XML 12 R1.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.2.0.727
Redwood Managed Volatility Fund

FUND SUMMARY

Investment Objective:

The Redwood Managed Volatility Fund (the “Fund”) seeks a combination of total return and prudent management of portfolio downside volatility and downside loss.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

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

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - Redwood Managed Volatility Fund
Class I
Class N
Class Y
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) none none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of original purchase price) none none none
Redemption Fee (as a % of amount redeemed within 30 days of purchase) 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Redwood Managed Volatility Fund
Class I
Class N
Class Y
Management Fees [1] 1.25% 1.25% 1.25%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees [1] none 0.25% none
Other Expenses [1] 0.29% 0.29% 0.29%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses [1],[2] 0.58% 0.58% 0.58%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses [1] 2.12% 2.37% 2.12%
Expense Waiver [1] none none (0.04%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Waiver [1],[3] 2.12% 2.37% 2.08%
[1] Restated to reflect current fees.
[2] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.
[3] The Fund’s adviser has contractually agreed to reduce the Fund’s fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund until at least March 1, 2016 to ensure that total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and reimbursement (exclusive of any taxes, short selling expenses, interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, indirect expenses, expenses of other investment companies in which the Fund may invest, or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.74%, 1.99% and 1.50% of average daily net assets attributable to Class I, Class N and Class Y shares, respectively. This agreement may be terminated by the Fund’s Board of Trustees on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser. These fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.

Example:

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

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then 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 upon these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - Redwood Managed Volatility Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class I 215 664 1,139 2,452
Class N 240 739 1,265 2,706
Class Y 211 660 1,135 2,449

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 358%.

Principal Investment Strategies:

To pursue its investment objective the Fund uses a trend-following strategy that seeks to identify the critical turning points in the markets for high yield bonds (also known as “junk bonds”) and bank loans. The Fund’s adviser, Redwood Investment Management, LLC (“Redwood” or the “Adviser”) uses a quantitative program that seeks to invest in diversified high yield bond funds, bank loan funds, multi-sector bond funds and other fixed income funds with similar characteristics when the high yield bond and bank loan markets are trending upwards, and short-term fixed income securities when the high yield bond and bank loan markets are trending downwards. Depending on market conditions, the Fund may be invested: (i) primarily in high yield bond funds, bank loan funds, multi-sector bond funds and other fixed income funds with similar characteristics; (ii) primarily in short-term fixed income securities; or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii). The Fund also can invest in other income-oriented funds. By tactically allocating its investments, the Fund seeks to reduce its exposure to declines in the high yield bond and bank loan markets, thereby seeking to limit downside volatility and downside loss in down-trending markets.

 

The Adviser’s quantitative strategy takes into account macro market data and other market-based inputs and metrics to seek to identify market trends. When making investment decisions for the Fund the portfolio managers consider both technical factors as well as an assessment of current market conditions and other factors. To seek greater investment exposure to the Fund’s strategies, the Fund has the ability under federal law to leverage its portfolio by borrowing money from a bank in an amount of up to one-third of its assets (which includes the borrowed amount). The Fund invests opportunistically, based on its assessment of market conditions, to be more focused in particular assets.

 

The Fund gains exposure to the high yield bond and bank loan markets through investments in investment companies, including open-end mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), and closed-end funds, including business development companies. The investment companies in which the Fund invests may invest in securities of any maturity or quality, including securities rated below investment grade. The Fund may gain exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) securities, including emerging market securities, to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies that hold securities of foreign (non-U.S.) issuers. The short-term fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests may include corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities, asset-backed securities, securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities, securities issued by non-U.S. governments or their agencies and instrumentalities, money market securities and other interest-bearing instruments or any derivative instrument meant to track the return of any such instrument, and cash. The Fund may also invest in money market funds or other investment companies whose assets are comprised primarily of short-term fixed income securities. The Fund may invest in short-term fixed income strategies of any maturity and credit quality, including securities rated below investment grade (“junk bonds”).

 

The Adviser employs a total return and downside volatility management investment approach, which seeks to reduce exposure to losses in the markets while capturing gains during up-trends in these markets. The Adviser expects that the Fund will have lower downside volatility than the general global equity, fixed income, currency and commodity markets; however, the Fund’s downside volatility may be higher than any one or more of those markets over short-term periods.

 

The Fund may invest directly or indirectly in various types of derivatives, including total return swap contracts as a substitute for making direct investments in underlying instruments or to reduce certain investment exposures. A total return swap is a contract that exchanges a floating rate for the total return of a security or index. While Federal law limits the Fund’s bank borrowings to one-third of the Fund’s assets (which includes the borrowed amount), the use of derivatives is not limited the same manner. Federal law generally requires the Fund to segregate or “earmark” liquid assets or otherwise cover the market exposure of its derivatives, including swap contracts. The Fund may borrow money to enter into a swap contracts that may leverage the Fund’s portfolio to a significant degree.

 

The Fund is “non-diversified” for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), which means that the Fund may invest in fewer securities at any one time than a diversified fund.

Principal Investment Risks:

As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program but rather one component of a diversified investment portfolio. Many factors affect the Fund’s net asset value and performance.

 

• Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The risks of investing in asset-backed securities, including prepayment risk, extension risk, interest rate risk, market risk and management risk.

 

• Bank Loan Risk. The Fund’s investments in secured and unsecured participations in bank loans and assignments of such loans may create substantial risk. In making investments in such loans, which are made by banks or other financial intermediaries to borrowers, the Fund will depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of principal and interest.

 

• Borrowing Risk. Borrowing for investment purposes creates leverage, which may increase the volatility of the Fund. Additionally, money borrowed will be subject to certain costs, such as commitment fees and the cost of maintaining minimum average balances, as well as interest. Unless the income and capital appreciation, if any, on securities acquired with borrowed funds exceed the costs of borrowing, the use of leverage will diminish the investment performance of the Fund.

 

• Counterparty Risk. The risk that the Fund’s counterparty to an over-the-counter derivative contract, such as a total return swap, may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations. Counterparty risk is a type of credit risk.

 

• Credit Risk. The risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security or a derivative contract is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations.

 

• Currency Risk. The risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies.

 

• Derivatives Risk. The derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest either directly or through an underlying fund, may be more volatile than other instruments. The risks associated with investments in derivatives also include leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or improper valuation. Changes in the market value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. In addition, if a derivative is being used for hedging purposes there can be no assurance given that each derivative position will achieve a perfect correlation with the security or currency against which it is being hedged, or that a particular derivative position will be available when sought by the portfolio manager.

 

• Emerging Markets Risk. The risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk.

 

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

 

• Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk. Foreign (non-U.S.) securities present greater investment risks than investing in the securities of U.S. issuers and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than the securities of U.S. companies, due to less information about foreign companies in the form of reports and ratings than about U.S. issuers; different accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements; smaller markets; nationalization; expropriation or confiscatory taxation; currency blockage; or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

 

• Gap Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that a stock price or derivative value will change dramatically from one level to another with no trading in between and/or before the Fund can exit the investment. Usually such movements occur when there are adverse news announcements, which can cause a stock price or derivative value to drop substantially from the previous day’s closing price.

 

• High-Yield Fixed Income Securities (“Junk Bonds”) Risk. The fixed income securities held by the Fund that are rated below investment grade are subject to additional risk factors such as increased possibility of default, illiquidity of the security, and changes in value based on public perception of the issuer. Such high-yield securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality fixed income securities.

 

• Investment Companies and Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”) Risk. When the Fund invests in other investment companies, including ETFs, it will bear additional expenses based on its pro rata share of the other investment company’s or ETF’s operating expenses, including the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying investments the ETF holds. The Fund also will incur brokerage costs when it purchases and sells ETFs.

 

• Issuer-Specific Risk. The value of a specific security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market as a whole.

 

• Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as borrowing for investment purposes and derivative instruments, will magnify the Fund’s gains or losses. The use of leverage may further cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations or to meet collateral segregation requirements.

 

• Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments of the Fund would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations. In the past, in stressed markets, certain types of mortgage-backed securities suffered periods of illiquidity if disfavored by the market.

 

• Management Risk. The risk that investment strategies employed by the Adviser in selecting investments for the Fund may not result in an increase in the value of your investment or in overall performance equal to other similar investment vehicles having similar investment strategies.

 

• Market Risk. Overall equity market risk may affect the value of individual instruments in which the Fund invests. Factors such as domestic and foreign economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels, and political events affect the securities markets. When the value of the Fund’s investments goes down, your investment in the Fund decreases in value and you could lose money.

 

• Model Risk. The Fund will use model-based strategies that, while historically effective, may not be successful on an ongoing basis or could contain unknown errors. In addition, the data used in models may be inaccurate.

 

• Non-Diversified Portfolio Risk. The Fund is “non-diversified,” and thus may invest its assets in a smaller number of companies or instruments than many other funds. As a result, an investment in the Fund has the risk that changes in the value of a single security may have a significant effect on the Fund’s value.

 

• U.S. Government Securities Risk. Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. In addition, the value of U.S. Government securities may be affected by changes in the credit rating of the U.S. Government.

Performance:

The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s Class Y shares for each calendar year since the Fund’s inception. The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s Class Y shares over time to the performance of a broad-based market index. You should be aware the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting www.redwoodmutualfund.com or by calling 1-855-RED-FUND (733-3863).

Performance Bar Chart For Calendar Year Ended December 31

Bar Chart
Highest Quarter: 3/31/2014 2.70%
Lowest Quarter: 9/30/2014 -1.52%

Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For the year ended December 31, 2014)

Average Annual Total Returns - Redwood Managed Volatility Fund
Label
One Year
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class Y Return before taxes 2.38% 2.37% [1] Dec. 19, 2013
Class Y | Return after taxes on Distributions   1.34% 1.37%  
Class Y | Return after taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares   1.35% 1.36%  
Class I Return before taxes 2.11% 2.11% [1] Dec. 19, 2013
Class N Return before taxes 1.96% 1.96% [1] Dec. 19, 2013
Bank of America Merrill Lynch 3-5 Year Treasury Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) [2]   2.14% 1.79%  
[1] The inception date of the Fund is December 19, 2013.
[2] The Bank of America Merrill Lynch 3-5 Year Treasury Index is an unmanaged index which includes U.S. Treasury securities with maturities of 3 to 4.99 years. The index is produced by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. Investors cannot invest directly in an index or benchmark.

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