may decline in value due to factors affecting financial markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the markets. The value of a FLEX Options or other asset may also decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or due to factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates will not have the same impact on all types of securities.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error in the calculation of the Cap, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its investment adviser and Sub-adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Outcome Period Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the returns realized by the investor will not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to unitholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed.

 

Additionally, buying securities shortly before the record date for a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution is commonly known as “buying the dividend.” In the event a shareholder purchases Shares shortly before such a distribution, the entire distribution may be taxable to the shareholder even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of the purchase price.

 

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Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

Upside Participation Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return that matches the increase of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period, up to the maximum return imposed by the Cap. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or does not stay invested in the Fund for the entirety of the Outcome Period, the returns realized by the investor may not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Valuation Risk. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to value the FLEX Options becomes more difficult and the judgment of the Fund’s investment adviser (employing the fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund’s holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data. Consequently, while such determinations may be made in good faith, it may nevertheless be more difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value.

 

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Performance

 

As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC (“Innovator” or the “Adviser”)

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (“Milliman” or the Sub-Adviser”)

 

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Portfolio Managers

 

The following persons serve as portfolio managers of the Fund.

 

 

Robert T. Cummings, Principal and Director of Global Trading at Milliman

 

 

Daniel S. Hare, Senior Trader and Risk Manager at Milliman

 

 

Hayley M. Peppers, Associate in ETF Portfolio Management at Milliman

 

Each of the portfolio managers is primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and has served in such capacity since the Fund’s inception in 2019.

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only with authorized participants (“APs”) that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor and only in Creation Units (large blocks of 25,000 Shares) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), in exchange for cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

 

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income, returns of capital or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), Innovator and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of 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.

 

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Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund’s principal investment strategy seeks to produce the Outcomes based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index. By layering both purchased and written call and put FLEX Options, the Fund seeks to deliver investment returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index for the Outcome Period if S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains, and buffered losses for the Outcome Period if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses. All investment gains are subject to the Cap. Both the Cap and the buffer are provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. Such expenses will reduce the Cap. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns.

 

In general, an option contract is an agreement between a buyer and seller that gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy or sell a particular asset at a specified future date at an agreed upon price (commonly known as the “strike price”). FLEX Options are exchange-traded options contracts with uniquely customizable terms. Each FLEX Option that the Fund enters into references the S&P 500 Price Index and expires on the last day of the Outcome Period. The FLEX Options, however, have varying strike prices. The layering of these FLEX Options with varying strike prices provides the mechanism for producing the Fund’s desired outcome. The Fund has three main layers of FLEX Options as set forth below.

 

Layer

Label

Position

Index

Strike

Expiration

1

(a)

Purchased call option

S&P 500
Price Index

Less than 100%

Final day of Outcome Period
(May 31)

(b)

Sold put option

Less than 100%

(c)

Purchased put option

Greater than 100%

(d)

Sold call option

Greater than 100%

2

(e)

Sold put option

Less than 100%

(f)

Purchased put option

100%

3

(g)

Sold call option

Determined at beginning of Outcome Period

 

 

Layer 1

Upside S&P 500 Price Index Participation

The first layer involves buying and selling calls and puts (a), (b), (c), and (d), at pre-determined strikes to provide the desired S&P 500 Price Index participation.

Layer 2

Downside Buffer

The second layer involves buying and selling puts (e) and (f). Together they produce the downside buffer. 

Layer 3

Upside Cap

The final layer involves selling a call (g), which creates the upside cap. The strike price at which (g) is sold is determined so that the combined net options purchase price is approximately equal to the Fund’s net asset value, as illustrated in the figure below.

 

13

 

 

 

 

The combination of FLEX Options (a)+(b)+(c)+(d) provide upside participation that matches that of the S&P 500 Price Index. At the expiration date, these FLEX Options realize a value equal to that of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

Taken together, positions (e) and (f) produce the 9% “buffer,” where position (f) is the top end of the buffer and position (e) is the bottom end. The payoff at expiration will compensate for losses experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index (if any), in an amount not to exceed 9%.

 

 

The strike level of the FLEX Option in position (g) produces the Cap and is chosen so that the combined net FLEX Options purchase price in (a) through (g) is approximately equal to the Fund’s NAV.

 

 

The combination of positions (a) through (g) creates a maximum growth opportunity equal to the return experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index at expiration, not to exceed the Cap, while providing a 9% buffer from losses.

 

As described on the cover of this prospectus, in “Principal Investment Strategies” and in “Principal Risks,” there are risks associated with an investment in the Fund and there is no guarantee the Fund achieve the Outcomes it seeks to provide. The Fund’s unique characteristics (ie. the imperative of holding Shares for the entire Outcome Period, the Cap and buffer) distinguish it from other investment products and may make it an unsuitable some investors. To help decide whether an investment in the Fund is appropriate based upon individual circumstances, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Investor Suitability.”

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. Additionally, the Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.

 

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Fund Investments

 

Principal Investments

 

FLEX Options

 

FLEX Options are customized option contracts that trade on an exchange but provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like strike price, style and expiration date while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Like traditional exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by the OCC, a market clearinghouse that guarantees performance by counterparties to certain derivatives contracts.

 

The FLEX Options in which the Fund will invest are all European style options (options that are exercisable only on the expiration date). The FLEX Options are listed on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

 

The Fund will purchase and sell call and put FLEX Options. In general, put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of an index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of an index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of an index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of an index call option) at a certain defined price.

 

Non-Principal Investments

 

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

 

The Fund may invest in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or it may hold cash. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions.

 

Traditional Options Contracts

 

Options contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms.

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI, which is available at www.innovatoretfs.com.

 

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Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may lose all or part of your investment. There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objective. Before you invest, you should consider the following supplemental disclosure pertaining to the Principal Risks set forth above as well as additional Non-Principal Risks set forth below in this prospectus.

 

Principal Risks

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Buffered Loss Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to buffer against S&P 500 Price Index losses if the S&P 500 Price Index decreases over the Outcome Period by 9% or less. A shareholder may lose their entire investment. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index (up to the Cap), while limiting downside losses, if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available.

 

Cap Change Risk. A new Cap is established at the beginning of each Outcome Period and is dependent on prevailing market conditions. As such, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next and is unlikely to remain the same for consecutive Outcome Periods.

 

Capped Upside Return Risk. The Fund’s strategy seeks to provide returns that are subject to the Cap. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index has gains in excess of the Cap for the Outcome Period, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Cap. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into and the Fund has risen in value to a level near to the Cap, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Shares.

 

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Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund intends to effectuate creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that effects its creations and redemption for in-kind securities. Because the Fund will effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of Shares may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. Consequently, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than investments in other ETFs. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Shares in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of Shares than for other ETFs.

 

Correlation Risk. The FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. Prior to the expiration date, the value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the S&P 500 Price Index. Factors that may influence the value of the FLEX Options include interest rate changes and implied volatility levels of the S&P 500 Price Index, among others.

 

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

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FLEX Options Risk. The Fund will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The value of the underlying FLEX Options will be affected by, among others, changes in the value of the S&P 500 Price Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual and implied volatility of the S&P 500 Price Index and the remaining time to until the FLEX Options expire. The value of the FLEX Options does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the level of the S&P 500 Price Index (although they generally move in the same direction). However, as a FLEX Option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The Fund’s Shares trade on the Exchange at their market price rather than their NAV. The market price may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Shares to deviate significantly from NAV.

 

Investment Objective Risk. Certain circumstances under which the Fund might not achieve its objective include, but are not limited, to (i) if the Fund disposes of FLEX Options, (ii) if the Fund is unable to maintain the proportional relationship based on the number of FLEX Options in the Fund’s portfolio, (iii) significant accrual of Fund expenses in connection with effecting the Fund’s principal investment strategy or (iv) adverse tax law changes affecting the treatment of FLEX Options.

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the Fund’s IIV, and the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

Liquidity Risk. In the event that trading in the underlying FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. There is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, terminating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.

 

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Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Sub-Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Assets may decline in value due to factors affecting financial markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the markets. The value of a FLEX Options or other asset may also decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or due to factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates will not have the same impact on all types of securities.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Code. The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error in the calculation of the Cap, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its investment adviser and Sub-adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Outcome Period Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the returns realized by the investor will not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

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Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code, including a requirement that the “issuers” of the Fund’s assets be sufficiently diversified. There is no published IRS guidance or case law on how to determine the “issuer” of certain derivatives that the Fund will enter into. Therefore, there is a risk that the Fund will not meet the Code’s diversification requirements and will not qualify, or will be disqualified, as a RIC. The Fund intends to treat FLEX Options referencing an index as “issued” by the issuer of the securities underlying the index. This, in turn, would allow the Fund to count the FLEX Options as automatically diversified investments under the Code’s diversification requirements. This position is consistent with informal guidance from the IRS but has not be confirmed by published guidance or case law. If the FLEX Options are not treated as issued by the issuer of the securities underlying the index for diversification test purposes, there is a risk that the Fund could lose its RIC status.

 

The Fund’s investments in offsetting positions with respect to the S&P 500 Price Index may affect the character of gains or losses realized by the Fund under the Code’s “straddle” rules and may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by the Fund. Such short-term capital gain is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to U.S. shareholders in a non-liquidating distribution. As a result, if the Fund makes a non-liquidating distribution of its short-term capital gain, the amount which must be distributed to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income may be increased substantially as compared to a Fund that did not engage in such transactions. Accordingly, Shareholders could have a lower after-tax return from investing in the Fund than investing directly in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

If the Fund did not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions were not available, the Fund’s taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. In such event, in order to re-qualify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund might be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make certain distributions. This would cause investors to incur higher tax liabilities than they otherwise would have incurred and would have a negative impact on Fund returns. In such event, the Fund may reorganize, close or materially change its investment objective and strategies.

 

The FLEX Options included in the Fund’s portfolio are exchange-traded options. Under Section 1256 of the Code, certain types of exchange-traded options are treated as if they were sold (i.e., “marked to market”) at the end of each year. Gain or loss is recognized on this deemed sale. Such treatment could cause the Fund to recognize taxable income without receiving cash. In order to maintain its RIC qualification, the Fund must distribute at least 90% of its income annually. If the FLEX Options are subject to Section 1256 of the Code, and the Fund is unable to distribute marked-to-market gains to its shareholders, the Fund may lose its RIC qualification and be taxed as a regular corporation.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

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Upside Participation Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return that matches the increase of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period, up to the maximum return imposed by the Cap. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or does not stay invested in the Fund for the entirety of the Outcome Period, the returns realized by the investor may not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Valuation Risk. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to value the FLEX Options becomes more difficult and the judgment of the Fund’s investment adviser (employing the fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund’s holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data. Consequently, while such determinations may be made in good faith, it may nevertheless be more difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value.

 

Non-Principal Risks

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation may reduce the intrinsic value of increases in the value of the Fund. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions.

 

Legislation and Litigation Risk. Legislation or litigation that affects the value of securities held by the Fund may reduce the value of the Fund. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed that may have a negative impact on certain securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the securities owned by the Fund may negatively impact the value of the Shares. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.

 

Security Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

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Investor Suitability

 

An investment in Shares may be suitable for you if:

 

 

You fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund, including the risk of loss of your entire investment.

 

 

You are willing to be exposed to the downside performance of the S&P 500 Price Index beyond the 9% buffer at a rate of 1% for each 1% that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to forgo any dividends paid on the equity securities included in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to hold Shares for the duration of the Outcome Period or understand the risks of purchasing or selling Shares during the Outcome Period.

 

 

You believe that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index will increase over the term of the Outcome Period and you are willing to give up any appreciation of the S&P 500 Price Index in excess of the Cap.

 

 

You understand and accept that your potential return is limited by the Cap.

 

 

You can tolerate fluctuations in the value of the Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period that may be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You do not seek current income from your investment.

 

 

You understand and accept the risks associated with the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to assume counterparty risk with the OCC.

 

An investment in Shares may not be suitable for you if:

 

 

You do not fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund, including the risk of loss of your entire investment.

 

 

You seek an investment designed to provide a full return of principal at maturity.

 

 

You cannot tolerate exposure to the downside performance of the S&P 500 Price Index beyond the 9% buffer at a rate of 1% for each 1% that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You prefer to receive the dividends paid on the equity securities included in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are unable or unwilling to hold the Shares for the duration of the Outcome Period or do not understand the risks of purchasing or selling Shares during the Outcome Period.

 

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You seek an investment that participates in the full appreciation of the S&P 500 Price Index or that has unlimited return potential, or you are unwilling to invest in Shares based on the Cap specified on the cover page hereof.

 

 

You cannot tolerate fluctuations in the value of the Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period that may be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You seek current income from your investment.

 

 

You do not understand or accept the risks associated with the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are unwilling to assume counterparty risk with the OCC.

 

Management of the Fund

 

The Fund is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust, an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objectives and policies. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, serves as the Fund’s investment adviser. As of April 30, 2019, Innovator served as the investment adviser to 18 ETFs, with assets under management of over $1.25 billion. In its capacity as Adviser to the Fund, Innovator has overall responsibility for selecting and monitoring the Fund’s investments and managing the Fund’s business affairs.

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC, 71 South Wacker Drive, 31st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as the Fund’s investment sub-adviser. As of September 30, 2018, the Sub-Adviser provided investment advisory, hedging and consulting services on over $152 billion in global assets and sub-advised approximately $54 billion in managed risk assets for insurers, institutional investors and retirement investors. Milliman has responsibility for managing the Fund’s investment program in pursuit of its investment objective.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Robert T. Cummings, Daniel S. Hare and Hayley M. Peppers serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers.

 

 

Robert T. Cummings, Principal and Director of Global Trading at Milliman. Mr. Cummings has served in this role since 2007. Mr. Cummings has more than 13 years of experience as a trader with a primary focus on options. Prior to joining Milliman, he was involved in various proprietary trading strategies and was a portfolio manager of associated derivatives funds. These strategies included volatility arbitrage, global macro, and high-frequency trading. Entities at which Mr. Cummings has previously worked include Citadel Investment Group, TradeNet (as a primary market maker on the Chicago Board Options Exchange), KCM Group and Spyglass Capital Management.

 

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Daniel S. Hare, Senior Trader & Risk Manager at Milliman. Mr. Hare has served in this role since 2016. From 2011 – 2016 he served as a Trader & Risk Manager at Milliman. Mr. Hare has more than 25 years of experience in capital markets. Prior to joining Milliman, he was employed by ABN Amro Bank, Societe Generale, Bear Stearns and Dean Witter. He has significant experience in foreign exchange options trading and has also worked as a market maker and portfolio manager.

 

 

Hayley S. Peppers, Associate in ETF Portfolio Management at Milliman. Ms. Peppers has served in this role since 2017. From 2015 – 2017 she served as a Quantitative Analyst at Milliman. Ms. Peppers has experience in trading and portfolio management duties for ETFs that hold a variety of securities, such as equities (domestic and international), treasuries, futures and options. She has designed and maintained trading models in order to monitor index changes, rebalance portfolios and track benchmark indices. She maintains relationships with various parties in order to effectively manage the funds, including custodian banks, trading desks, index providers, Authorized Participants, and market makers.

 

For additional information concerning Innovator and Milliman, including a description of the services provided to the Fund, please see the Fund’s statement of additional information. Additional information regarding the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Shares may also be found in the statement of additional information.

 

Management Fee

 

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between Innovator and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual unitary management fee to Innovator in an amount equal to 0.79% of its average daily net assets. This unitary management fee is designed to pay the Fund’s expenses and to compensate Innovator for the services it provides to the Fund. Out of the unitary management fee, Innovator pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees. However, Innovator is not responsible for distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, taxes, interest, and extraordinary expenses.

 

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between Innovator, Milliman and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement”), Innovator has agreed to pay an annual sub-advisory fee to Milliman in an amount based on the Fund’s average daily net assets. Innovator is responsible for paying the entirety of Milliman’s sub-advisory fee. The Fund does not directly pay Milliman.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Management Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2019.

 

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Manager of Managers Structure. The Fund and Innovator have received an exemptive order from the SEC to operate under a manager of managers structure that permits Innovator, with the approval of the Board, to appoint and replace sub-advisers, enter into sub-advisory agreements, and materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements on behalf of the Fund without shareholder approval (“Manager of Managers Structure”). Under the Manager of Managers Structure, Innovator has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, for overseeing the Fund’s sub-advisers and recommending to the Board their hiring, termination, or replacement. The SEC order does not apply to any sub-adviser that is affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.

 

The Manager of Managers Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating to the Sub-Adviser or the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Manager of Managers Structure does not permit an increase in the advisory fees payable by the Fund without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any changes made to the Sub-Adviser or Sub-Advisory Agreement within 90 days of the change.

 

How to Buy and Sell Shares

 

The Fund will issue or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units. Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. Because Shares trade at market price rather than NAV, an investor may pay more than NAV when purchasing Shares and receive less than NAV when selling Shares.

 

APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.

 

Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

 

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Share Trading Prices

 

The trading prices of Shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.

 

The approximate value of Shares, an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities held by the Fund, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

 

Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. Cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases and/or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.

 

To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to not accept orders from APs that Innovator has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.

 

Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.

 

Taxes

 

The Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income taxes.

 

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As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be taxed. The tax information in this prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares.

 

Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

 

Your Fund makes distributions,

 

 

You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and

 

 

You purchase or redeem Creation Units.

 

To maintain its status as a RIC, the Fund must meet certain income, diversification and distributions tests. For purposes of the diversification test, the identification of the issuer (or, in some cases, issuers) of a particular Fund investment can depend on the terms and conditions of that investment. In particular, there is no published IRS guidance or case law on how to determine the “issuer” of certain derivatives that the Fund will enter into. Therefore, there is a risk that the Fund will not meet the Code’s diversification requirements and will not qualify, or will be disqualified, as a RIC. The Fund intends to treat FLEX Options referencing an index as “issued” by the securities underlying the index. This, in turn, would allow the Fund to count the FLEX Options as automatically diversified investments under the Code’s diversification requirements. This position is consistent with informal guidance from the IRS but has not be confirmed by published guidance or case law. If the FLEX Options are not treated as issued by the issuer of the securities underlying the index for diversification test purposes, there is a risk that the Fund could lose its RIC status.

 

Taxes on Distributions

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable. After the end of each year, you will receive a tax statement that separates the distributions of the Fund into two categories, ordinary income distributions and capital gains dividends. Ordinary income distributions are generally taxed at your ordinary tax rate; however, as further discussed below, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at the capital gains tax rates. Generally, you will treat all capital gain dividends as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares. To determine your actual tax liability for your capital gains dividends, you must calculate your total net capital gain or loss for the tax year after considering all of your other taxable transactions, as described below. In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you; however, such distributions may reduce your tax basis, which could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when Shares are sold, even if you sell the Shares at a loss from your original investment. The tax status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Shares or receive them in cash. The income from the Fund that you must take into account for federal income tax purposes is not reduced by amounts used to pay a deferred sales fee, if any. The tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

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A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies.

 

If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% for taxpayers in the highest tax bracket. Some capital gains dividends may be taxed at a higher maximum stated tax rate. Capital gains may also be subject to the Medicare tax described above.

 

Net capital gain equals net long-term capital gain minus net short-term capital loss for the taxable year. Capital gain or loss is long-term if the holding period for the asset is more than one year and is short-term if the holding period for the asset is one year or less. You must exclude the date you purchase your Shares to determine your holding period. However, if you receive a capital gain dividend from the Fund and sell your Shares at a loss after holding it for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend received. The tax rates for capital gains realized from assets held for one year or less are generally the same as for ordinary income. The Code treats certain capital gains as ordinary income in special situations.

 

Ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain (as discussed above), provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distribution which may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.

 

Taxes on Exchange Listed Shares

 

If you sell or redeem your Shares, you will generally recognize a taxable gain or loss. To determine the amount of this gain or loss, you must subtract your tax basis in your Shares from the amount you receive in the transaction. Your tax basis in your Shares is generally equal to the cost of your Shares, generally including sales charges. In some cases, however, you may have to adjust your tax basis after you purchase your Shares.

 

Taxes and Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

If you exchange securities for Creation Units you will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and your aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash component paid. If you exchange Creation Units for securities, you will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between your basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any cash redemption amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units generally is treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.

 

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The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares.

 

Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Taxes” in the statement of additional information for more information.

 

Treatment of the Options 

 

The Fund’s investments in offsetting positions with respect to the S&P 500 Price Index may be “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The straddle rules may affect the character of gains (or losses) realized by the Fund, and losses realized by the Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating taxable income for the taxable year in which the losses are realized. In addition, certain carrying charges (including interest expense) associated with positions in a straddle may be required to be capitalized rather than deducted currently. Certain elections that the Fund may make with respect to its straddle positions may also affect the amount, character and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected positions.

 

The tax consequences of straddle transactions to the Fund are not entirely clear in all situations under currently available authority. The straddle rules may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund, which is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to U.S. shareholders in a non-liquidating distribution. Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, if the Fund makes a non-liquidating distribution of its short-term capital gain, the amount which must be distributed to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a Fund that did not engage in such transactions.

 

The FLEX Options included in the Fund’s portfolio are exchange-traded options. Under Section 1256 of the Code, certain types of exchange-traded options are treated as if they were sold (i.e., “marked to market”) at the end of each year. Gain or loss is recognized on this deemed sale. Such treatment could cause the Fund to have taxable income without receiving cash. In order to maintain its RIC qualification, the Fund must distribute at least 90% of its income annually. If the Options are subject to Section 1256 of the Code and the Fund is unable to distribute marked-to-market gains to its shareholders, the Fund may lose its RIC qualification and be taxed as a regular corporation. On the other hand, positions that are subject to the Section 1256 mark-to-market rules statutorily produce gain or loss that is 60% long-term capital gain and 40% short-term capital gain. In addition, offsetting positions that are both subject to Section 1256 are not subject to the straddle rules discussed above. Thus, positions subject to Section 1256 may force the Fund to make increased distributions, but also increase the amount of long-term capital gain recognized as compared to positions subject to the straddle rules.

 

Treatment of Fund Expenses

 

Expenses incurred and deducted by the Fund will generally not be treated as income taxable to you. In some cases, however, you may be required to treat your portion of these Fund expenses as income. You may not be able to take a deduction for some or all of these expenses, even if the cash you receive is reduced by such expenses.

 

29

 

 

Backup Withholding 

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) from dividends and capital gains distributions paid to shareholders. Federal tax will be withheld if (1) the shareholder fails to furnish the Fund with the shareholder’s correct taxpayer identification number or social security number, (2) the IRS notifies the shareholder or the Fund that the shareholder has failed to report properly certain interest and dividend income to the IRS and to respond to notices to that effect, or (3) when required to do so, the shareholder fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to backup withholding. The current backup withholding rate is 24%. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be credited against the Shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

Non-U.S. Investors

 

If you are a non-U.S. investor (i.e., an investor other than a U.S. citizen or resident or a U.S. corporation, partnership, estate or trust), subject to applicable tax treaties, distributions from the Fund will generally be characterized as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes (other than capital gain dividends and short-term capital gains dividends) and will be subject to U.S. income taxes, including withholding taxes. Except as described below, distributions received by a non-U.S. investor from the Fund as capital gain dividends and short-term capital gains dividends may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes.

 

A separate U.S. withholding tax may apply in the case of distributions to, or dispositions after December 31, 2018 by, (i) certain non-U.S. financial institutions that have not agreed to collect and disclose certain account holder information and are not resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury and (ii) certain other non-U.S. entities that do not provide certain certifications and information about the entity’s U.S. owners.

 

Distributor

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.

 

Net Asset Value

 

The Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. NAV is calculated for the Fund by taking the market price of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the NAV per Share. All valuations are subject to review by the Board or its delegate.

 

The Fund’s investments are valued daily in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Although it has no current intention of investing in such securities, certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not listed on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities are typically bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an over the counter secondary market, although typically no formal market makers exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities, have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the fair value of debt securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Typically, debt securities are valued using information provided by a third-party pricing service. The third-party pricing service primarily uses broker quotes to value the securities.

 

30

 

 

The Fund’s investments will be valued daily at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair value in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third-party pricing services.

 

Although it has no current intention of investing in such securities, certain securities in which the Fund may invest may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board or its delegate (U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC) at fair value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund is governed by valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s NAV or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of a security would appear to be the amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. The use of fair value prices by the Fund generally results in the prices used by the Fund that may differ from current market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchange. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities. Valuing the Fund’s securities using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those securities that may differ from current market valuations.

 

Even when market quotations are available for portfolio securities, they may be stale or unreliable because the security is not traded frequently, trading on the security ceased before the close of the trading market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading or because of the passage of time between the close of the market on which the security trades and the close of the Exchange and when the Fund calculates its NAV. Events that may cause the last market quotation to be unreliable include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. Where market quotations are not readily available, including where Innovator determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, Innovator will value the security at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security.

 

31

 

 

Fund Service Providers

 

US Bancorp Fund Services LLC is the administrator and transfer agent for the Trust. U.S. Bank, N.A. serves as the custodian for the Trust.

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

Financial Highlights

 

The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this prospectus. Financial information therefore is not available.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. Innovator cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The approximate value of the Shares, which is an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities held by the Fund, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved with, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

Information regarding how often the Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters, when available, will be found at www.innovatoretfs.com.

 

Investments by Other Investment Companies

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1).

 

32

 

 

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™ – June

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more detailed information on the Fund, several additional sources of information are available to you. The Statement of Additional Information, incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, contains detailed information on the Fund’s policies and operation. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly impacted the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. The Fund’s most recent Statement of Additional Information, annual or semi-annual reports and certain other information are available free of charge by calling the Fund at (800) 208-5212, on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com or through your financial advisor. Shareholders may call the toll-free number above with any inquiries.

 

You may obtain this and other information regarding the Fund, including the Statement of Additional Information and Codes of Ethics adopted by the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor and the Trust, directly from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Information on the SEC’s website is free of charge. Visit the SEC’s on-line EDGAR database at http://www.sec.gov or in person at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., or call the SEC at (202) 551-8090 for information on the Public Reference Room. You may also request information regarding the Fund by sending a request (along with a duplication fee) to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520 or by sending an electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois  60187
(800) 208-5212
www.innovatoretfs.com

SEC File #: 333-146827
811-22135

 

 

 

 

Prospectus

 

Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETF™ — June

 

(Cboe BZX—PJUN)

 

June 1, 2019

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETF™— June (the “Fund”)
is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust (the “Trust”) and is an actively managed ETF.

 


 

The Fund will invest substantially all of its assets in FLexible EXchange® Options (“FLEX Options”) on the S&P 500 Price Return Index (“S&P 500 Price Index”). FLEX Options are customizable exchange-traded option contracts guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation. The Fund uses FLEX Options to employ a “defined outcome strategy.” Defined outcome strategies seek to produce pre-determined investment outcomes based upon the performance of an underlying security or index. The pre-determined outcomes sought by the Fund, which include the buffer and cap discussed below (“Outcomes”), are based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the period of June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. This period is referred to as the initial “Outcome Period.” Following this initial Outcome Period, each subsequent Outcome Period will be a one-year period from June 1 to May 31. The Fund will not terminate after the conclusion of the Outcome Period. After the conclusion of the Outcome Period, another will begin. There is no guarantee that the Outcomes for an Outcome Period will be realized.

 

The Fund’s strategy has been specifically designed to produce the Outcomes based upon the S&P 500 Price Index’s returns over the duration of the Outcome Period. The Outcomes may only be realized if you are holding shares on the first day of the Outcome Period and continue to hold them on the last day of the Outcome Period. If you purchase shares after the Outcome Period has begun or sell shares prior to the Outcome Period’s conclusion, you may experience investment returns very different from those that the Fund seeks to provide. There is no guarantee that the Fund will successfully achieve its investment objective.

 

Fund shareholders are subject to an upside return cap (the “Cap”) that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period. Therefore, even though the Fund’s returns are based upon the S&P 500 Price Index, if the Fund experiences returns for the Outcome Period in excess of the Cap, you will not experience those excess gains. The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 10.52% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 9.73%.  The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. Please note, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next. There is no guarantee that the Cap will remain the same upon the conclusion of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund only seeks to provide shareholders that hold shares for the entire Outcome Period with a buffer against the first 15% of S&P 500 Price Index losses (based upon the value of the S&P 500 Price Index at the time the Fund entered into the FLEX Options on the first day of the Outcome Period) during the Outcome Period. You will bear all S&P 500 Price Index losses exceeding 15% on a one-to-one basis. The buffer is provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. A shareholder that purchases shares at the beginning of the Outcome Period may lose their entire investment. While the Fund seeks to limit losses to 85% for shareholders who hold shares for the entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee it will successfully do so. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. For instance, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has decreased in value beyond the pre-determined 15% buffer, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer. 

 

(continued on next page)

 

 

 

 

(continued from previous page)

 

Similarly, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer until the Fund’s value has decreased to its value at the commencement of the Outcome Period. An investment in the Fund is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses.

 

The Outcomes are based on the Fund’s net asset value, the per share value of the Fund’s assets (“NAV”) on the first day of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s assets will be principally composed of FLEX Options, the value of which is derived from the performance of the underlying reference asset, the S&P 500 Price Index. However, because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Similarly, the amount of time remaining until the end of the Outcome Period also affects the impact of the buffer on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect prior to the end of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s strategy is designed to produce the Outcomes upon the expiration of the FLEX Options on the last day of the Outcome Period. It should not be expected that the Outcomes will be provided at any point prior to that time and there is no guarantee that the Outcomes will be achieved on the last day of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund’s website, www.innovatoretfs.com/pjun, provides important Fund information (including Outcome Period start and end dates and the Cap and buffer), as well information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in the Fund on a daily basis. If you are contemplating purchasing shares, please visit the website. Investors considering purchasing shares after the Outcome Period has begun or selling shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period should visit the website to fully understand potential investment outcomes.

 

As stated above and explained in greater detail within the prospectus, if the Fund has experienced certain levels of either gains or losses since the beginning of the Outcome Period, there may be little to no ability to achieve gains or benefit from the buffer for the remainder of the Outcome Period. The website contains important information that will assist you in determining whether to buy shares.

 

• Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the shares will develop or be maintained.

 

Although the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The returns that the Fund seeks to provide do not include the costs associated with purchasing shares of the Fund and certain expenses incurred by the Fund. The Fund has characteristics unlike many other traditional investment products and may not be suitable for all investors. The table on the following page provides considerations for determining whether an investment in the Fund is appropriate for you.


 

 

 

 

Investor Suitability Considerations


You should only consider this investment if:

You should not consider this investment if:

• you fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund;

• you desire to invest in a product with a return that depends upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period;

• you are willing to hold shares for the duration of the Outcome Period in order to achieve the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide;

• you fully understand that investments made when the Fund is at or near to the Cap may have limited to no upside;

• you are willing to forgo any gains in excess of the Cap;

• you understand that the Fund’s investments do not provide for dividends to the Fund;

• you fully understand that investments made after the Outcome Period has begun may not fully benefit from the buffer;

• you are willing to accept the risk of losing your entire investment; and

• you have visited the Fund’s website and understand the investment outcomes available to you based upon the time of your purchase.

• you do not fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund;

• you do not desire to invest in a product with a return that depends upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period;

• you are unwilling to hold shares for the duration of the Outcome Period in order to achieve the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide;

• you do not fully understand that investments made when the Fund is at or near to the Cap may have limited to no upside;

• you are unwilling to forgo any gains in excess of the Cap;

• you do not fully understand that the Fund’s investments do not provide for dividends to the Fund;

• you do not fully understand that investments made after the Outcome Period has begun may not fully benefit from the buffer;

• you are unwilling to accept the risk of losing your entire investment; and

• you have not visited the Fund’s website and do not understand the investment outcomes available to you based upon the timing of your purchase.

 

For more information regarding whether an investment in the Fund is right for you,
please see “Investor Suitability” in the prospectus.


 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

   

Summary Information

1

   

Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

13

   

Fund Investments

15

   

Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund

16

   

Investor Suitability

22

   

Management of the Fund

23

   

How to Buy and Sell Shares

25

   

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

26

   

Distributor

30

   

Net Asset Value

30

   

Fund Service Providers

32

   

Financial Highlights

32

   

Premium/Discount Information

32

   

Investments by Other Investment Companies

32

 

 

 

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETF™ – June

 

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Fund seeks to provide investors with returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index, up to the upside cap of 10.52% (prior to taking into account management fees and other fees) and 9.73% (after taking into account management fees and other fees) while providing a buffer against the first 15% of S&P 500 Price Index losses, over the period from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

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

 

Management Fees

    0.79 %

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

    0.00 %

Other Expenses(1)

    0.00 %

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

    0.79 %
 

(1)

“Other Expenses” are estimates based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

 

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares.

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

$80

$251

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no portfolio turnover information is available at this time.

 

1

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

General Strategy Description. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in FLexible EXchange® Options (“FLEX Options”) that reference the S&P 500 Price Return Index (“S&P 500 Price Index”). FLEX Options are exchange-traded options contracts with uniquely customizable terms. Although guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (the “OCC”), FLEX Options are still subject to counterparty risk with the OCC and may be less liquid than more traditional exchange-traded options. Due to the unique mechanics of the Fund’s strategy, the return an investor can expect to receive from an investment in the Fund has characteristics that are distinct from many other investment vehicles. It is important that an investor understand these characteristics before making an investment in the Fund.

 

In general, an option contract is an agreement between a buyer and seller that gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy or sell a particular asset at a specified future date at an agreed upon price. The reference asset for all of the Fund’s FLEX Options is the S&P 500 Price Index, a large-cap, market-weighted, U.S. equities index that tracks the price (excluding dividends) of the 500 leading companies in leading industries.

 

The pre-determined outcomes sought by the Fund, which include the buffer and Cap discussed below, are based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the period of June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. This period is referred to as the initial “Outcome Period.” Following the initial Outcome Period, each subsequent Outcome Period will be a one-year period from June 1 to May 31. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains over the Outcome Period, the strategy seeks to provide investment returns that match the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index, up to an upside return cap that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period (the “Cap”). The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 10.52% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 9.73%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. The date stipulated in all of the Fund’s FLEX Options is the approximate termination date of the Outcome Period, at which time the Fund will invest in a new set of FLEX Options for the next Outcome Period.

 

Additionally, as is discussed in further detail below, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Option positions will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. The strategy is designed to realize the Outcomes only on the final day of the Outcome Period.

 

2

 

 

The Fund’s investment sub-adviser, Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (“Milliman” or the Sub-Adviser”), has constructed a portfolio principally composed of seven FLEX Options on the S&P 500 Price Index that are each set to expire on the last day of the Outcome Period. The customizable nature of FLEX Options allows the Sub-Adviser to select the price at which the S&P 500 Price Index will be exercised at the expiration of each FLEX Option. This is commonly known as the “strike price.” At the commencement of the Outcome Period, the Sub-Adviser specifically selects the strike price for each FLEX Option such that when the FLEX Options are exercised on the final day of the Outcome Period, the Outcomes may be obtained, depending on the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the duration of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund seeks to generate returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index, up to the Cap (discussed in detail below), while limiting downside losses. The two hypothetical graphical illustrations provided below are designed to illustrate the Outcomes based upon the hypothetical performance of the S&P 500 Price Index for a shareholder that holds Shares for the entirety of the Outcome Period. Additional hypothetical graphical representations of the Outcomes are provided in “Additional Information Regarding the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies.” There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the Outcomes for an Outcome Period. The returns that the Fund seeks to provide do not include the costs associated with purchasing shares of the Fund and certain expenses incurred by the Fund.

 

 

3

 

 

Use of FLEX Options. The Outcomes may be achieved by purchasing and selling call and put FLEX Options to create layers within the Fund’s portfolio. One layer is designed to produce returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index for the Outcome Period if the S&P 500 Price Index has experienced gains during that time. To achieve these returns, the Fund will purchase a call option (giving the Fund the right to receive the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index) and a put option (giving the Fund the right to deliver the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index), while simultaneously selling a call option (giving the Fund the obligation to deliver the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index) and a put option (giving the Fund the obligation to receive the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index). Each of these FLEX Options has a specifically selected strike price. The effect created by these four positions is that if the S&P 500 Price Index has increased in value over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to provide a gain that matches the gain experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. This gain is subject to the Cap, a maximum investment return level, which is discussed below.

 

A separate layer is designed to produce the Fund’s “power” buffer. “Power” denotes the Fund’s objective to provide returns that are buffered by up to 15% if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences a loss during the course of the Outcome Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns. The buffer that the Fund seeks to provide is only operative against the first 15% of S&P 500 Price Index losses for the Outcome Period. After the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by more than 15%, the Fund will experience all subsequent losses on a one-to-one basis. In seeking to achieve the power buffer, the Fund sells both a call option and a put option. Both of these FLEX Options have a specifically selected strike price. The effect created by these two positions is that if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to be returned the amount of its principal investment (if the S&P 500 Price Return Index decreased in value by 15% or less) or experience a loss that is 15% less than the loss experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index (if the S&P 500 Price Return Index decreased in value by more than 15%).

 

Each of the FLEX Options purchased and sold throughout the Outcome Period will have the same terms (i.e., strike price and expiration) as the corresponding FLEX Options purchased and sold on the first day of the Outcome Period. A detailed explanation regarding the terms of the FLEX Options and the mechanics of the Fund’s strategy can be found in “Additional Information Regarding the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies.”

 

The Outcome Period. The Outcomes sought by the Fund are based upon the Fund’s NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period. The Outcome Period begins on the day the FLEX Options are entered into and ends on the day they expire. Each FLEX Option’s value is ultimately derived from the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index during that time. Because the terms of the FLEX Options don’t change, the Cap and buffer both relate to the Fund’s NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period. A shareholder that purchases Shares after the commencement of the Outcome Period will likely have purchased Shares at a different NAV than the NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period (the NAV upon which the Outcomes are based) and may experience investment outcomes very different from those sought by the Fund. A shareholder that sells Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period may also experience investment outcomes very different from those sought by the Fund. To achieve the Outcomes sought by the Fund for the Outcome Period, an investor must be holding Shares on the day that the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and on the day those FLEX Options expire. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the Outcomes.

 

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The Fund’s assets will be principally composed of FLEX Options, the value of which is derived from the performance of the underlying reference asset, the S&P 500 Price Index. However, because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, during the Outcome Period, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Similarly, the amount of time remaining until the end of the Outcome Period also affects the impact of the buffer on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect prior to the end of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s strategy is designed to produce the Outcomes upon the expiration of the FLEX Options on the last day of the Outcome Period and it should not be expected that the Outcomes will be provided at any point prior to that time. Taken together, this means that at the midpoint of the Outcome Period, if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by 15%, the Fund’s NAV can be expected to have decreased in value (because the buffer is not yet in full effect), but by less than 15% (because the Fund’s NAV will not correlate one-to-one with the S&P 500 Price Index and the Fund’s NAV tends not to participate fully in either S&P 500 Price Index gains or losses).

 

Cap on Potential Upside Returns. Unlike other investment products, the potential returns an investor can receive from an investment in the Fund are subject to an upside return cap. This means that if the Fund experiences gains for the Outcome Period beyond the Cap, a shareholder will not experience those excess gains. Therefore, regardless of the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index, the Cap is the maximum return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period. The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 10.52% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 9.73%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. The definitive Cap will be set forth on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com/pjun.

 

The Cap will change for each Outcome Period based upon prevailing market conditions at the beginning of the Outcome Period. The Cap, and the Fund’s position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund. If an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing Shares at that price has limited to no gains available for the remainder of the Outcome Period but remains vulnerable to significant downside risks.

 

The Cap level is a result of the design of the Fund’s principal investment strategy. In order to provide the buffer, the Fund purchases a series of put and call FLEX Options. As the purchaser of these FLEX Options, the Fund is obligated to pay a premium to the seller of those FLEX Options. However, the strategy is designed so that any premiums that the Fund is obligated to pay are offset by premiums it receives in connection with the selling of FLEX Options. On the first day of the Outcome Period when the Fund enters into its other FLEX Options positions, the portfolio managers will calculate the amount of premiums that the Fund will owe and will then go into the market and sell a FLEX Option with terms that entitle the Fund to receive a premium in an amount equal to the amount that the Fund would otherwise owe. The Cap is the strike price of that sold FLEX Option. The strike price is determined based upon prevailing market conditions at the time the Fund enters into the FLEX Options, most notably current interest rate levels and S&P 500 Price Index volatility, and the relationship of put and calls on the underlying FLEX Options.

 

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Buffer.  The power buffer that the Fund seeks to provide is only operative against the first 15% of S&P 500 Price Index losses for the Outcome Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns. After the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by more than 15%, the Fund will experience all subsequent losses on a one-to-one basis. The buffer is provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. If an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already decreased in value by an amount equal to or greater than 15%, an investor purchasing Shares at that price will have increased gains available prior to reaching the Cap but may not benefit from the power buffer that the Fund seeks to offer for the remainder of the Outcome Period. Conversely, if an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already increased in value, then a shareholder may experience losses prior to gaining the protection offered by the power buffer. A shareholder that purchases Shares at the beginning of the Outcome Period may lose their entire investment. While the Fund seeks to limit losses to 85% for shareholders who hold Shares for the entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee it will successfully do so. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases Shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. An investment in the Fund is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses.

 

Fund Rebalance. The Fund is a continuous investment vehicle. It does not terminate and distribute its assets at the conclusion of each Outcome Period. On the termination date of an Outcome Period, the Sub-Adviser will invest in a new set of FLEX Options and another Outcome Period will commence.

 

The Fund’s website, www.innovatoretfs.com/pjun, provides information relating to the Outcomes, including the Fund’s position relative to the Cap and buffer, of an investment in the Fund on a daily basis.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

 

Principal Risks

 

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objectives will be achieved.

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

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Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem “Creation Units” (as defined in “Purchase and Sale of Shares,”) Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Buffered Loss Risk.  There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to buffer against S&P 500 Price Index losses if the S&P 500 Price Index decreases over the Outcome Period by 15% or less. A shareholder may lose their entire investment. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index (up to the Cap), while limiting downside losses, if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available.

 

Cap Change Risk. A new Cap is established at the beginning of each Outcome Period and is dependent on prevailing market conditions. As such, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next and is unlikely to remain the same for consecutive Outcome Periods.

 

Capped Upside Return Risk. The Fund’s strategy seeks to provide returns that are subject to the Cap. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index has gains in excess of the Cap for the Outcome Period, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Cap. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into and the Fund has risen in value to a level near to the Cap, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Shares.

 

Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund intends to effectuate creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that effects its creations and redemption for in-kind securities. Because the Fund will effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of Shares may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. Consequently, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than investments in other ETFs. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Shares in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of Shares than for other ETFs.

 

Correlation Risk. The FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. Prior to the expiration date, the value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the S&P 500 Price Index. Factors that may influence the value of the FLEX Options include interest rate changes and implied volatility levels of the S&P 500 Price Index, among others.

 

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Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

FLEX Options Risk. The Fund will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The value of the underlying FLEX Options will be affected by, among others, changes in the value of the S&P 500 Price Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual and implied volatility of the S&P 500 Price Index and the remaining time to until the FLEX Options expire. The value of the FLEX Options does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the level of the S&P 500 Price Index (although they generally move in the same direction). However, as a FLEX Option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The Fund’s Shares trade on the Exchange at their market price rather than their NAV. The market price may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Shares to deviate significantly from the Fund’s NAV.

 

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Investment Objective Risk. Certain circumstances under which the Fund might not achieve its objective include, but are not limited, to (i) if the Fund disposes of FLEX Options, (ii) if the Fund is unable to maintain the proportional relationship based on the number of FLEX Options in the Fund’s portfolio, (iii) significant accrual of Fund expenses in connection with effecting the Fund’s principal investment strategy or (iv) adverse tax law changes affecting the treatment of FLEX Options.

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the Fund’s IIV, and the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

Liquidity Risk. In the event that trading in the underlying FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. There is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, terminating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.

 

Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Sub-Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

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Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Assets may decline in value due to factors affecting financial markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the markets. The value of a FLEX Options or other asset may also decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or due to factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates will not have the same impact on all types of securities.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error in the calculation of the Cap, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its investment adviser and Sub-adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Outcome Period Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the returns realized by the investor will not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to unitholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed.

 

Additionally, buying securities shortly before the record date for a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution is commonly known as “buying the dividend.” In the event a shareholder purchases Shares shortly before such a distribution, the entire distribution may be taxable to the shareholder even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of the purchase price.

 

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Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

Upside Participation Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return that matches the increase of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period, up to the maximum return imposed by the Cap. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or does not stay invested in the Fund for the entirety of the Outcome Period, the returns realized by the investor may not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Valuation Risk. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to value the FLEX Options becomes more difficult and the judgment of the Fund’s investment adviser (employing the fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund’s holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data. Consequently, while such determinations may be made in good faith, it may nevertheless be more difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value.

 

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Performance

 

As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC (“Innovator” or the “Adviser”)

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (“Milliman” or the Sub-Adviser”)

 

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Portfolio Managers

 

The following persons serve as portfolio managers of the Fund.

 

 

Robert T. Cummings, Principal and Director of Global Trading at Milliman

 

 

Daniel S. Hare, Senior Trader and Risk Manager at Milliman

 

 

Hayley M. Peppers, Associate in ETF Portfolio Management at Milliman

 

Each of the portfolio managers is primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and has served in such capacity since the Fund’s inception in 2019.

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only with authorized participants (“APs”) that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor and only in Creation Units (large blocks of 25,000 Shares) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), in exchange for cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

 

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income, returns of capital or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), Innovator and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of 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.

 

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Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund’s principal investment strategy seeks to produce the Outcomes based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index. By layering both purchased and written call and put FLEX Options, the Fund seeks to deliver investment returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index for the Outcome Period if S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains, and buffered losses for the Outcome Period if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses. All investment gains are subject to the Cap. Both the Cap and the buffer are provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. Such expenses will reduce the Cap. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns.

 

In general, an option contract is an agreement between a buyer and seller that gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy or sell a particular asset at a specified future date at an agreed upon price (commonly known as the “strike price”). FLEX Options are exchange-traded options contracts with uniquely customizable terms. Each FLEX Option that the Fund enters into references the S&P 500 Price Index and expires on the last day of the Outcome Period. The FLEX Options, however, have varying strike prices. The layering of these FLEX Options with varying strike prices provides the mechanism for producing the Fund’s desired outcome. The Fund has three main layers of FLEX Options as set forth below.

 

Layer

Label

Position

Index

Strike

Expiration

1

(a)

Purchased call option

S&P 500
Price Index

Less than 100%

Final day of Outcome Period
(May 31)

(b)

Sold put option

Less than 100%

(c)

Purchased put option

Greater than 100%

(d)

Sold call option

Greater than 100%

2

(e)

Sold put option

Less than 100%

(f)

Purchased put option

100%

3

(g)

Sold call option

Determined at beginning of Outcome Period

 

 

Layer 1

Upside S&P 500 Price Index Participation

The first layer involves buying and selling calls and puts (a), (b), (c), and (d), at pre-determined strikes to provide the desired S&P 500 Price Index participation.

Layer 2

Downside Buffer

The second layer involves buying and selling puts (e) and (f). Together they produce the downside buffer. 

Layer 3

Upside Cap

The final layer involves selling a call (g), which creates the upside cap. The strike price at which (g) is sold is determined so that the combined net options purchase price is approximately equal to the Fund’s net asset value, as illustrated in the figure below.

 

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The combination of FLEX Options (a)+(b)+(c)+(d) provide upside participation that matches that of the S&P 500 Price Index. At the expiration date, these FLEX Options realize a value equal to that of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

 Taken together, positions (e) and (f) produce the 15% “power buffer,” where position (f) is the top end of the buffer and position (e) is the bottom end. The payoff at expiration will compensate for losses experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index (if any), in an amount not to exceed 15%. 

 

 

The strike level of the FLEX Option in position (g) produces the Cap and is chosen so that the combined net FLEX Options purchase price in (a) through (g) is approximately equal to the Fund’s NAV.

 

 

The combination of positions (a) through (g) creates a maximum growth opportunity equal to the return experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index at expiration, not to exceed the Cap, while providing a 15% buffer from losses.

 

As described on the cover of this prospectus, in “Principal Investment Strategies” and in “Principal Risks,” there are risks associated with an investment in the Fund and there is no guarantee the Fund achieve the Outcomes it seeks to provide. The Fund’s unique characteristics (ie. the imperative of holding Shares for the entire Outcome Period, the Cap and buffer) distinguish it from other investment products and may make it an unsuitable some investors. To help decide whether an investment in the Fund is appropriate based upon individual circumstances, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Investor Suitability.”

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. Additionally, the Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.

 

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Fund Investments

 

Principal Investments

 

FLEX Options

 

FLEX Options are customized option contracts that trade on an exchange but provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like strike price, style and expiration date while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Like traditional exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by the OCC, a market clearinghouse that guarantees performance by counterparties to certain derivatives contracts.

 

The FLEX Options in which the Fund will invest are all European style options (options that are exercisable only on the expiration date). The FLEX Options are listed on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

 

The Fund will purchase and sell call and put FLEX Options. In general, put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of an index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of an index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of an index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of an index call option) at a certain defined price.

 

Non-Principal Investments

 

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

 

The Fund may invest in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or it may hold cash. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions.

 

Traditional Options Contracts

 

Options contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms.

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI, which is available at www.innovatoretfs.com.

 

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Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may lose all or part of your investment. There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objective. Before you invest, you should consider the following supplemental disclosure pertaining to the Principal Risks set forth above as well as additional Non-Principal Risks set forth below in this prospectus.

 

Principal Risks

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Buffered Loss Risk.  There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to buffer against S&P 500 Price Index losses if the S&P 500 Price Index decreases over the Outcome Period by 15% or less. A shareholder may lose their entire investment. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index (up to the Cap), while limiting downside losses, if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available.

 

Cap Change Risk. A new Cap is established at the beginning of each Outcome Period and is dependent on prevailing market conditions. As such, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next and is unlikely to remain the same for consecutive Outcome Periods.

 

Capped Upside Return Risk. The Fund’s strategy seeks to provide returns that are subject to the Cap. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index has gains in excess of the Cap for the Outcome Period, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Cap. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into and the Fund has risen in value to a level near to the Cap, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Shares.

 

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Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund intends to effectuate creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that effects its creations and redemption for in-kind securities. Because the Fund will effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of Shares may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. Consequently, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than investments in other ETFs. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Shares in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of Shares than for other ETFs.

 

Correlation Risk. The FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. Prior to the expiration date, the value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the S&P 500 Price Index. Factors that may influence the value of the FLEX Options include interest rate changes and implied volatility levels of the S&P 500 Price Index, among others.

 

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

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FLEX Options Risk. The Fund will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The value of the underlying FLEX Options will be affected by, among others, changes in the value of the S&P 500 Price Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual and implied volatility of the S&P 500 Price Index and the remaining time to until the FLEX Options expire. The value of the FLEX Options does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the level of the S&P 500 Price Index (although they generally move in the same direction). However, as a FLEX Option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The Fund’s Shares trade on the Exchange at their market price rather than their NAV. The market price may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Shares to deviate significantly from NAV.

 

Investment Objective Risk. Certain circumstances under which the Fund might not achieve its objective include, but are not limited, to (i) if the Fund disposes of FLEX Options, (ii) if the Fund is unable to maintain the proportional relationship based on the number of FLEX Options in the Fund’s portfolio, (iii) significant accrual of Fund expenses in connection with effecting the Fund’s principal investment strategy or (iv) adverse tax law changes affecting the treatment of FLEX Options.

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the Fund’s IIV, and the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

Liquidity Risk. In the event that trading in the underlying FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. There is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, terminating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.

 

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Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Sub-Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Assets may decline in value due to factors affecting financial markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the markets. The value of a FLEX Options or other asset may also decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or due to factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates will not have the same impact on all types of securities.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Code. The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error in the calculation of the Cap, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its investment adviser and Sub-adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Outcome Period Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the returns realized by the investor will not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

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Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code, including a requirement that the “issuers” of the Fund’s assets be sufficiently diversified. There is no published IRS guidance or case law on how to determine the “issuer” of certain derivatives that the Fund will enter into. Therefore, there is a risk that the Fund will not meet the Code’s diversification requirements and will not qualify, or will be disqualified, as a RIC. The Fund intends to treat FLEX Options referencing an index as “issued” by the issuer of the securities underlying the index. This, in turn, would allow the Fund to count the FLEX Options as automatically diversified investments under the Code’s diversification requirements. This position is consistent with informal guidance from the IRS but has not be confirmed by published guidance or case law. If the FLEX Options are not treated as issued by the issuer of the securities underlying the index for diversification test purposes, there is a risk that the Fund could lose its RIC status.

 

The Fund’s investments in offsetting positions with respect to the S&P 500 Price Index may affect the character of gains or losses realized by the Fund under the Code’s “straddle” rules and may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by the Fund. Such short-term capital gain is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to U.S. shareholders in a non-liquidating distribution. As a result, if the Fund makes a non-liquidating distribution of its short-term capital gain, the amount which must be distributed to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income may be increased substantially as compared to a Fund that did not engage in such transactions. Accordingly, Shareholders could have a lower after-tax return from investing in the Fund than investing directly in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

If the Fund did not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions were not available, the Fund’s taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. In such event, in order to re-qualify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund might be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make certain distributions. This would cause investors to incur higher tax liabilities than they otherwise would have incurred and would have a negative impact on Fund returns. In such event, the Fund may reorganize, close or materially change its investment objective and strategies.

 

The FLEX Options included in the Fund’s portfolio are exchange-traded options. Under Section 1256 of the Code, certain types of exchange-traded options are treated as if they were sold (i.e., “marked to market”) at the end of each year. Gain or loss is recognized on this deemed sale. Such treatment could cause the Fund to recognize taxable income without receiving cash. In order to maintain its RIC qualification, the Fund must distribute at least 90% of its income annually. If the FLEX Options are subject to Section 1256 of the Code, and the Fund is unable to distribute marked-to-market gains to its shareholders, the Fund may lose its RIC qualification and be taxed as a regular corporation.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

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Upside Participation Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return that matches the increase of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period, up to the maximum return imposed by the Cap. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or does not stay invested in the Fund for the entirety of the Outcome Period, the returns realized by the investor may not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Valuation Risk. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to value the FLEX Options becomes more difficult and the judgment of the Fund’s investment adviser (employing the fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund’s holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data. Consequently, while such determinations may be made in good faith, it may nevertheless be more difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value.

 

Non-Principal Risks

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation may reduce the intrinsic value of increases in the value of the Fund. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions.

 

Legislation and Litigation Risk. Legislation or litigation that affects the value of securities held by the Fund may reduce the value of the Fund. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed that may have a negative impact on certain securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the securities owned by the Fund may negatively impact the value of the Shares. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.

 

Security Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

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Investor Suitability

 

An investment in Shares may be suitable for you if:

 

 

You fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund, including the risk of loss of your entire investment.

 

 

You are willing to be exposed to the downside performance of the S&P 500 Price Index beyond the 15% buffer at a rate of 1% for each 1% that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to forgo any dividends paid on the equity securities included in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to hold Shares for the duration of the Outcome Period or understand the risks of purchasing or selling Shares during the Outcome Period.

 

 

You believe that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index will increase over the term of the Outcome Period and you are willing to give up any appreciation of the S&P 500 Price Index in excess of the Cap.

 

 

You understand and accept that your potential return is limited by the Cap.

 

 

You can tolerate fluctuations in the value of the Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period that may be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You do not seek current income from your investment.

 

 

You understand and accept the risks associated with the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to assume counterparty risk with the OCC.

 

An investment in Shares may not be suitable for you if:

 

 

You do not fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund, including the risk of loss of your entire investment.

 

 

You seek an investment designed to provide a full return of principal at maturity.

 

 

You cannot tolerate exposure to the downside performance of the S&P 500 Price Index beyond the 15% buffer at a rate of 1% for each 1% that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You prefer to receive the dividends paid on the equity securities included in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are unable or unwilling to hold the Shares for the duration of the Outcome Period or do not understand the risks of purchasing or selling Shares during the Outcome Period.

 

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You seek an investment that participates in the full appreciation of the S&P 500 Price Index or that has unlimited return potential, or you are unwilling to invest in Shares based on the Cap specified on the cover page hereof.

 

 

You cannot tolerate fluctuations in the value of the Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period that may be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You seek current income from your investment.

 

 

You do not understand or accept the risks associated with the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are unwilling to assume counterparty risk with the OCC.

 

Management of the Fund

 

The Fund is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust, an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objectives and policies. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, serves as the Fund’s investment adviser. As of April 30, 2019, Innovator served as the investment adviser to 18 ETFs, with assets under management of over $1.25 billion. In its capacity as Adviser to the Fund, Innovator has overall responsibility for selecting and monitoring the Fund’s investments and managing the Fund’s business affairs.

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC, 71 South Wacker Drive, 31st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as the Fund’s investment sub-adviser. As of September 30, 2018, the Sub-Adviser provided investment advisory, hedging and consulting services on over $152 billion in global assets and sub-advised approximately $54 billion in managed risk assets for insurers, institutional investors and retirement investors. Milliman has responsibility for managing the Fund’s investment program in pursuit of its investment objective.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Robert T. Cummings, Daniel S. Hare and Hayley M. Peppers serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers.

 

 

Robert T. Cummings, Principal and Director of Global Trading at Milliman. Mr. Cummings has served in this role since 2007. Mr. Cummings has more than 13 years of experience as a trader with a primary focus on options. Prior to joining Milliman, he was involved in various proprietary trading strategies and was a portfolio manager of associated derivatives funds. These strategies included volatility arbitrage, global macro, and high-frequency trading. Entities at which Mr. Cummings has previously worked include Citadel Investment Group, TradeNet (as a primary market maker on the Chicago Board Options Exchange), KCM Group and Spyglass Capital Management.

 

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Daniel S. Hare, Senior Trader & Risk Manager at Milliman. Mr. Hare has served in this role since 2016. From 2011 – 2016 he served as a Trader & Risk Manager at Milliman. Mr. Hare has more than 25 years of experience in capital markets. Prior to joining Milliman, he was employed by ABN Amro Bank, Societe Generale, Bear Stearns and Dean Witter. He has significant experience in foreign exchange options trading and has also worked as a market maker and portfolio manager.

 

 

Hayley S. Peppers, Associate in ETF Portfolio Management at Milliman. Ms. Peppers has served in this role since 2017. From 2015 – 2017 she served as a Quantitative Analyst at Milliman. Ms. Peppers has experience in trading and portfolio management duties for ETFs that hold a variety of securities, such as equities (domestic and international), treasuries, futures and options. She has designed and maintained trading models in order to monitor index changes, rebalance portfolios and track benchmark indices. She maintains relationships with various parties in order to effectively manage the funds, including custodian banks, trading desks, index providers, Authorized Participants, and market makers.

 

For additional information concerning Innovator and Milliman, including a description of the services provided to the Fund, please see the Fund’s statement of additional information. Additional information regarding the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Shares may also be found in the statement of additional information.

 

Management Fee

 

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between Innovator and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual unitary management fee to Innovator in an amount equal to 0.79% of its average daily net assets. This unitary management fee is designed to pay the Fund’s expenses and to compensate Innovator for the services it provides to the Fund. Out of the unitary management fee, Innovator pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees. However, Innovator is not responsible for distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, taxes, interest, and extraordinary expenses.

 

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between Innovator, Milliman and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement”), Innovator has agreed to pay an annual sub-advisory fee to Milliman in an amount based on the Fund’s average daily net assets. Innovator is responsible for paying the entirety of Milliman’s sub-advisory fee. The Fund does not directly pay Milliman.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Management Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2019.

 

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Manager of Managers Structure. The Fund and Innovator have received an exemptive order from the SEC to operate under a manager of managers structure that permits Innovator, with the approval of the Board, to appoint and replace sub-advisers, enter into sub-advisory agreements, and materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements on behalf of the Fund without shareholder approval (“Manager of Managers Structure”). Under the Manager of Managers Structure, Innovator has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, for overseeing the Fund’s sub-advisers and recommending to the Board their hiring, termination, or replacement. The SEC order does not apply to any sub-adviser that is affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.

 

The Manager of Managers Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating to the Sub-Adviser or the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Manager of Managers Structure does not permit an increase in the advisory fees payable by the Fund without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any changes made to the Sub-Adviser or Sub-Advisory Agreement within 90 days of the change.

 

How to Buy and Sell Shares

 

The Fund will issue or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units. Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. Because Shares trade at market price rather than NAV, an investor may pay more than NAV when purchasing Shares and receive less than NAV when selling Shares.

 

APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.

 

Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

 

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Share Trading Prices

 

The trading prices of Shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.

 

The approximate value of Shares, an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities held by the Fund, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

 

Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. Cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases and/or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.

 

To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to not accept orders from APs that Innovator has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.

 

Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.

 

Taxes

 

The Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income taxes.

 

26

 

 

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be taxed. The tax information in this prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares.

 

Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

 

Your Fund makes distributions,

 

 

You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and

 

 

You purchase or redeem Creation Units.

 

To maintain its status as a RIC, the Fund must meet certain income, diversification and distributions tests. For purposes of the diversification test, the identification of the issuer (or, in some cases, issuers) of a particular Fund investment can depend on the terms and conditions of that investment. In particular, there is no published IRS guidance or case law on how to determine the “issuer” of certain derivatives that the Fund will enter into. Therefore, there is a risk that the Fund will not meet the Code’s diversification requirements and will not qualify, or will be disqualified, as a RIC. The Fund intends to treat FLEX Options referencing an index as “issued” by the securities underlying the index. This, in turn, would allow the Fund to count the FLEX Options as automatically diversified investments under the Code’s diversification requirements. This position is consistent with informal guidance from the IRS but has not be confirmed by published guidance or case law. If the FLEX Options are not treated as issued by the issuer of the securities underlying the index for diversification test purposes, there is a risk that the Fund could lose its RIC status.

 

Taxes on Distributions

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable. After the end of each year, you will receive a tax statement that separates the distributions of the Fund into two categories, ordinary income distributions and capital gains dividends. Ordinary income distributions are generally taxed at your ordinary tax rate; however, as further discussed below, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at the capital gains tax rates. Generally, you will treat all capital gain dividends as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares. To determine your actual tax liability for your capital gains dividends, you must calculate your total net capital gain or loss for the tax year after considering all of your other taxable transactions, as described below. In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you; however, such distributions may reduce your tax basis, which could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when Shares are sold, even if you sell the Shares at a loss from your original investment. The tax status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Shares or receive them in cash. The income from the Fund that you must take into account for federal income tax purposes is not reduced by amounts used to pay a deferred sales fee, if any. The tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

27

 

 

A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies.

 

If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% for taxpayers in the highest tax bracket. Some capital gains dividends may be taxed at a higher maximum stated tax rate. Capital gains may also be subject to the Medicare tax described above.

 

Net capital gain equals net long-term capital gain minus net short-term capital loss for the taxable year. Capital gain or loss is long-term if the holding period for the asset is more than one year and is short-term if the holding period for the asset is one year or less. You must exclude the date you purchase your Shares to determine your holding period. However, if you receive a capital gain dividend from the Fund and sell your Shares at a loss after holding it for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend received. The tax rates for capital gains realized from assets held for one year or less are generally the same as for ordinary income. The Code treats certain capital gains as ordinary income in special situations.

 

Ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain (as discussed above), provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distribution which may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.

 

Taxes on Exchange Listed Shares

 

If you sell or redeem your Shares, you will generally recognize a taxable gain or loss. To determine the amount of this gain or loss, you must subtract your tax basis in your Shares from the amount you receive in the transaction. Your tax basis in your Shares is generally equal to the cost of your Shares, generally including sales charges. In some cases, however, you may have to adjust your tax basis after you purchase your Shares.

 

Taxes and Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

If you exchange securities for Creation Units you will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and your aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash component paid. If you exchange Creation Units for securities, you will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between your basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any cash redemption amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units generally is treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.

 

28

 

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares.

 

Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Taxes” in the statement of additional information for more information.

 

Treatment of the Options 

 

The Fund’s investments in offsetting positions with respect to the S&P 500 Price Index may be “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The straddle rules may affect the character of gains (or losses) realized by the Fund, and losses realized by the Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating taxable income for the taxable year in which the losses are realized. In addition, certain carrying charges (including interest expense) associated with positions in a straddle may be required to be capitalized rather than deducted currently. Certain elections that the Fund may make with respect to its straddle positions may also affect the amount, character and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected positions.

 

The tax consequences of straddle transactions to the Fund are not entirely clear in all situations under currently available authority. The straddle rules may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund, which is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to U.S. shareholders in a non-liquidating distribution. Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, if the Fund makes a non-liquidating distribution of its short-term capital gain, the amount which must be distributed to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a Fund that did not engage in such transactions.

 

The FLEX Options included in the Fund’s portfolio are exchange-traded options. Under Section 1256 of the Code, certain types of exchange-traded options are treated as if they were sold (i.e., “marked to market”) at the end of each year. Gain or loss is recognized on this deemed sale. Such treatment could cause the Fund to have taxable income without receiving cash. In order to maintain its RIC qualification, the Fund must distribute at least 90% of its income annually. If the Options are subject to Section 1256 of the Code and the Fund is unable to distribute marked-to-market gains to its shareholders, the Fund may lose its RIC qualification and be taxed as a regular corporation. On the other hand, positions that are subject to the Section 1256 mark-to-market rules statutorily produce gain or loss that is 60% long-term capital gain and 40% short-term capital gain. In addition, offsetting positions that are both subject to Section 1256 are not subject to the straddle rules discussed above. Thus, positions subject to Section 1256 may force the Fund to make increased distributions, but also increase the amount of long-term capital gain recognized as compared to positions subject to the straddle rules.

 

Treatment of Fund Expenses

 

Expenses incurred and deducted by the Fund will generally not be treated as income taxable to you. In some cases, however, you may be required to treat your portion of these Fund expenses as income. You may not be able to take a deduction for some or all of these expenses, even if the cash you receive is reduced by such expenses.

 

29

 

 

Backup Withholding 

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) from dividends and capital gains distributions paid to shareholders. Federal tax will be withheld if (1) the shareholder fails to furnish the Fund with the shareholder’s correct taxpayer identification number or social security number, (2) the IRS notifies the shareholder or the Fund that the shareholder has failed to report properly certain interest and dividend income to the IRS and to respond to notices to that effect, or (3) when required to do so, the shareholder fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to backup withholding. The current backup withholding rate is 24%. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be credited against the Shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

Non-U.S. Investors

 

If you are a non-U.S. investor (i.e., an investor other than a U.S. citizen or resident or a U.S. corporation, partnership, estate or trust), subject to applicable tax treaties, distributions from the Fund will generally be characterized as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes (other than capital gain dividends and short-term capital gains dividends) and will be subject to U.S. income taxes, including withholding taxes. Except as described below, distributions received by a non-U.S. investor from the Fund as capital gain dividends and short-term capital gains dividends may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes.

 

A separate U.S. withholding tax may apply in the case of distributions to, or dispositions after December 31, 2018 by, (i) certain non-U.S. financial institutions that have not agreed to collect and disclose certain account holder information and are not resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury and (ii) certain other non-U.S. entities that do not provide certain certifications and information about the entity’s U.S. owners.

 

Distributor

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.

 

Net Asset Value

 

The Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. NAV is calculated for the Fund by taking the market price of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the NAV per Share. All valuations are subject to review by the Board or its delegate.

 

The Fund’s investments are valued daily in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Although it has no current intention of investing in such securities, certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not listed on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities are typically bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an over the counter secondary market, although typically no formal market makers exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities, have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the fair value of debt securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Typically, debt securities are valued using information provided by a third-party pricing service. The third-party pricing service primarily uses broker quotes to value the securities.

 

30

 

 

The Fund’s investments will be valued daily at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair value in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third-party pricing services.

 

Although it has no current intention of investing in such securities, certain securities in which the Fund may invest may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board or its delegate (U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC) at fair value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund is governed by valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s NAV or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of a security would appear to be the amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. The use of fair value prices by the Fund generally results in the prices used by the Fund that may differ from current market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchange. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities. Valuing the Fund’s securities using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those securities that may differ from current market valuations.

 

Even when market quotations are available for portfolio securities, they may be stale or unreliable because the security is not traded frequently, trading on the security ceased before the close of the trading market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading or because of the passage of time between the close of the market on which the security trades and the close of the Exchange and when the Fund calculates its NAV. Events that may cause the last market quotation to be unreliable include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. Where market quotations are not readily available, including where Innovator determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, Innovator will value the security at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security.

 

31

 

 

Fund Service Providers

 

US Bancorp Fund Services LLC is the administrator and transfer agent for the Trust. U.S. Bank, N.A. serves as the custodian for the Trust.

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

Financial Highlights

 

The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this prospectus. Financial information therefore is not available.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. Innovator cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The approximate value of the Shares, which is an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities held by the Fund, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved with, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

Information regarding how often the Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters, when available, will be found at www.innovatoretfs.com.

 

Investments by Other Investment Companies

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1).

 

32

 

 

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETF™ – June

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more detailed information on the Fund, several additional sources of information are available to you. The Statement of Additional Information, incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, contains detailed information on the Fund’s policies and operation. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly impacted the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. The Fund’s most recent Statement of Additional Information, annual or semi-annual reports and certain other information are available free of charge by calling the Fund at (800) 208-5212, on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com or through your financial advisor. Shareholders may call the toll-free number above with any inquiries.

 

You may obtain this and other information regarding the Fund, including the Statement of Additional Information and Codes of Ethics adopted by the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor and the Trust, directly from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Information on the SEC’s website is free of charge. Visit the SEC’s on-line EDGAR database at http://www.sec.gov or in person at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., or call the SEC at (202) 551-8090 for information on the Public Reference Room. You may also request information regarding the Fund by sending a request (along with a duplication fee) to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520 or by sending an electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois  60187
(800) 208-5212
www.innovatoretfs.com

SEC File #: 333-146827
811-22135

 

 

 

 

Prospectus

 

Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer ETF™  June

 

(Cboe BZX—UJUN)

 

June 1, 2019

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer ETF™ — June (the “Fund”)
is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust (the “Trust”) and is an actively managed ETF.

 


 

The Fund will invest substantially all of its assets in FLexible EXchange® Options (“FLEX Options”) on the S&P 500 Price Return Index (“S&P 500 Price Index”). FLEX Options are customizable exchange-traded option contracts guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation. The Fund uses FLEX Options to employ a “defined outcome strategy.” Defined outcome strategies seek to produce pre-determined investment outcomes based upon the performance of an underlying security or index. The pre-determined outcomes sought by the Fund, which include the buffer and cap discussed below (“Outcomes”), are based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the period of June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. This period is referred to as the initial “Outcome Period.” Following this initial Outcome Period, each subsequent Outcome Period will be a one-year period from June 1 to May 31. The Fund will not terminate after the conclusion of the Outcome Period. After the conclusion of the Outcome Period, another will begin. There is no guarantee that the Outcomes for an Outcome Period will be realized.

 

The Fund’s strategy has been specifically designed to produce the Outcomes based upon the S&P 500 Price Index’s returns over the duration of the Outcome Period. The Outcomes may only be realized if you are holding shares on the first day of the Outcome Period and continue to hold them on the last day of the Outcome Period. If you purchase shares after the Outcome Period has begun or sell shares prior to the Outcome Period’s conclusion, you may experience investment returns very different from those that the Fund seeks to provide. There is no guarantee that the Fund will successfully achieve its investment objective.

 

Fund shareholders are subject to an upside return cap (the “Cap”) that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period. Therefore, even though the Fund’s returns are based upon the S&P 500 Price Index, if the Fund experiences returns for the Outcome Period in excess of the Cap, you will not experience those excess gains. The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 10.26% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 9.47%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. Please note, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next. There is no guarantee that the Cap will remain the same upon the conclusion of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund only seeks to provide shareholders that hold shares for the entire Outcome Period with a buffer against S&P 500 Price Index losses of between -5% to -35% (based upon the value of the S&P 500 Price Index at the time the Fund entered into the FLEX Options on the first day of the Outcome Period) during the Outcome Period. You will bear the first 5% of S&P 500 Price Index losses and all S&P 500 Price Index losses exceeding 35% on a one-to-one basis. The buffer is provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. A shareholder that purchases shares at the beginning of the Outcome Period may lose their entire investment. While the Fund seeks to limit losses to 70% for shareholders who hold shares for the entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee it will successfully do so. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. For instance, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has decreased in value beyond the pre-determined 5%-35% buffer, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer. (continued on next page)

 

 

 

 

(continued from previous page)

 

Similarly, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer until the Fund’s value has decreased to its value at the commencement of the Outcome Period. An investment in the Fund is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses.

 

The Outcomes are based on the Fund’s net asset value, the per share value of the Fund’s assets (“NAV”) on the first day of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s assets will be principally composed of FLEX Options, the value of which is derived from the performance of the underlying reference asset, the S&P 500 Price Index. However, because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Similarly, the amount of time remaining until the end of the Outcome Period also affects the impact of the buffer on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect prior to the end of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s strategy is designed to produce the Outcomes upon the expiration of the FLEX Options on the last day of the Outcome Period. It should not be expected that the Outcomes will be provided at any point prior to that time and there is no guarantee that the Outcomes will be achieved on the last day of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund’s website, www.innovatoretfs.com/ujun, provides important Fund information (including Outcome Period start and end dates and the Cap and buffer), as well information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in the Fund on a daily basis. If you are contemplating purchasing shares, please visit the website. Investors considering purchasing shares after the Outcome Period has begun or selling shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period should visit the website to fully understand potential investment outcomes.

 

As stated above and explained in greater detail within the prospectus, if the Fund has experienced certain levels of either gains or losses since the beginning of the Outcome Period, there may be little to no ability to achieve gains or benefit from the buffer for the remainder of the Outcome Period. The website contains important information that will assist you in determining whether to buy shares.

 

Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the shares will develop or be maintained.

 

Although the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The returns that the Fund seeks to provide do not include the costs associated with purchasing shares of the Fund and certain expenses incurred by the Fund. The Fund has characteristics unlike many other traditional investment products and may not be suitable for all investors. The table on the following page provides considerations for determining whether an investment in the Fund is appropriate for you.


 

 

 

 

Investor Suitability Considerations


You should only consider this investment if:

You should not consider this investment if:

• you fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund;

• you desire to invest in a product with a return that depends upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period;

• you are willing to hold shares for the duration of the Outcome Period in order to achieve the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide;

• you fully understand that investments made when the Fund is at or near to the Cap may have limited to no upside;

• you are willing to forgo any gains in excess of the Cap;

• you understand that the Fund’s investments do not provide for dividends to the Fund;

• you fully understand that investments made after the Outcome Period has begun may not fully benefit from the buffer;

• you are willing to accept the risk of losing your entire investment; and

• you have visited the Fund’s website and understand the investment outcomes available to you based upon the time of your purchase.

• you do not fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund;

• you do not desire to invest in a product with a return that depends upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period;

• you are unwilling to hold shares for the duration of the Outcome Period in order to achieve the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide;

• you do not fully understand that investments made when the Fund is at or near to the Cap may have limited to no upside;

• you are unwilling to forgo any gains in excess of the Cap;

• you do not fully understand that the Fund’s investments do not provide for dividends to the Fund;

• you do not fully understand that investments made after the Outcome Period has begun may not fully benefit from the buffer;

• you are unwilling to accept the risk of losing your entire investment; and

• you have not visited the Fund’s website and do not understand the investment outcomes available to you based upon the timing of your purchase.

 

For more information regarding whether an investment in the Fund is right for you,
please see “Investor Suitability” in the prospectus.


 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

   

Summary Information

1

   

Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

13

   

Fund Investments

15

   

Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund

16

   

Investor Suitability

21

   

Management of the Fund

23

   

How to Buy and Sell Shares

25

   

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

26

   

Distributor

30

   

Net Asset Value

30

   

Fund Service Providers

31

   

Financial Highlights

31

   

Premium/Discount Information

31

   

Investments by Other Investment Companies

32

 

 

 

 

 

Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer ETF™ – June

 

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Fund seeks to provide investors with returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index, up to the upside cap of 10.26% (prior to taking into account management fees and other fees) and 9.47% (after taking into account management fees and other fees) while providing a buffer against S&P 500 Price Index losses of between 5% and 35%, over the period from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

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

 

Management Fees

    0.79 %

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

    0.00 %

Other Expenses(1)

    0.00 %

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

    0.79 %
 

(1)

“Other Expenses” are estimates based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

 

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares.

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

$80

$251

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no portfolio turnover information is available at this time.

 

1

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

General Strategy Description. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in FLexible EXchange® Options (“FLEX Options”) that reference the S&P 500 Price Return Index (“S&P 500 Price Index”). FLEX Options are exchange-traded options contracts with uniquely customizable terms. Although guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (the “OCC”), FLEX Options are still subject to counterparty risk with the OCC and may be less liquid than more traditional exchange-traded options. Due to the unique mechanics of the Fund’s strategy, the return an investor can expect to receive from an investment in the Fund has characteristics that are distinct from many other investment vehicles. It is important that an investor understand these characteristics before making an investment in the Fund.

 

In general, an option contract is an agreement between a buyer and seller that gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy or sell a particular asset at a specified future date at an agreed upon price. The reference asset for all of the Fund’s FLEX Options is the S&P 500 Price Index, a large-cap, market-weighted, U.S. equities index that tracks the price (excluding dividends) of the 500 leading companies in leading industries.

 

The pre-determined outcomes sought by the Fund, which include the buffer and Cap discussed below, are based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the period of June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. This period is referred to as the initial “Outcome Period.” Following the initial Outcome Period, each subsequent Outcome Period will be a one-year period from June 1 to May 31. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains over the Outcome Period, the strategy seeks to provide investment returns that match the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index, up to an upside return cap that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period (the “Cap”). The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 10.26% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 9.47%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. The date stipulated in all of the Fund’s FLEX Options is the approximate termination date of the Outcome Period, at which time the Fund will invest in a new set of FLEX Options for the next Outcome Period.

 

Additionally, as is discussed in further detail below, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Option positions will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. The strategy is designed to realize the Outcomes only on the final day of the Outcome Period.

 

The Fund’s investment sub-adviser, Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (“Milliman” or the Sub-Adviser”), has constructed a portfolio principally composed of seven FLEX Options on the S&P 500 Price Index that are each set to expire on the last day of the Outcome Period. The customizable nature of FLEX Options allows the Sub-Adviser to select the price at which the S&P 500 Price Index will be exercised at the expiration of each FLEX Option. This is commonly known as the “strike price.” At the commencement of the Outcome Period, the Sub-Adviser specifically selects the strike price for each FLEX Option such that when the FLEX Options are exercised on the final day of the Outcome Period, the Outcomes may be obtained, depending on the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index over the duration of the Outcome Period.

 

2

 

 

The Fund seeks to generate returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index, up to the Cap (discussed in detail below), while limiting downside losses. The two hypothetical graphical illustrations provided below are designed to illustrate the Outcomes based upon the hypothetical performance of the S&P 500 Price Index for a shareholder that holds Shares for the entirety of the Outcome Period. Additional hypothetical graphical representations of the Outcomes are provided in “Additional Information Regarding the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies.” There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the Outcomes for an Outcome Period. The returns that the Fund seeks to provide do not include the costs associated with purchasing shares of the Fund and certain expenses incurred by the Fund.

 

3

 

 

Use of FLEX Options. The Outcomes may be achieved by purchasing and selling call and put FLEX Options to create layers within the Fund’s portfolio. One layer is designed to produce returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index for the Outcome Period if the S&P 500 Price Index has experienced gains during that time. To achieve these returns, the Fund will purchase a call option (giving the Fund the right to receive the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index) and a put option (giving the Fund the right to deliver the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index), while simultaneously selling a call option (giving the Fund the obligation to deliver the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index) and a put option (giving the Fund the obligation to receive the cash value of the S&P 500 Price Index). Each of these FLEX Options has a specifically selected strike price. The effect created by these four positions is that if the S&P 500 Price Index has increased in value over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to provide a gain that matches the gain experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. This gain is subject to the Cap, a maximum investment return level, which is discussed below.

 

A separate layer is designed to produce the Fund’s “ultra” buffer. “Ultra” denotes the Fund’s objective to provide returns that are buffered by up to 30% if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences a loss of greater than 5% during the course of the Outcome Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns. In seeking to achieve the ultra buffer, the Fund sells both a call option and a put option. Both of these FLEX Options have a specifically selected strike price. The effect created by these two positions is that if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by an amount less than 5% over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to provide a loss that equals the loss experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index, less fees and expenses. Additionally, if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value between 5% and 35% over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to provide a loss equal to 5%. Lastly, for if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by greater than 35% over the course of the Outcome Period, when the amount of cash the Fund receives and delivers pursuant to the terms of its positions is netted out, the Fund seeks to provide a loss that is 30% less than the loss experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

Each of the FLEX Options purchased and sold throughout the Outcome Period will have the same terms (i.e., strike price and expiration) as the corresponding FLEX Options purchased and sold on the first day of the Outcome Period. A detailed explanation regarding the terms of the FLEX Options and the mechanics of the Fund’s strategy can be found in “Additional Information Regarding the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies.”

 

The Outcome Period. The Outcomes sought by the Fund are based upon the Fund’s NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period. The Outcome Period begins on the day the FLEX Options are entered into and ends on the day they expire. Each FLEX Option’s value is ultimately derived from the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index during that time. Because the terms of the FLEX Options don’t change, the Cap and buffer both relate to the Fund’s NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period. A shareholder that purchases Shares after the commencement of the Outcome Period will likely have purchased Shares at a different NAV than the NAV on the first day of the Outcome Period (the NAV upon which the Outcomes are based) and may experience investment outcomes very different from those sought by the Fund. A shareholder that sells Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period may also experience investment outcomes very different from those sought by the Fund. To achieve the Outcomes sought by the Fund for the Outcome Period, an investor must be holding Shares on the day that the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and on the day those FLEX Options expire. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the Outcomes.

 

4

 

 

The Fund’s assets will be principally composed of FLEX Options, the value of which is derived from the performance of the underlying reference asset, the S&P 500 Price Index. However, because a component of an option’s value is the number of days remaining until its expiration, during the Outcome Period, the Fund’s NAV will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index. While the Fund’s investment sub-adviser generally anticipates that the Fund’s NAV will move in the same direction as the S&P 500 Price Index (meaning that the Fund’s NAV will increase if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains and that the Fund’s NAV will decrease if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses), the Fund’s NAV may not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 Price Index. Similarly, the amount of time remaining until the end of the Outcome Period also affects the impact of the buffer on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect prior to the end of the Outcome Period. The Fund’s strategy is designed to produce the Outcomes upon the expiration of the FLEX Options on the last day of the Outcome Period and it should not be expected that the Outcomes will be provided at any point prior to that time. Taken together, this means that at the midpoint of the Outcome Period, if the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by 15%, the Fund’s NAV can be expected to have decreased in value by more than 5% (because the buffer is not yet in full effect), but less than 15% (because the Fund’s NAV will not correlate one-to-one with the S&P 500 Price Index and the Fund’s NAV tends not to participate fully in either S&P 500 Price Index gains or losses).

 

Cap on Potential Upside Returns. Unlike other investment products, the potential returns an investor can receive from an investment in the Fund are subject to an upside return cap. This means that if the Fund experiences gains for the Outcome Period beyond the Cap, a shareholder will not experience those excess gains. Therefore, regardless of the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index, the Cap is the maximum return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period. The Cap is set on the first day of the Outcome Period and is 10.26% prior to taking into account any fees or expenses charged to shareholders. When the Fund’s annual Fund management fee of 0.79% of the Fund’s average daily net assets is taken into account, the Cap is 9.47%. The Cap will be further reduced by any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. The definitive Cap will be set forth on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com/ujun.

 

The Cap will change for each Outcome Period based upon prevailing market conditions at the beginning of the Outcome Period. The Cap, and the Fund’s position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund. If an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing Shares at that price has limited to no gains available for the remainder of the Outcome Period but remains vulnerable to significant downside risks.

 

The Cap level is a result of the design of the Fund’s principal investment strategy. In order to provide the buffer, the Fund purchases a series of put and call FLEX Options. As the purchaser of these FLEX Options, the Fund is obligated to pay a premium to the seller of those FLEX Options. However, the strategy is designed so that any premiums that the Fund is obligated to pay are offset by premiums it receives in connection with the selling of FLEX Options. On the first day of the Outcome Period when the Fund enters into its other FLEX Options positions, the portfolio managers will calculate the amount of premiums that the Fund will owe and will then go into the market and sell a FLEX Option with terms that entitle the Fund to receive a premium in an amount equal to the amount that the Fund would otherwise owe. The Cap is the strike price of that sold FLEX Option. The strike price is determined based upon prevailing market conditions at the time the Fund enters into the FLEX Options, most notably current interest rate levels and S&P 500 Price Index volatility, and the relationship of put and calls on the underlying FLEX Options.

 

5

 

 

Buffer. The ultra buffer that the Fund seeks to provide is only operative against S&P 500 Price Index losses of between 5% and 35% for the Outcome Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns. After the S&P 500 Price Index has decreased in value by more than 35%, the Fund will experience all subsequent losses on a one-to-one basis. The buffer is provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. If an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already decreased in value by an amount equal to or greater than 35%, an investor purchasing Shares at that price will have increased gains available prior to reaching the Cap but may not benefit from the ultra buffer that the Fund seeks to offer for the remainder of the Outcome Period. Conversely, if an investor is considering purchasing Shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already increased in value, then a shareholder may experience losses prior to gaining the protection offered by the ultra buffer. A shareholder that purchases Shares at the beginning of the Outcome Period may lose their entire investment. While the Fund seeks to limit losses to 70% for shareholders who hold Shares for the entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee it will successfully do so. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases Shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. An investment in the Fund is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses.

 

Fund Rebalance. The Fund is a continuous investment vehicle. It does not terminate and distribute its assets at the conclusion of each Outcome Period. On the termination date of an Outcome Period, the Sub-Adviser will invest in a new set of FLEX Options and another Outcome Period will commence.

 

The Fund’s website, www.innovatoretfs.com/ujun, provides information relating to the Outcomes, including the Fund’s position relative to the Cap and buffer, of an investment in the Fund on a daily basis.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

 

Principal Risks

 

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objectives will be achieved.

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

6

 

 

Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem “Creation Units” (as defined in “Purchase and Sale of Shares,”) Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Buffered Loss Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return loss of 5% if the S&P 500 Price Index decreases over the Outcome Period by between 5% and 35%. A shareholder may lose their entire investment. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index (up to the Cap), while limiting downside losses, if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of each Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available.

 

Cap Change Risk. A new Cap is established at the beginning of each Outcome Period and is dependent on prevailing market conditions. As such, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next and is unlikely to remain the same for consecutive Outcome Periods.

 

Capped Upside Return Risk. The Fund’s strategy seeks to provide returns that are subject to the Cap. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index has gains in excess of the Cap for the Outcome Period, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Cap. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into and the Fund has risen in value to a level near to the Cap, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Shares.

 

Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund intends to effectuate creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that effects its creations and redemption for in-kind securities. Because the Fund will effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of Shares may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. Consequently, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than investments in other ETFs. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Shares in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of Shares than for other ETFs.

 

Correlation Risk. The FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. Prior to the expiration date, the value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the S&P 500 Price Index. Factors that may influence the value of the FLEX Options include interest rate changes and implied volatility levels of the S&P 500 Price Index, among others.

 

7

 

 

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

FLEX Options Risk. The Fund will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The value of the underlying FLEX Options will be affected by, among others, changes in the value of the S&P 500 Price Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual and implied volatility of the S&P 500 Price Index and the remaining time to until the FLEX Options expire. The value of the FLEX Options does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the level of the S&P 500 Price Index (although they generally move in the same direction). However, as a FLEX Option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The Fund’s Shares trade on the Exchange at their market price rather than their NAV. The market price may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Shares to deviate significantly from the Fund’s NAV.

 

8

 

 

Investment Objective Risk. Certain circumstances under which the Fund might not achieve its objective include, but are not limited, to (i) if the Fund disposes of FLEX Options, (ii) if the Fund is unable to maintain the proportional relationship based on the number of FLEX Options in the Fund’s portfolio, (iii) significant accrual of Fund expenses in connection with effecting the Fund’s principal investment strategy or (iv) adverse tax law changes affecting the treatment of FLEX Options.

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the Fund’s IIV, and the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

Liquidity Risk. In the event that trading in the underlying FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. There is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, terminating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.

 

Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Sub-Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

9

 

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Assets may decline in value due to factors affecting financial markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the markets. The value of a FLEX Options or other asset may also decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or due to factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates will not have the same impact on all types of securities.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error in the calculation of the Cap, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its investment adviser and Sub-adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Outcome Period Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the returns realized by the investor will not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to unitholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. Additionally, buying securities shortly before the record date for a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution is commonly known as “buying the dividend.” In the event a shareholder purchases Shares shortly before such a distribution, the entire distribution may be taxable to the shareholder even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of the purchase price.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

10

 

 

Upside Participation Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return that matches the increase of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period, up to the maximum return imposed by the Cap. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or does not stay invested in the Fund for the entirety of the Outcome Period, the returns realized by the investor may not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Valuation Risk. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to value the FLEX Options becomes more difficult and the judgment of the Fund’s investment adviser (employing the fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund’s holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data. Consequently, while such determinations may be made in good faith, it may nevertheless be more difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value.

 

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Performance

 

As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC (“Innovator” or the “Adviser”)

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (“Milliman” or the Sub-Adviser”)

 

Portfolio Managers

 

The following persons serve as portfolio managers of the Fund.

 

 

Robert T. Cummings, Principal and Director of Global Trading at Milliman

 

 

Daniel S. Hare, Senior Trader and Risk Manager at Milliman

 

 

Hayley M. Peppers, Associate in ETF Portfolio Management at Milliman

 

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Each of the portfolio managers is primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and has served in such capacity since the Fund’s inception in 2019.

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only with authorized participants (“APs”) that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor and only in Creation Units (large blocks of 25,000 Shares) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), in exchange for cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

 

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income, returns of capital or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), Innovator and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of 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.

 

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Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund’s principal investment strategy seeks to produce the Outcomes based upon the performance of the S&P 500 Price Index. By layering both purchased and written call and put FLEX Options, the Fund seeks to deliver investment returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index for the Outcome Period if S&P 500 Price Index experiences gains, and buffered losses for the Outcome Period if the S&P 500 Price Index experiences losses. All investment gains are subject to the Cap. Both the Cap and the buffer are provided prior to taking into account annual Fund management fees equal to 0.79% of the Fund’s daily net assets, transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the Fund. Such expenses will reduce the Cap. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide buffered returns.

 

In general, an option contract is an agreement between a buyer and seller that gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy or sell a particular asset at a specified future date at an agreed upon price (commonly known as the “strike price”). FLEX Options are exchange-traded options contracts with uniquely customizable terms. Each FLEX Option that the Fund enters into references the S&P 500 Price Index and expires on the last day of the Outcome Period. The FLEX Options, however, have varying strike prices. The layering of these FLEX Options with varying strike prices provides the mechanism for producing the Fund’s desired outcome. The Fund has three main layers of FLEX Options as set forth below.

 

Layer

Label

Position

Index

Strike

Expiration

1

(a)

Purchased call option

S&P 500
Price Index

Less than 100%

Final day of Outcome Period
(May 31)

(b)

Sold put option

Less than 100%

(c)

Purchased put option

Greater than 100%

(d)

Sold call option

Greater than 100%

2

(e)

Sold put option

Less than 100%

(f)

Purchased put option

Less than 100%

3

(g)

Sold call option

Determined at beginning of Outcome Period

 

 

Layer 1

Upside S&P 500 Price Index Participation

The first layer involves buying and selling calls and puts (a), (b), (c), and (d), at pre-determined strikes to provide the desired S&P 500 Price Index participation.

Layer 2

Downside Buffer

The second layer involves buying and selling puts (e) and (f). Together they produce the downside buffer. 

Layer 3

Upside Cap

The final layer involves selling a call (g), which creates the upside cap. The strike price at which (g) is sold is determined so that the combined net options purchase price is approximately equal to the Fund’s net asset value, as illustrated in the figure below.

 

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The combination of FLEX Options (a)+(b)+(c)+(d) provide upside participation that matches that of the S&P 500 Price Index. At the expiration date, these FLEX Options realize a value equal to that of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

Taken together, positions (e) and (f) produce the 30% “ultra buffer,” from -5% to -35%, where position (f) is the top end of the buffer and position (e) is the bottom end. The payoff at expiration will compensate for losses experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index (if any), between -5% and -35%.

 

 

The strike level of the FLEX Option in position (g) produces the Cap and is chosen so that the combined net FLEX Options purchase price in (a) through (g) is approximately equal to the Fund’s NAV

 

 

The combination of positions (a) through (g) creates a maximum growth opportunity equal to the return experienced by the S&P 500 Price Index at expiration, not to exceed the Cap, while providing a buffer from losses of between 5% and 35%, before fees and expenses.

 

As described on the cover of this prospectus, in “Principal Investment Strategies” and in “Principal Risks,” there are risks associated with an investment in the Fund and there is no guarantee the Fund achieve the Outcomes it seeks to provide. The Fund’s unique characteristics (ie. the imperative of holding Shares for the entire Outcome Period, the Cap and buffer) distinguish it from other investment products and may make it an unsuitable some investors. To help decide whether an investment in the Fund is appropriate based upon individual circumstances, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Investor Suitability.”

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. Additionally, the Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.

 

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Fund Investments

 

Principal Investments

 

FLEX Options

 

FLEX Options are customized option contracts that trade on an exchange but provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like strike price, style and expiration date while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Like traditional exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by the OCC, a market clearinghouse that guarantees performance by counterparties to certain derivatives contracts.

 

The FLEX Options in which the Fund will invest are all European style options (options that are exercisable only on the expiration date). The FLEX Options are listed on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

 

The Fund will purchase and sell call and put FLEX Options. In general, put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of an index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of an index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of an index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of an index call option) at a certain defined price.

 

Non-Principal Investments

 

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

 

The Fund may invest in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or it may hold cash. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions.

 

Traditional Options Contracts

 

Options contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms.

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI, which is available at www.innovatoretfs.com.

 

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Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may lose all or part of your investment. There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objective. Before you invest, you should consider the following supplemental disclosure pertaining to the Principal Risks set forth above as well as additional Non-Principal Risks set forth below in this prospectus.

 

Principal Risks

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Buffered Loss Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return loss of 5% if the S&P 500 Price Index decreases over the Outcome Period by between 5% and 35%. A shareholder may lose their entire investment. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index (up to the Cap), while limiting downside losses, if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available.

 

Cap Change Risk. A new Cap is established at the beginning of each Outcome Period and is dependent on prevailing market conditions. As such, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next and is unlikely to remain the same for consecutive Outcome Periods.

 

Capped Upside Return Risk. The Fund’s strategy seeks to provide returns that are subject to the Cap. In the event that the S&P 500 Price Index has gains in excess of the Cap for the Outcome Period, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Cap. The Fund’s strategy seeks to deliver returns that match those of the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into and the Fund has risen in value to a level near to the Cap, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Shares.

 

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Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund intends to effectuate creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that effects its creations and redemption for in-kind securities. Because the Fund will effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of Shares may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. Consequently, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than investments in other ETFs. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Shares in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of Shares than for other ETFs.

 

Correlation Risk. The FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. Prior to the expiration date, the value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the S&P 500 Price Index. Factors that may influence the value of the FLEX Options include interest rate changes and implied volatility levels of the S&P 500 Price Index, among others.

 

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

FLEX Options Risk. The Fund will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The value of the underlying FLEX Options will be affected by, among others, changes in the value of the S&P 500 Price Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual and implied volatility of the S&P 500 Price Index and the remaining time to until the FLEX Options expire. The value of the FLEX Options does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the level of the S&P 500 Price Index (although they generally move in the same direction). However, as a FLEX Option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

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Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The Fund’s Shares trade on the Exchange at their market price rather than their NAV. The market price may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Shares to deviate significantly from NAV.

 

Investment Objective Risk. Certain circumstances under which the Fund might not achieve its objective include, but are not limited, to (i) if the Fund disposes of FLEX Options, (ii) if the Fund is unable to maintain the proportional relationship based on the number of FLEX Options in the Fund’s portfolio, (iii) significant accrual of Fund expenses in connection with effecting the Fund’s principal investment strategy or (iv) adverse tax law changes affecting the treatment of FLEX Options.

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the Fund’s IIV, and the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and their affiliates, do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

Liquidity Risk. In the event that trading in the underlying FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. There is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, terminating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.

 

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Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Sub-Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Assets may decline in value due to factors affecting financial markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the markets. The value of a FLEX Options or other asset may also decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or due to factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates will not have the same impact on all types of securities.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Code. The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error in the calculation of the Cap, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its investment adviser and Sub-adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Outcome Period Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that match the S&P 500 Price Index if Shares are bought on the day on which the Fund enters into the FLEX Options and held until those FLEX Options expire at the end of the Outcome Period. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or sells Shares prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the returns realized by the investor will not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

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Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code, including a requirement that the “issuers” of the Fund’s assets be sufficiently diversified. There is no published IRS guidance or case law on how to determine the “issuer” of certain derivatives that the Fund will enter into. Therefore, there is a risk that the Fund will not meet the Code’s diversification requirements and will not qualify, or will be disqualified, as a RIC. The Fund intends to treat FLEX Options referencing an index as “issued” by the issuer of the securities underlying the index. This, in turn, would allow the Fund to count the FLEX Options as automatically diversified investments under the Code’s diversification requirements. This position is consistent with informal guidance from the IRS but has not be confirmed by published guidance or case law. If the FLEX Options are not treated as issued by the issuer of the securities underlying the index for diversification test purposes, there is a risk that the Fund could lose its RIC status.

 

The Fund’s investments in offsetting positions with respect to the S&P 500 Price Index may affect the character of gains or losses realized by the Fund under the Code’s “straddle” rules and may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by the Fund. Such short-term capital gain is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to U.S. shareholders in a non-liquidating distribution. As a result, if the Fund makes a non-liquidating distribution of its short-term capital gain, the amount which must be distributed to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income may be increased substantially as compared to a Fund that did not engage in such transactions. Accordingly, Shareholders could have a lower after-tax return from investing in the Fund than investing directly in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

If the Fund did not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions were not available, the Fund’s taxable income would be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. In such event, in order to re-qualify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund might be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make certain distributions. This would cause investors to incur higher tax liabilities than they otherwise would have incurred and would have a negative impact on Fund returns. In such event, the Fund may reorganize, close or materially change its investment objective and strategies.

 

The FLEX Options included in the Fund’s portfolio are exchange-traded options. Under Section 1256 of the Code, certain types of exchange-traded options are treated as if they were sold (i.e., “marked to market”) at the end of each year. Gain or loss is recognized on this deemed sale. Such treatment could cause the Fund to recognize taxable income without receiving cash. In order to maintain its RIC qualification, the Fund must distribute at least 90% of its income annually. If the FLEX Options are subject to Section 1256 of the Code, and the Fund is unable to distribute marked-to-market gains to its shareholders, the Fund may lose its RIC qualification and be taxed as a regular corporation.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

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Upside Participation Risk. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its strategy to provide shareholders with a total return that matches the increase of the S&P 500 Price Index over the Outcome Period, up to the maximum return imposed by the Cap. In the event an investor purchases Shares after the date on which the FLEX Options were entered into or does not stay invested in the Fund for the entirety of the Outcome Period, the returns realized by the investor may not match those that the Fund seeks to achieve.

 

Valuation Risk. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to value the FLEX Options becomes more difficult and the judgment of the Fund’s investment adviser (employing the fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund’s holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data. Consequently, while such determinations may be made in good faith, it may nevertheless be more difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value.

 

Non-Principal Risks

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation may reduce the intrinsic value of increases in the value of the Fund. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions.

 

Legislation and Litigation Risk. Legislation or litigation that affects the value of securities held by the Fund may reduce the value of the Fund. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed that may have a negative impact on certain securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the securities owned by the Fund may negatively impact the value of the Shares. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.

 

Security Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

Investor Suitability

 

An investment in Shares may be suitable for you if:

 

 

You fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund, including the risk of loss of your entire investment.

 

 

You are willing to be exposed to the downside performance of the S&P 500 Price Index beyond the 5%-35% buffer at a rate of 1% for each 1% that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to forgo any dividends paid on the equity securities included in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to hold Shares for the duration of the Outcome Period or understand the risks of purchasing or selling Shares during the Outcome Period.

 

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You believe that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index will increase over the term of the Outcome Period and you are willing to give up any appreciation of the S&P 500 Price Index in excess of the Cap.

 

 

You understand and accept that your potential return is limited by the Cap.

 

 

You can tolerate fluctuations in the value of the Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period that may be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You do not seek current income from your investment.

 

 

You understand and accept the risks associated with the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are willing to assume counterparty risk with the OCC.

 

An investment in Shares may not be suitable for you if:

 

 

You do not fully understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Fund, including the risk of loss of your entire investment.

 

 

You seek an investment designed to provide a full return of principal at maturity.

 

 

You cannot tolerate exposure to the downside performance of the S&P 500 Price Index beyond the 5%-35% buffer at a rate of 1% for each 1% that the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You prefer to receive the dividends paid on the equity securities included in the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are unable or unwilling to hold the Shares for the duration of the Outcome Period or do not understand the risks of purchasing or selling Shares during the Outcome Period.

 

 

You seek an investment that participates in the full appreciation of the S&P 500 Price Index or that has unlimited return potential, or you are unwilling to invest in Shares based on the Cap specified on the cover page hereof.

 

 

You cannot tolerate fluctuations in the value of the Shares prior to the end of the Outcome Period that may be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the level of the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You seek current income from your investment.

 

 

You do not understand or accept the risks associated with the S&P 500 Price Index.

 

 

You are unwilling to assume counterparty risk with the OCC.

 

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Management of the Fund

 

The Fund is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust, an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objectives and policies. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, serves as the Fund’s investment adviser. As of April 30, 2019, Innovator served as the investment adviser to 18 ETFs, with assets under management of over $1.25 billion. In its capacity as Adviser to the Fund, Innovator has overall responsibility for selecting and monitoring the Fund’s investments and managing the Fund’s business affairs.

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC, 71 South Wacker Drive, 31st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as the Fund’s investment sub-adviser. As of September 30, 2018, the Sub-Adviser provided investment advisory, hedging and consulting services on over $152 billion in global assets and sub-advised approximately $54 billion in managed risk assets for insurers, institutional investors and retirement investors. Milliman has responsibility for managing the Fund’s investment program in pursuit of its investment objective.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Robert T. Cummings, Daniel S. Hare and Hayley M. Peppers serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers.

 

 

Robert T. Cummings, Principal and Director of Global Trading at Milliman. Mr. Cummings has served in this role since 2007. Mr. Cummings has more than 13 years of experience as a trader with a primary focus on options. Prior to joining Milliman, he was involved in various proprietary trading strategies and was a portfolio manager of associated derivatives funds. These strategies included volatility arbitrage, global macro, and high-frequency trading. Entities at which Mr. Cummings has previously worked include Citadel Investment Group, TradeNet (as a primary market maker on the Chicago Board Options Exchange), KCM Group and Spyglass Capital Management.

 

 

Daniel S. Hare, Senior Trader & Risk Manager at Milliman. Mr. Hare has served in this role since 2016. From 2011 – 2016 he served as a Trader & Risk Manager at Milliman. Mr. Hare has more than 25 years of experience in capital markets. Prior to joining Milliman, he was employed by ABN Amro Bank, Societe Generale, Bear Stearns and Dean Witter. He has significant experience in foreign exchange options trading and has also worked as a market maker and portfolio manager.

 

 

Hayley S. Peppers, Associate in ETF Portfolio Management at Milliman. Ms. Peppers has served in this role since 2017. From 2015 – 2017 she served as a Quantitative Analyst at Milliman. Ms. Peppers has experience in trading and portfolio management duties for ETFs that hold a variety of securities, such as equities (domestic and international), treasuries, futures and options. She has designed and maintained trading models in order to monitor index changes, rebalance portfolios and track benchmark indices. She maintains relationships with various parties in order to effectively manage the funds, including custodian banks, trading desks, index providers, Authorized Participants, and market makers.

 

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For additional information concerning Innovator and Milliman, including a description of the services provided to the Fund, please see the Fund’s statement of additional information. Additional information regarding the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Shares may also be found in the statement of additional information.

 

Management Fee

 

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between Innovator and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual unitary management fee to Innovator in an amount equal to 0.79% of its average daily net assets. This unitary management fee is designed to pay the Fund’s expenses and to compensate Innovator for the services it provides to the Fund. Out of the unitary management fee, Innovator pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees. However, Innovator is not responsible for distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, taxes, interest, and extraordinary expenses.

 

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between Innovator, Milliman and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement”), Innovator has agreed to pay an annual sub-advisory fee to Milliman in an amount based on the Fund’s average daily net assets. Innovator is responsible for paying the entirety of Milliman’s sub-advisory fee. The Fund does not directly pay Milliman.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Management Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2019.

 

Manager of Managers Structure. The Fund and Innovator have received an exemptive order from the SEC to operate under a manager of managers structure that permits Innovator, with the approval of the Board, to appoint and replace sub-advisers, enter into sub-advisory agreements, and materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements on behalf of the Fund without shareholder approval (“Manager of Managers Structure”). Under the Manager of Managers Structure, Innovator has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, for overseeing the Fund’s sub-advisers and recommending to the Board their hiring, termination, or replacement. The SEC order does not apply to any sub-adviser that is affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.

 

The Manager of Managers Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating to the Sub-Adviser or the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Manager of Managers Structure does not permit an increase in the advisory fees payable by the Fund without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any changes made to the Sub-Adviser or Sub-Advisory Agreement within 90 days of the change.

 

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How to Buy and Sell Shares

 

The Fund will issue or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units. Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. Because Shares trade at market price rather than NAV, an investor may pay more than NAV when purchasing Shares and receive less than NAV when selling Shares.

 

APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.

 

Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

 

Share Trading Prices

 

The trading prices of Shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.

 

The approximate value of Shares, an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities held by the Fund, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

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Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

 

Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. Cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases and/or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.

 

To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to not accept orders from APs that Innovator has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.

 

Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.

 

Taxes

 

The Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income taxes.

 

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be taxed. The tax information in this prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares.

 

Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

 

Your Fund makes distributions,

 

 

You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and

 

 

You purchase or redeem Creation Units.

 

To maintain its status as a RIC, the Fund must meet certain income, diversification and distributions tests. For purposes of the diversification test, the identification of the issuer (or, in some cases, issuers) of a particular Fund investment can depend on the terms and conditions of that investment. In particular, there is no published IRS guidance or case law on how to determine the “issuer” of certain derivatives that the Fund will enter into. Therefore, there is a risk that the Fund will not meet the Code’s diversification requirements and will not qualify, or will be disqualified, as a RIC. The Fund intends to treat FLEX Options referencing an index as “issued” by the securities underlying the index. This, in turn, would allow the Fund to count the FLEX Options as automatically diversified investments under the Code’s diversification requirements. This position is consistent with informal guidance from the IRS but has not be confirmed by published guidance or case law. If the FLEX Options are not treated as issued by the issuer of the securities underlying the index for diversification test purposes, there is a risk that the Fund could lose its RIC status.

 

26

 

 

Taxes on Distributions

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable. After the end of each year, you will receive a tax statement that separates the distributions of the Fund into two categories, ordinary income distributions and capital gains dividends. Ordinary income distributions are generally taxed at your ordinary tax rate; however, as further discussed below, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at the capital gains tax rates. Generally, you will treat all capital gain dividends as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares. To determine your actual tax liability for your capital gains dividends, you must calculate your total net capital gain or loss for the tax year after considering all of your other taxable transactions, as described below. In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you; however, such distributions may reduce your tax basis, which could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when Shares are sold, even if you sell the Shares at a loss from your original investment. The tax status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Shares or receive them in cash. The income from the Fund that you must take into account for federal income tax purposes is not reduced by amounts used to pay a deferred sales fee, if any. The tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies.

 

If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% for taxpayers in the highest tax bracket. Some capital gains dividends may be taxed at a higher maximum stated tax rate. Capital gains may also be subject to the Medicare tax described above.

 

Net capital gain equals net long-term capital gain minus net short-term capital loss for the taxable year. Capital gain or loss is long-term if the holding period for the asset is more than one year and is short-term if the holding period for the asset is one year or less. You must exclude the date you purchase your Shares to determine your holding period. However, if you receive a capital gain dividend from the Fund and sell your Shares at a loss after holding it for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend received. The tax rates for capital gains realized from assets held for one year or less are generally the same as for ordinary income. The Code treats certain capital gains as ordinary income in special situations.

 

27

 

 

Ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain (as discussed above), provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distribution which may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.

 

Taxes on Exchange Listed Shares

 

If you sell or redeem your Shares, you will generally recognize a taxable gain or loss. To determine the amount of this gain or loss, you must subtract your tax basis in your Shares from the amount you receive in the transaction. Your tax basis in your Shares is generally equal to the cost of your Shares, generally including sales charges. In some cases, however, you may have to adjust your tax basis after you purchase your Shares.

 

Taxes and Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

If you exchange securities for Creation Units you will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and your aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash component paid. If you exchange Creation Units for securities, you will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between your basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any cash redemption amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units generally is treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares.

 

Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Taxes” in the statement of additional information for more information.

 

Treatment of the Options 

 

The Fund’s investments in offsetting positions with respect to the S&P 500 Price Index may be “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The straddle rules may affect the character of gains (or losses) realized by the Fund, and losses realized by the Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating taxable income for the taxable year in which the losses are realized. In addition, certain carrying charges (including interest expense) associated with positions in a straddle may be required to be capitalized rather than deducted currently. Certain elections that the Fund may make with respect to its straddle positions may also affect the amount, character and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected positions.

 

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The tax consequences of straddle transactions to the Fund are not entirely clear in all situations under currently available authority. The straddle rules may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund, which is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to U.S. shareholders in a non-liquidating distribution. Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, if the Fund makes a non-liquidating distribution of its short-term capital gain, the amount which must be distributed to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a Fund that did not engage in such transactions.

 

The FLEX Options included in the Fund’s portfolio are exchange-traded options. Under Section 1256 of the Code, certain types of exchange-traded options are treated as if they were sold (i.e., “marked to market”) at the end of each year. Gain or loss is recognized on this deemed sale. Such treatment could cause the Fund to have taxable income without receiving cash. In order to maintain its RIC qualification, the Fund must distribute at least 90% of its income annually. If the Options are subject to Section 1256 of the Code and the Fund is unable to distribute marked-to-market gains to its shareholders, the Fund may lose its RIC qualification and be taxed as a regular corporation. On the other hand, positions that are subject to the Section 1256 mark-to-market rules statutorily produce gain or loss that is 60% long-term capital gain and 40% short-term capital gain. In addition, offsetting positions that are both subject to Section 1256 are not subject to the straddle rules discussed above. Thus, positions subject to Section 1256 may force the Fund to make increased distributions, but also increase the amount of long-term capital gain recognized as compared to positions subject to the straddle rules.

 

Treatment of Fund Expenses

 

Expenses incurred and deducted by the Fund will generally not be treated as income taxable to you. In some cases, however, you may be required to treat your portion of these Fund expenses as income. You may not be able to take a deduction for some or all of these expenses, even if the cash you receive is reduced by such expenses.

 

Backup Withholding 

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) from dividends and capital gains distributions paid to shareholders. Federal tax will be withheld if (1) the shareholder fails to furnish the Fund with the shareholder’s correct taxpayer identification number or social security number, (2) the IRS notifies the shareholder or the Fund that the shareholder has failed to report properly certain interest and dividend income to the IRS and to respond to notices to that effect, or (3) when required to do so, the shareholder fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to backup withholding. The current backup withholding rate is 24%. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be credited against the Shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

Non-U.S. Investors

 

If you are a non-U.S. investor (i.e., an investor other than a U.S. citizen or resident or a U.S. corporation, partnership, estate or trust), subject to applicable tax treaties, distributions from the Fund will generally be characterized as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes (other than capital gain dividends and short-term capital gains dividends) and will be subject to U.S. income taxes, including withholding taxes. Except as described below, distributions received by a non-U.S. investor from the Fund as capital gain dividends and short-term capital gains dividends may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes.

 

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A separate U.S. withholding tax may apply in the case of distributions to, or dispositions after December 31, 2018 by, (i) certain non-U.S. financial institutions that have not agreed to collect and disclose certain account holder information and are not resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury and (ii) certain other non-U.S. entities that do not provide certain certifications and information about the entity’s U.S. owners.

 

Distributor

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.

 

Net Asset Value

 

The Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. NAV is calculated for the Fund by taking the market price of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the NAV per Share. All valuations are subject to review by the Board or its delegate.

 

The Fund’s investments are valued daily in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Although it has no current intention of investing in such securities, certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not listed on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities are typically bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an over the counter secondary market, although typically no formal market makers exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities, have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the fair value of debt securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Typically, debt securities are valued using information provided by a third-party pricing service. The third-party pricing service primarily uses broker quotes to value the securities.

 

The Fund’s investments will be valued daily at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair value in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third-party pricing services.

 

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Although it has no current intention of investing in such securities, certain securities in which the Fund may invest may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board or its delegate (U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC) at fair value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund is governed by valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s NAV or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of a security would appear to be the amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. The use of fair value prices by the Fund generally results in the prices used by the Fund that may differ from current market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchange. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities. Valuing the Fund’s securities using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those securities that may differ from current market valuations.

 

Even when market quotations are available for portfolio securities, they may be stale or unreliable because the security is not traded frequently, trading on the security ceased before the close of the trading market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading or because of the passage of time between the close of the market on which the security trades and the close of the Exchange and when the Fund calculates its NAV. Events that may cause the last market quotation to be unreliable include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. Where market quotations are not readily available, including where Innovator determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, Innovator will value the security at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security.

 

Fund Service Providers

 

US Bancorp Fund Services LLC is the administrator and transfer agent for the Trust. U.S. Bank, N.A. serves as the custodian for the Trust.

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

Financial Highlights

 

The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this prospectus. Financial information therefore is not available.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. Innovator cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The approximate value of the Shares, which is an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities held by the Fund, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved with, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

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Information regarding how often the Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters, when available, will be found at www.innovatoretfs.com.

 

Investments by Other Investment Companies

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1).

 

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Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer ETF™ – June

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more detailed information on the Fund, several additional sources of information are available to you. The Statement of Additional Information, incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, contains detailed information on the Fund’s policies and operation. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly impacted the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. The Fund’s most recent Statement of Additional Information, annual or semi-annual reports and certain other information are available free of charge by calling the Fund at (800) 208-5212, on the Fund’s website at www.innovatoretfs.com or through your financial advisor. Shareholders may call the toll-free number above with any inquiries.

 

You may obtain this and other information regarding the Fund, including the Statement of Additional Information and Codes of Ethics adopted by the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor and the Trust, directly from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Information on the SEC’s website is free of charge. Visit the SEC’s on-line EDGAR database at http://www.sec.gov or in person at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., or call the SEC at (202) 551-8090 for information on the Public Reference Room. You may also request information regarding the Fund by sending a request (along with a duplication fee) to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1520 or by sending an electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

 

 

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois  60187
(800) 208-5212
www.innovatoretfs.com

SEC File #: 333-146827
811-22135

 

 

 

 

INNOVATOR ETFs TRUST

Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™ – June

 

Ticker symbol: BJUN

 

Statement of Additional Information
June 1, 2019

 

120 North Hale Street
Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois 60187
www.innovatoretfs.com

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) describes shares of the Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF™ – June (the “Fund”) which is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust (the “Trust”). The Fund’s investment adviser is Innovator Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) and investment sub-adviser is Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (“Milliman” or the “Sub-Adviser”). The Fund’s distributor is Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”).

 

This SAI supplements the information contained in the Fund’s Prospectus, dated June 1, 2019, as they may be amended from time to time. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. This SAI is not itself a prospectus but is, in its entirety, incorporated by reference into the Prospectus. A copy of the Fund’s most recent annual report, semi-annual report or the Prospectus for the Fund may be obtained, without charge, by writing Innovator at the address listed above or by calling (800) 208-5212.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

 

Page

General Information

2

Trading and Brokerage

23

Exchange Listing and Trading

3

Capital Structure

24

Investment Restrictions and Policies

4

Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations

25

Investment Strategies and Risks

7

Determining Offering Price and Net Asset Value

31

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings Information

10

Distributions and Taxes

31

Management of the Trust

11

Performance Information

38

Investment Adviser and Other Service Providers

18

Proxy Voting Guidelines

A-1

Portfolio Managers

22

   

 

 

 

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

 

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on October 17, 2007. On August 11, 2017, the Trust changed its name from Academy Funds Trust to Innovator ETFs Trust. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Trust currently offers shares of nineteen separate series, representing separate portfolios of investments. This SAI relates solely to the Fund, which is non-diversified.

 

The Fund offers, issues and redeems shares (“Shares”) at net asset value (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (each a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation”). The Fund currently intends to issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for cash. Shares of the Fund are listed and trade on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Exchange” or “Cboe BZX”) (formerly known as BATS Exchange, Inc.), a national securities exchange. Shares of the Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI), and, generally, in exchange for a cash amount. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally 25,000 or multiples thereof. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, the Trust may lower the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.

 

The Trust reserves the right to permit or require that creations and redemptions of Shares are effected fully or partially in-kind and reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a portfolio of securities representing securities included in the Fund’s portfolio (“Deposit Securities”) in lieu of cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement that the Authorized Participant maintain with the Trust a cash deposit marked to the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. The Trust may use such cash deposit at any time to purchase Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include cash may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions with respect to creations and redemptions of shares and fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

 

The Fund is a separate mutual fund, and each Share represents an equal proportionate interest in the Fund. All consideration received by the Trust for Shares and all assets of the Fund belong solely to the Fund and would be subject to liabilities related thereto. The Trust pays its (i) operating expenses, including fees of its service providers, expenses of preparing prospectuses for existing shareholders, proxy solicitation materials and reports to shareholders, costs of custodial services charges, taxes and organization expenses and (ii) other expenses, including audit and legal expenses. Expenses attributable to a specific series of the Trust shall be payable solely out of the assets of that series. Expenses not attributable to a specific series are allocated across all of the series on the basis of relative net assets.

 

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EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

 

There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of the Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial holders of the Shares for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the “approximate value” of the Fund, as described in “Net Asset Value” of the Prospectus, is no longer calculated or available, or (iii) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

 

As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels. Negotiated commission rates only apply to investors who will buy and sell Shares of the Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers on the Exchange and does not apply to investors such as market makers, large investors and institutions who wish to deal in Creation Units directly with the Fund.

 

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.

 

Continuous Offering

 

The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.

 

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells such Shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

 

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Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to Shares of the Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange generally is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.

 

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS AND POLICIES

 

Investment Objective

 

There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its objective. The Fund’s investment objective and policies, and its associated risks, are discussed below and in the Fund’s Prospectus, which should be read carefully before an investment is made. All investment objectives and investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental may be changed without shareholder approval. Additional information about the Fund and its policies is provided below.

 

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

 

The investment restrictions set forth below have been adopted by the Trust as fundamental policies that cannot be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. All other investment policies or practices of the Fund are considered by the Trust to be non-fundamental and, accordingly, may be changed without shareholder approval. For purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the lesser of the vote of: (i) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares of the Fund.

 

The Fund shall not:

 

(1)

Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.

 

(2)

Act as an underwriter, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter when disposing of securities it owns or when selling its own shares.

 

(3)

Make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other persons, including other investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder which may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.

 

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(4)

Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from (i) purchasing or selling securities or instruments secured by real estate or interests therein, securities or instruments representing interests in real estate or securities or instruments of issuers that invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein and (ii) making, purchasing or selling real estate mortgage loans.

 

(5)

Purchase or sell commodities except to the extent permitted by applicable law.

 

(6)

Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.

 

(7)

Invest 25% or more of the Fund’s net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies). To the extent the Fund invests in the securities of other investment companies, it will consider the concentrations of those underlying investment companies in determining compliance with its own concentration restrictions.

 

Notations Regarding the Fund’s Fundamental Investment Restrictions

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (1) above, the 1940 Act permits the Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to 5% of the Fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. (The Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund's total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Borrowing money to increase portfolio holdings is known as “leveraging.” Certain trading practices and investments may be considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus are subject to the 1940 Act restrictions. In accordance with SEC staff guidance and interpretations, when the Fund engages in such transactions, the Fund instead of maintaining asset coverage of at least 300%, may segregate or earmark liquid assets, or enter into an offsetting position, in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transaction (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to permit the Fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing or to involve leverage to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and to permit the Fund to segregate or earmark liquid assets or enter into offsetting positions in accordance with the 1940 Act. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

 

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Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

 

In addition to the fundamental policies and investment restrictions described above, and the various general investment policies described in the Prospectus, the Fund will be subject to the following investment restrictions, which are considered non-fundamental and may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without shareholder approval.

 

 

(1)

The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in securities that it cannot sell or dispose of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the investment.

 

 

(2)

The Fund is permitted to invest in other investment companies, including open-end, closed-end or unregistered investment companies, either within the percentage limits set forth in the 1940 Act, any rule or order thereunder, or SEC staff interpretation thereof, or without regard to percentage limits in connection with a merger, reorganization, consolidation or other similar transaction.

 

*     *     *

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations under the Fund's fundamental or non-fundamental investment restrictions apply only at the time that a transaction is undertaken. Any change in the percentage of the Fund's assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund’s total assets will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment until the Adviser/Sub-Adviser determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax consequences.

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund may have a portfolio turnover rate in excess of 100%. Portfolio trading will be undertaken principally to accomplish the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund is free to dispose of portfolio securities at any time, subject to complying with the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) and the 1940 Act, when changes in circumstances or conditions make such a move desirable in light of the Fund’s investment objective. Therefore, the Fund will not attempt to achieve or be limited to a predetermined rate of portfolio turnover.

 

The portfolio turnover rate tells you the amount of trading activity in the Fund’s portfolio. A turnover rate of 100% would occur, for example, if all of the Fund’s investments held at the beginning of a year were replaced by the end of the year, or if a single investment was frequently traded. The turnover rate also may be affected by cash requirements from purchases and redemptions of Shares. A high rate of portfolio turnover in any year may increase brokerage commissions paid and could generate taxes for shareholders on realized investment gains.

 

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INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

 

The following information relates to and supplements the description of the Fund’s investment strategies and risks that are contained in the Prospectus and includes descriptions of permitted investments and investment practices as well as associated risk factors.

 

Borrowing and Leverage. The Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. If the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market conditions, including periods of low demand or decreased liquidity, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time. As prescribed by the 1940 Act, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to any bank borrowing immediately following such borrowing. In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300%, the Fund shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. The Fund may be required to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the Fund’s asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of technology has become more prevalent, the Fund may be more susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A cyber security incident may refer to either intentional or unintentional events that allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause the Fund or a service provider to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. A cyber security incident could, among other things, result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, customers or employees being unable to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or remediation costs associated with system repairs. Any of these results could have a substantial impact on the Fund. For example, if a cyber security incident results in a denial of service, Fund shareholders could lose access to their electronic accounts for an unknown period of time, and employees could be unable to access electronic systems to perform critical duties for the Fund, such as trading, NAV calculation, shareholder accounting or fulfillment of Share purchases and redemptions. Cyber security incidents could cause the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser or Distributor to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, or financial loss of a significant magnitude. They may also cause the Fund to violate applicable privacy and other laws. The Fund’s service providers have established risk management systems that seek to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, and business continuity plans in the event there is a cybersecurity breach. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially since the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests or the Fund’s third-party service providers (including the Fund’s transfer agent and custodian).

 

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FLEX Options (principal investment). FLEX Options are customized option contracts available through national securities exchanges that are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are listed on a U.S. national securities exchange. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize assets and indices referenced by the options, exercise prices, exercise styles (i.e., American-style, exercisable any time prior to the expiration date, or European-style, exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Each option contract entitles the holder thereof to purchase (for the call options) or sell (for the put options) shares of the reference asset at the strike price.

 

The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the “buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer”, with the goal of protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk.

 

Options on Indices. The FLEX Options in which the Fund invests will be options on an index, the S&P 500 Price Return Index (the “S&P 500 Price Index”). An index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Options on indices give the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option. Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the index upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of put) the exercise price of the option.

 

Each of the options exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same index that may be bought or written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by Innovator are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These positions limits may restrict the number of listed options that the Fund may buy or sell.

 

Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When the Fund writes a call on the S&P 500 Price Index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the S&P 500 Price Index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total value for each point of such difference. When the Fund buys a call on the S&P 500 Price Index, it pays a premium and has the same rights to such call as are indicated above. When the Fund buys a put on the S&P 500 Price Index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon the Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the S&P 500 Price Index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When the Fund writes a put on an S&P 500 Price Index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the S&P 500 Price Index and the exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.

 

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The value of an option, in general, will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, in the case of the Fund the S&P 500 Price Return Index, the time remaining until expiration (end of the Outcome Period), the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment and general market conditions. Options that expire unexercised have no value.

 

Risks of Options on Indices. If the Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out of the money, the Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.

 

Asset Coverage on Options Positions. The Fund will comply with guidelines established by the SEC with respect to coverage of options by investment companies, and if the guidelines so require, will set aside or earmark appropriate liquid assets in the amount prescribed. Such assets cannot be sold while the option is outstanding, unless they are replaced with other suitable assets. As a result, there is a possibility that the reservation of a large percentage of the Fund’s assets could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

 

Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments (non-principal investment). The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include, but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody’s® Investors Service, Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s® Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of S&P Global, Inc., or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks that may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

 

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DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

 

The Board has approved portfolio holdings disclosure policies that govern the timing and circumstances of disclosure to shareholders and third parties of information regarding the portfolio investments held by the Fund. These policies and procedures, as described below, are designed to ensure that disclosure of portfolio holdings is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, and address conflicts of interest between the interests of Fund shareholders and those of the Fund’s Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor, or any affiliated person of the Fund, Adviser, Sub-Adviser or Distributor.

 

The Fund is permitted to disclose portfolio holdings to selected third parties in advance of release to all shareholders and the general public, only when the Fund (or the Trust on behalf of the Fund): (1) has a legitimate business purpose for doing so; (2) the recipient is subject to a duty of confidentiality pursuant to a signed non-disclosure agreement; (3) the release of such information would not otherwise violate the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws. Such disclosures may be made without a duty of confidentiality agreement, if the information is released to the public at or before the time the information is released to the third party.

 

Each Business Day, Fund portfolio holdings information will be provided to the Distributor for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC and/or other fee-based subscription services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee-based subscription services, including Authorized Participants, and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading Shares of the Fund in the secondary market. This information typically reflects the Fund’s anticipated holdings on the following Business Day. Daily access to information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings also is permitted (i) to certain personnel of those service providers that are involved in portfolio management and providing administrative, operational, risk management, or other support to portfolio management, including affiliated broker-dealers and/or Authorized Participants and (ii) to other personnel of the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Administrator and fund accountant, who deal directly with, or assist in, functions related to investment management, administration, custody and fund accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with agreements with the Fund and/or the terms of the Fund’s current registration statement.

 

From time to time, information concerning Fund portfolio holdings, other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may also be provided to other entities that provide additional services to the Fund, including, among others, rating or ranking organizations, in the ordinary course of business, no earlier than one Business Day following the date of the information. Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide additional services to the Fund in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC.

 

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The Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer may also grant exceptions to permit additional disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings information at differing times and with different lag times (the period from the date of the information to the date the information is made available), if any, in instances where the Fund has legitimate business purposes for doing so, it is in the best interests of shareholders, and the recipients are subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information and are required to execute an agreement to that effect. The Board will be informed of any such disclosures at its next regularly scheduled meeting or as soon as is reasonably practicable thereafter. In no event shall the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or any other party receive any direct or indirect compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about Fund portfolio holdings.

 

The Board exercises continuing oversight of the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings by overseeing the implementation and enforcement of portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures and considering reports and recommendations by the Chief Compliance Officer concerning any material compliance matters that may arise in connection with any portfolio holdings governing policies. The Board and the Fund reserve the right to amend the policies and procedures at any time and from time to time without prior notice in their sole discretion. For purposes of the policies and procedures, the term “portfolio holdings” means the equity and debt securities (e.g., stocks and bonds) held by the Fund and does not mean the cash investments, derivatives, and other investment positions (collectively, other investment positions) held by the Fund, which are not disclosed.

 

The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC within 70 days of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters and within 60 days of the end of the first and third fiscal quarters and will provide such information to shareholders as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. The Fund may, however, voluntarily disclose all or part of its portfolio holdings other than in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, in advance of required filings with the SEC, provided that such information is made generally available to all shareholders and other interested parties in a manner that is consistent with the above policy for disclosure of portfolio holdings information. Such information may be made available through a publicly available website or other means that make the information available to all likely interested parties contemporaneously.

 

Beginning in 2020, the Trust will cease to disclose the Fund’s holdings on Form N-Q and will disclose, on a monthly basis, the complete schedule of the Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-PORT. Form N-PORT for the Trust will be available in the same manner as the Form N-Q discussed above.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers

 

The business and affairs of the Trust are managed under the direction of its Board. The Trust’s Trustees and principal officers are noted in the tables below along with their ages and their business experience for the past five years. The Trustees serve for indefinite terms until their resignation, death or removal. The Fund’s officers are elected annually by the Board and serve at the Board’s pleasure. Each Trustee serves as a trustee of all the ETFs issued by Innovator ETFs Trust and Innovator ETFs Trust II (the “Innovator Fund Complex”).

 

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Name, Address and Year

of Birth

Position(s) Held

with the Trust

Length of

Time

Served

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

Number of

Portfolios in

Fund Complex

Overseen by Trustee or

Officer

Other Directorships Held

by Trustee or Officer in the

Past Five Years

Independent Trustees

Mark Berg

120 N. Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, IL 60187

 

Year of Birth: 1971

Trustee

Since 2017

President and Founding Principal, Timothy Financial Counsel Inc. (2001-present)

21

None

Joe Stowell

120 N. Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, IL 60187

 

Year of Birth: 1968

Trustee

Since 2017

Chief Operating Officer, Woodman Valley Chapel (2015-present); Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, English Language Institute/China (2007-2015)

21

Board of Advisors, Westmont College

Brian J. Wildman

120 N. Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, IL 60187

 

Year of Birth: 1963

Trustee

Since 2017

Executive Vice President, Consumer Banking (2016-2019), Chief Risk Officer (2013-2016), Head of Wealth Management (2003-2013),

Head of Commercial Services (2010-2013), MB Financial Bank

21

MB Financial Bank (2003 – present); Missionary Furlough Homes, Inc. (2008 – present)

Interested Trustee1 and Officers

H. Bruce Bond

120 N. Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, IL 60187

 

Year of Birth: 1963

Interested Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer

Since May 2017

Chief Executive Officer of Innovator Capital Management, LLC (May 2017 to present); formerly Chairman (2010-2013) and President and CEO (2006-2010), Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC; formerly Co-Founder, President and CEO, PowerShares Capital Management (2002 to 2006); formerly Chairman; PowerShares Fund Board (2002 to 2013)

21

None

John W. Southard, Jr.

120 N. Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, IL 60187

 

Year of Birth: 1969

Vice President, Treasurer and Principal Financial Accounting Officer

Since 2017

Chief Investment Officer, Innovator Capital Management, LLC (2017 to present); Director and Co-Founder, T2 Capital Management, LLC (2010 to present)

N/A

N/A

James Nash(2)

10 High Street, Suite 302

Boston, MA 02110


Year of Birth: 1981

Chief Compliance Officer

Since 2018 

Fund Chief Compliance Officer, Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC (2016 – present); Senior Associate, Regulatory Administration Advisor, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (2016 –2014); Product Analyst, Linedata Services, (2014 – 2011)

N/A

N/A

1

H. Bruce Bond is deemed to be an interested person of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) because of his affiliation with the Adviser.

2

Mr. Nash is an employee of Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund’s principal underwriter.

 

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Board Leadership

 

The Board has overall responsibility for the oversight and management of the Fund. The Board has two standing committees (as described further below): an Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee. The Chairman of each Board committee is an Independent Trustee.

 

In order to streamline communication between the Adviser and the Independent Trustees and create certain efficiencies, the Board has a Lead Independent Trustee who is responsible for: (i) coordinating activities of the Independent Trustees; (ii) working with the Adviser, Fund counsel and the independent legal counsel to the Independent Trustees to determine the agenda for Board meetings; (iii) serving as the principal contact for and facilitating communication between the Independent Trustees and the Fund’s service providers, particularly the Adviser; and (iv) any other duties that the Independent Trustees may delegate to the Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead Independent Trustee is selected by the Independent Trustees and serves until his or her successor is selected. Mr. Berg serves as the Lead Independent Trustee.

 

The Chairman of the Board presides at all meetings of the Board, and acts as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees. The Chair of each Board committee performs a similar role with respect to the committee. The Chairman of the Board or the Chair of a Board committee may also perform such other functions as may be delegated by the Board or the committee from time to time. The Independent Trustees meet regularly outside the presence of Trust management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Fund. The Board has regular meetings throughout the year, and may hold special meetings if required before its next regular meeting. Each committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to that committee by the Board and reports its findings to the Board. The Board and each standing committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and to allocate areas of responsibility among committees and the full Board to enhance effective oversight. Mr. Stowell serves as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee and Mr. Wildman serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

 

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Risk Oversight

 

Among the Board’s general oversight and management functions is to oversee the risks of the Fund. The Fund is subject to various risks, including investment, compliance, operational and valuation risks, among others. The Board addresses its risk oversight function through different Board and committee activities. For instance, the Board has delegated the day-to-day risk management and oversight function to the Adviser, or in certain cases (subject to the Adviser’s supervision) and depending on the nature of the risks to other service providers. The Board, or a committee, reviews and evaluates reports from the Adviser or service providers regarding the risks faced by the Fund and regarding the service providers’ oversight and management of those risks. In addition to the delegation of the day-to-day risk management and oversight function, the committees of the Board allow the Trustees to quickly and efficiently consider risk matters and facilitate the oversight by the Trustees of Fund activities and the risks related to those activities.

 

The Board has also appointed a Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) who oversees the implementation and evaluation of the Fund’s compliance program. James Nash of Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC (“Foreside Officer Services”) serves as CCO of the Trust. In a joint effort between the Trust and Foreside Officer Services to ensure the Trust complies with Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, Foreside Officer Services has agreed to render services to the Trust by entering into a Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement (the “CCO Services Agreement”) with the Trust. Pursuant to the CCO Services Agreement, Foreside Officer Services designates, subject to the Trust’s approval, one of its own employees to serve as CCO of the Trust within the meaning of Rule 38a-1. Mr. Nash currently serves in such capacity under the terms of the CCO Services Agreement.

 

Trustees Qualifications.

 

The Nominating Committee selects and nominates persons for election or appointment by the Board as Independent Trustees. The Board has adopted the Nominating Committee Charter and Procedures, which provides the Nominating Committee with general criteria to guide the Committee’s choice of candidates to nominate to serve on the Board; however, there are no specific qualifications or requirements to serve on the Board. The Board believes that, collectively, the Trustees have balanced and diverse experience, skills, attributes and qualifications, that allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the Trust and protecting the interests of shareholders. Among the attributes common to all Trustees are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them; to interact effectively with the Trust’s investment manager, sub-advisers, other service providers, counsel and independent auditors; and to exercise business judgment in the performance of their duties as Trustees. Each Trustee’s ability to perform his duties effectively is evidenced by his educational background or professional training; business, consulting or public service positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Trust, other investment funds, public companies or non-profit entities or other organizations; and ongoing commitment and participation in Board and committee meetings throughout the years.

 

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While there are no specific required qualifications for Board membership, the Board believes the specific background of each Trustee is appropriate to his or her serving on the Board. The foregoing discussion and the Trustees and officers chart above are included in this Statement of Additional Information pursuant to requirements of the U.S. SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having special expertise or experience and shall not be deemed to impose any greater responsibility or liability on any Trustee by reason thereof.

 

H. Bruce Bond. Mr. Bond is the Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, responsible for the firm’s strategic vision. Mr. Bond began his career in 1986 at Griffin, Kubik, Stephens and Thompson, a small boutique firm specializing in municipal bonds. In 1994 he continued his career at First Trust Portfolios as Vice President responsible for wholesale distribution of financial products across the Midwest and Florida. In 1998 Mr. Bond joined Nuveen Investments as a Managing Director to lead an effort in its Structured Products Group to develop, market and distribute closed-end funds, unit investment trusts and exchange-traded fund products. Mr. Bond became the head of marketing for all Nuveen products before leaving to start PowerShares in early 2003. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PowerShares, Mr. Bond pioneered many firsts in the ETF industry. In 2006, PowerShares was acquired by Invesco, a global asset manager. Mr. Bond remained the President and Chief Executive Officer of PowerShares and Chairman of the Board of the PowerShares Funds until September of 2011. During his time at PowerShares, Mr. Bond helped develop, list and distribute over 130 fund products on various exchanges located in the United States and throughout Europe, with assets under management in excess of $80 billion.

 

Mark Berg. As President and Founding Principal of Timothy Financial Counsel Inc., Mr. Berg’s primary role is the leadership and management of Timothy Financial Counsel Inc. He is the primary advisor for select clients, but also oversees the financial planning process for all Timothy Financial clients. Mr. Berg has served in the fee-only financial planning industry since 1995. He holds a BA in Economics from Wheaton College and is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner. He is also a NAPFA Registered Financial Advisor where he has served as the Regional President and Chair, as well as on the National Board of Directors. He speaks regularly at conferences on financial planning and practice management. He has been interviewed and/or quoted by a variety of publications, such as Dow Jones Newswire, The Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, and Kiplinger's and has been interviewed on NBC television.

 

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Joe Stowell. Mr. Stowell is currently the COO of Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He oversees the financial, human resources and congregational management of this multi-campus organization. Prior to joining Woodman in September of 2015, Mr. Stowell served for eight years as the Executive Vice President/COO of the English Language Institute/China (ELIC), a global educational non-profit focused primarily in Asia and the Middle East. Before his work in the non-profit business management sector, Joe traded futures, options and swaps for over a decade, focusing on currencies and bonds both in the US and abroad for McNamara Trading and Chicago Research & Trade. He was on trading floors and desks in Chicago, New York and Tokyo.

 

Brian J. Wildman. Mr. Wildman is Executive Vice President, Consumer Banking of MB Financial Bank (Bank), a position he has held since March 2016. Mr. Wildman is also a director of the Bank. From April 2013 to March 2016, Mr. Wildman was responsible for Risk Management and was the Chief Risk Officer. Prior to April 2013, Mr. Wildman was responsible for the Bank's Wealth Management and Commercial Services groups. Prior to joining the Bank in 2003, he was First Vice President of Bank One and served in various management positions with its predecessor organization, American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago, since 1988. Mr. Wildman is a member of the Board of Trustees of Missionary Furlough Homes, Inc. Additionally, Mr. Wildman serves as the “audit committee financial expert” for the Board.

 

Share Ownership

 

The following table provides the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Board members on December 31, 2018.

 

Trustee

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities
of the Fund

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity

Securities in all Funds Overseen

Within Fund Complex

H. Bruce Bond

None

Over $100,000

Mark Berg

None

$10,000–$50,000

Joe Stowell

None

None

Brian J. Wildman

None

$50,001–100,000

 

Trustee Compensation

 

Each Independent Trustee is paid a fixed annual retainer of $10,000 per year. The fixed annual retainer is allocated pro rata among each Fund in the Innovator Fund Complex. Trustees are also reimbursed by the investment companies in the Innovator Fund Complex for travel and out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with all meetings.

 

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The following table sets forth the estimated compensation (including reimbursement for travel and out-of-pocket expenses) to be paid by the Fund and by the Innovator Fund Complex to the Trustees for their services to the Fund for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2019. Only the Trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” of the Trust or the Adviser, as defined by the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”), receive compensation from the Fund. The Trust has no retirement or pension plans. The Trust has no employees. Its officers are compensated by Innovator Capital Management, LLC.

Trustee


Estimated Compensation
from the Fund

Compensation from the
Innovator Fund Complex

H. Bruce Bond

None

None

Mark Berg

$476

$10,000

Joe Stowell

$476

$10,000

Brian J. Wildman

$476

$10,000

 

Board Committees

 

The Board has the following committees:

 

Audit Committee: This committee monitors accounting and financial reporting policies and practice, and internal controls for the Trust. It also oversees the quality and objectivity of the Trust’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof, and acts as a liaison between the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm and the full Board. The Trust’s Audit Committee consists of the Independent Trustees.

 

Nominating Committee: This committee recommends Board members, fills vacancies and considers the qualifications of Board members. The committee will consider shareholder recommendations for nomination to the Board only in the event that there is a vacancy on the Board. Shareholders who wish to submit recommendations for nominations to the Board to fill a vacancy must submit their recommendations in writing to the Nominating Committee, c/o Innovator ETFs Trust, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. Shareholders should include appropriate information on the background and qualifications of any person recommended (e.g., a resume), as well as the candidate’s contact information and a written consent from the candidate to serve if nominated and elected. Shareholder recommendations for nominations to the Board will be accepted on an ongoing basis and such recommendations will be kept on file for consideration when there is a vacancy on the Board. The committee consists of the Independent Trustees.

 

Codes of Ethics

 

The Trust, Adviser, Sub-Adviser and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. The codes of ethics permit personnel subject to the codes of ethics to invest in securities, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The codes of ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.

 

Proxy Voting Policies

 

The Trust has adopted a proxy voting policy that seeks to ensure that proxies for securities held by the Fund are voted consistently with the best interests of the Fund.

 

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The Board has delegated to the Adviser the proxy voting responsibilities for the Fund and has directed Innovator to vote proxies consistent with the Fund’s best interests. In order to facilitate the proxy voting process, Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”) has been retained to provide access to a selection of third-party providers that are available to provide proxy vote recommendations and research. Votes are cast through the Broadridge ProxyEdge® platform (“ProxyEdge”). With the assistance of Broadridge, Egan-Jones Proxy Services (“Egan-Jones”) has been selected to provide vote recommendations based on its own internal guidelines. The services provided to Innovator through Egan Jones include access to Egan-Jones’ research analysis and their voting recommendations. Services provided to Innovator through ProxyEdge include receipt of proxy ballots, vote execution based upon the recommendations of Egan-Jones, access to the voting recommendations of Egan-Jones, as well as reporting, auditing, working with custodian banks, and consulting assistance for the handling of proxy voting responsibilities. ProxyEdge also maintains proxy voting records and provides Innovator with reports that reflect the proxy voting activities of client portfolios.

 

The fundamental guideline followed by the Adviser in voting proxies is to make every effort to confirm that the manner in which shares are voted is in the best interest of clients and the value of the investment. Absent special circumstances of the types described below, it is the policy of Adviser to exercise its proxy voting discretion in accordance with the Egan-Jones Proxy Voting Principles and Guidelines set forth in Exhibit A.

 

Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available upon request and without charge on the Fund’s website at https://www.innovatoretfs.com, by calling (800) 208-5212 or by accessing the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC, located at 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, furnishes investment management services to the Funds, subject to the supervision and direction of the Board. Substantially all of the interests of Innovator are owned by Messrs. H. Bruce Bond, John Wilder Southard, Jr. and Jeffrey Brown. Innovator is controlled by a Board of Managers which currently consists of Mr. Bond, Mr. Southard and Mr. Brown. Mr. Bond controls the Board of Managers by virtue of his majority ownership of Innovator. Mr. Southard owns in excess of twenty-five percent of Innovator and Mr. Brown owns a minority interest in Innovator. Innovator compensates all officers (including the chief compliance officer) and employees of Innovator who are affiliated with both Innovator and the Trust. Innovator is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.

 

Pursuant to an investment management agreement between Innovator and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), Innovator oversees the investment of the Fund’s assets by Milliman and is responsible for paying all expenses of the Funds, excluding the fee payments under the Investment Management Agreement, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses. As compensation for the investment advisory services rendered under the Investment Management Agreement, the Fund has agreed to pay Innovator an annual management fee equal to 0.79% of its average daily net assets.

 

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Sub-Adviser

 

Innovator and the Funds have retained Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC, 71 South Wacker Drive, 31st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606, to serve as the Fund’s investment sub-adviser. Milliman was established in 1998, and also advises other investment companies, insurance companies, financial institutions, other pooled investment vehicles in addition to the Fund. As of September 30, 2018, the Sub-Adviser provided investment advisory, hedging and consulting services on over $152 billion in global assets and sub-advised approximately $54 billion in managed risk assets for insurers, institutional investors and retirement investors. The Sub-Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Milliman, Inc.

 

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between Innovator, Milliman and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement”), Milliman manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. As compensation for the sub-advisory services rendered under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Innovator has agreed to pay Milliman an annual sub-advisory fee that is based upon theh Fund’s average daily net assets. Innovator is responsible for paying the entire amount of Milliman’s sub-advisory fee. The Fund does not directly pay Milliman.

 

Innovator and the Trust have received an exemptive order from the SEC on which exempts Innovator and the Trust from certain of the shareholder approval requirements of Section 15(a) of the 1940 Act and allowed the Board, subject to certain conditions, to appoint a new, unaffiliated sub-advisor and approve a new investment sub-advisory agreement on behalf of the Trust without shareholder approval.

 

Distributor

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC, located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101, serves as the principal underwriter of the Shares pursuant to a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”). The Distributor continually distributes Shares on a best effort basis. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Shares. The Distribution Agreement is renewable annually. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Funds through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI. Shares amounting to less than a Creation Unit are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). The Distributor, its affiliates and officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or any stock exchange.

 

-19-

 

 

The Distribution Agreement for the Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days’ prior written notice to the other party (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its “assignment,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act.

 

Fund Administrator

 

General Information. The Administrator and Fund Accountant for the Fund is U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (the “Administrator”), which has its principal office at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 and is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and stock transfer services to retail and institutional mutual funds. The Administrator performs these services pursuant to two separate agreements, a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement.

 

Administration Agreement. Pursuant to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (“Administration Agreement”) with the Fund, the Administrator provides all administrative services necessary for the Fund, other than those provided by Innovator, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees. Employees of the Administrator generally will not be officers of the Fund for which they provide services.

 

The Administration Agreement is terminable by the Board or the Administrator on ninety (90) days’ written notice and may be assigned provided the non-assigning party provides prior written consent. The Administration Agreement shall remain in effect for three years from the date of its initial approval, unless amended, and its renewal is subject to approval of the Board for periods thereafter. The Administration Agreement provides that in the absence of the Administrator’s refusal or willful failure to comply with the Agreement or bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Administrator, the Administrator shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.

 

Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides all administrative services, including, without limitation: (i) providing services of persons competent to perform such administrative and clerical functions as are necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund; (ii) overseeing the performance of administrative and professional services to the Fund by others, including the Custodian (as defined below); (iii) preparing, but not paying for, the periodic updating of the Fund’s Registration Statement, Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information in conjunction with Fund counsel, including the printing of such documents for the purpose of filings with the SEC and state securities administrators, preparing the Fund’s tax returns, and preparing reports to the Fund’s shareholders and the SEC; (iv) calculation of yield and total return for the Fund; (v) monitoring and evaluating daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of Shares of the Fund; (vi) preparing in conjunction with Fund counsel, but not paying for, all filings under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of such states or countries as are designated by the Distributor, which may be required to register or qualify, or continue the registration or qualification, of the Fund and/or its Shares under such laws; (vii) preparing notices and agendas for meetings of the Board and minutes of such meetings in all matters required by the 1940 Act to be acted upon by the Board; and (viii) monitoring periodic compliance with respect to all requirements and restrictions of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code and the Prospectus.

 

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Accounting Agreement. The Administrator, pursuant to a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (“Accounting Agreement”), also provides the Fund with accounting services, including, without limitation: (i) daily computation of NAV; (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; and (v) maintaining certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciling account information and balances among the Custodian and Adviser.

 

For the administrative and fund accounting services rendered to the Fund by the Administrator, the Administrator is paid an asset-based fee plus certain out-of-pocket expenses. Pursuant to the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, Innovator is responsible for paying for the services provided by the Administrator. The Fund does not directly pay the Administrator.

 

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Dividend Agent

 

U.S. Bank, N.A., Custody Operations, 1555 N. River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212, serves as custodian for the Fund’s cash and securities. Pursuant to a Custodian Servicing Agreement with the Fund, it is responsible for maintaining the books and records of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash. The Custodian receives a minimum annual fee of $1,000. The Custodian is also entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses and portfolio transaction fees. The Custodian does not assist in, and is not responsible for, investment decisions involving assets of the Fund. U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, the Administrator, also acts as the Fund’s transfer and dividend agent.

 

Legal Counsel

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603 serves as the Trust’s legal counsel.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd., located at 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115, has been selected as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust. As such, they are responsible for auditing the Trust’s annual financial statements.

 

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PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

 

Other Accounts Managed

 

The following chart lists certain information about types of other accounts for which the portfolio managers are primarily responsible as of May 1, 2019. None of the accounts managed by the portfolio managers pay an advisory fee that is based upon the performance of the account.

 

 

Registered Investment

Companies

# of Accounts ($ Assets)

Other Pooled

Investment Vehicles

# of Accounts ($ Assets)

Other Accounts

# of Accounts ($ Assets)

Robert T. Cummings

12 ($632,000,000)

0 ($0)

0 ($0)

Daniel S. Hare

12 ($632,000,000)

0 ($0)

0 ($0)

Hayley M. Peppers

12 ($632,000,000)

0 ($0)

0 ($0)

 

 

Description of Potential Material Conflicts of Interest

 

The portfolio managers have day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to other investments accounts and, accordingly, may be presented with potential or actual conflicts of interest. The management of other accounts may result in the portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of the Fund and/or other accounts. In approving the Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Board was satisfied that the portfolio managers would be able to devote sufficient attention to the management of the Fund and that Innovator and Milliman seek to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of the portfolio managers.

 

With respect to securities transactions for the Fund, Milliman determines which broker to use to execute each transaction, consistent with its duty to seek best execution of the transaction. For buy or sell transactions considered simultaneously for the Fund and other accounts, orders are placed at the same time. Milliman uses its best efforts to ensure that no client is treated unfairly in relation to any other client over time in the allocation of securities or the order of the execution of transactions. Milliman generally allocates trades on the basis of assets under management so that the securities positions represent equal exposure as a percentage of total assets of each client. The Fund and client accounts are not generally invested in thinly traded or illiquid securities; therefore, conflicts in fulfilling investment opportunities are to some extent minimized. If an aggregated trade order is not substantially filled, it will generally be allocated pro rata.

 

Other than the general potential conflicts noted above, the portfolio managers are not subject to any other specific potential conflicts of interest.

 

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Compensation

 

The portfolio managers are paid competitive salaries by Milliman. In addition, they may receive bonuses based on qualitative considerations, such as an individual’s contribution to the organization, and performance reviews in relation to job responsibilities.

 

Investments in the Fund

 

As of June 1, 2019, none of the portfolio managers beneficially owned any Shares.

 

TRADING AND BROKERAGE

 

The Adviser is responsible for the management of the Fund and has delegated trade execution responsibilities to the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser is responsible for selecting brokers and dealers to effect purchases or sales of securities for the accounts of the Fund. In selecting such brokers, the Sub-Adviser seeks best execution of orders at the most favorable price in light of the overall quality of brokerage and research services provided, as described in this and the following paragraph. In selecting brokers to effect portfolio transactions, the determination of what is expected to result in best execution at the most favorable price involves a number of largely judgmental considerations. Among these considerations is the Sub-Adviser’s evaluation of a broker’s efficiency in executing and clearing transactions; block trading capability (including a broker’s willingness to position securities); familiarity with the security; and financial strength and stability. The most favorable price to the Fund means the best net price without regard to the mix between purchase or sale price and commission, if any.

 

The Sub-Adviser may also take into consideration the research, analytical, statistical and other information and services provided by the broker (such as general economic reports and information, reports or analyses of particular companies or industry groups and technical information) and the availability of the brokerage firm’s analysts for consultation in allocating the Fund’s brokerage. While the Sub-Adviser believes these services have substantial value, they are considered supplemental to the Sub-Adviser’s own efforts in the performance of its duties under the Sub-Advisory Agreement and, to the extent these services are used, it will be on a limited basis. As permitted by the Sub-Advisory Agreement and in accordance with Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, the Sub-Adviser may pay brokers higher brokerage commissions than might be available from other brokers if the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such amount paid is reasonable in relation to the value of the overall quality of the brokerage, research and other services provided viewed in terms of either the particular transactions or the Sub-Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to the accounts over which it exercises investment discretion. Other clients of the Sub-Adviser may therefore benefit from the availability of these services to the Sub-Adviser, and the Fund may benefit from services available to the Sub-Adviser as a result of similar transactions for the Sub-Adviser’s other clients. The Sub-Adviser does not make any attempt to allocate the specific costs to each account. The Sub-Adviser does receive analyst reports that do come as a benefit of ongoing maintenance of various brokerage relationships. These reports are received in connection with the Sub-Adviser’s soft dollar program.

 

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CAPITAL STRUCTURE

 

The Trust currently has authorized and allocated to the Fund an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest with no par value. The Trustees of the Trust may, at any time and from time to time, by resolution, authorize the establishment and division of additional shares of the Trust into an unlimited number of series and the division of any series (including the Fund) into two or more classes. When issued in accordance with the Trust’s registration statement, governing instruments and applicable law (all as may be amended from time to time), all of the Trust’s shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Shares do not have preemptive rights.

 

All Shares of the Fund represent an undivided proportionate interest in the assets of the Fund. Shareholders of the Trust are entitled to one vote for each full share and to a proportionate fractional vote for each fractional Share standing in the shareholder’s name on the books of the Trust. However, matters affecting only one particular fund or class can be voted on only by shareholders in such fund or class. The shares of the Trust are not entitled to cumulative voting, meaning that holders of more than 50% of the Trust’s shares may elect the entire Board. All shareholders are entitled to receive dividend and/or capital gains when and as declared by the Trustees from time to time and as discussed in the Prospectus.

 

Book Entry Only System. The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section of the Prospectus entitled “Book Entry.”

 

DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

 

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, NYSE MKT and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants”).

 

Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of Shares. No Beneficial Owner shall have the right to receive a certificate representing such Shares.

 

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Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Fund Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

 

The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

 

CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS

 

General

 

The Fund issues Shares only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at its NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order in proper form. A “Business Day” is any day on which the NYSE is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

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The Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements, as described further below.

 

Creation

 

Delivery of Cash. Creation Units are sold at their net asset value plus a transaction fee, as described below (“Cash Purchase Amount”). Pursuant to the Trust’s exemptive order granting it exemptions from certain provisions of the 1940 Act, purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations may be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in-kind, if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of trading that all purchases on that day will be made entirely in cash.

 

The Custodian, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business of the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the Cash Purchase Amount. Such information is applicable in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until the next Business Day.

 

Procedures for Creation of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to create a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”); or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “Book Entry Only System”), and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with the Fund, the Distributor and the Administrator with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“Participant Agreement”) (discussed below). A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement with the Fund. All Shares of the Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

 

All orders to create Creation Units must be placed for one or more Creation Unit size aggregations of at least 25,000 Shares. All orders to create Creation Units, whether through the Clearing Process (through a Participating Party) or outside the Clearing Process (through a DTC Participant), must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time (“Closing Time”), in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. The date on which an order to create Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below (see “Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process” and “Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process”). Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.

 

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Orders to create Creation Units of the Fund shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, as applicable, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, i.e., to provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and, therefore, orders to create Creation Units of the Fund have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. At any given time there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement. Those placing orders for Creation Units through the Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Distributor prior to the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date.

 

Orders for creation that are effected outside the Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effecting such transfer of Cash Purchase Amount or Deposit Securities and Cash Component.

 

Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process. Creation orders made through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Participant Agreement authorizes the Distributor to transmit through the Fund’s transfer agent to NSCC, on behalf of the Participating Party, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions to NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to deliver the Cash Purchase Amount to the Fund, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. An order to create Creation Units through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. The delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so created will occur no later than the second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor (“T+2”).

 

Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Creation orders made outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement with the Fund, the Distributor and the Administrator. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Units to be effected outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of cash directly through DTC. The cash equal to the Cash Purchase Amount must be transferred directly to the Administrator through the Federal Reserve wire system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Administrator no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the next Business Day immediately following such Transmittal Date. An order to create Creation Units outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the Administrator does not receive the Cash Purchase Amount by 2:00 p.m. on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order will be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such cancelled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund. The delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so created will occur no later than T+2.

 

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Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of the Fund if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (c) the acceptance of the Cash Purchase Amount would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (d) the acceptance of the Cash Purchase Amount would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Fund or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or (f) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor and the Adviser make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC or any other participant in the creation process, and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Fund, the Administrator and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of the Cash Purchase Amount nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

 

Creation Transaction Fee. To compensate the Fund for transfer and other transaction costs involved in creation transactions through the Clearing Process, investors will be required to pay a minimum creation transaction fee, assessed per transaction, of $250 plus 0.05% of the value of the creation. The Fund, subject to approval by the Board, may adjust the fee from time to time based upon actual experience. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a creation of a Creation Unit may be charged a fee for such services.

 

Redemption

 

Redemption of Shares in Creation Unit Aggregations. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Unit Aggregations at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Custodian and only on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Unit Aggregations. Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Fund. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit Aggregation. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Fund Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit Aggregation.

 

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The Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) on each Business Day, the amount of cash that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as described below) on that day. The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit Aggregation generally consist of cash in an amount equal to the NAV of Fund Shares next determined after a redemption request is received (minus any redemption transaction fees imposed, as specified above) (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a redemption transaction fee as noted below (see “Redemption Transaction Fee” below).

 

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of a Fund or determination of a Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.

 

Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations must be delivered through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. Investors other than Authorized Participants are responsible for making arrangements for an order to redeem to be made through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations is deemed received by the Fund on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Custodian not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.

 

An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations using the Clearing Process made in proper form but received by the Fund after the Closing Time, will be deemed received on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date and will be effected at the NAV next determined on such next Business Day. The requisite Cash Redemption Amount be transferred by T+2.

 

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected outside the Clearing Process does not need to be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations will instead be effected through transfer of Fund Shares directly through DTC. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Fund on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the Cash Redemption Amount specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC, to the Custodian no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. After the Fund has deemed an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process received, it will send an acceptance of the redemption order to the Authorized Participant within 15 minutes of the receipt of the submission received in good form. A redemption order is deemed to be irrevocable upon the delivery of the confirmation of acceptance. The Transfer Agent will then initiate procedures to transfer the Redemption Cash Component to the Authorized Participant on behalf of the redeeming Beneficial Owner by T+2.

 

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In the event that the number of Shares is insufficient on the contractual settlement date, the Fund may deliver the Cash Redemption Amount notwithstanding such deficiency in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Shares as soon as possible. This undertaking shall be secured by such the Authorized Participant’s delivery on the contractual settlement date and subsequent maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value at least equal to 105% of the value of the missing Shares. The Authorized Participant’s agreement permits the Fund, acting in good faith, to purchase the missing Shares at any time and the Authorized Participant will be subject to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such shares and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Fund at such time, and in such manner, as the Fund may determine in its sole discretion.

 

Redemption Transaction Fee. To compensate the Fund for transfer and other transaction costs involved in redemption transactions through the Clearing Process, investors will be required to pay a minimum redemption transaction fee, assessed per transaction, of $250 plus 0.05% of the value of the redemption. The Fund, subject to approval by the Board, may adjust the fee from time to time based upon actual experience. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a creation of a Creation Unit may be charged a fee for such services.

 

Regular Holidays. The Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and Portfolio Securities on a basis of “T” plus two Business Days (a Business Day is any day the NYSE is open). The Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and Portfolio Securities on a basis other than T+2 in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Fund to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within two Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies also may prevent the Fund from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.

 

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The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for the Fund in certain circumstances. Although certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to exceed 14 days. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.

 

On days when the Exchange or the bond market closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations to be placed earlier in the day. For example, on days when the generally accepted close of the bond market occurs earlier than normal (such as the day before a holiday) orders requesting substitution of a “cash-in-lieu” amount must be received by the Distributor no later than 11:00 a.m., Eastern time.

 

DETERMINING OFFERING PRICE AND NET ASSET VALUE

 

The NAV of the Fund’s Shares is calculated each day the national securities exchanges are open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the, generally 4:00 p.m. E.S.T. (the “NAV Calculation Time”). NAV per Share is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by the number of Shares outstanding.

 

In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments.

 

Fair value pricing is used by the Fund when reliable market valuations are not readily available or are not deemed to reflect current market values. Securities that may be valued using “fair value” pricing may include, but are not limited to, securities for which there are no current market quotations or whose issuer is in default or bankruptcy, securities subject to corporate actions (such as mergers or reorganizations), securities subject to non-U.S. investment limits or currency controls, and securities affected by “significant events.” An example of a significant event is an event occurring after the close of the market in which a security trades but before the Fund’s next NAV Calculation Time that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s investment (e.g., government action, natural disaster, or significant market fluctuation). When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.

 

DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

 

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning Shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of the SAI. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker-dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or foreign tax consequences.

 

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This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, our counsel was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be deposited in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for prospective investors to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

 

As with any investment, prospective investors should seek advice based on their individual circumstances from their own tax advisor.

 

The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

 

To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other things, (a) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (c) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year. There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify if the failure is for reasonable cause or is de minimis, and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.

 

As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, but without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to shareholders. The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will generally be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. In addition, amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax unless, generally, the Fund distributes during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years. In order to prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the current calendar year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November or December with a record date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.

 

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Subject to certain reasonable cause and de minimis exceptions, if the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company or fails to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and all distributions out of earnings and profits would be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income.

 

Distributions

 

Dividends paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income are generally taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. However, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at capital gains tax rates. In particular, ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain, provided that certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. Dividends received by the Fund from foreign corporations are qualifying dividends eligible for this lower tax rate only in certain circumstances. The Fund will provide notice to its Shareholders of the amount of any distributions that may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates. The Fund cannot make any guarantees as to the amount of any distribution which will be regarded as a qualifying dividend.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to net investment income if the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on Shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.

 

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Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, properly reported as capital gain dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund Shares. Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional Shares, rather than cash, generally will have a tax basis in each such Share equal to the value of a Share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her Shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her Shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of the Shares.

 

Shareholders will be notified annually as to the U.S. federal income tax status of distributions, and shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional Shares will receive a report as to the value of those Shares.

 

Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares

 

Upon the sale or other disposition of Shares of the Fund, which a shareholder holds as a capital asset, such a shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the Shares. Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year.

 

Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent that Shares disposed of are replaced (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after disposition of Shares or to the extent that the shareholder, during such period, acquires or enters into an option or contract to acquire, substantially identical stock or securities. In such a case, the basis of the Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of Fund Shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of long-term capital gain received by the shareholder with respect to such Shares.

 

Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

 

If a shareholder exchanges securities for Creation Units the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the shareholder’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the Cash Component paid. If a shareholder exchanges Creation Units for securities, then the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholder’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

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Nature of Fund’s Investments

 

Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur and (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.

 

Futures Contracts and Options

 

The Fund’s transactions in futures contracts and options will be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital, or short-term or long-term), may accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and may defer Fund losses. These rules could, therefore, affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement for qualifying to be taxed as a regulated investment company and the distribution requirements for avoiding excise taxes.

 

Investments in Certain Foreign Corporations

 

If the Fund holds an equity interest in any “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”), which are generally certain foreign corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties or capital gains) or that hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and additional interest charges on gains and certain distributions with respect to those equity interests, even if all the income or gain is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund will not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such taxes. The Fund may be able to make an election that could ameliorate these adverse tax consequences. In this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such PFIC shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income. Under this election, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of its distributions from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirement and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above). Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.

 

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Backup Withholding

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax from all taxable distributions and sale proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or fail to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. This withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

Non-U.S. Shareholders

 

U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign trust or estate, a foreign corporation or foreign partnership (“non-U.S. shareholder”) depends on whether the income of the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder.

 

In addition to the rules described in this section concerning the potential imposition of withholding on distributions to non-U.S. persons, distributions to non-U.S. persons that are “financial institutions” may be subject to a withholding tax of 30% unless an agreement is in place between the financial institution and the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose information about accounts, equity investments, or debt interests in the financial institution held by one or more U.S. persons or the institution is resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury. For these purposes, a “financial institution” means any entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business, (ii) holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business, or (iii) is engaged (or holds itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities or any interest (including a futures contract or option) in such securities, partnership interests or commodities. Dispositions of Shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2018.

 

Distributions to non-financial non-U.S. entities (other than publicly traded foreign entities, entities owned by residents of U.S. possessions, foreign governments, international organizations, or foreign central banks) will also be subject to a withholding tax of 30% if the entity does not certify that the entity does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provide the name, address and TIN of each substantial U.S. owner.   Dispositions of Shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2018.

 

Income Not Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the non-U.S. shareholder, distributions of investment company taxable income will generally be subject to a U.S. tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions.

 

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Distributions of capital gain dividends and any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements. However, this 30% tax on capital gains of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. tax. In the case of a non-U.S. shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the non-U.S. shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption. If a non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual, any gain such shareholder realizes upon the sale or exchange of such shareholder’s Shares of the Fund in the United States will ordinarily be exempt from U.S. tax unless the gain is U.S. source income and such shareholder is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements.

 

Distributions from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain non-U.S. investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

 

In addition, capital gain distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding corporations) will generally be subject to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part of the foreign shareholder to file a United States tax return.

 

Income Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. shareholder, then distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of Shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Non-U.S. corporate shareholders may also be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

Capital Loss Carry-forward

 

Under the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010 (the “RIC Modernization Act”), net capital losses incurred in taxable years after December 22, 2010, may be carried forward indefinitely, and their character is retained as short-term and/or long-term losses. Previously, net capital losses were carried forward for up to eight years and treated as short-term losses. As a transition rule, the RIC Modernization Act requires that post-enactment net capital losses be used before pre-enactment net capital losses. To the extent that these loss carry-forwards are used to offset future capital gains, it is probable that the capital gains so offset will not be distributed to Fund shareholders. The Fund is subject to certain limitations, under U.S. tax rules, on the use of capital loss carry-forwards and net unrealized built-in losses. These limitations apply when there has been a 50% change in ownership.