485APOS 1 ess-dh_485a.htm POST EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT ess-dh_485a.htm

 
Filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on December 19, 2014
 
1933 Act Registration File No. 333-179562
1940 Act File No. 811-22668
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM N-1A
 
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
x
Pre-Effective Amendment No.         
¨
Post-Effective Amendment No. 38
x
and
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
x
Amendment No. 39
x
(Check appropriate box or boxes.)
 
ETF SERIES SOLUTIONS
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)

 (Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)
(414) 765-5586

Michael D. Barolsky, Esq.
ETF Series Solutions
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
777 East Wisconsin Avenue, 10th Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copy to:
W. John McGuire
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
2020 K Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20006-1806

As soon as practical after the effective date of this Registration Statement
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering
 
It is proposed that this filing will become effective
 
¨
immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
¨
on                                               pursuant to paragraph (b)
¨
60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
¨
on                                              pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
x
75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
¨
on                                              pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box

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

 
 
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION  December 19, 2014
 
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SEC IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.



Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF
(DHVW)
Listed on [     ]



PROSPECTUS
 

[       , 2015]



 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or
passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
Investment Objective
 
The Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 Index (the “Index”).
 
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. This table and the Example below do not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay on their purchases and sales of Fund shares.
 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
[   ]%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.00%
Other Expenses1
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
[   ]%
Less Fee Waiver
[   ]%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver2
[   ]%
   
1 “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
2 The Fund’s investment adviser has agreed to waive [   ] basis points ([  ]%) of its management fees for the Fund until at least [April 30, 2016]. This agreement may be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Fund’s Board of Trustees.
 
Expense Example
 
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year: $[ ]
3 Years: $[  ]
 
Portfolio Turnover
 
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
 
Principal Investment Strategy
 
The Fund uses a “passive management” (or indexing) approach to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index is composed of the common stock of approximately 500 of the largest U.S.-listed companies weighted based on a proprietary, patent-pending valuation methodology developed by Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc., the Fund’s  investment adviser (“Diamond Hill” or the “Adviser”).
 
Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 Index
 
The Index was established by Diamond Hill in 2013 and is constructed using an objective, rules-based methodology that begins with an initial universe of the 700 largest U.S.-listed companies based on market capitalization. The initial universe is then narrowed to the 500 companies with the largest value capitalization as calculated by Diamond Hill’s proprietary valuation methodology, which estimates the projected earnings power and future cash flows of each business. Each remaining company is then weighted based on its calculated value relative to the total calculated value of companies in the Index. The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly.
 
From time to time, the Index may include more or less than 500 companies as a result of events such as acquisitions, spin-offs and other corporate actions.
 
Additional information regarding the Index, including its value, is available on the website[s] of [Diamond Hill at www.[ ].com and] Solactive AG, the Index Calculation Agent, at www.solactive.com.
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
 
The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the common stocks that make up the Index. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of any collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in the component securities of the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.
 
The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).
 
The Fund generally may invest up to 20% of its total assets (exclusive of any collateral held from securities lending) in securities or other investments not included in the Index, but which the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Index. For example, the Fund may invest in securities that are not components of the Index to reflect various corporate actions and other changes to the Index (such as reconstitutions, additions and deletions).
 
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
 
Principal Investment Risks
 
All investments carry a certain amount of risk and the Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit or obligation of any bank, is not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank, and is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. You may lose money by investing in the Fund. Below are the principal risks of investing in the Fund.
 
·  
Equity Market Risk. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of changes in the broad market or changes in a company’s financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests such as political, market and economic developments, as well as events that impact specific issuers.
 
·  
Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
 
·  
Models and Data Risk. The Index relies heavily on proprietary quantitative models as well as information and data supplied by third parties (“Models and Data”). Because the Index is composed based on such Models and Data, when such Models and Data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, the Index and the Fund may not perform as expected.
 
·  
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell shares of an equity security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology.
 
·  
Secondary Market Trading Risk. Investors buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Fund shares.
 
·  
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), there may be times when the market price of the Fund’s shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of the Fund’s shares or during periods of market volatility.
 
·  
Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Performance
 
Although the Fund is new and does not have a performance history, the following bar chart and table reflect the past performance of the Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500, L.P. (the “Partnership”), a private fund that has used the same Index methodology as the Fund since the Partnership’s inception. The performance shown is that of the predecessor Partnership and is not the performance of the Fund. The bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Partnership’s by showing two aspects of the Partnership: volatility and performance. The bar chart and table reflect changes in the Partnership’s performance from year to year over the periods indicated and show how the Partnership’s average annual total returns for the periods indicated compare to those of a relevant market index. The Fund’s objectives, policies, guidelines and restrictions are in all material respects equivalent to those of the Partnership, which was created for reasons entirely unrelated to the establishment of a performance record. All of the assets of the Partnership were converted into assets of the Fund prior to the commencement of the Fund’s operations. The performance shown is the net performance of the Partnership. Because all of the fees of the Partnership have been waived and all expenses reimbursed since its inception, the performance of the Partnership would have been lower if was subject to the fees and expenses of the Fund. The Partnership was not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) and, from its inception on December 30, 2011 through the date of this Prospectus, was not subject to certain investment restrictions, diversification requirements and other restrictions of the 1940 Act or Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which, if they had been applicable, might have adversely affected the Partnership’s performance. The Partnership’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund will be available on the Fund’s website at www.[   ].com.

Annual Total Returns
Performance Chart

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was [   ]% (quarter ended [   ]), and the lowest return for a quarter was [   ]% (quarter ended [   ]). [For the year-to-date period ended [   ], the Partnership returned [    ]%.]
 
The following table shows the average annual returns for the Partnership over various periods ended December 31, 2014. The Partnership was an unregistered limited partnership, did not qualify as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes and was not required to make regular distributions of income or capital gains. As a result, the Fund is unable to show the after-tax returns for the Partnership. The index information is intended to permit you to compare the Partnership’s performance to a broad measure of market performance.
 
Average Annual Total Returns  
(for periods ended December 31, 2014)
1 Year
Since Inception
(December 30, 2011)
Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF
   
Return Before Taxes
[   ]%
[   ]%
Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
[   ]%
[   ]%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
[   ]%
[   ]%
 
Portfolio Management
 
Adviser   Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc.
Portfolio Manager R.H. (Ric) Dillon, CFA, Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, since inception in 2015.
 
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
 
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [    ], and most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because the shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
 
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only Authorized Participants (“APs”) (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
 
Dividends, Capital Gains and Taxes
 
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account.
 
In calculating the value of each company in the investment universe of the Index, Diamond Hill’s proprietary investment methodology projects the normalized earnings power of each business, the growth in that earnings power over the next five years, the dividends that will be paid to shareholders over the next five years, and a terminal cash flow that accounts for the company’s projected tangible book value and earnings power. Specifically, the methodology incorporates the following variables in its analysis:
 
 Normalized
 Earnings Power
The methodology analyzes a company’s trailing 12 quarters of net operating profits after tax (NOPAT), as well as adjusted consensus analyst estimates of earnings per share for the forward 8 quarters. The methodology uses an adjusted NOPAT earnings metric for companies in the financial sector to account for interest income and interest expense as major components of earnings.
 Earnings
 Growth
 Rate
The methodology considers the slope of the regression line of each company’s normalized earnings and the consensus estimates of the company’s long-term earnings per share growth rate by sell-side analysts, with the result subject to certain minimum and maximum rates.
 Future
 Dividends
The methodology calculates a current payout ratio of dividends to earnings (subject to a maximum ratio) and applies that ratio to projected future earnings.
 Terminal Value
The methodology accounts for each company’s projected tangible book value and normalized earnings power five years into the future to arrive at a projected value after five years.

The Index is calculated by Solactive AG, which is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, the Fund’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent or distributor, or any of their respective affiliates.
 
 
Investment Objective
 
The Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
 
Principal Investment Risks
 
The principal risks associated with investing in the Fund are described below and in the Fund Summary at the front of this Prospectus.
 
·  
Equity Market Risk. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of changes in the broad market or changes in a company’s financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, sectors or industries selected for the Fund or the securities market as a whole, such as changes in economic or political conditions. Equity securities are subject to “stock market risk” meaning that stock prices in general (or in particular, the types of securities in which the Fund invests) may decline over short or extended periods of time. When the value of the Fund’s securities goes down, your investment in the Fund decreases in value. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk that other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic, and banking crises.
 
·  
Large-Capitalization Investing. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
·  
Models and Data Risk. The Index relies heavily on proprietary quantitative models as well as information and data supplied by third parties (“Models and Data”). Because the Index is composed based on such Models and Data, when such Models and Data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, the Index and the Fund may not perform as expected.
 
·  
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell shares of an equity security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in, the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.
 
·  
Secondary Market Trading Risk. Investors buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Fund shares.
 
·  
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of the Fund’s shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. The market price of Fund shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade the Fund shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Fund shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Fund shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your Fund shares. The Adviser believes that, under normal market conditions, large market price discounts or premiums to NAV will not be sustained because of arbitrage opportunities.
 
·  
Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
 
 
Information about the Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.[   ].com. A complete description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
 
 
Investment Adviser
 
Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Fund. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration, and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate. For the services it provides to the Fund, the Fund pays the Adviser a unified management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of [    ]% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Under the investment advisory agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund except for interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and the unified management fee payable to the Adviser.
 
The Adviser has managed various investment portfolios for clients since 2000. The Adviser is an Ohio corporation and is located at 325 John H. McConnell Boulevard, Suite 200, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
 
The basis for the Board’s approval of the Fund’s Investment Advisory Agreement will be available in the Fund’s first Semi-Annual or Annual Report to Shareholders.
 
Portfolio Manager
 
Mr. Dillon has a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Dayton, a B.S. degree and Master of Arts degree from The Ohio State University and holds the CFA designation. He has been Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser since May 2000. From 2000 to 2013, Mr. Dillon also served as the President of the Adviser. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Dillon served as Vice President of Loomis Sayles & Co., an investment advisory firm. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Dillon served as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Dillon Capital Management, an investment advisory firm.
The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager’s compensation structure, other accounts that the Portfolio Manager manages and the Portfolio Manager’s ownership of Shares.
 
 
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Only APs may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and only APs may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. APs must be (i) a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC, a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC participant (as discussed below). In addition, each AP must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent and the Trust, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Fund shares trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
 
Most investors buy and sell shares of the Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the secondary market on [      ] (the “Exchange”) and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares.
 
When buying or selling Fund 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 offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Fund shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those shares.
 
The Fund’s exchange trading or “ticker” symbol is listed on the cover of this Prospectus.
 
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 of the Fund.
 
Investors owning Fund shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares of the Fund. DTC’s participants 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 Fund 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 Fund shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Fund 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” through your brokerage account.
 
Share Trading Prices on the Exchange
 
Trading prices of shares of the Fund 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 Fund shares. To provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Fund shares, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means an updated “intraday indicative value” (“IIV”) for Fund shares as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Fund is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIVs. The basket of Deposit Securities does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current Fund portfolio at a particular point in time and the IIV based on that basket may not represent the best possible valuation of the Fund’s portfolio. Therefore, the IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV, which is computed only once a day, typically at the end of the business day. The IIV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the Deposit Securities.
 
Frequent Purchases and Redemption of Shares
 
The Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Fund shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem shares directly with the Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Fund share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, the Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, the Fund employs fair value pricing and imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effective trades. In addition, the Fund and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
Determination of Net Asset Value
 
The Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, each day the NYSE is open for business. The NAV is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by its 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. If such information is not available for a security held by the Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by the Board (as described below).
 
Fair Value Pricing
 
The Board has adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value Fund securities whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) when a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) when a security’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing a security, the Fund will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Board-adopted valuation procedures. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
 
 
Dividends and Distributions
 
The Fund intends to pay out dividends, if any, and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually. The Fund is authorized to declare and pay capital gain distributions in shares of the Fund (“Shares”) or in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
 
Taxes

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment 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-advantaged retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when: (i) the Fund makes distributions; (ii) you sell your Shares listed on the Exchange; and (iii) you purchase or redeem Creation Units.

Taxes on Distributions

For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. A portion of dividends received from the Fund (but none of the Fund’s capital gain distributions) may qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations.  Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund Shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain(the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains, which for noncorporate shareholders are subject to tax at reduced rates. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions reported by the Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to noncorporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met.

U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.


In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by the Fund will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies.

The Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Fund Shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.

Taxes When Shares are Sold on the Exchange

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as a 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. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that Capital Gain Dividends were paid with respect to such Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.

Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal tax purposes who exchanges equity securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. A person who exchanges Creation Units for equity securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service may assert, however, that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally 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.

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. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.
 
 
The Distributor, Quasar Distributors, LLC, is a broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 615 East Michigan Street, 4th Floor, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.
 
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.
 
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
 
 
The Fund is new and therefore does not have any information regarding how often shares of the Fund traded on the Listing Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund.
 
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the total return performance of the Index or the ability of the Index identified herein to track the performance of its constituent securities. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares of the Fund.
 
The Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the shares, or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Index or the data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
 
The Adviser to the Fund, the Index Provider and the Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly. The Index Provider is a licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of the Fund. The Index Provider has no obligation to take the needs of the Fund or the owners of shares of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing, or calculating the Index. The Index Provider is not responsible for, and has not participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares of the Fund are redeemable. The Fund and the Adviser do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or performance of the Index or the data included therein and shall have no liability in connection with the Index or Index calculation.
 
 
Financial information for the Fund will be available after the Fund has completed a fiscal year of operations.

 
 
DIAMOND HILL VALUATION-WEIGHTED 500 ETF

Adviser and Index 
Provider 
 Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc.
 325 John H. McConnell Blvd. Suite 200
 Columbus, OH 43215
Distributor 
 Quasar Distributors, LLC
 615 East Michigan Street 
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Transfer Agent, 
Fund Accountant 
and Fund 
Administrator 
 U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
 615 East Michigan Street 
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
 
Independent 
Registered 
Public 
Accountant 
 [                                                       ]
Legal Counsel 
 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
 2020 K Street NW
 Washington, D.C. 20006-1806
Custodian 
 U.S. Bank National Association
 1555 N. Rivercenter Dr. 
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

Investors may find more information about the Fund in the following documents:
 
Statement of Additional Information: The Fund’s SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Fund and certain other additional information. A current SAI is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. It is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.
 
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports: Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance after the first fiscal year the Fund is in operation.
 
You can obtain free copies of these documents, request other information or make general inquiries about the Fund by contacting the Fund at:
 
Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701
1-800-617-0004

 
You may review and copy information including the Fund’s reports and SAI at the Public Reference Room of the SEC, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549-1520. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling (202) 551-8090. Shareholder reports and other information about the Fund are also available:
 
·  
Free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or
 
·  
Free of charge from the Fund’s Internet web site at www.[   ].com; or
 
·  
For a fee, by writing to the Public Reference Room of the Commission, Washington, DC 20549-1520; or
 
·  
For a fee, by e-mail request to publicinfo@sec.gov.
 
(SEC Investment Company Act File No. 811-22668)
 
 
 
DIAMOND HILL Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF
(DHVW)
a series of ETF Series Solutions
 
Listed on [    ]
 
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 
[            ], 2015

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus for the Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF (the “Fund”), a series of ETF Series Solutions (the “Trust”), dated [          ], 2015, as may be supplemented from time to time (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used in this SAI that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge, by calling the Fund at 1-800-617-0004, visiting www.[      ].com, or writing to the Fund, c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“USBFS”), P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701.
 
The Fund’s audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal year (when available) are incorporated in this SAI by reference to the Fund’s most recent Annual Report to Shareholders (File No. 811-22668). When available, you may obtain a copy of the Fund’s Annual Report at no charge by request to the Fund at the address or phone number noted above.
 
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SEC IS EFFECTIVE. THIS SAI IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
 
 
 
2
2
8
9
9
14
14
14
15
15
16
16
17
17
17
17
17
18
19
19
20
26
26
27
32
A-1
B-1

 

 
 
 
The Trust is an open-end management investment company consisting of multiple investment series. This SAI relates to one series: the Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on February 9, 2012. The Trust is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (together with the rules and regulations adopted thereunder, as amended, the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company and the offering of the Fund’s shares (“Shares”) is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board”). Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”) serves as adviser and index provider to the Fund. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek investment results that, before fees and expenses, track the Diamond Hill Valuation-Weighted 500 Index (the “Index”).
 
The Fund offers and issues Shares at their net asset value only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (each, a “Creation Unit”). The Fund generally offers and issues Shares in exchange for a basket of securities included in its Index (“Deposit Securities”) together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (“Cash Component”). The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The Shares are listed on the [               ] (the “Exchange”) and trade on the Exchange at market prices. These prices may differ from the Shares’ net asset values. The Shares are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, principally for cash. A Creation Unit of the Fund generally consists of 25,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 Shares. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares of the Fund are not redeemable securities.
 
Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to a specified percentage of the value of the missing Deposit Securities, as set forth in the Participant Agreement (as defined below). The Trust may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions in the secondary market will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
 
 
The Fund’s investment objectives and principal investment strategies are described in the Prospectus. The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. For a description of certain permitted investments, see “Description of Permitted Investments” in this SAI.
 
With respect to the Fund’s investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption will not result in a violation of such investment limitation.
 
Diversification
 
The Fund is “diversified” within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Under applicable federal laws, to qualify as a diversified fund, the Fund, with respect to 75% of its total assets, may not invest greater than 5% of its total assets in any one issuer and may not hold greater than 10% of the securities of one issuer.  The remaining 25% of the Fund’s total assets does not need to be “diversified” and may be invested in securities of a single issuer, subject to other applicable laws. The diversification of a mutual fund’s holdings is measured at the time the fund purchases a security.  However, if a fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the fund’s total assets due to movements in the financial markets.  If the market affects several securities held by a fund, the fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of fewer issuers.
 
General Risks
 
The value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic or political conditions. An investor in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time.
 
An investment in the Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of Shares of the Fund). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic or banking crises.
 
 
 
Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.
 
Events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. Domestic and foreign fixed income and equity markets experienced extreme volatility and turmoil in late 2008 and throughout much of 2009. Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected, and well-known financial institutions have experienced significant liquidity and other problems. Some of these institutions have declared bankruptcy or defaulted on their debt. It is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue. These events and possible continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on Fund performance.
 
Description of Permitted Investments
 
The following are descriptions of the permitted investments and investment practices and the associated risk factors. The Fund will only invest in any of the following instruments or engage in any of the following investment practices if such investment or activity is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and permitted by the Fund’s stated investment policies.
 
Equity Securities
 
Equity securities represent ownership interests in a company and include common stocks, preferred stocks, warrants to acquire common stock, and securities convertible into common stock. Investments in equity securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
 
While investing in stocks allows investors to participate in the benefits of owning a company, such investors must accept the risks of ownership. Unlike bondholders, who have preference to a company’s earnings and cash flow, preferred stockholders, followed by common stockholders in order of priority, are entitled only to the residual amount after a company meets its other obligations. For this reason, the value of a company’s stock will usually react more strongly to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects than its debt obligations. Stockholders of a company that fares poorly can lose money.
 
Stock markets tend to move in cycles with short or extended periods of rising and falling stock prices. The value of a company’s stock may fall because of:
 
·
Factors that directly relate to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company’s products or services;
 
·
Factors affecting an entire industry, such as increases in production costs; and
 
·
Changes in general financial market conditions that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates or inflation rates.
 
Medium-Sized Companies Investors in medium-sized companies typically take on greater risk and price volatility than they would by investing in larger, more established companies. This increased risk may be due to the greater business risks of their medium size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines and frequent lack of management depth. The securities of medium-sized companies are often traded in the over-the-counter market and might not be traded in volumes typical of securities traded on a national securities exchange. Thus, the securities of medium capitalization companies are likely to be less liquid, and subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements, than securities of larger, more established companies.
When-Issued Securities – A when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which a market exists, but which has not been issued. When the Fund engages in when-issued transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the sale. If the other party fails to complete the sale, the Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the security at a favorable price or yield.
 
When purchasing a security on a when-issued basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield changes. At the time of settlement, the value of the security may be more or less than the purchase price. The yield available in the market when the delivery takes place also may be higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. Because the Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other investments.
 
Decisions to enter into “when-issued” transactions will be considered on a case-by-case basis when necessary to maintain continuity in a company’s index membership. The Fund will segregate cash or liquid securities equal in value to commitments for the when-issued transactions. The Fund will segregate additional liquid assets daily so that the value of such assets is equal to the amount of the commitments.
 
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
 
A REIT is a corporation or business trust (that would otherwise be taxed as a corporation) which meets the definitional requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Code permits a qualifying REIT to deduct from taxable income the dividends paid, thereby effectively eliminating corporate level federal income tax. To meet the definitional requirements of the Code, a REIT must, among other things: invest substantially all of its assets in interests in real estate (including mortgages and other REITs), cash and government securities; derive most of its income from rents from real property or interest on loans secured by mortgages on real property; and, in general, distribute annually 90% or more of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) to shareholders.
 
REITs are sometimes informally characterized as Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. An Equity REIT invests primarily in the fee ownership or leasehold ownership of land and buildings; a Mortgage REIT invests primarily in mortgages on real property, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans.
 
REITs may be affected by changes in underlying real estate values, which may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that REITs in which the Fund invests may concentrate investments in particular geographic regions or property types. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause investors in REITs to demand a higher annual yield from future distributions, which may in turn decrease market prices for equity securities issued by REITs. Rising interest rates also generally increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. During periods of declining interest rates, certain Mortgage REITs may hold mortgages that the mortgagors elect to prepay, which prepayment may diminish the yield on securities issued by such Mortgage REITs. In addition, Mortgage REITs may be affected by the ability of borrowers to repay when due the debt extended by the REIT and Equity REITs may be affected by the ability of tenants to pay rent.
 
Certain REITs have relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of securities issued by such REITs. Furthermore, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder will bear not only his or her proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of the REITs. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders.
 
In addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, Equity and Mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, Equity and Mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally available to REITs under the Code or fail to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments.
Repurchase Agreements
 
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements with commercial banks, brokers or dealers to generate income from its excess cash balances and to invest securities lending cash collateral. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which the Fund acquires a financial instrument (e.g., a security issued by the U.S. government or an agency thereof, a banker’s acceptance or a certificate of deposit) from a seller, subject to resale to the seller at an agreed upon price and date (normally, the next Business Day). A repurchase agreement may be considered a loan collateralized by securities. The resale price reflects an agreed upon interest rate effective for the period the instrument is held by the Fund and is unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying instrument.
 
In these repurchase agreement transactions, the securities acquired by the Fund (including accrued interest earned thereon) must have a total value in excess of the value of the repurchase agreement and are held by the Custodian until repurchased. No more than an aggregate of 15% of the Fund’s net assets will be invested in illiquid securities, including repurchase agreements having maturities longer than seven days and securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, or for which there are no readily available market quotations.
 
The use of repurchase agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the other party to the agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying security at a time when the value of the security has declined, the Fund may incur a loss upon disposition of the security. If the other party to the agreement becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or other laws, a court may determine that the underlying security is collateral for a loan by the Fund not within the control of the Fund and, therefore, the Fund may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying security and may be deemed an unsecured creditor of the other party to the agreement.
 
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
 
The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities held by the Fund subject to its agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to the Fund’s limitation on borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, the Fund will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trust’s custodian, of cash or other liquid securities, marked-to-market daily, in an amount at least equal to its obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement.
 
Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold by the Fund might be unable to deliver them when that Fund seeks to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.
 
Other Short-Term Instruments
 
In addition to repurchase agreements, 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 (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and foreign banks (including foreign branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1” by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the 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; and (vi) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or a forward-settled basis. Money market instruments also include shares of money market funds. 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.
U.S. Government Securities
 
The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities. Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities include U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury and which differ only in their interest rates, maturities, and times of issuance. U.S. Treasury bills have initial maturities of one-year or less; U.S. Treasury notes have initial maturities of one to ten years; and U.S. Treasury bonds generally have initial maturities of greater than ten years. Certain U.S. government securities are issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government including, but not limited to, obligations of U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), the Small Business Administration, the Federal Farm Credit Administration, the Federal Home Loan Banks, Banks for Cooperatives (including the Central Bank for Cooperatives), the Federal Land Banks, the Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Federal Financing Bank, the Student Loan Marketing Association, the National Credit Union Administration and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac).
 
Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, including, for example, Ginnie Mae pass-through certificates, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those securities issued by Fannie Mae, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the federal agency, while other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, while the U.S. government provides financial support to such U.S. government-sponsored federal agencies, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will always do so, since the U.S. government is not so obligated by law. U.S. Treasury notes and bonds typically pay coupon interest semi-annually and repay the principal at maturity.
 
On September 7, 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced a federal takeover of Fannie Mae and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), placing the two federal instrumentalities in conservatorship. Under the takeover, the U.S. Treasury agreed to acquire $1 billion of senior preferred stock of each instrumentality and obtained warrants for the purchase of common stock of each instrumentality (the “Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement” or “Agreement”). Under the Agreement, the U.S. Treasury pledged to provide up to $200 billion per instrumentality as needed, including the contribution of cash capital to the instrumentalities in the event their liabilities exceed their assets. This was intended to ensure that the instrumentalities maintain a positive net worth and meet their financial obligations, preventing mandatory triggering of receivership. On December 24, 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was amending the Agreement to allow the $200 billion cap on the U.S. Treasury’s funding commitment to increase as necessary to accommodate any cumulative reduction in net worth over the next three years. As a result of this Agreement, the investments of holders, including the Fund, of mortgage-backed securities and other obligations issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are protected.
 
Borrowing
 
The Fund may borrow money to facilitate management of the Fund’s portfolio by enabling the Fund to meet redemption requests when the liquidation of portfolio instruments would be inconvenient or disadvantageous. Such borrowing is not for investment purposes and will be repaid by the Fund promptly. As required by the 1940 Act, the Fund must maintain continuous asset coverage (total assets, including assets acquired with borrowed funds, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of all amounts borrowed. If, at any time, the value of the Fund’s assets should fail to meet this 300% coverage test, the Fund, within three days (not including Sundays and holidays), will reduce the amount of the Fund’s borrowings to the extent necessary to meet this 300% coverage requirement. Maintenance of this percentage limitation may result in the sale of portfolio securities at a time when investment considerations otherwise indicate that it would be disadvantageous to do so.
 
Lending Portfolio Securities
 
The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current value of the securities loaned. The Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Fund receives the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities. Distributions received on loaned securities in lieu of dividend payments (i.e., substitute payments) would not be considered qualified dividend income.
With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower will be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, the Fund is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral may be reinvested in certain short-term instruments either directly on behalf of the lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, which may include those managed by the Adviser.
 
The Fund may pay a portion of the interest or fees earned from securities lending to a borrower as described above, and to one or more securities lending agents approved by the Board who administer the lending program for the Fund in accordance with guidelines approved by the Board. In such capacity, the lending agent causes the delivery of loaned securities from the Fund to borrowers, arranges for the return of loaned securities to the Fund at the termination of a loan, requests deposit of collateral, monitors the daily value of the loaned securities and collateral, requests that borrowers add to the collateral when required by the loan agreements, and provides recordkeeping and accounting services necessary for the operation of the program.
 
Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities.
 
Investment Companies
 
The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including money market funds, subject to applicable limitations under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1), the Fund may invest in the securities of another investment company (the “acquired company”) provided that the Fund, immediately after such purchase or acquisition, does not own in the aggregate: (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the acquired company; (ii) securities issued by the acquired company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; or (iii) securities issued by the acquired company and all other investment companies (other than treasury stock of the Fund) having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund.  To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Fund may invest its assets in securities of investment companies that are money market funds in excess of the limits discussed above.
 
If the Fund invests in and, thus, is a shareholder of, another investment company, the Fund’s shareholders will indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by such other investment company, including advisory fees, in addition to both the management fees payable directly by the Fund to the Fund’s own adviser and the other expenses that the Fund bears directly in connection with the Fund’s own operations.
 
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in securities of other registered investment companies, including the Fund. The acquisition of the Fund’s Shares by registered investment companies is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, except as may be permitted by exemptive rules under the 1940 Act or as may at some future time be permitted by an exemptive order that permits registered investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that the registered investment company enter into an agreement with the Fund regarding the terms of the investment.
 
The Fund may rely on Section 12(d)(1)(F) and Rule 12d1-3 of the 1940 Act, which provide an exemption from Section 12(d)(1) that allows the Fund to invest all of its assets in other registered funds, including ETFs, if, among other conditions: (a) the Fund, together with its affiliates, acquires no more than three percent of the outstanding voting stock of any acquired fund, and (b) the sales load charged on the Fund’s shares is no greater than the limits set forth in Rule 2830 of the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
 
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)
 
MLPs are limited partnerships in which the ownership units are publicly traded.  MLP units are registered with the SEC and are freely traded on a securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market.  MLPs often own several properties or businesses (or own interests) that are related to real estate development and oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects.  Generally, an MLP is operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners.  Limited partners are not involved in the day-to-day management of the partnership.
The risks of investing in an MLP are generally those involved in investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation.  For example, state law governing partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations.  Accordingly, there may be fewer protections afforded investors in an MLP than afforded investors in a corporation.  Additional risks involved with investing in an MLP are those associated with the specific industry or industries in which the partnership invests, such as the risks of investing in real estate, or oil and gas industries.
 
Tax Risks
 
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares of the Fund will be taxed. The tax information in the Prospectus and this SAI is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares of the Fund.
 
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Shares.
 
 
The Trust has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies with respect to the Fund. These restrictions cannot be changed with respect to the Fund without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. For these purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
 
Except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, the Fund may not:
 
1.
Concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in any industry or group of related industries, except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in the stocks of such particular industry or group of related industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
 
2.
Borrow money or issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
 
3.
Make loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
 
4.
Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate, real estate investment trusts or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business.
 
5.
Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities.
 
6.
Underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
 
7.
With respect to 75% of its total assets, purchase the securities of any one issuer if, immediately after and as a result of such purchase, (a) the value of the Fund’s holdings in the securities of such issuer exceeds 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, or (b) the Fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer (with the exception that this restriction does not apply to the Fund’s investments in the securities of the U.S. Government, or its agencies or instrumentalities, or other investment companies).
In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies as set forth above, the Fund observes the following restrictions, which may be changed without a shareholder vote.
 
1.
The Fund will not hold illiquid assets in excess of 15% of its net assets. An illiquid asset is any asset which may not be sold or disposed 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 invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending), in the component securities of the Index.
 
If a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction, except that the percentage limitations with respect to the borrowing of money and illiquid securities will be observed continuously.
 
 
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Exchange.
 
There can be no assurance that the Fund will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund’s Shares. 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 at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the Fund’s Underlying Index no longer is calculated or available; or (iii) such 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.
 
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.
 
To provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Shares of the Fund, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means an updated “intraday indicative value” (“IIV”) for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Trust is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIVs.
 
 
Board Responsibilities. The management and affairs of the Trust and its series are overseen by the Board, which elects the officers of the Trust who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the Fund.  The Board has approved contracts, as described below, under which certain companies provide essential services to the Trust.
 
The day-to-day business of the Trust, including the management of risk, is performed by third-party service providers, such as the Adviser, the Distributor and the Administrator. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, has oversight responsibility with respect to risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Fund. The Fund and its service providers employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust’s business (e.g., the Adviser is responsible for trading portfolio securities for the Fund) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that business. The Board has emphasized to the Fund’s service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management.
 
The Board’s role in risk oversight begins before the inception of the Fund, at which time certain of the Fund’s service providers present the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Fund as well as proposed investment limitations for the Fund. Additionally, the Adviser provides the Board with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board continues its oversight function as various personnel, including the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of the Adviser, and other service providers such as the Fund’s independent accountants, make periodic reports to the Audit Committee or to the Board with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board and the Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which the Fund may be exposed.
The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by its adviser and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on an annual basis, in connection with its consideration of whether to renew the Advisory Agreement, the Board or its designee meets with the Adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s adherence to the Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s investments, including, for example, portfolio holdings schedules.
 
The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Board to review and discuss compliance issues and Fund and Adviser risk assessments. At least annually, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Adviser. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; any material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and any material compliance matters since the date of the last report.
 
The Board receives reports from the Fund’s service providers regarding operational risks and risks related to the valuation and liquidity of portfolio securities. Annually, the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of the Fund’s financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Fund and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Fund’s internal controls. Additionally, in connection with its oversight function, the Board oversees Fund management’s implementation of disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in its periodic reports with the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods. The Board also oversees the Trust’s internal controls over financial reporting, which comprise policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of the Trust’s financial reporting and the preparation of the Trust’s financial statements.
 
From their review of these reports and discussions with the Adviser, Chief Compliance Officer, independent registered public accounting firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee learn in detail about the material risks of the Fund, thereby facilitating a dialogue about how management and service providers identify and mitigate those risks.
 
The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Board as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. Most of the Fund’s investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Adviser and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Fund’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s ability to monitor and manage risk, as a practical matter, is subject to limitations.
 
Members of the Board. There are four members of the Board of Trustees, three of whom are not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”). Mr. Michael A. Castino serves as Chairman of the Board and is an interested person of the Trust. The Trust does not have a lead independent trustee. The Board is comprised of a super-majority (75 percent) of Independent Trustees. There is an Audit Committee of the Board that is chaired by an Independent Trustee and comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee chair presides at the Audit Committee meetings, participates in formulating agendas for Audit Committee meetings, and coordinates with management to serve as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management on matters within the scope of responsibilities of the Audit Committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter. The Trust has determined its leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust. The Trust made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees of the Fund constitute a super-majority of the Board, the number of Independent Trustees that constitute the Board, the amount of assets under management in the Trust, and the number of funds overseen by the Board. The Board also believes that its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from Fund management.
Additional information about each Trustee of the Trust is set forth below. The address of each Trustee of the Trust is c/o USBFS, 615 E. Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
 
Name and
Year of Birth
Position
Held with
the Trust
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee
Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past
5 Years
Interested Trustee
Michael A. Castino
Born: 1967
Trustee
and
Chairman
Indefinite
term;
Trustee
since 2014;
Chairman
since 2013
Senior Vice President, USBFS (since 2013); Managing Director of Index Services, Zacks Investment Management (2011–2013); Vice President, Marco Polo Network (financial services firm) (2009–2011).
[9]
None
Independent Trustees
Ronald T. Beckman
Born: 1947
Trustee
Indefinite
term; since
2012
Retired; formerly Audit Partner specializing in investment management, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (1972–2004).
 
[9]
None
David A. Massart
Born: 1967
Trustee
Indefinite
term; since
2012
Co-Founder and Chief Investment Strategist, Next Generation Wealth Management, Inc. (since 2005).
[9]
Independent Trustee, Managed Portfolio Series
(26 portfolios).
Leonard M. Rush, CPA
Born: 1946
Trustee
Indefinite
term; since
2012
Retired; formerly Chief Financial Officer, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (2000–2011).
[9]
Independent Trustee, Managed Portfolio Series (26 portfolios); Director, Anchor Bancorp Wisconsin, Inc. (2011–2013).

 
Individual Trustee Qualifications. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of their ability to review and understand information about the Fund provided to them by management, to identify and request other information they may deem relevant to the performance of their duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Fund, and to exercise their business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on their own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.
 
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Castino should serve as Trustee because of the experience he gained as Chairman of the Trust since 2013, as a senior officer of USBFS since 2012, and in his past roles with investment management firms and indexing firms involved with ETFs, as well as his experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry.
 
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Beckman should serve as a Trustee because of his substantial investment management industry experience through his prior service as a business assurance (audit) partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for over 15 years.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Massart should serve as a Trustee because of his substantial industry experience, including over 15 years working with high net worth individuals, families, trusts and retirement accounts to make strategic and tactical asset allocation decisions, evaluate and select investment managers and manage client relationships, and the experience he has gained as serving as trustee of another investment company trust since 2011. He is currently the Chief Investment Strategist and lead member of the investment management committee of the SEC registered investment advisory firm he co-founded. Previously, he served as Managing Director of Strong Private Client and as a Manager of Wells Fargo Investments, LLC.
 
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Rush should serve as a Trustee because of his substantial industry experience, including serving in several different senior executive roles at various global financial services firms, and the experience he has gained as serving as trustee of another investment company trust since 2011. He most recently served as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated and several other affiliated entities and served as the Treasurer for Baird Funds. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer for Fidelity Investments’ four broker-dealers and has substantial experience with mutual fund and investment advisory organizations and related businesses, including Vice President and Head of Compliance for Fidelity Investments, a Vice President at Credit Suisse First Boston, a Manager with Goldman Sachs, & Co. and a Senior Manager with Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Rush has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee Financial Expert for the Trust.
 
In its periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the funds.
 
Board Committees. The Board has established the following standing committees of the Board:
 
Audit Committee. The Board has a standing Audit Committee that is composed of each of the Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee include: recommending which firm to engage as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and whether to terminate this relationship; reviewing the independent registered public accounting firm’s compensation, the proposed scope and terms of its engagement, and the firm’s independence; pre-approving audit and non-audit services provided by the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust and certain other affiliated entities; serving as a channel of communication between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Trustees; reviewing the results of each external audit, including any qualifications in the independent registered public accounting firm’s opinion, any related management letter, management’s responses to recommendations made by the independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the audit, reports submitted to the Committee by the internal auditing department of the Trust’s Administrator that are material to the Trust as a whole, if any, and management’s responses to any such reports; reviewing the Fund’s audited financial statements and considering any significant disputes between the Trust’s management and the independent registered public accounting firm that arose in connection with the preparation of those financial statements; considering, in consultation with the independent registered public accounting firm and the Trust’s senior internal accounting executive, if any, the independent registered public accounting firms’ report on the adequacy of the Trust’s internal financial controls; reviewing, in consultation with the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, major changes regarding auditing and accounting principles and practices to be followed when preparing the Fund’s financial statements; and other audit related matters. Each Independent Trustee currently serves as a member of the Audit Committee. [As of the date of this SAI or During the fiscal year ending [                    ], the Audit Committee met [    ] times.]
 
The Audit Committee also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (“QLCC”) for the Trust for the purpose of compliance with Rules 205.2(k) and 205.3(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations, regarding alternative reporting procedures for attorneys retained or employed by an issuer who appear and practice before the SEC on behalf of the issuer (the “issuer attorneys”). An issuer attorney who becomes aware of evidence of a material violation by the Trust, or by any officer, director, employee, or agent of the Trust, may report evidence of such material violation to the QLCC as an alternative to the reporting requirements of Rule 205.3(b) (which requires reporting to the chief legal officer and potentially “up the ladder” to other entities).
 
Nominating Committee. The Board has a standing Nominating Committee that is composed of each of the Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Nominating Committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board. The principal responsibility of the Nominating Committee is to consider, recommend and nominate candidates to fill vacancies on the Trust’s Board, if any. The Nominating Committee generally will not consider nominees recommended by shareholders. The Nominating Committee meets periodically, as necessary. [As of the date of this SAI or During the fiscal year ending [             ], the Nominating Committee [met one time].]
Valuation Committee. The Board has delegated day-to-day valuation issues to a Valuation Committee that is comprised of certain officers of the Trust and certain employees of USBFS. Although the Valuation Committee is not a committee of the Board (i.e., no Trustee is a member of Valuation Committee), the Valuation Committee’s membership is appointed by the Board and its charter and applicable procedures are approved by the Board. The function of the Valuation Committee is to value securities held by any series of the Trust for which current and reliable market quotations are not readily available. Such securities are valued at their respective fair values as determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee and the actions of the Valuation Committee are subsequently reviewed and ratified by the Board. The Valuation Committee meets as necessary.
 
Principal Officers of the Trust
 
The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. The address of each officer of the Trust is c/o USBFS, 615 E. Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Additional information about the Trust’s officers is as follows:
 
Name and Year of Birth
Position(s) Held
with Fund
Term of Office and
Length of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five
Years
Michael A. Castino
Born: 1967
Trustee and
Chairman
Indefinite term;
Trustee since
2014; Chairman
since 2013
Senior Vice President, USBFS (since 2013); Managing Director of Index Services, Zacks Investment Management (2011–2013); Vice President, Marco Polo Network (financial services firm) (2009–2011).
Paul R. Fearday, CPA
Born: 1979
President and
Assistant Treasurer
Indefinite term;
President and
Assistant
Treasurer since
2014 (other roles
since 2013)
Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (since 2008); Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (accounting firm) (2002–2008).
Michael D. Barolsky, Esq.
Born: 1981
Vice President and
Secretary
Indefinite term;
since 2014 (other
roles
since 2013)
Vice President, USBFS (since 2012); Associate, Thompson Hine LLP (law firm) (2008–2012).
Michael R. McVoy
Born: 1957
Chief Compliance
Officer
Indefinite term;
since 2013
Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, USBFS (since 1986).
Kristen M. Weitzel, CPA
Born: 1977
Treasurer
Indefinite term;
since 2014 (other
roles since 2013)
Assistant Vice President, USBFS (since 2011); Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (accounting firm) (2005–2011).

Trustee Ownership of Shares. The Fund is required to show the dollar amount ranges of each Trustee’s “beneficial ownership” of Shares of the Fund and each other series of the Trust as of the end of the most recently completely calendar year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial ownership” is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act.
 
As of the date of this SAI, no Trustee or officer of the Trust owned Shares of the Fund or any other series of the Trust.
 
Board Compensation. The Independent Trustees each receive an annual trustee fee of $25,000 for attendance at the four regularly scheduled quarterly meetings and one annual meeting, if necessary, and receive additional compensation for each additional meeting attended of $2,000, as well as reimbursement for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings. The Chairman of the Audit Committee receives an additional annual fee of $3,500. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No officer, director or employee of the Adviser receives any compensation from the Fund for acting as a Trustee or officer of the Trust. The following table shows the compensation estimated to be earned by each Trustee during the Fund’s fiscal year ending [                ]. Independent Trustee fees are paid by the adviser to each series of the Trust and not by the Fund. Trustee compensation does not include reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses in connection with attendance at meetings.
 Name
Aggregate Compensation
From Fund
Total Compensation From Fund
Complex Paid to Trustees
Interested Trustee
Michael A. Castino
$0
$0
Independent Trustees
Ronald T. Beckman
$0
$[    ]
David A. Massart
$0
$[    ]
Leonard M. Rush, CPA
$0
$[    ]
 
 
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a fund. A control person is a shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of a Fund. Because the Fund is new there were no beneficial owners as of the date of this SAI.
 
 
The Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor (as defined under “The Distributor”) have each adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics are designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor from engaging in deceptive, manipulative or fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Fund (which may also be held by persons subject to the codes of ethics). Each Code of Ethics permits personnel subject to that Code of Ethics to invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, subject to certain limitations, including limitations related to securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
 
There can be no assurance that the codes of ethics will be effective in preventing such activities. Each code of ethics may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. or on the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
 
 
The Fund has delegated proxy voting responsibilities to the Adviser, subject to the Board’s oversight. In delegating proxy responsibilities, the Board has directed that proxies be voted consistent with the Fund’s and its shareholders’ best interests and in compliance with all applicable proxy voting rules and regulations. The Adviser has adopted proxy voting policies and guidelines for this purpose (“Proxy Voting Policies”) and has engaged a third-party proxy solicitation firm to assist with voting proxies in a timely manner. A copy of the Proxy Voting Policies is set forth in Appendix B to this SAI. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the Proxy Voting Policies. The Proxy Voting Policies have been adopted by the Trust as the policies and procedures that the Adviser will use when voting proxies on behalf of the Fund.
 
The Proxy Voting Policies address, among other things, material conflicts of interest that may arise between the interests of the Fund and the interests of the Adviser. The Proxy Voting Policies will ensure that all issues brought to shareholders are analyzed in light of the Adviser’s fiduciary responsibilities.
 
When available, information on how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12 month period ended June 30 will be available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-617-0004 and (2) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
 
Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc., an Ohio corporation located at 325 John H. McConnell Boulevard, Suite 200, Columbus, Ohio 43215, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc.
 
Pursuant to an Advisory Agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Adviser, the Adviser provides investment advice to the Fund and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Fund, subject to the direction and control of the Board and the officers of the Trust. The Adviser is responsible for trading portfolio securities on behalf of the Fund, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions, subject to the oversight of the Board. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is also responsible for arranging transfer agency, custody, fund administration and accounting, and other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate. The Adviser administers the Fund’s business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services. The Adviser bears the costs of all advisory and non-advisory services required to operate the Fund, in exchange for a single unitary management fee. For services provided to the Fund, the Fund pays the Adviser a unified management fee of [   ]% at an annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets. However, the Trust has an obligation to indemnify its Trustees and officers with respect to any litigation to which a Fund may be a party.
 
The Advisory Agreement was initially approved by the Trustees (including all the Independent Trustees) and the Adviser as sole shareholder of the Fund in compliance with the 1940 Act. The Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund will continue in force for an initial period of two years. Thereafter, the Advisory Agreement will be renewable from year to year with respect to the Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Adviser or the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding Shares of a Fund. The Advisory Agreement automatically terminates on assignment and is terminable on a 60-day written notice either by the Trust or the Adviser.
 
The Adviser shall not be liable to the Trust or any shareholder for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its agreement with the Trust or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
 
The Fund is new and has not paid management fees to the Adviser as of the date of this SAI.
 
 
Compensation
 
R.H. Dillon is the portfolio manager and is also Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc., a public company and parent corporation of the Adviser. In March 2011, the Company entered into an amended five year employment agreement with Mr. Dillon which, among other matters, describes the terms and conditions of his base and incentive compensation. Beginning in 2011, Mr. Dillon will be paid an annual cash incentive compensation of at least 5% of the company’s annual operating income, generally with a maximum of $640,000 and a minimum of $0. Mr. Dillon also received a restricted stock award of 100,000 shares that cliff-vests on January 1, 2016 subject to meeting certain cumulative operating income goals over the vesting period. Mr. Dillon does not earn any incentive based upon revenue, assets under management or any other measure. Mr. Dillon’s incentive objectives must be reviewed and approved annually by the compensation committee of the board of directors.
 
Share Ownership
 
The Fund is required to show the dollar range of the portfolio manager’s “beneficial ownership” of Shares of the Fund as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial ownership” is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act. As of the date of this SAI, the Portfolio Manager did not beneficially own Shares of the Fund.
 
Other Accounts
 
In addition to the Fund, the portfolio manager manages the following other accounts as of [August 31, 2014].
Portfolio Manager
Type of Accounts
Total
Number of
Accounts
Total
Assets of
Accounts
(millions)
Total Number of
Accounts with
Performance Based
Fees
Total Assets of
Accounts with
Performance Based
 Fees (millions)
R.H. Dillion, CEO
Registered
Investment
Companies
[1]
[$3,786 ]
[0]
[$0]
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles
[2]
[$3]
[1]
[$89]
Other Accounts
[1]
[$9]
[0]
[$0]
 
Conflicts of Interest
 
The portfolio manager’s management of “other accounts” may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with his management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts may have the same investment objectives as the Fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the identical investment objectives, whereby the portfolio manager could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include the portfolio manager’s knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades, whereby a portfolio manager could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Fund he manages. However, the Adviser has established policies and procedures to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all accounts the Adviser manages are fairly and equitably allocated.
 
The Distributor
 
The Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, and an affiliate of the Administrator, are parties to a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Trust and distributes the Shares of the Fund. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in Creation Units. The Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit. The principal business address of the Distributor is 615 East Michigan Street, 4th Floor, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.
 
Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust, will solicit orders for the purchase of the Shares, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and a member of FINRA.
 
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Units” below) or DTC participants (as defined below).
 
The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually thereafter. The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by majority vote of its outstanding voting Shares or by a vote of a majority of its Board (including a majority of the Independent Trustees), or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Distribution Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Distributor, or reckless disregard by it of its obligations thereunder, the Distributor shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.
 
The Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent
 
 
Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Trust and USBFS, USBFS provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services) and accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services and furnishing financial reports. In this capacity, USBFS does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund Shares. As compensation for the administration, accounting and management services, the Adviser pays USBFS a fee based on the Fund’s average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee. USBFS also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses.
Pursuant to a Custody Agreement, U.S. Bank National Association, 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian of the Fund’s assets. The custodian holds and administers the assets in the Fund’s portfolios. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the custodian receives an annual fee from the Adviser based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets and certain settlement charges. The custodian also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
 
The Fund is new and the Adviser has not paid USBFS any fees for administrative services to the Fund as of the date of this SAI.
 
 
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 2020 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006-1806, serves as legal counsel for the Trust.
 
 
[               ], serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust.
 
 
The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s security holdings. The Fund’s entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services including publicly available internet web sites. In addition, the composition of the Deposit Securities is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the NSCC.
 
 
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of funds and Shares of the Fund. Each Share of the Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the Fund with each other Share. Shares are entitled upon liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets of the Fund. Shareholders have no preemptive rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees may create additional series or classes of shares. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional funds and all assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to that fund and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Share certificates representing shares will not be issued. The Fund’s Shares, when issued, are fully paid and non-assessable.
 
Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds of the Trust vote together as a single class, except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund it will be voted on only by that fund and if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter. As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is not required, and does not intend, to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Approval of shareholders will be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of Trustees under certain circumstances. Upon the written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the Trust’s shares, the Trust will call for a meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of one or more Trustees and other certain matters. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders requesting the meeting.
 
Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to liquidate the Fund without shareholder approval. While the Trustees have no present intention of exercising this power, they may do so if the Fund fails to reach a viable size within a reasonable amount of time or for such other reasons as may be determined by the Board.
 
 
The Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his or her own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. The Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrong-doing of any officer, agent, employee, adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any other Trustee. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust shall indemnify each person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, any person who is serving or has served at the Trust’s request as a Trustee, officer, trustee, employee or agent of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise to the extent and in the manner provided in the By-laws. However, nothing in the Declaration of Trust shall protect or indemnify a Trustee against any liability for his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee. Nothing contained in this section attempts to disclaim a Trustee’s individual liability in any manner inconsistent with the federal securities laws.
 
The policy of the Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities for the Fund is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Trust’s policy is to pay commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Trust believes that a requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude the Fund and the Adviser from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser will rely upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage services received from the broker effecting the transaction. Such determinations are necessarily subjective and imprecise, as in most cases, an exact dollar value for those services is not ascertainable. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of the Fund’s Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.
 
The Adviser owes a fiduciary duty to its clients to seek to provide best execution on trades effected. In selecting a broker/dealer for each specific transaction, the Adviser chooses the broker/dealer deemed most capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable execution. “Best execution” is generally understood to mean the most favorable cost or net proceeds reasonably obtainable under the circumstances. The full range of brokerage services applicable to a particular transaction may be considered when making this judgment, which may include, but is not limited to: liquidity, price, commission, timing, aggregated trades, capable floor brokers or traders, competent block trading coverage, ability to position, capital strength and stability, reliable and accurate communications and settlement processing, use of automation, knowledge of other buyers or sellers, arbitrage skills, administrative ability, underwriting and provision of information on a particular security or market in which the transaction is to occur. The specific criteria will vary depending upon the nature of the transaction, the market in which it is executed, and the extent to which it is possible to select from among multiple broker/dealers. The Adviser will also use electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) when appropriate.
 
The Adviser may use the Fund’s assets for, or participate in, third-party soft dollar arrangements, in addition to receiving proprietary research from various full service brokers, the cost of which is bundled with the cost of the broker’s execution services. The Adviser does not “pay up” for the value of any such proprietary research. The Adviser may receive a variety of research services and information on many topics, which it can use in connection with its management responsibilities with respect to the various accounts over which it exercises investment discretion or otherwise provides investment advice. The research services may include qualifying order management systems, portfolio attribution and monitoring services and computer software and access charges which are directly related to investment research. Accordingly, the Fund may pay a broker commission higher than the lowest available in recognition of the broker’s provision of such services to the Adviser, but only if the Adviser determines the total commission (including the soft dollar benefit) is comparable to the best commission rate that could be expected to be received from other brokers. The amount of soft dollar benefits received depends on the amount of brokerage transactions effected with the brokers. A conflict of interest exists because there is an incentive to: 1) cause clients to pay a higher commission than the firm might otherwise be able to negotiate; 2) cause clients to engage in more securities transactions than would otherwise be optimal; and 3) only recommend brokers that provide soft dollar benefits.
 
The Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest when it uses client trades to obtain brokerage or research services. This conflict exists because the Adviser is able to use the brokerage or research services to manage client accounts without paying cash for such services, which reduces the Adviser’s expenses to the extent that the Adviser would have purchased such products had they not been provided by brokers. Section 28(e) permits the Adviser to use brokerage or research services for the benefit of any account it manages. Certain accounts managed by the Adviser may generate soft dollars used to purchase brokerage or research services that ultimately benefit other accounts managed by the Adviser, effectively cross subsidizing the other accounts managed by the Adviser that benefit directly from the product. The Adviser may not necessarily use all of the brokerage or research services in connection with managing the Fund whose trades generated the soft dollars used to purchase such products.
The Fund may deal with affiliates in principal transactions to the extent permitted by exemptive order or applicable rule or regulation.
 
The Fund is new and had not paid any brokerage commissions as of the date of this SAI.
 
Brokerage with Fund Affiliates. The Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Fund, the Adviser or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the 1934 Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund for exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary” brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts which are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.” The Trustees, including those who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.
 
Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers.” The Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which it may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers or dealers” of the Trust are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Trust’s portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Trust; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Trust’s shares. Because the Fund is new, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund does not hold any securities of “regular broker dealers.”
 
 
Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services.
 
 
The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the Shares of the Fund. Shares are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except in limited circumstances set forth below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.
 
DTC is a limited-purpose trust company that 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 New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and FINRA. 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 of Shares. The Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the record owner of all shares for all purposes. Beneficial Owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names, and will not receive or be entitled to physical delivery of Share certificates. Each Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and any DTC Participant and/or Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial Owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements, and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. DTC will make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee a listing of Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall obtain from each such DTC Participant 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.
 
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in 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 the Fund’s 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 determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to the Fund at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Fund and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Fund shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the NYSE.
 
 
The Trust issues and sells Shares of the Fund only: (i) in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees), at their NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement (“Participant Agreement”); or (ii) pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Service (defined below). The NAV of the Fund’s Shares is calculated each business day as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The Fund will not issue fractional Creation Units. A “Business Day” is any day on which the Exchange is open for business.
 
Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each Creation Unit, constituting a substantial replication, or a portfolio sampling representation, of the securities included in the Fund’s Index and the Cash Component (defined below), computed as described below. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all or a portion of Deposit Cash, the Fund may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser.
 
Together, the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Shares (per Creation Unit) and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit exceeds the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit is less than the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant (as defined below).
 
The Fund, through NSCC, makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required number of Shares of each Deposit Security or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available.
The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, required for a Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities of the Fund’s Index.
 
The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Cash to replace any Deposit Security, which shall be added to the Cash Component, including, without limitation, in situations where the Deposit Security: (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC for corporate securities and municipal securities; (iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations (collectively, “custom orders”). The Trust also reserves the right to include or remove Deposit Securities from the basket in anticipation of Index rebalancing changes. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the subject Index being tracked by the Fund or resulting from certain corporate actions.
 
Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to purchase 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”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “Book Entry Only System”). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an “Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent and the Trust, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the Creation Transaction Fee (defined below) and any other applicable fees and taxes. The Adviser may retain all or a portion of the Transaction Fee to the extent the Adviser bears the expenses that otherwise would be borne by the Trust in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, which the Transaction Fee is designed to cover.
 
All orders to purchase Shares directly from the Fund must be placed for one or more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) is received and accepted is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”
 
An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Shares directly from the Fund in Creation Units have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.
 
On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which the Fund’s investments are primarily traded is closed, the Fund will also generally not accept orders on such day(s). 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 and in accordance with the applicable order form. On behalf of the Fund, the Distributor will notify the Custodian of such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate local sub-custodian(s). Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the cut-off time on such Business Day. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.
Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate securities), through a subcustody agent for (for foreign securities) and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. With respect to foreign Deposit Securities, the Custodian shall cause the subcustodian of the Fund to maintain an account into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, such Deposit Securities (or Deposit Cash for all or a part of such securities, as permitted or required), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local subcustodian. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of the Fund or its agents by no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Fund or its agents do not receive all of the Deposit Securities, or the required Deposit Cash in lieu thereof, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The “Settlement Date” for the Fund is generally the third Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received by in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled 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 order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to the applicable cut-off time and the federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time (as set forth on the applicable order form), with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in proper form as required, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time (as set forth on the applicable order form) on the Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, order form and this SAI are properly followed.
 
Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided herein, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian or subcustodians, the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. However, as discussed in Appendix A, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor in order to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and in certain other circumstances. The Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting from unsettled orders.
 
Creation Units may be purchased in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the net asset value of the Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the value as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”), which shall be maintained in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. The Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the Additional Cash Deposit, as applicable, by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Fund or its agents do not receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily marked to value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a Transaction Fee, as set forth below under “Creation Transaction Fee” will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.
Acceptance of Orders of Creation Units. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Distributor with respect to the Fund including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Participant are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; (g) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (h) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.
 
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 Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, a sub-custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other 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 Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.
 
All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
 
Creation Transaction Fee. A purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of Creation Units, and investors will be required to pay a creation transaction fee regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the creation transaction fee from time to time based upon actual experience. The standard fixed creation transaction fee for the Fund will be $[   ]. In addition, a variable fee will be charged on all cash transactions or substitutes for Creation Units of up to a maximum of 2% as a percentage of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction. The variable charge may be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or partial cash purchases incurred by the Fund, primarily designed to cover expenses related to broker commissions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust.
 
Risks of Purchasing Creation Units. There are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the Fund. Because the Fund’s Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution” of Shares could be occurring at any time. Certain activities that a shareholder performs as a dealer could, depending on the circumstances, result in the shareholder being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a shareholder could be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from the Fund, breaks them down into the constituent Shares, and sells those shares directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary-market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter.
Dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions), and thus dealing with the Fund’s Shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act.
 
Redemption. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their net asset value next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF A FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. 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. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
 
With respect to the Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on each Business Day, the list of the names and Share quantities of the Fund’s portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities.
 
Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or combination thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the Fund, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities—as announced by the Custodian on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a fixed redemption transaction fee as set forth below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the net asset value of the Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Trust’s discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities value representing one or more Fund Securities.
 
Redemption Transaction Fee. A redemption transaction fee is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units, and investors will be required to pay a fixed redemption transaction fee regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction, as set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus, as may be revised from time to time. The redemption transaction fee is the same no matter how many Creation Units are being redeemed pursuant to any one redemption request. The Fund may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time based upon actual experience. The standard fixed redemption transaction fee for the Fund will be $[   ]. In addition, a variable fee will be charged on all cash transactions or substitutes for Creation Units of up to a maximum of 2% as a percentage of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction. The variable charge may be imposed for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available) incurred by the Fund, primarily designed to cover expenses related to broker commissions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order.
 
Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units. Orders to redeem Creation Units must be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to [4:00 p.m.] Eastern Time. A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified in the Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s shares through DTC’s facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption request shall be rejected.
 
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form required by the Trust, to the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Trust’s Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
In connection with taking delivery of Shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such Shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within three business days of the trade date.
 
Additional Redemption Procedures. In connection with taking delivery of Shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, the Authorized Participant must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within three business days of the trade date. However, due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, the different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (that is the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold), and in certain other circumstances, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds may take longer than three Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. Appendix A identifies the instances where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, on behalf of the Fund, the Trust will make delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds within the number of days stated in Appendix A to be the maximum number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds. If neither the redeeming Shareholder nor the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming Shareholders will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
 
If it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming investor will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in net asset value. The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in net asset value.
 
Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” (“QIB”) as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status in order to receive Fund Securities.
 
Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on other exchanges on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for such Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares of the Fund, or to purchase or sell Shares of the Fund on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affecting by events in the relevant foreign markets.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
 
Required Early Acceptance of Orders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as described in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form, the Fund may require orders to be placed up to one or more business days prior to the trade date, as described in the Participant Agreement or the applicable order form, in order to receive the trade date’s net asset value. Orders to purchase Shares of the Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) that the equity markets in the relevant foreign market are closed will not be accepted. Authorized Participants may be notified that the cut-off time for an order may be earlier on a particular business day, as described in the Participant Agreement and the order form.
 
 
Net asset value per Share for the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including the management fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining net asset value. The net asset value of the Fund is calculated by the Custodian and determined at the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that such exchange is open, provided that fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) announces an early closing time.
 
In calculating the Fund’s net asset value per Share, the Fund’s investments are generally valued using market valuations. A market valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer) or (iii) based on amortized cost. In the case of shares of other funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund’s published net asset value per share. The Fund may use various pricing services, or discontinue the use of any pricing service, as approved by the Board from time to time. A price obtained from a pricing service based on such pricing service’s valuation matrix may be considered a market valuation. Any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources.
 
 
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”
 
General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis to improve index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.
 
Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Trust.
 
The Fund makes additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Fund, plus any net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the Trust reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
 
Dividend Reinvestment Service. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors should contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description of these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each broker may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables in order to participate in the dividend reinvestment service and investors should ascertain from their brokers such necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares issued by the Trust of the Fund at NAV per Share. Distributions reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund will nevertheless be taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional Shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.
 
The following is only a summary of certain federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders that supplements the discussion in the Prospectus.  No attempt is made to present a comprehensive explanation of the federal, state, local or foreign tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended to be a substitute for careful tax planning.
 
The following general discussion of certain federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI.  New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
 
Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of the provisions of tax law described in this SAI in light of the particular tax situations of the shareholders and regarding specific questions as to federal, state, or local taxes.
 
Taxation of the Fund.  The Fund will elect and intends to qualify each year to be treated as a separate RIC under the Code.  As such, the Fund should not be subject to federal income taxes on its net investment income and capital gains, if any, to the extent that it timely distributes such income and capital gains to its shareholders. In order to qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must distribute annually to its shareholders at least the sum of 90% of its net investment income (generally including the excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income, if any (the “Distribution Requirement”) and also must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, 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 foreign currencies and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Qualifying Income Requirement”); and (ii) at the end of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, the Fund’s assets must be diversified so that (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Diversification Requirement”).
 
To the extent the Fund makes investments that may generate income that is not qualifying income, including certain derivatives, the Fund will seek to restrict the resulting income from such investments so that the Fund’s non-qualifying income does not exceed 10% of its gross income. However, the Fund might generate more non-qualifying income than anticipated, might not be able to generate qualifying income in a particular taxable year at levels sufficient to meet the qualifying income test, or might not be able to determine the percentage of qualifying income it derives for a taxable year until after year-end.
 
The Fund similarly intends to limit its investments in qualified publicly traded partnerships (“QPTPs”), such as MLPs, to no more than 25% of its assets to satisfy the Diversification Requirement. Additionally, certain QPTPs hold investments the income from which is not qualifying income. Although net income from QPTPs is qualifying income, if an entity intending to qualify as a QPTP fails to qualify as a QPTP, the income generated from the Fund’s investment in the entity may not be qualifying income. There can be no guarantee that any entity will be successful in qualifying as a QPTP. In addition, there is little regulatory guidance concerning the application of the rules governing qualification as a QPTP, and it is possible that future guidance may adversely affect the qualification of entities as QPTPs.
If the Fund fails to satisfy the Qualifying Income Requirement or the Diversification Requirement in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Diversification Requirement where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period of time.  In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the Diversification Requirement, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions were not available to the Fund and it were to fail to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, all of its taxable income would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and its distributions (including capital gains distributions) generally would be taxable to the shareholders of the Fund as ordinary income dividends, subject to the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders and the lower tax rates on qualified dividend income received by noncorporate shareholders, subject to certain limitations.  To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on certain net built in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within ten years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.  The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund for treatment as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. If the Fund determines that it will not qualify as a RIC, the Fund will establish procedures to reflect the anticipated tax liability in the Fund’s NAV.
 
The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits.  The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as “post-October losses”) and certain other late-year losses.
 
Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Fund may carry a net capital loss from any taxable year forward indefinitely to offset its capital gains, if any, in years following the year of the loss. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to its shareholders. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses.
 
The Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, subject to an increase for any shortfall in the prior year’s distribution.  The Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the excise tax, but can make no assurances that all such tax liability will be eliminated.
 
The Fund intends to distribute substantially all its net investment income quarterly and its capital gains annually to shareholders for each taxable year. If the Fund meets the Distribution Requirement but retains some or all of its income or gains, it will be subject to federal income tax to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. The Fund may designate certain amounts retained as undistributed net capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount so designated, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on that undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent such credits exceed their liabilities, and (iii) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for federal income tax purposes, in their Shares in the Fund by an amount equal to the excess of the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective income tax credits.
Taxation of Shareholders – Distributions. The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), its net tax-exempt income, if any, and any net capital gain (net recognized long-term capital gains in excess of net recognized short-term capital losses, taking into account any capital loss carryforwards). The distribution of investment company taxable income and net realized capital gains will be taxable to Fund shareholders regardless of whether the shareholder receives these distributions in cash or reinvests them in additional Shares.
 
The Fund will report to shareholders annually the amounts of dividends paid from ordinary income, the amount of distributions of net capital gain, the portion of dividends which may qualify for the dividends received deduction for corporations, and the portion of dividends which may qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income, which is taxable to noncorporate shareholders at reduced rates. Qualified dividend income includes, in general, subject to certain holding period and other requirements, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations.  Subject to certain limitations, eligible foreign corporations include those incorporated in  possessions of the United States, those incorporated  in certain countries with comprehensive tax treaties with the United States, and other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which the dividends are paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States.  Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income generally only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or RIC.  It is expected that dividends received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed by the Fund to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. If 95% or more of the Fund’s gross income (calculated without taking into account net capital gain derived from sales or other dispositions of stock or securities) consists of qualified dividend income, the Fund may report all distributions of such income as qualified dividend income.
 
Fund dividends will not be treated as qualified dividend income if the Fund does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to dividend paying stocks in its portfolio, and the shareholder does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund Shares on which the dividends were paid.  Distributions from the Fund’s net capital gain will be taxable to shareholders at long-term capital gains rates, regardless of how long shareholders have held their Shares.  Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes.
 
Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December and payable to shareholders of record in such a month that is paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it was declared.
 
U.S. individuals with adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) exceeding certain threshold amounts ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases) are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes taxable interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Shares of the Fund). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
 
Shareholders who have not held Fund Shares for a full year should be aware that the Fund may report and distribute, as ordinary dividends or capital gain dividends, a percentage of income that is not equal to the percentage of the Fund’s ordinary income or net capital gain, respectively, actually earned during the applicable shareholder’s period of investment in the Fund. A taxable shareholder may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because the distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of the shareholder’s investment.
 
If a Fund’s distributions exceed its earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the Shares on which the distribution was received are sold. After a shareholder’s basis in the Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be treated as gain from the sale of the shareholder’s Shares.
 
Taxation of Shareholders – Sale of Shares. A sale or exchange of Shares of the Fund may give rise to a gain or loss.  In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Shares will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss.  Any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss, rather than short-term capital loss, to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the shareholder of long-term capital gain (including any amounts credited to the shareholder as undistributed capital gains).  All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares may be disallowed if substantially identical Shares of the Fund are acquired (through the reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly acquired Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
The cost basis of Shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the Shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code.  The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of Shares.  Contact the broker through whom you purchased your Shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.
 
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will 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 sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
 
Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will generally be treated as short-term capital gains or losses.  Any loss upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gain with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).
 
The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require the provision of information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Fund does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) will not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.
 
Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
 
Taxation of Fund Investments. Certain of the Fund’s investments may be subject to complex provisions of the Code (including provisions relating to hedging transactions, straddles, integrated transactions, foreign currency contracts, forward foreign currency contracts, and notional principal contracts) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (e.g., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also may require the Fund to mark to market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause the Fund to recognize income without the Fund receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts sufficient to enable the Fund to satisfy the RIC distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The Fund intends to monitor its transactions, intends to make appropriate tax elections, and intends to make appropriate entries in its books and records in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and preserve the Fund’s qualification for treatment as a RIC.
The Fund is required for federal income tax purposes to mark to market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures and options contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures and options contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, options contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. It is anticipated that certain net gain realized from the closing out of futures or options contracts will be considered gain from the sale of securities and therefore will be qualifying income for purposes of the Qualifying Income Requirement.
 
If a call option written by the Fund expires, the amount of the premium received by the Fund for the option will be short-term capital gain to the Fund.  If such an option is closed by the Fund, any gain or loss realized by the Fund as a result of the closing purchase transaction will be short-term capital gain or loss. If the holder of a call option exercises the holder’s right under the option, any gain or loss realized by the Fund upon the sale of the underlying security or underlying futures contract pursuant to such exercise will be short-term or long-term capital gain or loss to the Fund depending on the Fund’s holding period for the underlying security or underlying futures contract.
 
With respect to call options purchased by the Fund, the Fund will realize short-term or long-term capital gain or loss if such option is sold and will realize short-term or long-term capital loss if the option is allowed to expire depending on the Fund’s holding period for the call option.  If such a call option is exercised, the amount paid by the Fund for the option will be added to the basis of the stock or futures contract so acquired.
 
Foreign Investments. Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries (including, for example, dividends or interest on stock or securities of non-U.S. issuers) may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Fund does not expect to satisfy the requirements for passing through to its shareholders any share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund, with the result that shareholders will not include such taxes in their gross incomes and will not be entitled to a tax deduction or credit for such taxes on their own tax returns.
 
Foreign Currency Transactions. Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time a fund accrues income or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time a fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, on the disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on the disposition of certain other instruments, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition are also treated as ordinary gain or loss. The gains and losses may increase or decrease the amount of a fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income.
 
Backup Withholding.  The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) fails to provide a correct taxpayer identification number certified under penalty of perjury; (2) is subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service for failure to properly report all payments of interest or dividends; (3) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is not subject to “backup withholding;” or (4) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is 28%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s ultimate U.S. tax liability. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the U.S.
 
Foreign Shareholders.  Foreign shareholders (i.e., nonresident alien individuals and foreign corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates) are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower tax treaty rate) on distributions derived from net investment income and short-term capital gains unless such income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder through a branch or permanent establishment in the United States.  Gains from the sale or other disposition of Shares of the Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who either (1) meets the Code’s definition of “resident alien” or (2) is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year.
 
Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund Shares comply with Internal Revenue Service requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities after June 30, 2014 (or, in certain cases, after later dates) and redemptions and certain capital gain dividends payable to such entities after December 31, 2016. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k) plans, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”).  Under current law, the Fund generally serves to block UBTI from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders with respect to their shares of Fund income.  However, notwithstanding the foregoing, tax-exempt shareholders could realize UBTI by virtue of their investment in the Fund where, for example, (i) the Fund invests in REITs that hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or (ii) Shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholders within the meaning of section 514(b) of the Code.  Charitable remainder trusts are subject to special rules and should consult their tax advisors. There are no restrictions preventing the Fund from holding investments in REITs that hold residual interests in REMICs, and the Fund may do so. The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult with their tax advisors regarding these issues.
 
Certain Potential Tax Reporting Requirements. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on disposition of the Fund’s Shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the Internal Revenue Service a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting requirements. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
 
 
Financial Statements and Annual Reports will be available after the Fund has completed a fiscal year of operations. When available, you may request a copy of the Fund’s Annual Report at no charge by calling 1-800-617-0004 or through the Fund’s website at www.[   ].com.
 
 
 
The Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis of “T plus three” business days. The Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than T plus three 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 Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within three 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 may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.
 
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 in certain circumstances.
 
The holidays applicable to the Fund during such periods are listed below, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. 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 the maximum number of days listed below for the Fund. 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.
 
The dates of the Regular Holidays in calendar year 2015 are:

New Year’s Day
January 1, 2015
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 19, 2015
Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day)
February 16, 2015
Good Friday
April 3, 2015
Memorial Day
May 25, 2015
Independence Day *
July 3, 2015
Labor Day
September 7, 2015
Columbus Day
October 12, 2015
Veterans Day
November 11, 2015
Thanksgiving Day *
November 26, 2015 *
Christmas Day *
December 25, 2015 *
 
* The NYSE, NYSE AMEX and NASDAQ will close trading early (at 1:00 PM ET) on Friday, November 27, 2015 (the day after Thanksgiving); and Thursday, December 24, 2015 (the day before Christmas).
 
 
 
 
DIAMOND HILL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.’S

PROXY VOTING POLICY, PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES

Rule 206(4)-6   under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended  (the “Act”), make it a fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative act, practice or course of business, within the meaning of Section 206(4) of the Act, for an investment adviser to exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, unless (i) the adviser has adopted and implemented written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interests of its clients, (ii) the adviser describes its proxy voting procedures to its clients and provides copies on request, and (iii) the adviser discloses to clients how they may obtain information on how the adviser voted their proxies.

In order to fulfill its responsibilities under the Act, Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc. (hereinafter “we” or “us” or “our”) has adopted the following Proxy Voting Policy, Procedures and Guidelines (the “Proxy Policy”) with regard to companies in our clients’ investment portfolios.

Key Objective

The key objective of our Proxy Policy is to maximize the value of the securities held in our clients’ portfolios. These policies and procedures recognize that a company’s management is entrusted with the day-to-day operations and longer term strategic planning of the company, subject to the oversight of the company’s board of directors. While ordinary business matters are primarily the responsibility of management and should be approved solely by the corporation’s board of directors, we also recognize that the company’s shareholders must have final say over how management and directors are performing, and how shareholders’ rights and ownership interests are handled, especially when matters could have substantial economic implications to the shareholders.

Therefore, we will pay particular attention to the following matters in exercising our proxy voting responsibilities as a fiduciary for our clients:

Accountability. Each company should have effective means in place to hold those entrusted with running a company’s business accountable for their actions. Management of a company should be accountable to its board of directors and the board should be accountable to shareholders.

Alignment of Management and Shareholder Interests. Each company should endeavor to align the interests of management and the board of directors with the interests of the company’s shareholders. For example, we generally believe that compensation should be designed to reward management for doing a good job of creating value for the shareholders of the company.

Transparency. Each company should provide timely disclosure of important information about its business operations and financial performance to enable investors to evaluate the company’s performance and to make informed decisions about the purchase and sale of the company’s securities.

Decision Methods

Clients may retain the right to vote on shareholder proposals concerning stocks that we have bought on the client’s behalf.  This is a perfectly reasonable request and we will not be offended if a client chooses to vote the shares.  In addition, we will not vote the proxy for shares held in a client’s account where we do not have investment authority over the shares.  The client can instruct the custodian to forward proxy materials from these issuers directly to the client for voting.  Where clients have voting authority we encourage them to exercise their right by conscientiously voting all the shares owned.

Our recommendation, however, is that clients delegate the responsibility of voting on shareholder matters to us.  Many clients recognize that good corporate governance and good investment decisions are complementary.  Often, the investment manager is uniquely positioned to judge what is in the client’s best economic interest regarding shareholder proposals.  Additionally, we can vote in accordance with a client’s wishes on any individual issue or shareholder proposal.  Personally, we might believe that implementation of this proposal will diminish shareholder value, but the vote will be made in the manner the client directs.   We believe clients are entitled to a statement of our principles and an articulation of our process when we make investment decisions and similarly, we believe clients are entitled to an explanation of our voting principles, as both ultimately affect clients economically.
We have developed the guidelines outlined below to guide our proxy voting.  In addition, we generally believe that the investment professionals involved in the selection of securities are the most knowledgeable and best suited to make decisions with regard to proxy votes.  Therefore, the portfolio management team whose strategy owns the shares has the authority to override the guidelines.  Also, where the guidelines indicate that an issue will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis or for votes that are not covered by the Proxy Policy, the portfolio management team whose strategy owns the shares has final authority to direct the vote.  In special cases, we may seek insight from a variety of sources on how a particular proxy proposal will affect the financial prospects of a company then vote in keeping with our primary objective of maximizing shareholder value over the long term.

Voting to maximize shareholder value over the long term may lead to an unusual circumstance of votes on the same issue held by different clients may not be the same.  For instance, the Small Cap Fund may own a company that is the subject of a takeover bid by a company owned in the Large Cap Fund.  Analysis of the bid may show that the bid is in the best interest of the Large Cap Fund but not in the best interest of the Small Cap Fund; therefore the Large Cap Fund may vote for the merger whereas the Small Cap Fund may vote against it.

In addition, when securities are out on loan, our clients collectively hold a significant portion of the company’s outstanding securities, and we learn of a pending proxy vote enough in advance of the record date, we will perform a cost/benefit analysis to determine if there is a compelling reason to recall the securities from loan to enable us to vote.

Conflicts Of Interest

Conflicts of interest may arise from various sources. They may be due to positions taken by clients that are perceived by them to be in their own best interests, but are inconsistent with our primary objective of maximizing shareholder value in the long run. We encourage clients who have their own objectives that differ from ours to notify us that they will vote their proxies themselves, either permanently or temporarily. Otherwise, we will vote their shares in keeping with this Proxy Policy.

In some instances, a proxy vote may present a conflict between the interests of a client, on the one hand, and our interests or the interests of a person affiliated with us, on the other. For example, we might manage money for a plan sponsor and that company’s securities may be held in client investment portfolios.  The potential for conflict of interest is imminent since we now would have a vested interest to acquiesce to company management’s recommendations, which may not be in the best interests of clients.  Another possible scenario could arise if we held a strong belief in a social cause and felt obligated to vote in this manner, which may not be best for clients.  In cases of conflicts of interest that impede our ability to vote, we will refrain from making a voting decision and will forward all of the necessary proxy voting materials to the client to enable the client to cast the votes. In the case of the mutual funds under our management, we will forward the proxy material to the independent trustees or directors if we are the investment adviser or to the investment adviser if we are the sub-adviser.

Recordkeeping

We will maintain records documenting how proxies were voted.  In addition, when we vote contrary to the Proxy Policy or for votes that the Proxy Policy indicates will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis or for votes that are not covered by the Proxy Policy, we will document the rationale for our vote.  We will maintain this documentation in accordance with the requirements of the Act and we will provide this information to a client who held the security in question upon the client’s request.
Proxy Voting Principles
 
1)  
We recognize that the right to vote a proxy has economic value.
All else being equal, a share with voting rights is worth more than a share of the same company without voting rights. (Sometimes, investors may observe a company with both a voting class and a non-voting class in which the non-voting class sells at a higher price than the voting, the exact opposite of the expected result described above; typically, this can be attributed to the voting class being relatively illiquid.) Thus, when you buy a share of voting stock, part of the purchase price is for the right to vote in matters concerning your company.  If you do not exercise that right, you paid more for that stock than you should have.
 
2)  
We recognize that we incur additional fiduciary responsibility by assuming this proxy voting right.
 
In general, acting as a fiduciary when dealing with the assets of others means being held to a higher than ordinary standard in each of the following aspects:

Loyalty - We will act only in the best interest of the client.  Furthermore, the duty of loyalty extends to the avoidance of conflicts of interest and self-dealing.

Care - We will carefully analyze the issues at hand and bring all the skills, knowledge, and insights a professional in the field is expected to have in order to cast an informed vote.

Prudence - We will make the preservation of assets and the earning of a reasonable return on those assets primary and secondary objectives as a fiduciary.

Impartiality - We will treat all clients fairly.

Discretion - We will keep client information confidential. Information concerning client-specific requests is strictly between the client and us.

3)  
We believe that a corporation exists to maximize the value for shareholders.
Absent a specific client directive, we will always vote in the manner (to the extent that it can be determined) that we believe will maximize the share price, and thus shareholder value, in the long-term.

4)  
We believe conscientious proxy voting can result in better investment performance.
The presence of an owner-oriented management is a major consideration in many of our investment decisions.  As a result, we typically would not expect to find ourselves at odds with management recommendations on major issues.  Furthermore, we do not anticipate entering a position intending to be shareholder activists. Yet, cases will arise in which we feel the current management or management’s current strategy is unlikely to result in the maximization of shareholder value.   So why would we own the stock?  One reason might be that the stock price is at such a significant discount to intrinsic value that the share price need not be “maximized” for us to realize an attractive return.  Another reason may be that we believe management will soon face reality and alter company strategy when it becomes apparent that a new strategy is more appropriate.  Additionally, we may disagree with management on a specific issue while still holding admiration for a company, its management, or its corporate governance in general.  We do not subscribe to the “If you don’t like management or its strategy, sell the stock” philosophy in many instances.

5)  
We believe there is relevant and material investment information contained in the proxy statement.  Close attention to this document may reveal insights into management motives, aid in developing quantifiable or objective measures of how a company has managed its resources over a period of time, and, perhaps most importantly, speak volumes about a “corporate culture”.
 
 
Proxy Voting Guidelines
 
Each proposal put to a shareholder vote is different.  As a result, each must be considered individually, however, there are several issues that recur frequently in U.S. public companies. Below are brief descriptions of various issues and our position on each. Please note that this list is not meant to be all-inclusive. In the absence of exceptional circumstances, we generally will vote in this manner on such proposals.
 

I.
Corporate Governance Provisions
 
 
A. 
Board of Directors
 
The election of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) is frequently viewed as a “routine item”.  Yet, in many ways the election of the Board is the most important issue that comes before shareholders.  Inherent conflicts of interest can exist between shareholders (the owners of the company) and management (who run the company).  At many companies, plans have been implemented attempting to better align the interests of shareholders and management, including stock ownership requirements and additional compensation systems based on stock performance. Yet, seldom do these perfectly align shareholder and management interests. An independent Board serves the role of oversight on behalf of shareholders.  For this reason, we strongly prefer that the majority of the Board be comprised of independent (also referred to as outside or non-affiliated) directors.  Furthermore, we also strongly prefer that key committees be comprised entirely of outside directors.
 
 
1.
Cumulative Voting
 
Cumulative voting allows the shareholders to distribute the total number of votes they have in any manner they wish when electing directors. In some cases, this may allow a small number of shareholders to elect a minority representative to the corporate board, thus ensuring representation for all sizes of shareholders.  Cumulative voting may also allow a dissident shareholder to obtain representation on the Board in a proxy contest.
 
To illustrate the difference between cumulative voting and straight voting, consider the John Smith Corporation.  There are 100 total shares outstanding; Jones owns 51 and Wilson owns 49.  Three directors are to be elected.  Under the straight voting method, each shareholder is entitled to one vote per share and each vacant director’s position is voted on separately.  Thus, Jones could elect all the directors since he would vote his 51 shares for his choice on each separately elected director.   Under the cumulative voting method, each shareholder has a total number of votes equal to the number of shares owned times the number of directors to be elected.  Thus, Jones has 153 votes (51 X 3 = 153) and Wilson has 147 votes (49 X 3).  The election of all directors then takes place simultaneously, with the top three vote recipients being elected.  Shareholders may group all their votes for one candidate.  Thus, Wilson could vote all 147 of his votes for one candidate.  This will ensure that Wilson is able to elect at least one director to the board since his candidate is guaranteed to be one of the top three vote recipients.
 
Since cumulative voting subjects management to the disciplinary effects of outside shareholder involvement, it should encourage management to maximize shareholder value and promote management accountability.  Thus, we will vote FOR proposals seeking to permit cumulative voting.
 
 
2.
Majority vs Plurality Voting
 
In evaluating majority voting vs. plurality voting we will vote on a case-by-case basis. A majority vote requires a candidate to receive support from a majority of votes cast to be elected. Plurality voting, on the other hand, provides that the winning candidate only garner more votes than a competing candidate. If a director runs unopposed under a plurality voting standard, he or she needs only one vote to be elected, so an "against" vote is meaningless.  We feel that directors should be elected to the board by a majority vote simply because it gives us a greater ability to elect board candidates that represent our clients’ best interest. However, in the case where a company adopts a provision in which a board candidate receives more AGAINST votes than FOR votes is required to tender his or her resignation, there is less reason to vote in favor of a majority vote standard.
 
3.
Election of Directors (Absenteeism)
 
Customarily, schedules for regular board and committee meetings are made well in advance.  A person accepting a nomination for a directorship should be prepared to attend meetings. A pattern of high absenteeism (less than 75% attendance) raises sufficient doubt about that director’s ability to effectively represent shareholder interests and contribute experience and guidance to the company.  While valid excuses for absences (such as illness) are possible, these are not the norm.  Schedule conflicts are not an acceptable reason for absenteeism since it suggests a lack of commitment or an inability to devote sufficient time to make a noteworthy contribution.  Thus, we will WITHHOLD our vote for (or vote AGAINST, if that option is provided) any director with a pattern of high absenteeism.

 
 
4.
Classified Boards
 
A classified Board separates directors into more than one class, with only a portion of the full Board standing for election each year.  For example, if the John Smith Corporation has nine directors on its Board and divides them into three classes, each member will be elected for a term of three years with elections staggered so that only one of the three classes stands for election in a given year.  A non-classified Board requires all directors to stand for election every year and serve a one-year term.
 
Proponents of classified Boards argue that by staggering the election of directors, a certain level of continuity and stability is maintained.  However, a classified Board makes it more difficult for shareholders to change control of the Board.  A classified Board can delay a takeover advantageous to shareholders yet opposed by management or prevent bidders from approaching a target company if the acquirer fears having to wait more than one year before gaining majority control.
 
We will vote FOR proposals seeking to declassify the Board and AGAINST proposals to classify the Board.
 
 
5. 
Inside versus Independent (or Non-Affiliated) Directors
 
We will vote FOR shareholder proposals asking that Boards be comprised of a majority of independent directors.
 
We will vote FOR shareholder proposals seeking Board nominating committees be comprised exclusively of independent directors.
 
We will WITHHOLD votes for (or vote AGAINST, if that option is provided) directors who may have an inherent conflict of interest, such as due to receipt of consulting fees from a corporation (affiliated outsiders) if the fees are significant or represent a significant percent of the director's income.
 
 
B. 
Confidential Voting

In a system of confidential voting, individual shareholder’s votes are kept confidential.  Management and shareholders are only told the vote total.  This eliminates the pressure placed on investors to vote with management, especially in cases when a shareholder would desire a business relationship with management.  We will vote FOR proposals seeking confidential voting.
 
C.    
Supermajority Votes
 
Most state corporation laws require that mergers, acquisitions, and amendments to the corporate bylaws or charter be approved by a simple majority of the outstanding shares.  A company may, however, set a higher requirement for certain corporate actions.  We believe a simple majority should be enough to approve mergers and other business combinations, amend corporate governance provisions, and enforce other issues relevant to all shareholders.  Requiring a supermajority vote entrenches management and weakens the governance ability of shareholders.  We will vote AGAINST management proposals to require a supermajority vote to enact these changes. In addition, we will vote FOR shareholder proposals seeking to lower supermajority vote requirements.
 
D.    
Shareholder Rights Plans (Poison Pills)
 
Shareholder rights plans are corporate-sponsored financial devices designed with provisions that, when triggered by a hostile takeover bid, generally result in either: (1) dilution of the acquirer’s equity holdings in the target company; (2) dilution of the acquirer’s voting rights in the target company; or (3) dilution of the acquirer’s equity interest in the post-merger company.  This is typically accomplished by distributing share rights to existing shareholders that allow the purchase of stock at a fixed price should a takeover attempt occur.
Proponents of shareholder rights plans argue that they benefit shareholders by forcing potential acquirers to negotiate with the target company’s Board, thus protecting shareholders from unfair coercive offers and often leading to higher premiums in the event of a purchase.  Obviously, this argument relies on the assumption of director independence and integrity.  Opponents claim that these plans merely lead to the entrenchment of management and discourage legitimate tender offers by making them prohibitively expensive.
 
We will evaluate these proposals on a case-by-case basis.  However, we generally will vote AGAINST proposals seeking to ratify a poison pill in which the expiration of the plan (sunset provision) is unusually long, the plan does not allow for the poison pill to be rescinded in the face of a bona fide offer, or the existing management has a history of not allowing shareholders to consider legitimate offers.  Similarly, we generally will vote FOR the rescission of a poison pill where these conditions exist.
 
We will vote FOR proposals requiring shareholder rights plans be submitted to shareholder vote.
 
II.  
Compensation Plans
 
Management is an immensely important factor in the performance of a corporation.  Management can either create or destroy shareholder value depending on the success it has both operating the business and allocating capital.  Well-designed compensation plans can prove essential in setting the right incentives to enhance the probability that both operations and capital allocation are conducted in a rational manner.  Ill-designed compensation plans work to the detriment of shareholders in several ways.  For instance,  there may be outsized compensation for mediocre (or worse) performance, directly reducing the resources available to the company, or misguided incentives could cloud business judgment.  Given the variations in compensation plans, most of these proposals must be considered on a case-by-case basis.
 
A.    
Non-Employee Directors
 
As directors take a more active role in corporate governance, compensation is becoming more performance-based.  In general, stock-based compensation will better tie the interests of directors and shareholders than cash-based compensation.  The goal is to have directors own enough stock (directly or in the form of a stock derivative) that when faced with a situation in which the interests of shareholders and management differ, rational directors will have incentive to act on behalf of shareholders.  However, if the stock compensation or ownership is excessive (especially if management is viewed as the source for this largesse), the plan may not be beneficial.
 
We will vote FOR proposals to eliminate retirement plans and AGAINST proposals to maintain or expand retirement packages for non-employee directors.
 
We will vote FOR proposals requiring compensation of non-employee directors to be paid at least half in company stock.
 
B.    
Incentive Compensation subject to Section 162(m)

The Omnibus Budget and Reconciliation Act of 1993 prohibits the deductibility of executive compensation of more than $1 million.  The intention was to slow the rise in executive compensation (whether the rise could be economically justified or was “bad” per se is a separate question) and to tie more of the future compensation to performance.  However, the law provided exemptions to this $1 million limit in certain circumstances.  Included in this exemption was compensation above $1 million that was paid on account of the attainment of one or more performance goals.  The IRS required the goals to be established by a compensation committee comprised solely of two or more outside directors.  Also, the material terms of the compensation and performance goals must be disclosed to shareholders and approved.  The compensation committee must certify that the goals have been attained before any payment is made.
 
The issue at hand is the qualification for a tax deduction, not whether the executive deserves more than $1 million per year in compensation.
 
We will vote FOR any such plan submitted for shareholder approval.  Voting against an incentive bonus plan is fruitless if the practical result will be to deny the company, and ultimately its shareholders, the potential tax deduction.
C.    
Stock Incentive Plans
 
Stock compensation programs can reward the creation of shareholder value through high payout sensitivity to increases in shareholder value.  Of all the recurring issues presented for shareholder approval, these plans typically require the most thorough examination for several reasons.  First, their economic significance is large.  Second, the prevalence of these plans has grown and is likely to persist in the future.  Third, there are many variations in these plans.  As a result, we must consider any such plan on a case-by-case basis.  However, some general comments are in order.
 
We recognize that options, stock appreciation rights, and other equity-based grants (whether the grants are made to directors, executive management, employees, or other parties) are a form of compensation.  As such, there is a cost to their issuance and the issue boils down to a cost-benefit analysis.  If the costs are excessive, then the benefit will be overwhelmed.  Factors that are considered in determining whether the costs are too great (in other words, that shareholders are overpaying for the services of management and employees) include: the number of shares involved, the exercise price, the award term, the vesting parameters, and any performance criteria.  Additionally, objective measures of company performance (which do not include short-term share price performance) will be factored into what we consider an acceptable amount of dilution. We will also consider past grants in our analysis, as well as the level of the executives’ or directors’ cash compensation.
 
We will look particularly closely at companies that have repriced options.  Repricing stock options may reward poor performance and lessen the incentive such options are supposed to provide.  In cases where there is a history of repricing stock options, we will vote AGAINST any plan not expressly prohibiting the future practice of option repricing.
 
D.    
Say-on-Pay
 
The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rules on Jan. 25, 2011 which implement requirements in Section 951 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The rules concern three separate non-binding shareholder votes on executive compensation:
 
     (1)       
Say-on-Pay Votes.  The new rule requires public companies subject to the proxy rules to provide their shareholders with an advisory vote on the compensation of the most highly compensated executives.  Say-on-pay votes must be held at least once every three years.  As stated above, support for or against executive compensation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
 
 
(2)       
Frequency Votes.  These companies also are required to provide their shareholders with an advisory vote on how often they would like to be presented with the say-on-pay votes – every year, every second year, or every third year.  In voting on the frequency of the say-on-pay, we believe that a TRIENNIAL vote is appropriate due to the fact that say-on-pay is a non-binding advisory vote and more frequent votes could reduce the Board’s strategic focus on the business. A three-year time horizon allows the Board to make well-informed decisions regarding executive compensation, evaluate the effectiveness of executive compensation, and increase time spent focusing on long-term shareholder value creation.
 
(3)       
Golden Parachute Disclosures and Votes.  These companies are also required to disclose compensation arrangements and understandings with highly compensated executive officers in connection with an acquisition or merger.  In certain circumstances, these companies also are required to conduct a shareholder vote to approve the golden parachute compensation arrangements.  We have a bias against golden parachutes, but since each merger or acquisition presents unique facts and circumstances, we will determine our votes on golden parachutes on a case-by case basis.
 
  Capital Structure, Classes of Stock, and Recapitalizations
 
A.      Common Stock Authorization
 
Corporations increase the supply of common stock for a variety of ordinary business reasons including: to raise new capital to invest in a project; to make an acquisition for stock; to fund a stock compensation program; or to implement a stock split or stock dividend.  When proposing an increase in share authorization, corporations typically request an amount that provides a cushion for unexpected financing needs or opportunities.  However, unusually large share authorizations create the potential for abuse.  An example would be the targeted placement of a large number of common shares to a friendly party in order to deter a legitimate tender offer.  Thus, we generally prefer that companies present for shareholder approval all requests for share authorizations that extend beyond what is currently needed, and indicate the specific purpose for which the shares are intended.  Generally, we will vote AGAINST any proposal seeking to increase the total number of authorized shares to more than 120% of the current outstanding and reserved but unissued shares, unless there is a specific purpose for the shares with which we agree.
For example, suppose a company has a total share authorization of 100 million.  Of the 100 million, 85 million are issued and outstanding and an additional 5 million are reserved but unissued.  We would vote against any proposal seeking to increase the share authorization by more than 8 million shares (Total allowable authorization: 1.2 X 90 =108 million; Current authorization: 100 million).
 
B.      Unequal Voting Rights (Dual Class Exchange Offers/ Dual Class Recapitalizations)
 
Proposals to issue a class of stock with inferior or even no voting rights are sometimes made.  Frequently, this class is given a preferential dividend to coax holders to cede voting power.  In general, we will vote AGAINST proposals to authorize or issue voting shares without full voting rights on the grounds that it could entrench management.
 
III.  
Social and Environmental Issues
 
Shareholder proposals relating to a company’s activities, policies, or programs concerning a particular social or environmental issue have become prevalent at annual meetings.  In some cases, an attempt is made to relate a recommendation for the company’s policies and activity to its financial health.  In other cases, the proposal seems tangentially related at best.  These issues are often difficult to analyze in terms of their effect on shareholder value.  As a result, these proposals must be considered on a case-by-case basis.  In cases where we do not believe we can determine the effect, we will ABSTAIN.  We will vote FOR any proposal that seeks to have a corporation change its activities or policy and we believe the failure to do so will result in economic harm to the company.  Similarly, we will vote AGAINST any policy that requests a change we believe will result in economic harm.
 
We will vote FOR proposals seeking information that is relatively inexpensive to produce and provide, is not publicly available, and does not reveal sensitive company information that could be harmful if acquired by competitors.  If these factors are present, then the issue reduces to freedom of information.
 
In practice, however, this is seldom the case.  Frequently, shareholder proposals call for a company to conduct an exhaustive study of some issue that is only tangentially related to the company’s business interests.  Further, the nature of the study proposed often deals with subjective issues in which no conclusive resolution will likely result from the study.  We will vote AGAINST such proposals.
 

IV.  
Voting Foreign Securities
 
Voting proxies of foreign issuers can be much different than voting proxies of U.S.-domiciled companies.  It can be more expensive (for instance, we could need to hire a translator for the proxy materials or, in some cases votes can only be cast in person so there would be travel costs to attend the meeting) and in some jurisdictions the shares to be voted must be sequestered and cannot be sold until the votes are cast or even until the meeting has been held.  In addition, the SEC has acknowledged that in some cases it can be in an investor’s best interests not to vote a proxy, for instance, when the costs of voting outweigh the potential benefits of voting.  Therefore, proxy voting for foreign issuers will be evaluated and voted, or not voted, on a case-by-case basis.
 
 
 
PART C:  OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28.  Exhibits

(a)
(i)
 
Certificate of Trust dated February 9, 2012 of ETF Series Solutions (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(i) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on February 17, 2012.
 
(ii)
 
Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated February 17, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(ii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on February 17, 2012.
(b)
   
Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws dated August 18, 2014, are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (b) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
(c)
   
Not applicable.
(d)
(i)
(A)
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC dated May 23, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(i) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 31, 2012.
 
(i)
(B)
Form of Amended Schedule A to Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(i)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on October 14, 2014.
 
(i)
(C)
Amended Schedule A to Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (for TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(ii)
(A)
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC and Index Management Solutions, LLC dated May 23, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(ii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(ii)
(B)
Amended Schedule A to Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC and Index Management Solutions, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(ii)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 4, 2013.
 
(iii)
(A)
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC and Mellon Capital Management Corporation (Vident Funds) dated September 11, 2013 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(iii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 4, 2013.
 
(iii)
(B)
Form of Amended Schedule A to Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC and Mellon Capital Management Corporation (for Vident Core U.S. Bond Strategy ETF) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(iii)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on October 14, 2014.
 
(iv)
 
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC and Mellon Capital Management Corporation (Falah Russell-Ideal Ratings U.S. Large Cap ETF and Deep Value ETF) dated September 2, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(iv) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 26, 2014.
 
(v)
 
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC and Penserra Capital Management, LLC. (TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(vi)
 
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Validea Capital Management, LLC, dated November 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(vii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(vii)
 
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc. (for DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(viii)
 
Interim Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC and Vident Investment Advisory, LLC (Vident Core U.S. Equity Fund) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
(e)
(i)
 
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (AlphaClone Alternative Alpha ETF) dated May 16, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(i) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(ii)
(A)
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (Vident Funds) dated August 22, 2013 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(ii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 5, 2013.
 
(ii)
(B)
Amended Schedule A to Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (Vident Funds) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(ii)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on October 14, 2014.
 
 
 
C-1

 
 
 
(iii)
 
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (Deep Value ETF) dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(iii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(iv)
 
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (Falah Russell-IdealRatings U.S. Large Cap ETF) dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(iv) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 9, 2014.
 
(v)
 
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (Validea Market Legends ETF) dated November 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(v) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(vi)
 
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(vii)
 
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Quasar Distributors, LLC (TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(viii)
 
Form of Authorized Participant Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(iii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
(f)
   
Not applicable.
(g)
(i)
(A)
Custody Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bank National Association dated May 16, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(i)
(B)
Amended Exhibit E to Custody Agreement (Vident Funds) – is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(i)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on October 14, 2014.
 
(i)
(C)
Exhibit F to Custody Agreement (Deep Value ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(i)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(i)
(C)
Exhibit G to Custody Agreement (Falah Russell-IdealRatings U.S. Large Cap ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(i)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(i)
(D)
Exhibit H to Custody Agreement (Validea Market Legends ETF) dated November 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(i)(D) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(i)
(E)
Exhibit I to Custody Agreement (DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(i)
(F)
Exhibit J to Custody Agreement (TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
(h)
(i)
(A)
Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated May 16, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(i) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(i)
(B)
Amended Exhibit D to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (Vident Funds) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(i)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on October 14, 2014.
 
(i)
(C)
Exhibit E to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (Deep Value ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(i)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(i)
(C)
Exhibit F to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (Falah Russell-IdealRatings U.S. Large Cap ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(i)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(i)
(D)
Exhibit G to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (Validea Market Legends ETF) dated November 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(i)(D) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(i)
(E)
Exhibit H to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(i)
(F)
Exhibit I to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(ii)
(A)
Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated May 16, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(ii)
(B)
Amended Exhibit C to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (Vident Funds) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on October 14, 2014.
 
(ii)
(C)
Exhibit D to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (Deep Value ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
 
 
C-2

 
 
(ii)
(C)
Exhibit E to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (Falah Russell-IdealRatings U.S. Large Cap ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(ii)
(D)
Exhibit F to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (Validea Market Legends ETF) dated November 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii)(D) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(ii)
(E)
Exhibit G to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(ii)
(F)
Exhibit H to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(iii)
(A)
Transfer Agent Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated May 16, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(ii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(iii)
(B)
Amended Exhibit C to Transfer Agent Agreement (Vident Funds) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iii)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on October 14, 2014.
 
(iii)
(C)
Exhibit D to Transfer Agent Agreement (Deep Value ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iii)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(iii)
(C)
Exhibit E to Transfer Agent Agreement (Falah Russell-IdealRatings U.S. Large Cap ETF), dated July 31, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iii)(C) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(iii)
(D)
Exhibit F to Transfer Agent Agreement (Validea Market Legends ETF) dated November 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iii)(D) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(iii)
(E)
Exhibit G to Transfer Agent Agreement (DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(iii)
(F)
Exhibit H to Transfer Agent Agreement (TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(iv)
(A)
Powers of Attorney dated May 21, 2014 are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iv) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on June 9, 2014.
 
(iv)
(B)
Powers of Attorney dated August 22, 2014 are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iv)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 8, 2014.
 
(v)
(A)
Compliance Services Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated May 13, 2013 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(v) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on July 26, 2013.
 
(v)
(B)
Amended Exhibit A to Compliance Services Agreement (DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF, TFMS HIPS 300 ETF and Validea Market Legends ETF) dated November 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(v)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
(i)
   
Opinion and Consent of Counsel - to be filed by subsequent amendment..
(j)
   
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
(k)
   
Not applicable.
(l)
(i)
 
Initial Capital Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated April 23, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (l)(i) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(ii)
 
Letter of Representations between the Trust and Depository Trust Company dated May 21, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (l)(ii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
(m)
(i)
(A)
Rule 12b-1 Plan is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (m) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(i)
(B)
Amended Schedule A to Rule 12b-1 Plan dated November 25, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (m)(i)(B) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(i)
(C)
Amended Schedule A to Rule 12b-1 Plan (DH Valuation-Weighted 500 ETF and TFMS HIPS 300 ETF) – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
 
 
C-3

 
 
(n)
   
Not applicable.
(o)
   
Reserved.
(p)
(i)
 
Code of Ethics for the Trust is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(i) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(ii)
 
Code of Ethics for Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC dated January 31, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(ii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(iii)
 
Code of Ethics for Index Management Solutions, LLC as amended February 5, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(iii) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2012.
 
(iv)
 
Code of Ethics for Quasar Distributors, LLC dated March 17, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(iv) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on May 23, 2014.
 
(v)
 
Code of Ethics for Mellon Capital Management Corporation dated March 12, 2013 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(iv) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on September 5, 2013.
 
(vi)
 
Code of Ethics for Validea Capital Management, LLC dated October 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(vi) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed on December 5, 2014.
 
(vii)
 
Code of Ethics for Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc. – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(viii)
 
Code of Ethics for Penserra Capital Management, LLC – to be filed by subsequent amendment.
 
(viiii)
 
Code of Ethics for Vident Investment Advisory, LLC – to be filed by subsequent amendment.

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

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

Item 30.  Indemnification

The Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, agent, employee, adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any other Trustee, and, subject to the provisions of the By-Laws, the Trust out of its assets may indemnify and hold harmless each and every Trustee and officer of the Trust from and against any and all claims, demands, costs, losses, expenses, and damages whatsoever arising out of or related to such Trustee’s or officer’s performance of his or her duties as a Trustee or officer of the Trust; provided that nothing herein contained shall indemnify, hold harmless or protect any Trustee or officer from or against any liability to the Trust or any Shareholder to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever issued, executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been issued, executed or done only in or with respect to their or his or her capacity as Trustees or Trustee, and such Trustees or Trustee shall not be personally liable thereon.

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

Item 31.  Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser

This Item incorporated by reference each investment adviser’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (“Form ADV”) on file with the SEC, as listed below. Each Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.  Additional information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by each officer and director of the below-listed investment advisers is included in the Trust’s Statement of Additional Information.
 
 
 
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Investment Adviser
SEC File No.
Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc.
801-32176
Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC
801-70485
Index Management Solutions, LLC
801-70930
Mellon Capital Management Corporation
801-19785
Penserra Capital Management, LLC
801-80466
Validea Capital Management, LLC
801-66767
Vident Investment Advisory, LLC
801-80534

Item 32.  Principal Underwriter

Quasar Distributors, LLC acts as the Principal Underwriter for the Trust.

(a)    
Quasar Distributors, LLC acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies:
 
Academy Funds Trust
Jensen Portfolio, Inc.
Advisors Series Trust
Kirr Marbach Partners Funds, Inc.
Aegis Funds
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
Allied Asset Advisors Funds
LKCM Funds
Alpine Equity Trust
LoCorr Investment Trust
Alpine Income Trust
Loeb King Trust
Alpine Series Trust
Lord Asset Management Trust
Appleton Funds
MainGate Trust
Barrett Opportunity Fund, Inc.
Managed Portfolio Series
Brandes Investment Trust
Matrix Advisors Value Fund, Inc.
Bridge Builder Trust
Merger Fund
Bridges Investment Fund, Inc.
Monetta Trust
Brookfield Investment Funds
Nicholas Family of Funds, Inc.
Brown Advisory Funds
Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, Inc.
Buffalo Funds
Perritt Funds, Inc.
Capital Guardian Funds Trust
PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds
Compass EMP Funds Trust
Professionally Managed Portfolios
DoubleLine Funds Trust
Prospector Funds, Inc.
ETF Series Solutions
Provident Mutual Funds, Inc.
Evermore Funds Trust
Purisima Funds
FactorShares Trust
Rainier Investment Management Mutual Funds
First American Funds, Inc.
RBC Funds Trust
First American Investment Funds, Inc.
SCS Financial Funds
First American Strategy Funds, Inc.
Stone Ridge Trust
FundX Investment Trust
Thompson IM Funds, Inc.
Glenmede Fund, Inc.
TIFF Investment Program, Inc.
Glenmede Portfolios
Trust for Professional Managers
Greenspring Fund, Inc.
Trust for Advised Portfolios
Guinness Atkinson Funds
USA Mutuals
Harding Loevner Funds, Inc.
Wall Street Fund, Inc.
Hennessy Funds Trust
Westchester Capital Funds
Hotchkis & Wiley Funds
Wisconsin Capital Funds, Inc.
Intrepid Capital Management Funds Trust
WY Funds
IronBridge Funds, Inc.
YCG Funds
Jacob Funds, Inc.
 
 
 
 
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(b)    
To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of Quasar Distributors, LLC are as follows:
 
Name and Principal
Business Address
Position and Offices with Quasar
Distributors, LLC
Positions and Offices
with Registrant
James R. Schoenike(1)
President, Board Member
None
Andrew M. Strnad(2)
Vice President, Secretary
None
Joe D. Redwine(1)
Board Member
None
Robert Kern(1)
Board Member
None
Susan LaFond(1)
Vice President, Treasurer
None
Joseph Bree(1)
Chief Financial Officer
None
Teresa Cowan(1)
Senior Vice President, Assistant Secretary
None
John Kinsella(3)
Assistant Treasurer
None
Brett Scribner(3)
Assistant Treasurer
None
(1)This individual is located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202.
(2)This individual is located at 6602 East 75th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46250.
(3)This individual is located at 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55402.


(c)    
Not applicable.

Item 33.  Location of Accounts and Records

The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are maintained at the following locations:
 
Records Relating to:
Are located at:
Registrant’s Fund Administrator, Fund Accountant and
Transfer Agent
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 3rd Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin  53202
Registrant’s Custodian
U.S. Bank, National Association
1555 N. Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
Registrant’s Principal Underwriter
Quasar Distributors, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin  53202
Registrant’s Investment Advisers
Diamond Hill Capital Management, Inc.
325 John H. McConnell Boulevard, Suite 200
Columbus, Ohio 43215
 
Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC
2545 S. Kelly Avenue, Suite C
Edmond, Oklahoma 73013
 
Validea Capital Management LLC
363 Ridgewood Road
West Hartford, Connecticut 06107
 
 
 
 
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Records Relating to:
Are located at:
Registrant’s Investment Sub-Advisers
Index Management Solutions, LLC
2005 Market Street
One Commerce Square, Suite 2020
Philadelphia, PA 19103
 
Mellon Capital Management Corporation
50 Fremont Street
San Francisco, California 94105
 
Penserra Capital Management, LLC
140 Broadway, 26th Floor
New York, New York 10005
 
Vident Investment Advisory, LLC
300 Colonial Center Parkway, Suite 330
Roswell, Georgia 30076

Item 34.  Management Services
Not applicable.

Item 35.  Undertakings
Not applicable.
 
 
 
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SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this registration statement under rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed below on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin, on December 19, 2014.
 
ETF Series Solutions

By:   /s/ Michael D. Barolsky                 
Michael D. Barolsky, Esq.
Vice President and Secretary

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on December 19, 2014.

Signature
Capacity
   
*/s/ Ronald T. Beckman 
Trustee
Ronald T. Beckman
 
   
*/s/ David A. Massart 
Trustee
David A. Massart
 
   
*/s/ Leonard M. Rush 
Trustee
Leonard M. Rush
 
   
*/s/ Michael A. Castino 
Trustee
Michael A. Castino
 
   
*/s/ Paul R. Fearday 
Principal Financial Officer and
Paul R. Fearday
Principal Accounting Officer
   
/s/ Michael D. Barolsky 
Principal Executive Officer
Michael D. Barolsky
 
   
*By:        /s/ Michael D. Barolsky                    
Michael D. Barolsky, Attorney-in-Fact
pursuant to Powers of Attorney

 
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