485BPOS 1 d88834d485bpos.htm REALITY SHARES ETF TRUST REALITY SHARES ETF TRUST

AS FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

ON DECEMBER 10, 2015

File No. 333-192288

File No. 811-22911

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

 

  REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE   
  SECURITIES ACT OF 1933    /X/  
  POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 7    /X/    
  AND   
  REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE   
  INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940    /X/    
  AMENDMENT NO. 11    /X/

REALITY SHARES ETF TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

402 West Broadway, Suite 2800

San Diego, CA 92101

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)

(619) 487-1445

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

Eric Ervin

c/o Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

402 West Broadway, Suite 2800

San Diego, CA 92101

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copy to:

Richard F. Morris, Esquire

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

101 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10178

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

 

x immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

¨ on January 31, 2015 pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

 

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485.

If appropriate check the following box:

 

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


REALITY SHARES ETF TRUST

PROSPECTUS

December 10, 2015

REALITY SHARES DIVCON LEADERS DIVIDEND ETF

 

  TICKER SYMBOL    PRINCIPAL U.S. LISTING EXCHANGE   
 

LEAD

   BATS EXCHANGE, INC.   

REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND DEFENDER ETF

 

  TICKER SYMBOL    PRINCIPAL U.S. LISTING EXCHANGE   
 

DFND

   BATS EXCHANGE, INC.   

REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND GUARD ETF

 

  TICKER SYMBOL    PRINCIPAL U.S. LISTING EXCHANGE   
 

GARD

   BATS EXCHANGE, INC.   

INVESTMENT ADVISER:

REALITY SHARES ADVISORS, LLC

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has

not approved or disapproved these

securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus.

Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


About This Prospectus

This prospectus has been arranged into different sections so that you can easily review this important information. For detailed information about the Fund please see:

 

     Page

REALITY SHARES DIVCON LEADERS DIVIDEND ETF

  

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

   1

FUND FEES AND EXPENSES

   1

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

   2

PRINCIPAL RISKS

   3

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

   4

INVESTMENT ADVISER

   4

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

   4

REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND DEFENDER ETF

  

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

   5

FUND FEES AND EXPENSES

   5

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

   6

PRINCIPAL RISKS

   7

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

   9

INVESTMENT ADVISER

   9

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

   9

REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND GUARD ETF

  

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

   10

FUND FEES AND EXPENSES

   10

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

   11

PRINCIPAL RISKS

   12

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

   14

INVESTMENT ADVISER

   15

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

   15

SUMMARY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES AND TAXES

   16

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH FUNDS INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND PRINCIPAL RISKS

   16

INFORMATION ABOUT PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

   19

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND PORTFOLIO MANAGER

   19

PURCHASING AND SELLING FUND SHARES

   20

FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES

   21

PRICING OF FUND SHARES

   21

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

   22

TAXES

   22

PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION

   24

INVESTMENTS BY REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES

   24

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

   24

HOW TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND

   Back Cover

 

i


REALITY SHARES DIVCON LEADERS DIVIDEND ETF

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF (the “Fund”) is to seek long-term capital appreciation by tracking the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend Index (the “Benchmark Index”).

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Most investors also will incur customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the table or the Example.

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

 

Management Fees

     0.43

Other Expenses1

     0.00

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.43

 

1  Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

Example

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

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. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If the commissions were included in the Example, your costs would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1 Year    3 Years  

$ 44

     $ 138   

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

1


Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Benchmark Index. The Benchmark Index was developed by Reality Shares, Inc. (“Reality Shares”), the parent company of Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser. The Benchmark Index is designed to capitalize on the theory that, over time, companies that consistently grow their dividends tend to have investment returns above the overall market. The Benchmark Index is designed to select the companies that have the highest probability of increasing their dividend in a 12-month period. These probabilities are determined by Reality Shares’ DIVCON Scoring system, which is a proprietary, rules-based scoring and weighting methodology, and are expressed as a DIVCON Score and DIVCON Rating for each company.

The DIVCON Scoring system begins by identifying the 500 largest U.S. companies based on market capitalization as of the Benchmark Index reconstitution date and then narrows this universe to those companies that paid an ordinary dividend and announced a future dividend payment during the 12 months preceding such date. The DIVCON Scoring system analyzes quantitative factors that Reality Shares has determined to be correlated to a company’s likelihood to increase or decrease future dividends, and weights each factor based on its effectiveness in predicting dividend changes to produce a company’s DIVCON Score. After a DIVCON Score is calculated for each company, it is assigned a rating from 1 to 5 according to the DIVCON Rating system: DIVCON 1, DIVCON 2, DIVCON 3, DIVCON 4 and DIVCON 5. Companies in the DIVCON 1 category are those determined most likely to decrease their dividend in the next twelve months. Companies in the DIVCON 5 category are those determined most likely to increase their dividend in the next twelve months. All DIVCON 5 stocks or the 30 stocks with the highest DIVCON Scores, whichever is greater, are selected for inclusion in the Benchmark Index. Companies are weighted in the index based on their DIVCON Scores, with higher DIVCON Scores weighted more heavily. The Benchmark Index is reconstituted annually on the first Friday in December. As of December 4, 2015, the market capitalizations of the 500 largest U.S. companies included in the DIVCON Scoring System ranged from $7.14 billion to $660.12 billion.

The Adviser employs a passive indexing investment approach. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets (other than collateral held from securities lending, if any) will be invested in component securities of the Benchmark Index. The Fund generally uses a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning that it will invest in all of the securities included in the Benchmark Index. The Fund may, however, use a representative sampling approach to achieve its investment objective when the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund, meaning that the Fund may invest in a subset, or “sample,” of the securities included in the Benchmark Index and whose risk, return and performance characteristics generally match the risk, return and performance characteristics of the Benchmark Index as a whole. The Fund reserves the right to invest up to 20% of its assets in swaps, futures, forwards, options, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and other securities that are not components of the Benchmark Index that the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Benchmark Index.

The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times in securities and or financial instruments that, in combination, provide exposure to the Benchmark Index without regard to market conditions, trends or direction. The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and may invest in fewer instruments or in the securities of fewer issuers than a diversified fund. The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or sector to approximately the same extent as the Benchmark Index is so concentrated.

 

2


Principal Risks

As with all investments, the value of your investment in the Fund can be expected to go up or down. You can lose money on your investment, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of your investment. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risk factors affecting your investments in the Fund are set forth below. Each of these factors could cause the value of an investment in the Fund to decline over short- or long-term periods.

Equity Risk — The prices of equity securities in which the Fund invests rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may decline in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

ETF Trading Risk — Active market trading of the Fund’s shares may cause more frequent creation or redemption activities that could, in certain circumstances, increase the number of portfolio transactions. High levels of transactions increase brokerage and other transaction costs and may result in increased taxable capital gains.

Index Performance Risk — There is no guarantee or assurance that the methodology used to create the Benchmark Index will result in the Fund achieving positive returns. The Benchmark Index may underperform more traditional indices. In turn, the Fund could lose value while other indices or measures of market performance increase in value. In addition, the Benchmark Index was formed in August 2015. Accordingly, the Benchmark Index has limited historical performance.

Index Tracking Error Risk — As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund may vary from the performance of the Benchmark Index as a result of Fund fees and expenses, the use of representative sampling and other factors. Therefore, although the performance of the Fund is designed to track the performance of the Benchmark Index, there can be no guarantees that the Fund will achieve this objective.

Market Risk — Market risk is the risk that the market price of a security may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The market prices of the Fund’s portfolio holdings are influenced by many factors. As a result, the performance of the Fund could vary from its stated objective and you could lose money.

Investments in Other ETFs Risk The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities of the ETF, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. When the Fund invests in an ETF, in addition to directly bearing the expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear a pro rata portion of the ETF’s expenses.

New Fund Risk — The Fund is newly organized and the Adviser has limited experience as investment adviser to an ETF. Accordingly, there is a risk the Fund may not employ a successful investment strategy or successfully implement its strategy and the Fund may fail to attract sufficient assets under management to realize economies of scale. As a result, the performance of the Fund could vary from its stated objective and you could lose money.

Non-Diversification Risk — The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in fewer instruments or issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or other occurrence and may therefore be more volatile than a more diversified fund.

 

3


Quantitative Model Risk — The Benchmark Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology based on quantitative models developed by Reality Shares. These quantitative models may be incomplete, flawed or based on inaccurate assumptions and, therefore, may lead to the selection of assets for inclusion in the Benchmark Index that produce inferior investment returns or provide exposure to greater risk of loss. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be lower or the Fund may be subject to greater risk than if the Benchmark Index had not been constructed using quantitative modeling because the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in the component securities of the Benchmark Index.

Sector Focus Risk — The Fund may focus its investments from time to time on one or more economic sectors. To the extent that it does so, developments affecting companies in that sector or sectors will likely have a magnified effect on the Fund’s share price and total returns and may subject the Fund to greater risk of loss. Accordingly, the Fund may be more volatile than a fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

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 market prices for Fund shares generally are expected to closely correspond to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), it is expected that, as with all ETFs, there will be times when the market price of the Fund’s shares are higher or lower than the NAV of such shares. The risk that shares of the Fund may trade at prices other than NAV is heightened in times of market stress or volatility. There can be no guarantee that an active market for Fund shares will develop or be maintained.

Use of Derivatives Risk — Investments in options, swaps, forward contracts and futures contracts are subject to a number of risks, including correlation risk, market risk, leverage risk and liquidity risk. Correlation risk is the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the derivative’s underlying reference asset, rate or index. Market risk is described above. Leverage risk is the risk that the use of a derivative will amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price or cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations pursuant to the derivative contract. Liquidity risk is the risk that certain instruments may be difficult or impossible to buy or sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. The Fund may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps is also subject to credit risk and valuation risk. Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to a contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation. Valuation risk is the risk that the derivative may be difficult to value and/or valued incorrectly. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy, could cause the Fund to lose money and could have a negative impact on the value of your investment.

Performance Information

The Fund is new and therefore has no performance history. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance.

Investment Adviser

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

Portfolio Manager

Kenneth Han, Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in December 2015.

 

4


REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND DEFENDER ETF

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF (the “Fund”) is to seek long-term capital appreciation by tracking the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender Index (the “Benchmark Index”).

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Most investors also will incur customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the table or the Example.

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

 

Management Fees

     0.85 % 

Other Expenses1

  

Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions

     0.10 % 

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.95 % 

 

1  Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

Example

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

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. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If the commissions were included in the Example, your costs would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1 Year    3 Years  

$ 97

   $  303   

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

5


Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Benchmark Index. The Benchmark Index was developed by Reality Shares, Inc. (“Reality Shares”), the parent company of the Adviser. The Benchmark Index is designed to capitalize on the theory that, over time, companies that consistently grow their dividends tend to have investment returns above the overall market and companies that cut their dividends tend to have investment returns below the overall market. The Benchmark Index is designed to select the companies for a long position that have the highest probability of increasing their dividend in a 12-month period and select the companies for a short position that have the highest probability of decreasing their dividend in a 12-month period. These probabilities are determined by Reality Shares’ DIVCON Scoring system, which is a proprietary, rules-based scoring and weighting methodology, and are expressed as a DIVCON Score and DIVCON Rating for each company.

The DIVCON Scoring system begins by identifying the 500 largest U.S. companies based on market capitalization as of the Benchmark Index reconstitution date and then narrows this universe to those companies that paid an ordinary dividend and announced a future dividend payment during the 12 months preceding such date. The DIVCON Scoring system analyzes quantitative factors that Reality Shares has determined to be correlated to a company’s likelihood to increase or decrease future dividends, and weights each factor based on its effectiveness in predicting dividend changes to produce a company’s DIVCON Score. After a DIVCON Score is calculated for each company, it is assigned a rating from 1 to 5 according to the DIVCON Rating system: DIVCON 1, DIVCON 2, DIVCON 3, DIVCON 4 and DIVCON 5. Companies in the DIVCON 1 category are those determined most likely to decrease their dividend in the next twelve months. Companies in the DIVCON 5 category are those determined most likely to increase their dividend in the next twelve months.

The Benchmark Index consists of a “Long Portfolio” and a “Short Portfolio.” The Long Portfolio consists of all DIVCON 5 stocks or the 30 stocks with the highest DIVCON Scores, whichever is greater. All stocks in the Long Portfolio are reflected as long positions in such stocks. The value of the Long Portfolio reflected in the Benchmark Index is expected to increase if the prices of stocks included in the Long Portfolio increase. The Short Portfolio consists of all DIVCON 1 stocks or the 10 stocks with the lowest DIVCON Scores, whichever is greater. All stocks in the Short Portfolio are reflected as short positions in such stocks. The value of the Short Portfolio reflected in the Benchmark Index is expected to increase if the prices of stocks included in the Short Portfolio decrease. Companies are weighted in each Portfolio based on their DIVCON Scores. Companies with higher DIVCON Scores are weighted more heavily in the Long Portfolio, and companies with lower DIVCON Scores are weighted more heavily in the Short Portfolio.

The Benchmark Index will direct approximately 75% exposure to the Long Portfolio and approximately 25% exposure to the Short Portfolio. The Benchmark Index is rebalanced at the end of any calendar quarter if the value of the Short Portfolio has increased 10% or more from the last rebalancing date. The Benchmark Index also is rebalanced if the value of either the sum of or difference between the Long Portfolio and Short Portfolio changes in an amount greater than predetermined levels, effective the next business day. The Benchmark Index is reconstituted annually on the first Friday in December. As of December 4, 2015, the market capitalizations of the 500 largest U.S. companies included in the DIVCON Scoring System ranged from $7.14 billion to $660.12 billion.

The Adviser employs a passive indexing investment approach. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets (other than collateral held from securities lending, if any) will be invested in component securities of the Benchmark Index. The Fund generally uses a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning that it will invest in all of the securities included in the Benchmark Index. The Fund may, however, use a representative sampling approach to achieve its investment objective when the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund, meaning that the

 

6


Fund may invest in a subset, or “sample,” of the securities included in the Benchmark Index and whose risk, return and performance characteristics generally match the risk, return and performance characteristics of the Benchmark Index as a whole. The Fund reserves the right to invest up to 20% of its assets in swaps, futures, forwards, options, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and other securities that are not components of the Benchmark Index that the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Benchmark Index.

The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times in securities and or financial instruments that, in combination, provide exposure to the Benchmark Index without regard to market conditions, trends or direction. The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and may invest in fewer instruments or in the securities of fewer issuers than a diversified fund. The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or sector to approximately the same extent as the Benchmark Index is so concentrated.

Principal Risks

As with all investments, the value of your investment in the Fund can be expected to go up or down. You can lose money on your investment, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of your investment. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risk factors affecting your investments in the Fund are set forth below. Each of these factors could cause the value of an investment in the Fund to decline over short- or long-term periods.

Equity Risk — The prices of equity securities in which the Fund invests rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may decline in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

ETF Trading Risk — Active market trading of the Fund’s shares may cause more frequent creation or redemption activities that could, in certain circumstances, increase the number of portfolio transactions. High levels of transactions increase brokerage and other transaction costs and may result in increased taxable capital gains.

Index Performance Risk — There is no guarantee or assurance that the methodology used to create the Benchmark Index will result in the Fund achieving positive returns. The Benchmark Index may underperform more traditional indices. In turn, the Fund could lose value while other indices or measures of market performance increase in value. In addition, the Benchmark Index was formed in August 2015. Accordingly, the Benchmark Index has limited historical performance.

Index Tracking Error Risk — As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund may vary from the performance of the Benchmark Index as a result of Fund fees and expenses, the use of representative sampling and other factors. Therefore, although the performance of the Fund is designed to track the performance of the Benchmark Index, there can be no guarantees that the Fund will achieve this objective.

Market Risk — Market risk is the risk that the market price of a security may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The market prices of the Fund’s portfolio holdings are influenced by many factors. As a result, the performance of the Fund could vary from its stated objective and you could lose money.

 

7


Investments in Other ETFs Risk The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities of the ETF, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. When the Fund invests in an ETF, in addition to directly bearing the expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear a pro rata portion of the ETF’s expenses.

New Fund Risk — The Fund is newly organized and the Adviser has limited experience as investment adviser to an ETF. Accordingly, there is a risk the Fund may not employ a successful investment strategy or successfully implement its strategy and the Fund may fail to attract sufficient assets under management to realize economies of scale. As a result, the performance of the Fund could vary from its stated objective and you could lose money.

Non-Diversification Risk — The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in fewer instruments or issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or other occurrence and may therefore be more volatile than a more diversified fund.

Quantitative Model Risk — The Benchmark Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology based on quantitative models developed by Reality Shares. These quantitative models may be incomplete, flawed or based on inaccurate assumptions and, therefore, may lead to the selection of assets for inclusion in the Benchmark Index that produce inferior investment returns or provide exposure to greater risk of loss. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be lower or the Fund may be subject to greater risk than if the Benchmark Index had not been constructed using quantitative modeling because the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in the component securities of the Benchmark Index.

Sector Focus Risk — The Fund may focus its investments from time to time on one or more economic sectors. To the extent that it does so, developments affecting companies in that sector or sectors will likely have a magnified effect on the Fund’s share price and total returns and may subject the Fund to greater risk of loss. Accordingly, the Fund may be more volatile than a fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

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 market prices for Fund shares generally are expected to closely correspond to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), it is expected that, as with all ETFs, there will be times when the market price of the Fund’s shares are higher or lower than the NAV of such shares. The risk that shares of the Fund may trade at prices other than NAV is heightened in times of market stress or volatility. There can be no guarantee that an active market for Fund shares will develop or be maintained.

Short Sales Risk — A short sale involves the sale of a security that the Fund does not own in the expectation of purchasing the same security (or a security exchangeable therefore) at a later date at a lower price. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to buy the security sold short (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the security has appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund that is potentially unlimited. Investment in short sales may also cause the Fund to incur expenses related to borrowing securities. There can be no guarantee that a stock included in the Short Portfolio of the Benchmark Index will be available on the open market for the Fund to sell short. Under these circumstances, the Fund may sell short a different security in order to provide a similar economic effect as if the stock or stocks in the Short Portfolio were available. However, such strategy may not provide successful, and the Fund could experience a loss or its performance could deviate from the performance of the Benchmark Index.

Use of Derivatives Risk — Investments in options, swaps, forward contracts and futures contracts are subject to a number of risks, including correlation risk, market risk, leverage risk and liquidity risk. Correlation risk is the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the

 

8


derivative’s underlying reference asset, rate or index. Market risk is described above. Leverage risk is the risk that the use of a derivative will amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price or cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations pursuant to the derivative contract. Liquidity risk is the risk that certain instruments may be difficult or impossible to buy or sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. The Fund may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps is also subject to credit risk and valuation risk. Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to a contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation. Valuation risk is the risk that the derivative may be difficult to value and/or valued incorrectly. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy, could cause the Fund to lose money and could have a negative impact on the value of your investment.

Performance Information

The Fund is new and therefore has no performance history. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance.

Investment Adviser

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

Portfolio Manager

Kenneth Han, Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in December 2015.

 

9


REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND GUARD ETF

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF (the “Fund”) is to seek long-term capital appreciation by tracking the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard Index (the “Benchmark Index”).

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Most investors also will incur customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the table or the Example.

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

 

Management Fees

     0.85%    

Other Expenses1

  

Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions

     0.20%    

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     1.05%    

Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements

     (0.10%)   
  

 

 

 

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements2

     0.95%    

 

1  Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

2  Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser, has contractually agreed to reduce fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep aggregate interest expenses on securities sold short (“Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions”) from exceeding 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the Fund until February 28, 2017 (the “Expense Limitation”). The Adviser may recover all or a portion of its fee reductions or expense reimbursements within a three-year period from the year in which it reduced its fee or reimbursed expenses if the Fund’s Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions are below the Expense Limitation. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Reality Shares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) for any reason at any time, or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2017.

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. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If the commissions were included in the Example, your costs would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1 Year    3 Years  

$ 97

   $  324   

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

10


Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Benchmark Index. The Benchmark Index was developed by Reality Shares, Inc. (“Reality Shares”), the parent company of Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser. The Benchmark Index is designed to capitalize on the theory that, over time, companies that consistently grow their dividends tend to have investment returns above the overall market and companies that cut their dividends tend to have investment returns below the overall market. The Benchmark Index is designed to select the companies for a long position that have the highest probability of increasing their dividend in a 12-month period and select the companies for a short position that have the highest probability of decreasing their dividend in a 12-month period. These probabilities are determined by Reality Shares’ DIVCON Scoring system, which is a proprietary, rules-based scoring and weighting methodology, and are expressed as a DIVCON Score and DIVCON Rating for each company.

The DIVCON Scoring system begins by identifying the 500 largest U.S. companies based on market capitalization as of the Benchmark Index reconstitution date and then narrows this universe to those companies that paid an ordinary dividend and announced a future dividend payment during the 12 months preceding such date. The DIVCON Scoring system analyzes quantitative factors that Reality Shares has determined to be correlated to a company’s likelihood to increase or decrease future dividends, and weights each factor based on its effectiveness in predicting dividend changes to produce a company’s DIVCON Score. After a DIVCON Score is calculated for each company, it is assigned a rating from 1 to 5 according to the DIVCON Rating system: DIVCON 1, DIVCON 2, DIVCON 3, DIVCON 4 and DIVCON 5. Companies in the DIVCON 1 category are those determined most likely to decrease their dividend in the next twelve months. Companies in the DIVCON 5 category are those determined most likely to increase their dividend in the next twelve months.

The Benchmark Index uses a proprietary, rules-based methodology to direct its exposure to two possible positions: (i) 100% exposure to a Long Portfolio or (ii) 50% exposure to a Long Portfolio and 50% exposure to a Short Portfolio (the “Long/Short Portfolio”). The Long Portfolio consists of all DIVCON 5 stocks or the 30 stocks with the highest DIVCON Scores, whichever is greater. All stocks in the Long Portfolio are reflected as long positions in such stocks. The value of the Long Portfolio reflected in the Benchmark Index is expected to increase if the prices of stocks included in the Long Portfolio increase. The Short Portfolio consists of all DIVCON 1 stocks or the 10 stocks with the lowest DIVCON Scores, whichever is greater. All stocks in the Short Portfolio are reflected as short positions in such stocks. The value of the Short Portfolio reflected in the Benchmark Index is expected to increase if the prices of stocks included in the Short Portfolio decrease. Companies are weighted in each Portfolio based on their DIVCON Scores. Companies with higher DIVCON Scores are weighted more heavily in the Long Portfolio, and companies with lower DIVCON Scores are weighted more heavily in the Short Portfolio.

Whether the Benchmark Index will consist of the Long Portfolio or Long/Short Portfolio depends on whether its proprietary Guard Indicator is triggered. The Guard Indicator is a measure of overall market strength, which is determined by calculating the relationship between short-term and long-term trends in both market price and volatility of each of the 10 sectors represented in the Benchmark Index. The Guard Indicator can range from a level of 1-10, representing the number of sectors indicated to be showing strength. When the Guard Indicator is 8 or greater, which indicates that 8 or more sectors are showing strength, then the Benchmark Index will consist of the Long Portfolio. When the Guard Indicator is 7 or less, which indicates that 7 or fewer sectors are showing strength, then the Benchmark Index will consist of the Long/Short Portfolio, effective the next business day. The Benchmark Index will continue to consist of the Long/Short Portfolio until the Guard Indicator returns to a level of 8 or greater, at which point the Benchmark Index again will consist of the Long Portfolio, effective the next business day. The Guard Indicator is measured as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange each day (typically 4:00 p.m. Eastern time).

 

11


The following sectors are represented in the Benchmark Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, telecommunication services, and utilities. The Benchmark Index is rebalanced at the end of any calendar quarter if the value of the Short Portfolio has increased 10% or more from the last rebalancing date. The Benchmark Index also is rebalanced if the value of either the sum of or difference between the Long Portfolio and Short Portfolio changes in an amount greater than predetermined levels, effective the next business day. The Benchmark Index is reconstituted annually on the first Friday in December. As of December 4, 2015, the market capitalizations of the 500 largest U.S. companies included in the DIVCON Scoring System ranged from $7.14 billion to $660.12 billion.

The Adviser employs a passive indexing investment approach. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets (other than collateral held from securities lending, if any) will be invested in component securities of the Benchmark Index. The Fund generally uses a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning that it will invest in all of the securities included in the Benchmark Index. The Fund may, however, use a representative sampling approach to achieve its investment objective when the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund, meaning that the Fund may invest in a subset, or “sample,” of the securities included in the Benchmark Index and whose risk, return and performance characteristics generally match the risk, return and performance characteristics of the Benchmark Index as a whole. The Fund reserves the right to invest up to 20% of its assets in swaps, futures, forwards, options, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and other securities that are not components of the Benchmark Index that the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Benchmark Index.

The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times in securities and or financial instruments that, in combination, provide exposure to the Benchmark Index without regard to market conditions, trends or direction. The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and may invest in fewer instruments or in the securities of fewer issuers than a diversified fund. The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or sector to approximately the same extent as the Benchmark Index is so concentrated.

Principal Risks

As with all investments, the value of your investment in the Fund can be expected to go up or down. You can lose money on your investment, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of your investment. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risk factors affecting your investments in the Fund are set forth below. Each of these factors could cause the value of an investment in the Fund to decline over short- or long-term periods.

Equity Risk — The prices of equity securities in which the Fund invests rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may decline in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

ETF Trading Risk — Active market trading of the Fund’s shares may cause more frequent creation or redemption activities that could, in certain circumstances, increase the number of portfolio transactions. High levels of transactions increase brokerage and other transaction costs and may result in increased taxable capital gains.

 

12


Guard Indicator Lag Risk — The Benchmark Index switches directing its exposure from the Long Portfolio to the Long/Short Portfolio and vice versa based on its proprietary methodology for measuring market strength. To the extent that markets are experiencing strength, but the Benchmark Index’s methodology does not detect such strength, the Benchmark Index may continue directing its exposure to the Long/Short Portfolio. Under such a scenario, the Benchmark Index, and consequently the Fund, may not participate in gains to the extent that it would had it been exposed 100% to the Long Portfolio. Conversely, to the extent that markets are declining, but the Benchmark Index’s methodology does not detect such decline, the Benchmark Index may continue directing its exposure 100% to the Long Portfolio. Under such a scenario, the Benchmark Index, and consequently the Fund, may experience losses to a greater extent than it would had it been exposed to the Long/Short Portfolio.

Index Performance Risk — There is no guarantee or assurance that the methodology used to create the Benchmark Index will result in the Fund achieving positive returns. The Benchmark Index may underperform more traditional indices. In turn, the Fund could lose value while other indices or measures of market performance increase in value. In addition, the Benchmark Index was formed in August 2015. Accordingly, the Benchmark Index has limited historical performance.

Index Tracking Error Risk — As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund may vary from the performance of the Benchmark Index as a result of Fund fees and expenses, the use of representative sampling and other factors. Therefore, although the performance of the Fund is designed to track the performance of the Benchmark Index, there can be no guarantees that the Fund will achieve this objective.

Market Risk — Market risk is the risk that the market price of a security may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The market prices of the Fund’s portfolio holdings are influenced by many factors. As a result, the performance of the Fund could vary from its stated objective and you could lose money.

Investments in Other ETFs Risk The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities of the ETF, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. When the Fund invests in an ETF, in addition to directly bearing the expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear a pro rata portion of the ETF’s expenses.

New Fund Risk — The Fund is newly organized and the Adviser has limited experience as investment adviser to an ETF. Accordingly, there is a risk the Fund may not employ a successful investment strategy or successfully implement its strategy and the Fund may fail to attract sufficient assets under management to realize economies of scale. As a result, the performance of the Fund could vary from its stated objective and you could lose money.

Non-Diversification Risk — The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in fewer instruments or issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or other occurrence and may therefore be more volatile than a more diversified fund.

Quantitative Model Risk — The Benchmark Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology based on quantitative models developed by Reality Shares. These quantitative models may be incomplete, flawed or based on inaccurate assumptions and, therefore, may lead to the selection of assets for inclusion in the Benchmark Index that produce inferior investment returns or provide exposure to greater risk of loss. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be lower or the Fund may be subject to greater risk than if the Benchmark Index had not been constructed using quantitative modeling because the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in the component securities of the Benchmark Index.

 

13


Sector Focus Risk — The Fund may focus its investments from time to time on one or more economic sectors. To the extent that it does so, developments affecting companies in that sector or sectors will likely have a magnified effect on the Fund’s share price and total returns and may subject the Fund to greater risk of loss. Accordingly, the Fund may be more volatile than a fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

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 market prices for Fund shares generally are expected to closely correspond to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), it is expected that, as with all ETFs, there will be times when the market price of the Fund’s shares are higher or lower than the NAV of such shares. The risk that shares of the Fund may trade at prices other than NAV is heightened in times of market stress or volatility. There can be no guarantee that an active market for Fund shares will develop or be maintained.

Short Sales Risk — A short sale involves the sale of a security that the Fund does not own in the expectation of purchasing the same security (or a security exchangeable therefore) at a later date at a lower price. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to buy the security sold short (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the security has appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund that is potentially unlimited. Investment in short sales may also cause the Fund to incur expenses related to borrowing securities. However, such strategy may not provide successful, and the Fund could experience a loss or deviate from the performance of the Benchmark Index. There can be no guarantee that a stock included in the Short Portfolio of the Benchmark Index will be available on the open market for the Fund to sell short. Under these circumstances, the Fund may sell short a different security in order to provide a similar economic effect as if the stock or stocks in the Short Portfolio were available. However, such strategy may not provide successful, and the Fund could experience a loss or its performance could deviate from the performance of the Benchmark Index.

Use of Derivatives Risk — Investments in options, swaps, forward contracts and futures contracts are subject to a number of risks, including correlation risk, market risk, leverage risk and liquidity risk. Correlation risk is the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the derivative’s underlying reference asset, rate or index. Market risk is described above. Leverage risk is the risk that the use of a derivative will amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price or cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations pursuant to the derivative contract. Liquidity risk is the risk that certain instruments may be difficult or impossible to buy or sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. The Fund may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps is also subject to credit risk and valuation risk. Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to a contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation. Valuation risk is the risk that the derivative may be difficult to value and/or valued incorrectly. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy, could cause the Fund to lose money and could have a negative impact on the value of your investment.

Performance Information

The Fund is new and therefore has no performance history. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance.

 

14


Investment Adviser

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

Portfolio Manager

Kenneth Han, Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in December 2015.

 

15


Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares and Taxes

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

As with all ETFs, the Funds’ shares are listed on a national securities exchange, are bought and sold through broker-dealers and may not be purchased or redeemed directly with the Funds. Each Fund’s shares trade in the secondary market at market prices, which may be different from the Fund’s NAV. As a result, a Fund’s shares may trade at a price greater than the NAV (at a premium) or less than the NAV (at a discount). Most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions or other charges when buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker-dealer.

The Funds issue and redeem shares at NAV only in large blocks of 25,000 shares or more (“Creation Units”) and only with large institutional investors that have entered into an agreement with the Funds’ distributor in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities and/or cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the Funds are not redeemable securities.

Tax Information

The Funds’ distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains.

More Information About Each Fund’s Investment Objective, Principal Investment Strategies and Principal Risks

More Information About Each Fund’s Investment Objective

Each Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the board of trustees (the “Board”) of Reality Shares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) without shareholder approval.

More Information About Each Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

This prospectus describes the Funds’ principal investment strategies and risks, and the Funds will normally invest in the types of securities described in this prospectus. In addition to the instruments and strategies described in this prospectus, each Fund may invest in other instruments, or use other investment strategies to a lesser extent. These instruments and strategies are described in detail in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) (for information on how to obtain a copy of the SAI see the back cover of this prospectus).

As with all investments, there is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment goal.

More Information About Each Fund’s Principal Risks

Each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities included in its Benchmark Index. Each Fund may change this non-fundamental policy upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders.

Investing in a Fund involves risk. There is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its goals. In fact, no matter how good a job the Adviser does, you could lose money on your investment in a Fund, just as you could with other investments. Each of the below risk factors could cause the value of an investment in a Fund to decline.

The value of your investment in a Fund is based on the value of the instruments the Fund holds. These prices change daily due to economic and other events that affect particular securities, instruments and the

 

16


market as a whole. These price movements, sometimes called volatility, may be greater or lesser depending on the types of instruments a Fund owns and the markets in which it trades. The impact on a Fund of a change in the value of a single instrument will depend in part on how widely the Fund diversifies its holdings.

The following descriptions provide additional information about some of the risks of investing in the Funds:

ETF Shares Trading Risk — Shares of the Funds are listed on the NYSE Arca (the “Exchange”). Although each Fund’s shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for Fund shares will develop or be maintained. An unanticipated early closing of the Exchange may result in your inability to buy or sell shares of a Fund on that day. The Exchange may halt trading in Fund shares because of market conditions or other reasons. In such instances, the price of a Fund’s shares could change dramatically and without warning. You may temporarily be unable to purchase or sell shares of a Fund if a trading halt occurs.

Forward Contracts Risk — A forward contract, or a “forward,” involves a negotiated obligation to purchase or sell a specific security or currency at a future date (with or without delivery required), which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are not traded on exchanges; rather, a bank or dealer will act as agent or as principal in order to make or take future delivery of a specified lot of a particular security or currency for the Fund’s account. Risks associated with forwards may include: (i) an imperfect correlation between the movement in prices of forward contracts and the securities or currencies underlying them; (ii) an illiquid market for forwards; (iii) difficulty in obtaining an accurate value for the forwards; and (iv) the risk that the counterparty to the forward contract will default or otherwise fail to honor its obligation. Because forwards require only a small initial investment in the form of a deposit or margin, they involve a high degree of leverage.

Forwards are also subject to credit risk, liquidity risk and leverage risk. Credit risk is the risk that a Fund could lose money if a counterparty to a derivative contract fails to make timely payment or otherwise honor its obligations. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The market for certain investments may become illiquid due to specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer or under adverse market or economic conditions independent of the issuer. A Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of a Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. Further, transactions in illiquid securities may entail transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The use of leverage can amplify the effects of market volatility on a Fund’s share prices and make the Fund’s returns more volatile. This is because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The use of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy their obligations.

Futures Contracts Risk — Futures contracts, or “futures,” provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific security or asset at a specified future time and at a specified price (with or without delivery required). The risks of futures include: (i) leverage risk; (ii) correlation or tracking risk and (iii) liquidity risk. Because futures require only a small initial investment in the form of a deposit or margin, they involve a high degree of leverage. Accordingly, the fluctuation of the value of futures in relation to the underlying assets upon which they are based is magnified. Thus, a Fund may experience potentially unlimited losses that exceed losses experienced by funds that do not use futures contracts. There may be imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of a futures contract and price movements of investments for which futures are used as a substitute, or which futures are intended to hedge.

 

17


Lack of correlation (or tracking) may be due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being substituted or hedged, such as speculative or other pressures on the markets in which these instruments are traded. Consequently, the effectiveness of futures as a security substitute or as a hedging vehicle will depend, in part, on the degree of correlation between price movements in the futures and price movements in underlying securities or assets. While futures contracts are generally liquid instruments, under certain market conditions they may become illiquid. Futures exchanges may impose daily or intra-day price change limits and/or limit the volume of trading.

Additionally, government regulation may further reduce liquidity through similar trading restrictions. As a result, a Fund may be unable to close out their futures contracts at a time that is advantageous. If movements in the markets for security futures contracts or the underlying security decrease the value of a Fund’s positions in security futures contracts, the Fund may be required to have or make additional funds available to its carrying firm as margin. If a Fund’s account is under the minimum margin requirements set by the exchange or the brokerage firm, its position may be liquidated at a loss, and the Fund will be liable for the deficit, if any, in its account. A Fund may also experience losses due to systems failures or inadequate system back-up or procedures at the brokerage firm(s) carrying the Fund’s positions. The successful use of futures depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the ability of the Adviser to predict movements of the underlying securities markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular futures strategy adopted will succeed.

Market Risk — Each Fund is subject to the market risk associated with its portfolio holdings. Market risk is the risk that the market price of a security may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Market risk may affect a single issuer, a security type, an industry, a sector or equity markets as a whole. As a result, the price of a Fund’s investments, and therefore the price of Fund shares, may fluctuate significantly. You could lose money on your investment over short or long periods of time.

New Fund Risk — Each Fund is newly organized and the Adviser has limited experience managing an ETF registered under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, investors in a Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not employ a successful investment strategy or successfully implement its strategy, and that the Fund may fail to attract sufficient assets under management to realize economies of scale. These factors could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance and, if they persist over time, could result in the Fund being liquidated. While shareholders would be provided with prior notice of liquidation, liquidation does not require shareholder approval, may occur at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders and could have negative tax consequences for shareholders.

Options Risk — An option is a contract between two parties for the purchase and sale of a financial instrument for a specified price at any time during the option period. Unlike a futures contract, an option grants a right (not an obligation) to buy or sell a financial instrument. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in exchange for a premium, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price during the term of the option. The seller of an uncovered call option assumes the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the market price of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. The securities necessary to satisfy the exercise of the call option may be unavailable for purchase except at much higher prices. Purchasing securities to satisfy the exercise of the call option can itself cause the price of the securities to rise further, sometimes by a significant amount, thereby exacerbating the loss. The buyer of a call option assumes the risk of losing its entire premium invested in the call option. The seller (writer) of a put option that is covered (e.g., the writer has a short position in the underlying security) assumes the risk of an increase in the market price of the underlying security above the sales price (in establishing the short position) of the underlying security plus the premium

 

18


received and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The seller of an uncovered put option assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The buyer of a put option assumes the risk of losing his entire premium invested in the put option. An option’s time value (i.e., the component of the option’s value that exceeds the in-the-money amount) tends to diminish over time. Even though an option may be in-the-money to the buyer at various times prior to its expiration date, the buyer’s ability to realize the value of an option depends on when and how the option may be exercised. For example, the terms of a transaction may provide for the option to be exercised automatically if it is in-the-money on the expiration date. Conversely, the terms may require timely delivery of a notice of exercise, and exercise may be subject to other conditions (such as the occurrence or non-occurrence of certain events, such as knock-in, knock-out or other barrier events) and timing requirements, including the “style” of the option.

Shares of the Funds May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV — As with all ETFs, a Fund’s shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although market prices for Fund shares generally are expected to closely correspond to a Fund’s NAV, it is expected that, as with all ETFs, there will be times when the market price of the Fund’s shares are higher or lower than the NAV of such shares. These differences may be more pronounced for newer or smaller ETFs, for ETFs that own less liquid securities or during periods where the trading volume of the Fund’s shares is low. The risk that shares of a Fund may trade at prices other than NAV is heightened in times of market stress or volatility.

Short Sales Risk (Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF only) — Short sales are transactions in which a Fund sells a security it does not own. To complete a short sale, a Fund must borrow the security to deliver to the buyer. A Fund is then obligated to replace the borrowed security by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. This price may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by a Fund and the Fund will incur a loss if the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund replaces the borrowed security. Because a borrowed security could theoretically increase in price without limitation, the loss associated with short selling is potentially unlimited. In addition, a Fund may be subject to the costs of borrowing and margin account maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s open short positions. A Fund also is obligated to pay the dividends and interest accruing on a short position, which is an expense to the Fund that could cause the Fund to lose money on the short sale and may negatively impact its performance.

Swap Agreements Risk — Each Fund may engage in swap transactions and is therefore subject to swap agreements risk. Swaps are agreements in which two parties agree to exchange future payments based on a rate, index, instrument or other asset at a predetermined amount. The risks of swaps include: (i) an imperfect correlation between the movement in prices of the dividend swap and the dividends paid by stocks underlying them; (ii) lack of liquidity; (iii) difficulty in obtaining an accurate value for the swaps; and (iv) the risk that the counterparty to the swap will default or otherwise fail to honor its obligation.

Information about Portfolio Holdings

Information about the Funds’ daily portfolio holdings is available at www.realityshares.com. In addition, a description of the Funds’ policy and procedures with respect to the circumstances under which the Funds disclose their portfolio holdings is available in the SAI.

Investment Adviser and Portfolio Manager

Investment Adviser

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Funds. The Adviser’s principal place of business is located at 402 West Broadway, Suite 2800, San Diego, California 92101. The Adviser has served as the investment adviser of the Funds since their inception.

 

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Subject to the supervision of the Board, the Adviser is responsible for managing the investment activities of each Fund and each Fund’s business affairs and other administrative matters. For its services to the Funds, the Adviser is entitled to a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of the average daily net assets of each Fund, as set forth below:

 

Fund

   Advisory Fee  

Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF

     0.43

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF

     0.85

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF

     0.85

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement for the Funds, the Adviser is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. The Adviser is not responsible for, and the Funds will bear the cost of, interest, taxes, brokerage expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio securities transactions, expenses associated with short sales transactions and non-routine expenses.

With respect to the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF, the Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep aggregate Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions from exceeding 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF until February 28, 2017 (the “Expense Limitation”). The Adviser may recover all or a portion of its fee reductions or expense reimbursements within a three-year period from the year in which it reduced its fee or reimbursed expenses if the Fund’s Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions are below the Expense Limitation. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board for any reason at any time, or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2017.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Funds’ investment advisory agreement will be available in the Funds’ initial annual or semi-annual report.

Portfolio Manager

Kenneth Han, Portfolio Manager for the Funds, joined the Adviser in 2015 and has over 12 years of investment experience. He worked at UBS where he was a portfolio manager for a multi-billion dollar portfolio called the SNB Stab Fund. Prior to that, he worked on the UBS’ structured products desk where he structured and underwrote several billion dollars of asset-backed fixed income deals. Before UBS, Mr. Han managed the development and production of fixed income analytic software at a boutique consulting firm now owned by S&P. Mr. Han earned a BS degree from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from Cornell University.

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and his ownership, if any, of securities in the Fund.

Purchasing and Selling Fund Shares

Most investors will buy and sell shares in secondary market transactions through brokers and, therefore, must have a brokerage account to buy and sell shares. Shares can be bought or sold through your broker throughout the trading day like shares of any publicly traded security. When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and other charges. The price at which you buy or sell the Fund’s shares (i.e., the market price) may be more or less than the NAV of the shares. Unless imposed by your broker, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest in the Fund and no minimum number of shares you must buy when buying or selling shares in secondary market transactions. Shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the SAI.

Shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange under the following symbol:

 

Fund

   Symbol  

Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF

     LEAD   

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF

     DFND   

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF

     GARD   

 

20


The Exchange is generally open Monday through Friday and are closed for weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

For information about buying and selling shares, please contact your broker or dealer.

Share Trading Prices. The trading prices of a Fund’s shares may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are expected to vary based on a number of factors. These factors include supply and demand for the Fund’s shares, the level of dividends paid on the Fund’s portfolio securities, the prices of the Fund’s portfolio securities, economic conditions, the existence of market disruptions and other factors. The Exchange or another market information provider will disseminate the approximate value of a Fund’s portfolio every fifteen seconds. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner, or at the same time, as the NAV, which is computed once a day. Each Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate values and makes no warranty as to the accuracy of these values.

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

The Board has determined not to adopt policies and procedures designed to prevent or monitor for frequent purchases and redemptions of each Fund’s shares. As an ETF, a Fund sells and redeems its shares at NAV only in Creation Units to authorized participants that have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor (“Authorized Participants”). Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by Authorized Participants are essential to keeping the market price of a Fund’s shares at or close to their NAV and therefore frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units are not discouraged. Frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units for cash may increase portfolio transaction costs and may lead to realization of capital gains. To minimize these consequences, each Fund imposes a transaction fee on such Creation Unit transactions that is designed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs the Fund incurs.

Pricing of Fund Shares

Each Fund will calculate its NAV by (i) taking the current market value of its total assets, (ii) subtracting any liabilities, and (iii) dividing that amount by the total number of shares outstanding. Each Fund will calculate NAV once each day that the NYSE is open as of the regularly scheduled close of trading on the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Each Fund’s daily NAV can be found at www.realityshares.com.

In calculating NAV, the Fund generally values its portfolio investments at market prices. If market prices are unavailable or the Fund has reason to believe that they are unreliable, or when the value of a security has been materially affected by events occurring after the relevant market closes, the Fund will price those securities at fair value as determined in good faith using methods approved by the Board.

The use of fair valuation in pricing a security involves the consideration of a number of subjective factors and, therefore, is susceptible to the unavoidable risk that the valuation may be higher or lower than the price at which the security might actually trade if a reliable market price were readily available.

More information about the valuation of each Fund’s holdings can be found in the SAI.

 

21


Dividends and Distributions

Each Fund intends to distribute its net investment income, if any, at least semi-annually and make distributions of its net realized capital gains, if any, annually. Brokers may make available to their customers who are also Fund shareholders the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service. You should contact your broker to determine the availability and costs of this service. Brokers may require you to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income (which may include a return of capital) and net realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the distributing Fund purchased in the secondary market. Without this service, you would receive your distributions in cash.

Taxes

Please consult your tax advisor regarding your specific questions about federal, state local, and foreign tax laws. Below is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax issues that affect a Fund and its shareholders. This summary is based on current tax laws, which may change.

Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a regulated investment company is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

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

 

    A Fund makes distributions;

 

    You sell Fund shares; and

 

    You purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).

Taxes on Distributions

For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long a Fund owned the assets that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by a 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 a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are properly reported by such Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For noncorporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally 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. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that a Fund received in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market.

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 a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares).

 

22


Dividends and distributions from a Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

Each Fund may include cash when paying the redemption price for Creation Units in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. A Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause such Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

Distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies.

Each Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which shareholders own Fund shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.

Taxes When You Sell Fund Shares

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if you held the shares you sold for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.

Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

An Authorized Participant that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any amount of cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any 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 U.S. dollar market value of the securities plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units by an Authorized Participant which does not mark-to-market its holdings cannot be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for non-U.S. currency will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss. Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities, or upon a redemption of Creation Units, may be capital or ordinary gain or loss depending on the circumstances. Any capital gain or loss realized upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities will

 

23


generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of a Creation Unit will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares comprising the Creation Unit have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses are treated as short-term capital gains or losses. An Authorize Participant purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

Additional important information about taxes is in the SAI.

Premium/Discount Information

Information showing the number of days that the end of day market price of a Fund’s shares was greater than the Fund’s NAV (i.e., a “premium”) and the number of days that the end of day market price of the Fund’s shares was less than the Fund’s NAV (i.e., a “discount”) for various time periods is available by visiting the Fund’s website at www.realityshares.com.

Investments by Registered Investment Companies

Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Funds. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Funds beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Funds.

Financial Highlights

Because the Funds have not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, financial highlights are not available.

 

24


REALITY SHARES ETF TRUST

Investment Adviser

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

402 West Broadway, Suite 2800

San Diego, California 92101

Distributor

ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

Denver, Colorado 80203

Legal Counsel

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

2020 K Street NW

Washington, DC 20006 - 1806

More information about the Funds is available, without charge, through the following:

Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”): The SAI, dated December 10, 2015, includes detailed information about the Funds. The SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this prospectus.

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports: These reports list the Funds’ holdings and contain information from the Adviser about investment strategies, and recent market conditions and trends and their impact on Fund performance. The reports also contain detailed financial information about the Funds.

To Obtain an SAI, Annual or Semi-Annual Report, or More Information:

By Telephone:   855-595-0240

By Mail:             402 W Broadway, 28th Fl, San Diego, CA 92101

By Internet:        www.realityshares.com

From the SEC: You can also obtain the SAI or the Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, as well as other information about Reality Shares ETF Trust, from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at: http://www.sec.gov. You may review and copy documents at the SEC Public Reference Room in Washington, DC (for information on the operation of the Public Reference Room, call 202-551-8090). You may request documents by mail from the SEC, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520. You may also obtain this information, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by e-mailing the SEC at the following address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

The Trust’s Investment Company Act registration number is 811-22911


STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

REALITY SHARES DIVCON LEADERS DIVIDEND ETF

 

  TICKER SYMBOL   PRINCIPAL U.S. LISTING EXCHANGE  
  LEAD   BATS EXCHANGE, INC.  

REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND DEFENDER ETF

 

  TICKER SYMBOL   PRINCIPAL U.S. LISTING EXCHANGE  
  DFND   BATS EXCHANGE, INC.  

REALITY SHARES DIVCON DIVIDEND GUARD ETF

 

  TICKER SYMBOL   PRINCIPAL U.S. LISTING EXCHANGE  
  GARD  

BATS EXCHANGE, INC.

 

each, a series of Reality Shares ETF Trust

December 10, 2015

Investment Adviser:

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. This SAI is intended to provide additional information regarding the activities and operations of the Reality Shares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and the Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF, Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF (each, a “Fund” and together, the “Funds”). This SAI is incorporated by reference into and should be read in conjunction with the Funds’ prospectus (the “Prospectus”) dated December 10, 2015. Capitalized terms not defined herein are defined in the prospectus. Shareholders may obtain copies of the Fund’s prospectus or Annual Report, when available, free of charge by writing to the Trust at 402 W Broadway, 28th Fl, San Diego, CA 92101, or by calling the Trust at (855) 595-0240.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRUST

     S-1   

DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS AND RISK FACTORS

     S-1   

INFORMATION ABOUT THE BENCHMARK INDEXES

     S-12   

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

     S-13   

CONTINUOUS OFFERING

     S-15   

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

     S-15   

THE ADMINISTRATOR

     S-15   

THE ADVISER

     S-16   

THE DISTRIBUTOR

     S-17   

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST

     S-17   

BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

     S-22   

CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

     S-23   

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

     S-28   

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

     S-29   

TAXES

     S-29   

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

     S-36   

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

     S-37   

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST

     S-37   

LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES’ LIABILITY

     S-38   

CODES OF ETHICS

     S-38   

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

     S-38   

CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT

     S-38   

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

     S-38   

LEGAL COUNSEL

     S-38   

APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS

     A-1   

APPENDIX B – PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

     B-1   


GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRUST

The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on March 26, 2013. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Trust consists of multiple investment portfolios. This SAI relates to three such portfolios: the Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF, Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF. Each Fund is classified as “non-diversified” and, therefore, may invest in relatively fewer issuers and is not required to meet certain diversification requirements under the 1940 Act. Additional series and/or classes may be created from time to time.

The shares of each Fund are listed on BATS Exchange, Inc. (the “Exchange”). The shares of each Fund will trade on the Exchange, and other secondary markets, at market prices that may be below, at, or above the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund. Each Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in aggregated lots of 25,000 shares or more (each, a “Creation Unit”). These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and an amount of cash. 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.

DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS AND RISK FACTORS

The following are descriptions of the permitted investments and investment practices of the Funds and the associated risk factors. The Funds may purchase any of these instruments and/or engage in any of these investment practices if, in the opinion of Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), the Funds’ investment adviser, such investments or investment practices will be advantageous to the Funds. The Funds are free to reduce or eliminate their activity in any of these areas. There is no assurance that any of these strategies or any other strategies and methods of investment available to the Funds will result in the achievement of the Funds’ investment objectives.

The Funds’ principal investment strategies and the risks associated with the same are described in the “Summary Section” and “More Information about the Funds’ Investment Objectives, Strategies and Risks” sections of the prospectus. The following discussion provides additional information about those principal investment strategies and related risks, as well as information about investment strategies (and related risks) that the Funds may utilize, even though they are not considered to be “principal” investment strategies. Accordingly, an investment strategy (and related risk) that is described below, but which is not described in the Funds’ prospectus, should not be considered to be a principal strategy (or related risk) applicable to the Funds.

COMMERCIAL PAPER—A Fund may invest in high-quality, short-term commercial paper. Commercial paper is the term used to designate unsecured, short-term promissory notes issued by corporations and other entities. Maturities on these issues vary from a few days up to 270 days.

EQUITY SECURITIES—Equity securities, such as common stock, represent ownership interests in a company. Common stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock. Investments in equity securities in general are subject to market risks, which may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Further, fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which a Fund invests will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate. A Fund may purchase and sell equity securities in various ways, including through registered exchanges in the U.S. or the over-the-counter market. The equity securities in which a Fund may invest are common stocks, which represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.

FIXED INCOME SECURITIES—Fixed income securities consist primarily of debt obligations issued by governments, corporations, municipalities and other borrowers. The market value of the fixed income securities in which

 

S-1


a Fund invests will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors. During periods of falling interest rates, the value of outstanding fixed income securities generally rises. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of such securities generally declines. Moreover, while securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity securities are also subject to greater market fluctuations as a result of changes in interest rates. Changes by recognized agencies in the rating of any fixed income security and in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal also affect the value of these investments. Changes in the value of these securities will not necessarily affect cash income derived from these securities, but will affect a Fund’s net asset value.

Fixed income securities are subject to the risk of an issuer’s ability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation (known as “credit risk”) and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (known as “market risk”). Lower-rated or unrated (i.e., high yield) securities are more likely to react to developments affecting market and credit risk than are more highly rated securities, which primarily react to movements in the general level of interest rates. Yields and market values of high yield securities will fluctuate over time, reflecting not only changing interest rates but also the market’s perception of credit quality and the outlook for economic growth. When economic conditions appear to be deteriorating, medium- to lower-rated securities may decline in value due to heightened concern over credit quality, regardless of prevailing interest rates. Investors should carefully consider the relative risks of investing in high yield securities and understand that such securities are not generally meant for short-term investing.

Securities held by a Fund that are guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities guarantee only the payment of principal and interest and do not guarantee the yield or value of the securities or the yield or value of the Fund’s shares.

FORWARD CONTRACTS—The Funds may invest in forward contracts. A forward contract involves a negotiated obligation to purchase or sell a specific asset at a future date (with or without delivery required), which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Risks associated with forwards include: (i) there may be an imperfect correlation between the movement in prices of forward contracts and the securities underlying them; (ii) there may not be a liquid market for forwards; and (iii) forwards may be difficult to accurately value. Forwards are also subject to credit risk, liquidity risk and leverage risk, each of which is further described in the prospectus.

The Funds may engage in non-deliverable forward transactions. A non-deliverable forward transaction is a transaction that represents an agreement between a Fund and a counterparty to buy or sell a specified (notional) amount of a particular asset at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon future date. There is no physical delivery of the asset on the settlement of a non-deliverable forward transaction. Rather, the Fund and the counterparty agree to net the settlement by making a payment in U.S. dollars that represents any differential between the price of the asset agreed upon at the inception of the non-deliverable forward agreement and the actual price of the asset on the agreed upon future date. Thus, the actual gain or loss of a given non-deliverable forward transaction is calculated by multiplying the transaction’s notional amount by the difference between the agreed upon price of the asset and the actual price of the asset when the transaction is completed.

Open positions in forwards will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets cash, high-quality, short-term debt securities or money-market instruments or otherwise “offset” in accordance with the 1940 Act. The Funds will transact in forward contracts only with over-the-counter (“OTC”) dealers that have in place an International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA”) agreement with the Funds.

The Funds may invest in forward foreign currency contracts. A forward foreign currency contract is a negotiated obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date (with or without delivery required). The length of the contract may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties. The price at which the transaction occurs is set at the time of the contract. These contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large, commercial banks) and their customers. A forward foreign currency contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades.

Forward contracts generally may not be liquidated prior to the stated maturity date, although the parties to a contract may

 

S-2


agree to enter into a second offsetting transaction with the same maturity, thereby fixing each party’s profit or loss on the two transactions. Nevertheless, each position must still be maintained to maturity unless the parties separately agree on an earlier settlement date. As a result, a party to a forward contract must be prepared to perform its obligations under each such contract in full. Parties to a forward contract may also separately agree to extend the contract by “rolling” it over prior to the originally scheduled settlement date.

Transaction Hedging. Transaction hedging is when a Fund enters into a currency transaction with respect to specific assets or liabilities of the Fund, which generally arises in connection with the purchase or sale of its portfolio securities or the receipt of income therefrom. A Fund may enter into transaction hedging out of a desire to preserve the U.S. dollar price of a security when it enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency. A Fund may be able to protect itself against possible losses resulting from changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies during the period between the date the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received by entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of the foreign currency involved in the underlying security transaction.

Position Hedging. The Funds may sell a non-U.S. currency and purchase U.S. currency to reduce exposure to the non-U.S. currency (called “position hedging”). A Fund may use position hedging when the advisers reasonably believe that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar. A Fund may enter into a forward foreign currency contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of its portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward foreign currency contract amount and the value of the portfolio securities involved may not have a perfect correlation since the future value of the securities hedged will change as a consequence of the market between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it matures. The projection of short-term currency market movement is difficult, and the successful execution of this short-term hedging strategy is uncertain.

Currency transactions can result in losses to a Fund if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree in a direction that is not anticipated. Furthermore, there is risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present or may not be present during the particular time that a Fund is engaging in proxy hedging. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Hedging transactions may also eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies.

Currency transactions are subject to risks different from those of other portfolio transactions. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate based on factors extrinsic to that country’s economy. Although forward foreign currency contracts and currency futures tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, at the same time they tend to limit any potential gain that might result should the value of such currency increase. Because currency control is of great importance to the issuing governments and influences economic planning and policy, purchase and sales of currency and related instruments can be negatively affected by government exchange controls, blockages and manipulations or exchange restrictions imposed by governments. These can result in losses to a Fund if it is unable to deliver or receive currency or funds in settlement of obligations and could also cause hedges it has entered into to be rendered useless, resulting in full currency exposure as well as incurring transaction costs. Buyers and sellers of currency futures are subject to the same risks that apply to the use of futures generally. Further, settlement of a currency futures contract for the purchase of most currencies must occur at a bank based in the issuing nation. Trading options on currency futures is relatively new, and the ability to establish and close out positions on such options is subject to the maintenance of a liquid market, which may not always be available.

FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS—Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific security or reference asset at a specified future time and at a specified price. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in exchange for a premium, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price during the term of the option. An index futures contract is a bilateral agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the index value at the close of trading of the contract and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. No physical delivery of the securities comprising the index is made, and generally contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contract.

 

S-3


The Funds may use futures contracts and related options for hedging, risk management or other purposes, as permitted by their stated investment policies. Instances in which a Fund may use futures contracts and related options for risk management purposes include: (i) attempting to offset changes in the value of securities held or expected to be acquired or be disposed of; (ii) attempting to minimize fluctuations in foreign currencies; (iii) attempting to gain exposure to a particular market, index or instrument; or (iv) other risk management purposes. A Fund may use futures contracts for cash equitization purposes, which allows the Fund to invest consistent with its benchmark while managing daily cash flows, including significant client inflows and outflows.

Open positions in futures contracts will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets cash, high-quality, short-term debt securities or money-market instruments or otherwise “offset” in accordance with the 1940 Act. A Fund may “offset” its long position in a futures contract by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract with a strike price (i.e., an exercise price) as high or higher than the price of the futures contract. In the alternative, if the strike price of the put is less than the price of the futures contract, the Fund will earmark on its books or place in a segregated account cash, high-quality, short-term debt securities or money-market instruments equal in value to the difference between the strike price of the put and the price of the futures contract. A Fund may also “offset” its long position in a futures contract by taking a short position in the instruments underlying the futures contract or by taking positions in instruments with prices that are expected to move relatively consistently with the futures contract. A Fund may “offset” its short position in a futures contract by taking a long position in the instruments underlying the futures contract or by taking positions in instruments with prices that are expected to move relatively consistently with the futures contract.

A Fund may “offset” its sale of a call option on a futures contract by taking a long position in the underlying futures contract at a price less than or equal to the strike price of the call option. In the alternative, if the long position in the underlying futures contract is established at a price greater than the strike price of the written (sold) call, the Fund will earmark on its books or place in a segregated account cash or liquid securities equal in value to the difference between the strike price of the call and the price of the futures contract. A Fund may also “offset” its sale of a call option by taking positions in instruments with prices that are expected to move relatively consistently with the call option. A Fund may “offset” its sale of a put option on a futures contract by taking a short position in the underlying futures contract at a price greater than or equal to the strike price of the put option, or, if the short position in the underlying futures contract is established at a price less than the strike price of the written put, the Fund will earmark on its books or place in a segregated account cash or liquid securities equal in value to the difference between the strike price of the put and the price of the futures contract. A Fund may also “offset” its sale of a put option by taking positions in instruments with prices that are expected to move relatively consistently with the put option.

There are significant risks associated with the Funds’ use of futures contracts and options on futures contracts, including the following: (i) the success of a hedging strategy may depend on the adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (ii) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by a Fund and the prices of futures and options on futures; (iii) there may not be a liquid secondary market for a futures contract or option; (iv) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange; and (v) government regulations may restrict trading in futures contracts and options on futures contracts. In addition, some strategies reduce a Fund’s exposure to price fluctuations, while others tend to increase its market exposure.

The Funds will reduce the risk that they will be unable to close out a futures contract by only entering into futures contracts that are traded on national futures exchanges regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). As a result of recent amendments to rules under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) by the CFTC, a Fund must either operate within certain guidelines and restrictions with respect to the Fund’s use of futures, options on such futures, commodity options and certain swaps, or the Adviser will be subject to registration with the CFTC as a “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”).

Consistent with the CFTC’s new regulations, the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has filed a notice of exclusion from the definition of the term CPO under the CEA pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5 and, therefore, the Funds are not subject to registration or regulation as CPOs under the CEA. As a result, the Funds will be limited in their ability to use futures, options on such futures, commodity options and certain swaps. Complying with the limitations may restrict the Adviser’s ability to implement the Fund’s investment strategies and may adversely affect the Funds’ performance.

 

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ILLIQUID SECURITIES—Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business (within seven days) at approximately the prices at which they are valued. Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. If, subsequent to purchase, a security held by a Fund becomes illiquid, the Fund may continue to hold the security. Because of their illiquid nature, illiquid securities generally must be priced at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to procedures approved by the Trust’s Board. Despite such good faith efforts to determine fair value prices, each Fund’s illiquid securities are subject to the risk that the security’s fair value price may differ from the actual price that the Fund may ultimately realize upon its sale or disposition. Difficulty in selling illiquid securities may result in a loss or may be costly to the Funds. Under the supervision of the Board, the Adviser determines the liquidity of a Fund’s investments. In determining liquidity, the Adviser may consider various factors, including: (i) the frequency and volume of trades and quotations; (ii) the number of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace; (iii) dealer undertakings to make a market; and (iv) the nature of the security and the market in which it trades (including any demand, put or tender features, the mechanics and other requirements for transfer, any letters of credit or other credit enhancement features, any ratings, the number of holders, the method of soliciting offers, the time required to dispose of the security and the ability to assign or offset the rights and obligations of the security).

INVESTMENT COMPANIES—Securities of other investment companies, including shares of closed-end investment companies, unit investment trusts, open-end investment companies and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), represent interests in professionally managed portfolios that may invest in various types of instruments. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but may involve additional expenses at the investment company-level, such as portfolio management fees and operating expenses. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue a fixed number of shares that trade on a stock exchange or over-the-counter at a premium or a discount to their net asset value. Other investment companies are continuously offered at net asset value, but may also be traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount to their net asset value.

Generally, the federal securities laws limit the extent to which the Fund can invest in securities of other investment companies, subject to certain exceptions. For example, the Fund is prohibited under Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act from acquiring the securities of another investment company if, as a result of such acquisition: (i) the Fund owns more than 3% of the total voting stock of the other company; (ii) securities issued by any one investment company represent more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets; or (iii) securities (other than treasury stock) issued by all investment companies represent more than 10% of the total assets of the Fund, subject to certain exceptions. Pursuant to Rule 12d1-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest in one or more affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies that comply with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act (to the extent required by Rule 12d1-1), in excess of the limits of Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act.

The Funds may invest in other investment companies, including those managed by the Adviser, to the extent permitted by any rule or regulation of the SEC or any order or interpretation thereunder.

Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”). ETFs are investment companies that are registered under the 1940 Act as open-end funds or unit investment trusts. ETFs are listed and traded on national securities exchanges at market prices. ETF shares typically trade at a premium or discount to their intrinsic value (i.e., the market value may differ from the net asset value of an ETF’s shares). These differences may be more pronounced for newer or smaller ETFs, for ETFs that own less liquid securities or in certain market conditions. By investing in an ETF, a Fund indirectly bears the proportionate share of any fees and expenses of the ETF in addition to the fees and expenses that the Fund and its shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund’s operations. Such ETF expenses may make owning shares of the ETF more costly than owning the underlying securities directly.

MONEY MARKET SECURITIES—Money market securities include: (i) short-term U.S. Government securities; (ii) custodial receipts evidencing separately traded interest and principal components of securities issued by the U.S. Treasury; (iii) commercial paper rated in the highest short-term rating category by an NRSRO, such as S&P or Moody’s, or determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase; (iv) short-term bank obligations (certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances) of U.S. commercial banks with assets of at least $1 billion

 

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as of the end of their most recent fiscal year; and (v) repurchase agreements involving such securities. For a description of ratings, see Appendix A to this SAI. The Funds may invest in money market securities for cash management purposes or as collateral or “cover” in connection with derivative transactions.

NON-U.S. SECURITIES—The Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities and derivatives that provide exposure to such securities. Non-U.S. securities are securities issued by non-U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may subject a Fund to investment risks that differ in some respects from those related to investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Such risks include future adverse political and economic developments, possible imposition of withholding taxes on income, possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of foreign deposits, possible establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source or greater fluctuations in value due to changes in exchange rates. Foreign issuers of securities often engage in business practices that differ from those of domestic issuers of similar securities, and there may be less information publicly available about foreign issuers. In addition, foreign issuers are, generally speaking, subject to less government supervision and regulation and different accounting treatment than are those in the U.S. Foreign branches of U.S. banks and foreign banks may be subject to less stringent reserve requirements than those applicable to domestic branches of U.S. banks.

The value of a Fund’s investments denominated in foreign currencies will depend on the relative strengths of those currencies and the U.S. dollar. A Fund may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in the exchange rates or exchange or currency control regulations between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may also affect the value of dividends and interest earned, gains and losses realized on the sale of securities and net investment income and gains, if any, to be distributed to shareholders. Such investments may also entail higher custodial fees and sales commissions than domestic investments.

OPTIONS—Each Fund intends to purchase and write put and call options on equity indices and index-based ETFs. A put option on a security gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying security at any time during the option period. A call option on a security gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer of the option the obligation to sell, the underlying security at any time during the option period. The price paid to the writer of an option is referred to as the “premium.” The premium paid to the writer is the consideration for undertaking the obligations under the option contract.

The Funds may purchase and write put and call options on foreign currencies (traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges or over-the-counter markets) to manage its exposure to exchange rates.

Put and call options on indices are similar to options on securities except that options on an index give the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the underlying index is greater than (or less than, in the case of puts) the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the option, expressed in dollars multiplied by a specified number. Thus, unlike options on individual securities, all settlements are in cash, and gain or loss depends on price movements in the particular market represented by the index generally, rather than the price movements in individual securities. Open positions in options contracts will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets cash, high-quality, short-term debt securities or money-market instruments or otherwise “offset” in accordance with the 1940 Act.

The Funds may write (i.e., sell) “covered” call options on securities for any lawful purpose, including as a means of increasing the yield on its assets and as a means of providing limited protection against decreases in its market value. A Fund may engage in a covered call option writing (selling) program in an attempt to generate additional income or provide a partial hedge to another position of the Fund. A call option is “covered” if a Fund either owns the underlying instrument or has an absolute and immediate right (such as a call with the same or a later expiration date) to acquire that instrument. The underlying instruments of such covered call options may consist of individual equity securities, pools of equity securities, ETFs or indices. The writing of covered call options is a more conservative investment technique than writing of naked or uncovered options, but capable of enhancing a Fund’s total return. When a Fund writes a covered call option,

 

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it profits from the premium paid by the buyer but gives up the opportunity to profit from an increase in the value of the underlying security above the exercise price. At the same time, a Fund retains the risk of loss from a decline in the value of the underlying security during the option period. Although a Fund may terminate its obligation by executing a closing purchase transaction, the cost of effecting such a transaction may be greater than the premium received upon its sale, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If such an option expires unexercised, a Fund realizes a gain equal to the premium received. Such a gain may be offset or exceeded by a decline in the market value of the underlying security during the option period. If an option is exercised, the exercise price, the premium received and the market value of the underlying security determine the gain or loss realized by a Fund.

When a Fund writes an option, if the underlying securities do not increase or decrease, as applicable, to a price level that would make the exercise of the option profitable to the holder thereof, the option will generally expire without being exercised and the Fund will realize as profit the premium received for such option. When a call option of which a Fund is the writer is exercised, the Fund will be required to sell the underlying securities to the option holder at the strike price and will not participate in any increase in the price of such securities above the strike price. When a put option of which a Fund is the writer is exercised, the Fund will be required to purchase the underlying securities at a price in excess of the market value of such securities.

The Funds may purchase and write options on an exchange or over-the-counter. Over-the-counter options (“OTC options”) differ from exchange-traded options in several respects. First, OTC options are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation and therefore entail the risk of non-performance by the dealer. In addition, OTC options are available for a greater variety of securities and for a wider range of expiration dates and exercise prices than are available for exchange-traded options. Because OTC options are not traded on an exchange, pricing is normally done by reference to information from a market maker. It is the SEC’s position that OTC options are generally illiquid. The Funds will transact only with OTC options dealers that have in place an ISDA agreement with the Funds.

The market value of an option generally reflects the market price of an underlying security. Other principal factors affecting market value include supply and demand, interest rates, the pricing volatility of the underlying security and the time remaining until the expiration date of the option.

Risks. There are significant risks associated with the Funds’ use of options contracts, including the following: (i) the success of a hedging strategy may depend on the adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (ii) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by a Fund and the prices of the options contracts; (iii) there may not be a liquid secondary market for options; and (iv) while a Fund will receive a premium when it writes covered call options, it may not participate fully in a rise in the market value of the underlying security. In addition, OTC options are subject to valuation risk and credit risk. Valuation risk is the risk that the option may be difficult to value and/or valued incorrectly. Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to the option contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS—A repurchase agreement is an agreement in which one party sells securities to another party in return for cash with an agreement to repurchase equivalent securities at an agreed-upon price and on an agreed-upon future date. The Funds may enter into repurchase agreements with financial institutions and follow certain procedures designed to minimize the risks inherent in such agreements. These procedures include effecting repurchase transactions only with large, well-capitalized and well-established financial institutions deemed creditworthy by the advisers. The repurchase agreements entered into by a Fund will provide that the underlying collateral shall have a value equal to at least 102% of the resale price stated in the agreement at all times. The advisers monitor compliance with this requirement as well as the ongoing financial condition and creditworthiness of the counterparty. Under all repurchase agreements entered into by the Funds, the custodian or its agent must take possession of the underlying collateral.

In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, a Fund will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercising of the Fund’s right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss. At times, the investments of a Fund in repurchase agreements may be substantial when, in the view of the Adviser, liquidity or other considerations so warrant.

 

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RESTRICTED SECURITIES—Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold to the public without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), or an exemption from registration. Restricted securities, including securities eligible for re-sale under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, that are determined to be liquid are not subject to this limitation. This determination is to be made by the advisers, as applicable, pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board. Under these guidelines, the particular adviser will consider the frequency of trades and quotes for the security, the number of dealers in, and potential purchasers for, the security, dealer undertakings to make a market in the security and the nature of the security and of the marketplace trades. In purchasing such restricted securities, each adviser intends to purchase securities that are exempt from registration under Rule 144A under the 1933 Act and Section 4(2) commercial paper issued in reliance on an exemption from registration under Section 4(2) of the 1933 Act. A Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in restricted securities.

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS—Reverse repurchase agreements are transactions in which a Fund sells portfolio securities to financial institutions, such as banks and broker-dealers, and agrees to repurchase them at a mutually agreed-upon date and price that is higher than the original sale price. Reverse repurchase agreements are similar to a fully collateralized borrowing by a Fund. At the time a Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will earmark on its books or place in a segregated account cash or liquid securities having a value equal to the repurchase price (including accrued interest) and will subsequently monitor the account to ensure that such equivalent value is maintained.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve risks. Reverse repurchase agreements are a form of leverage, and the use of reverse repurchase agreements by a Fund may increase the Fund’s volatility. Reverse repurchase agreements are also subject to the risk that the other party to the reverse repurchase agreement will be unable or unwilling to complete the transaction as scheduled, which may result in losses to a Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold by a Fund may decline below the price at which it is obligated to repurchase the securities. In addition, when a Fund invests the proceeds it receives in a reverse repurchase transaction there is a risk that those investments may decline in value. In this circumstance, the Fund could be required to sell other investments in order to meet its obligations to repurchase the securities.

SECURITIES LENDING—The Funds may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations that meet capital and other credit requirements or other criteria established by the Board. These loans, if and when made, may not exceed 331/3% of the total asset value of a Fund (including the loan collateral). The Funds will not lend portfolio securities to its advisers or its affiliates unless they have applied for and received specific authority to do so from the SEC. Loans of portfolio securities will be fully collateralized by cash, letters of credit or U.S. Government securities, and the collateral will be maintained in an amount equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the loaned securities by marking to market daily, although the borrower will be required to deliver collateral of 102% and 105% of the market value of borrowed securities for domestic and foreign issuers, respectively. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would be for the account of the Funds.

The Funds may pay a part of the interest earned from the investment of collateral or other fee to an unaffiliated third party for acting as the Funds’ securities lending agent.

By lending its securities, a Fund may increase its income by receiving payments from the borrower that reflect the amount of any interest or dividends payable on the loaned securities as well as by either investing cash collateral received from the borrower in short-term instruments or obtaining a fee from the borrower when U.S. Government securities or letters of credit are used as collateral. The Funds will adhere to the following conditions whenever their portfolio securities are loaned: (i) a Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral or equivalent securities of the type discussed in the preceding paragraph from the borrower; (ii) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (iii) a Fund must be able to terminate the loan on demand; (iv) a Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities and any increase in market value; (v) a Fund may pay only reasonable fees in connection with the loan (which may include fees payable to the lending agent, the borrower, the Fund’s administrator and the custodian); and (vi) voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, provided, however, that if a material event adversely affecting the investment

 

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occurs, the Fund must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities. The Board has adopted procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the foregoing criteria will be met. Loan agreements involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the borrower, including possible delays or restrictions upon a Fund’s ability to recover the loaned securities or dispose of the collateral for the loan, which could give rise to loss because of adverse market action, expenses and/or delays in connection with the disposition of the underlying securities.

A Fund will invest the cash received as collateral through loan transactions in other eligible securities, which may include shares of a registered money market fund, or of an unregistered money market fund that complies with the requirements of Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act to the extent required by the 1940 Act. Such money market funds might not seek or be able to maintain a stable $1.00 per share net asset value.

The investment of cash collateral subjects a Fund to market risk. A Fund remains obligated to return all collateral to the borrower under the terms of its securities lending arrangements even if the value of the investments made with the collateral has declined. Accordingly, if the value of a security in which the cash collateral has been invested declines, the loss would be borne by the Fund, and the Fund may be required to liquidate other investments in order to return collateral to the borrower at the end of a loan.

SHORT SALES—Short sales may be used by a Fund as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset (hedge) a potential decline in the value of a security. A Fund may engage in short sales that are either “uncovered” or “against the box.” Uncovered short sales are transactions under which a Fund sells a security it does not own. To complete such a transaction, a Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. A Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of the replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay the lender amounts equal to any dividends or interest that accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, a Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale may be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. A short sale is “against the box” if, at all times during which the short position is open, a Fund owns at least an equal amount of the securities or securities convertible into, or exchangeable without further consideration for, securities of the same issue as the securities that are sold short. A short sale against the box is a taxable transaction to a Fund with respect to the securities that are sold short.

Until a Fund closes its short position or replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will: (i) earmark on the books of the Fund or place in a segregated account cash, high-quality, short-term debt securities or money-market instruments at such a level that the amount earmarked or deposited in the segregated account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the security sold short; or (ii) otherwise “offset” the Fund’s short position as required by the 1940 Act.

The use of short sales may effectively result in a Fund having a leveraged investment portfolio, which results in greater potential for loss. Leverage can amplify the effects of market volatility on a Fund’s share price and make the Fund’s returns more volatile. This is because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The use of leverage may also cause a Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so or in order to satisfy its obligations.

SWAP TRANSACTIONS—Swaps are privately negotiated over-the-counter derivative products in which two parties agree to exchange payment streams calculated in relation to a rate, index, instrument or certain securities (referred to as the “underlying”) and a predetermined amount (referred to as the “notional amount”). The underlying for a swap may be an interest rate (fixed or floating), a currency exchange rate, a commodity price index, a security, group of securities or a securities index, a combination of any of these or various other rates, securities, instruments, assets or indices. Swap agreements generally do not involve the delivery of the underlying or principal, and a party’s obligations are generally equal to only the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the swap agreement. A great deal of flexibility is possible in the way swaps may be structured. For example, in a simple fixed-to-floating interest rate swap, one party makes payments equivalent to a fixed interest rate and the other party makes payments calculated with reference to a specified floating interest rate, such as the London

 

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Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or the prime rate. In a currency swap, the parties generally enter into an agreement to pay interest streams in one currency based on a specified rate in exchange for receiving interest streams denominated in another currency. Currency swaps may involve initial and final exchanges of the currency that correspond to the agreed upon notional amount.

The Funds may engage in simple or more complex swap transactions involving a wide variety of underlying instruments for various reasons. For example, a Fund may enter into a swap: (i) to gain (or neutralize) exposure to investments (such as an index of securities in a market) or currencies without actually purchasing those stocks or currencies; (ii) to make an investment without owning or taking physical custody of securities or currencies in circumstances in which direct investment is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable; (iii) to hedge an existing position; (iv) to obtain a particular desired return at a lower cost to the Fund than if it had invested directly in an instrument that yielded the desired return; or (v) for various other reasons. A Fund may enter into dividend and total return swap transactions (including equity swaps) based on certain underlying instruments.

Caps, floors, collars and swaptions are privately-negotiated option-based derivative products. Like a put or call option, the buyer of a cap or floor pays a premium to the writer. In exchange for that premium, the buyer receives the right to a payment equal to the differential if the specified index or rate rises above (in the case of a cap) or falls below (in the case of a floor) a pre-determined strike level. Like swaps, obligations under caps and floors are calculated based upon an agreed notional amount, and, like most swaps (other than foreign currency swaps), the entire notional amount is not exchanged. A collar is a combination product in which one party buys a cap from and sells a floor to another party. Swaptions give the holder the right to enter into a swap. A Fund may use one or more of these derivative products in addition to or in lieu of a swap.

Under current market practice, swaps, caps, collars and floors between the same two parties are generally documented under a “master agreement.” In some cases, options and forwards between the parties may also be governed by the same master agreement. In the event of a default, amounts owed under all transactions entered into under, or covered by, the same master agreement would be netted, and only a single payment would be made.

Generally, a Fund would calculate the obligations of the swap agreements’ counterparties on a “net basis.” Consequently, the Fund’s current obligation (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each counterparty to the swap agreement (the “net amount”). A Fund’s current obligation under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund), and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be “covered” or “offset” as required by the 1940 Act.

The swap market has grown substantially in recent years, with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents using standardized swap agreements. As a result, the use of swaps has become more prevalent in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are also traded in over-the-counter markets.

Swaps and other derivatives involve risks. One significant risk in a swap, cap, floor, collar or swaption is the potential volatility of the specific index rate, currency or other underlying that determines the amount of payments due to and from a Fund. This is true whether these derivative products are used to create additional risk exposure for the Fund or to hedge, or manage, existing risk exposure. If under a swap, cap, floor, collar or swaption agreement, a Fund is obligated to make a payment to the counterparty, the Fund must be prepared to make the payment when due. A Fund could suffer losses with respect to such an agreement if the Fund is unable to terminate the agreement or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions. Further, the risks of caps, floors and collars, like put and call options, may be unlimited for the seller if the cap or floor is not hedged or covered, but is limited for the buyer.

Because under swap, cap, floor, collar and swaption agreements a counterparty may be obligated to make payments to a Fund, these derivative products are subject to risks related to the counterparty’s creditworthiness. If a counterparty defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss will consist of any payments that the Fund is entitled to receive from the counterparty under the agreement (this may not be true for currency swaps that require the delivery of the entire notional amount of one designated currency in exchange for the other). Upon default by a counterparty, however, a Fund may have contractual remedies under the swap agreement.

 

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The Funds will enter into swaps only with counterparties that the advisers believe to be creditworthy. The Adviser will evaluate the creditworthiness of counterparties on an ongoing basis. In addition to information provided by credit agencies, the Adviser will evaluate each approved counterparty using various methods of analysis, such as, for example, the counterparty’s liquidity in the event of default, the counterparty’s reputation, the Adviser’s past experience with the counterparty and the counterparty’s share of market participation. In addition, a Fund will earmark on its books or segregate cash, high-quality, short-term debt securities or money-market instruments in an amount equal to any liability amount owned under a swap, cap, floor, collar or swaption agreement or will otherwise “offset” its position as required by the 1940 Act. A Fund will transact in swaps only with dealers that have in place an ISDA agreement with the Fund. Where practicable, a Fund intends to transact in swaps cleared through a central clearing house (“Cleared Swaps”). Currently, only certain of the interest rate swaps in which the Fund intends to transact are Cleared Swaps, while the dividend and total-return swaps (including equity swaps) in which the Fund may transact are currently not Cleared Swaps.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES—Examples of types of U.S. Government obligations in which the Funds may invest include U.S. Treasury obligations and the obligations of U.S. Government agencies or U.S. Government sponsored entities such as Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Farm Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, the Federal Housing Administration, the Farmers Home Administration, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Small Business Administration, Fannie Mae, GNMA, the General Services Administration, the Student Loan Marketing Association, the Central Bank for Cooperatives, Freddie Mac, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, the Maritime Administration and other similar agencies. Whether backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury or not, U.S. Government securities are not guaranteed against price movements due to fluctuating interest rates.

Receipts. Receipts are interests in separately-traded interest and principal component parts of U.S. Government obligations that are issued by banks or brokerage firms and are created by depositing U.S. Government obligations into a special account at a custodian bank. The custodian holds the interest and principal payments for the benefit of the registered owners of the certificates or receipts. The custodian arranges for the issuance of the certificates or receipts evidencing ownership and maintains the register. TRs and STRIPS are interests in accounts sponsored by the U.S. Treasury. Receipts are sold as zero coupon securities, which means that they are sold at a substantial discount and redeemed at face value at their maturity date without interim cash payments of interest or principal.

U.S. Treasury Obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations consist of bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury and separately traded interest and principal component parts of such obligations that are transferable through the federal book-entry systems known as STRIPS and TRs.

U.S. Government Zero Coupon Securities. STRIPS and receipts are sold as zero coupon securities; that is, fixed income securities that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons. Zero coupon securities are sold at a (usually substantial) discount and redeemed at face value at their maturity date without interim cash payments of interest or principal. The amount of this discount is accreted over the life of the security, and the accretion constitutes the income earned on the security for both accounting and tax purposes. Because of these features, the market prices of zero coupon securities are generally more volatile than the market prices of securities that have similar maturity but that pay interest periodically. Zero coupon securities are likely to respond to a greater degree to interest rate changes than are non-zero coupon securities with similar maturities and credit qualities.

U.S. Government Agencies. Some obligations issued or guaranteed by agencies of the U.S. Government are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury (e.g., Treasury bills, notes and bonds, and securities guaranteed by GNMA), others are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury (e.g., obligations of Federal Home Loan Banks), while still others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality (e.g., obligations of Fannie Mae). Guarantees of principal by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government may be a guarantee of payment at the maturity of the obligation so that, in the event of a default prior to maturity, there might not be a market and thus no means of realizing on the obligation prior to maturity. Guarantees as to the timely payment of principal and interest do not extend to the value or yield of these securities or to the value of a Fund’s shares.

 

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE BENCHMARK INDEXES

A description of the Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend Index, Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender Index and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard Index (each a “Benchmark Index”) on which the Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF, Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF, respectively, is provided in the Prospectus under “Principal Investment Strategies.” Additional information about each Benchmark Index, including the components and weightings of each Benchmark Index, as well as the rules that govern inclusion and weighting in the Benchmark Index, is available at www.realityshares.com.

Benchmark Index Availability

Each Benchmark Index is calculated and disseminated throughout the principal trading hours each day the Exchange is open for trading.

Changes to a Benchmark Index’s Methodology

Each Benchmark Index is governed by a published, rules-based methodology. Reality Shares, Inc. may change the methodology at any time in its sole discretion without regards to the needs of the Funds or Fund shareholders, and such changes to the methodology of a Benchmark Index will be publicly disclosed at the Funds’ website www.realityshares.com prior to implementation.

Benchmark Index Calculation Agent

In order to minimize any potential for conflicts caused by side-by-side management between Reality Shares, Inc. and the Adviser, its wholly-owned subsidiary, acting as investment adviser to each Fund, Reality Shares, Inc. has retained an unaffiliated third party service provider to calculate each Benchmark Index (the “Calculation Agent”). The Calculation Agent, using the applicable rules-based methodology, will calculate, maintain and disseminate each Benchmark Index on a daily basis. Reality Shares, Inc. will monitor the results produced by the Calculation Agent to help ensure that each Benchmark Index is being calculated in accordance with its respective applicable rules-based methodology. In addition, Reality Shares, Inc. and the Adviser have established policies and procedures designed to prevent non-public information regarding pending changes to each Benchmark Index from being used or disseminated in an improper manner. Furthermore, Reality Shares, Inc. and the Adviser have established policies and procedures designed to prevent improper use and dissemination of non-public information about a Fund’s portfolio strategies and to mitigate the Funds’ portfolio manager from having sole influence on the construction of a Benchmark Index’s methodology.

 

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INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

The following are fundamental and non-fundamental policies of the Funds. The percentage limitations (except for the limitation on borrowing) set forth below will apply at the time of the purchase of a security and shall not be violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs, immediately after or as a result of a purchase of such security.

Fundamental Policies

The following investment limitations are fundamental policies of the Funds, which cannot be changed with respect to a Fund without the consent of the holders of a majority of a Fund’s outstanding shares. The term “majority of outstanding shares” means the vote of: (i) 67% or more of a Fund’s shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of a Fund’s outstanding shares, whichever is less.

 

  1. Each Fund may make loans, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

 

  2. Each Fund may borrow money, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

 

  3. Each Fund may not issue senior securities, as such term is defined under the 1940 Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as amended or interpreted from time to time, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

 

  4. Each Fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry, except that each Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of the same industry to approximately the same extent that its Benchmark Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries.

 

  5. Each Fund may purchase or sell commodities and real estate, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

 

  6. Each Fund may underwrite securities issued by other persons, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

Non-Fundamental Policies

Each Fund observes the following policies, which are not deemed fundamental and which may be changed by the Board without shareholder vote.

 

  1. No Fund may hold illiquid securities in an amount exceeding, in the aggregate, 15% of its net assets.

 

  2. No Fund may borrow money (i) in an amount exceeding 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed, but excluding temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets) and (ii) other than from a bank, provided that investment strategies that either obligate a Fund to purchase securities or require a Fund to cover a position by segregating assets or entering into an offsetting position shall not be subject to this limitation.

 

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  3. No Fund may lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties (this restriction does not apply to purchases of debt securities or repurchase agreements).

 

  4. No Fund may invest in unmarketable interests in real estate limited partnerships or invest directly in real estate. No Fund may purchase or sell or invest directly in real estate unless acquired as a result of its ownership in securities or other investments and except pursuant to the exercise of its rights under loan agreements related to its investments or to the extent that its investments in senior loans or bank loans may be considered to be investments in real estate. For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing policy does not prevent a Fund from, among other things; purchasing marketable securities of companies that deal in real estate or interests therein (including REITs).

 

  5. Each Fund may purchase or sell financial and physical commodities, commodity contracts based on (or relating to) physical commodities or financial commodities and securities and derivative instruments whose values are derived from (in whole or in part) physical commodities or financial commodities.

 

  6. No Fund may change its policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities included in its Benchmark Index without providing its shareholders with 60 days’ prior notice of such change.

The following descriptions of the 1940 Act may assist shareholders in understanding the above policies and restrictions.

Diversification. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified investment management company, as to 75% of its total assets, may not purchase securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agents or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer, or more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities would be held by the Fund.

Each Fund is a non-diversified investment management company. This means that a relatively high percentage of a Fund’s assets may be invested in the obligations of a limited number of issuers. The value of the shares of a Fund may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than the shares of a diversified investment company would be. Each Fund intends to satisfy the diversification requirements necessary to qualify as regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which requires in part that the Fund be diversified (i.e., not invest more than 5% of its assets in the securities in any one issuer) as to 50% of its assets.

Concentration. The SEC has presently defined concentration as investing 25% or more of an investment company’s net assets in an industry or group of industries, with certain exceptions such as with respect to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities, or tax-exempt obligations of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions.

Borrowing. The 1940 Act presently allows a Fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 331/3% of its total assets, including the amount borrowed (not including temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets).

Senior Securities. Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by a Fund evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligation.

Lending. Under the 1940 Act, a Fund may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies. Each Fund’s non-fundamental investment policy on lending is set forth above.

Underwriting. Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities involves the Fund purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not make any commitment as underwriter, if immediately thereafter the amount of its outstanding underwriting commitments, plus the value of its investments in securities of issuers (other than investment companies) of which it owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities, exceeds 25% of the value of its total assets.

 

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Real Estate. The 1940 Act does not directly restrict a Fund’s ability to invest in real estate, but does require that every fund have the Fundamental investment policy governing such investments. Each Fund has adopted the Fundamental policy that would permit direct investment in real estate. However, each Fund has a non-fundamental investment limitation that prohibits it from investing directly in real estate. This non-fundamental policy may be changed only by vote of the Board.

CONTINUOUS OFFERING

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

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

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

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

The shares of each Fund will trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from the Fund’s NAV. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of the Funds from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of a Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the shares of a Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; or (ii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of a Fund.

As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, broker’s commissions on purchases or sales of shares in market transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

THE ADMINISTRATOR

General. The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Administrator”), a New York banking organization, has its principal business offices at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. The Administrator also serves as the transfer agent and custodian for the Funds.

Administration Agreement with the Trust. The Trust and the Administrator have entered into an administration and

 

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accounting agreement (the “Administration Agreement”). Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides the Trust with administrative services or employs certain other parties, including its affiliates, who provide such services, including regulatory reporting and all necessary office space, equipment, personnel and facilities. The Administrator is compensated for providing such services to the Trust by the Adviser pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement (defined below).

The Administration Agreement provides that the Administrator shall not be liable for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the matters to which the Administration Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from negligence, willful misfeasance or bad faith on the part of the Administrator in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder or from breach of any representation or warranty contained in the Administration Agreement.

The Administration Agreement shall remain effective for the initial term of the Agreement and each renewal term thereof unless earlier terminated: (i) by either party upon written notice to the other party at least 90 days’ prior to the end of the initial term or renewal term, as applicable; (ii) by either party upon 30 days’ prior written notice if the other party fails to perform its obligations under the Administration Agreement in any material respect; and (iii) by the Administrator on not less than 30 days’ written notice to the Trust if the Trust terminates the custody agreement between the Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon serving in its capacity as custodian of the Trust.

THE ADVISER

General. Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) was founded in 2013 and is a Delaware limited liability company. The principal business address of the Adviser is 402 West Broadway, Suite 2800, San Diego, California 92101.

Advisory Agreement. The Trust and the Advisor have entered into an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”). Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser oversees the investment advisory services provided to the Funds.

The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.

After its initial two year term, the continuance of the Advisory Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually: (i) by the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Funds or by the Trustees; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined under the 1940 Act) of any party thereto, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment and is terminable (i) at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Funds, or (ii) by the Adviser on not less than 30 days’ nor more than 60 days’ written notice to the Trust.

Management Fees. For these advisory services, the Adviser receives a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly at the following annual rates (shown as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund):

 

   
Fund   Management Fee

Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF

  0.43%

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF

  0.85%

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF

  0.85%

With respect to the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF, the Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep aggregate interest expenses on securities sold short (“Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions”) from exceeding 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF and Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF until February 28, 2017 (the “Expense Limitation”). The Adviser may recover all or a portion of its fee reductions or expense reimbursements within a three-year period from the year in which it reduced its fee or reimbursed expenses if the Fund’s Expenses Associated with Short Sales Transactions are below the Expense Limitation. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board for any reason at any time, or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2017.

 

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As of the date of this SAI, the Funds had not commenced operations, and therefore did not pay any fees to the Adviser.

Portfolio Management

Compensation. The Funds’ portfolio manager will be compensated in 3 ways: fixed annual base salary; long-term incentive compensation (stock options) that are awarded based on (i) longevity with the firm, and (ii) as a component of an annual discretionary bonus; and, an annual discretionary bonus (cash and options) awarded on the overall performance of the firm, not specific to the individual Funds managed by him.

Ownership of Fund Shares. Because the Funds are new, as of the date of this SAI, the portfolio manager did not beneficially own shares of the Funds.

Other Accounts. As of the date of this SAI, the portfolio manager was not responsible for the day-to-day management of any accounts other than the Funds.

THE DISTRIBUTOR

The Trust and ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a Colorado corporation, are parties to a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Trust’s shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.

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 Funds and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust and 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 will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act), and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Distributor, by the Board or by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Funds, upon 60 days’ written notice by either party. The Distribution Agreement provides that the Distributor shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST

Board Responsibilities. The management and affairs of the Trust and the Funds are overseen by the Trustees. The Board has approved contracts, as described above, under which certain companies provide essential management services to the Trust.

Like most ETFs, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the management of risk, is performed by third party service providers, such as the Adviser, Distributor and Administrator. The Trustees are responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, have 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 Funds. The Funds and their service providers employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various 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 the day-to-day management of the Funds’ portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that business. The Board has emphasized to the Funds’ service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management.

The Trustees’ role in risk oversight begins before the inception of the Funds, at which time certain of the Funds’ service providers present the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Funds, as well as proposed investment limitations for the Funds. 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 Funds’ 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.

 

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The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the 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 with the Adviser, the Board meets with the Adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s adherence to the Funds’ investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about the Funds’ investments, including, for example, portfolio holdings schedules and reports on the Adviser’s use of derivatives in managing the Fund.

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 Funds’ service providers regarding the valuation and liquidity of portfolio securities. The Trust’s Fair Value Pricing Committee makes regular reports to the Board concerning investments for which market quotations are not readily available. Annually, the independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of the Funds’ financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Funds and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Funds’ 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, in consultation with Fund management, 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, the Chief Compliance Officer, the independent registered public accounting firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee learn about the material risks of the Funds, 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 Funds 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 Funds’ goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. Most of the Funds’ 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 Funds’ 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 five (5) members of the Board of Trustees, three (3) of whom are not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (“independent Trustees”). Eric Ervin serves as Chairman of the Board. 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 constitute a majority of the Board, the fact that the chairperson of each Committee of the Board is an independent Trustee, the amount of assets under management in the Trust, and the number of series overseen by the Board. The structure and operation of the Board is designed to facilitate the orderly and efficient flow of information to the independent Trustees from Fund management.

The Board of Trustees has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. The Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee are each chaired by an independent Trustee and composed of all of the independent Trustees.

 

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Set forth below are the names, dates of birth, position with the Trust, length of term of office, and the principal occupations and other directorships held during at least the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as a Trustee of the Trust.

 

Name, Address(1) and    

Age

 

  Position with  

Trust and

Length of

Term(2)

 

Principal Occupations

in the Past 5 Years

 

Number of
  Portfolios in Fund  
Complex(3)

Overseen by

Trustee

 

Other Directorships

Held in the Past 5

Years

     Interested Trustees         

Eric Ervin(4)

(Born: 1976)

  Trustee

(since 2014)

  President, CEO and Co-Founder of Reality Shares, Inc. (October 2011 – present); Vice President, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (June 2009 – October 2011)   6   None

Michael S. Rosen(4)

(Born: 1961)

  Trustee

(since 2014)

  Context Capital Management, LLC, Co-Founder and CEO (2001 – present)   6   None
     Independent Trustees         

Christopher Nero

(Born: 1967)

  Trustee

(since 2014)

  True North Advisory Group (business consulting firm), CEO (January 2012 – present); Deutsche Bank AFS, Managing Director and Global Head (January 2008 – March 2011)   6   None

Nathaniel R. Singer

(Born: 1961)

  Trustee

(since 2014)

  Swap Financial Group, Financial Adviser (January 2008 – present)   6   Municipal Securities
Rulemaking Board

Justin Ferayorni, CFA

(Born: 1973)

  Trustee

(since 2015)

  Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Tamarack Capital Management, LLC (2005 – present)   6   None

 

(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each Trustee is 402 West Broadway, Suite 2800, San Diego, California 92101.
(2) Each Trustee shall serve until death, resignation or removal.
(3) The term “Fund Complex” refers to the Reality Shares ETF Trust.
(4) Messrs. Ervin and Rosen may be deemed to be “interested” persons of the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, by virtue of their affiliation with the Adviser and/or its affiliates.

Individual Trustee Qualifications. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of his or her ability to review and understand information about the Funds 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 Funds, and to exercise their business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Funds’ 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.

Eric Ervin is President, CEO and Co-Founder of the Adviser. Prior to co-founding the Adviser, Mr. Ervin founded the Ervin Miller Group wealth management franchise at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. He holds Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Consultant designations.

 

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Michael S. Rosen is Co-Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and co-founder of Context Capital Management, LLC, an alternative asset management firm. Prior to co-founding Context Capital Management, LLC, Mr. Rosen was a co-principal owner of two investment advisers to a mutual fund complex and a mutual fund portfolio manager. Mr. Rosen is on the Board of Trustees for the University of Rochester, where he also serves on the Investment and Development Committees. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Christopher Nero is a retired Managing Director and former Global Head of Deutsche Bank’s Alternative Fund Services business, which provides services to hedge funds, private equity funds, and other alternative investment vehicles, located throughout the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He has over 25 years experience in the financial services industry and has held senior management positions with several alternative investment firms. He previously served as a senior accountant in the Division of Investment Management of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Nathaniel R. Singer has over 28 years experience in the financial services industry, including previously serving as the Chief Operating Officer of the municipal bond department of a major U.S. investment bank. Mr. Singer serves on the Board of Trustees of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and has also served as an advisor to the Government Accounting Standards Board and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Justin Ferayorni, CFA is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Tamarack Capital Management, LLC (“Tamarack”), founded in 2005. Tamarack is an SEC registered hedge fund focused on investing in healthcare related equities. Prior to founding Tamarack, Mr. Ferayorni served in several positions across the financial services industry focused on analyzing companies within the healthcare industry, including positions as a healthcare analyst and portfolio manager. In addition, Mr. Ferayorni was previously employed at an investment bank, where he worked on both corporate finance and merger and acquisition transactions as an analyst and associate.

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 Standing Committees. The Board has established the following standing committees:

•        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: (i) recommending which firm to engage as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and whether to terminate this relationship; (ii) reviewing the independent registered public accounting firm’s compensation, the proposed scope and terms of its engagement, and the firm’s independence; (iii) pre-approving audit and non-audit services provided by the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust and certain other affiliated entities; (iv) serving as a channel of communication between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Trustees; (v) 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; (vi) reviewing the Funds’ 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; (vii) 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’ reports on the adequacy of the Trust’s internal financial controls; (viii) reviewing, in consultation with the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, major changes regarding auditing and accounting principles and practices to be followed when preparing the Funds’ financial statements; and (ix) other audit related matters. Messrs. Nero, Singer and Ferayorni currently serve as members of the Audit Committee. Mr. Nero serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee met two (2) times during the most recent fiscal year.

•        Governance Committee. The Board has a standing Governance Committee that is composed of each of the independent Trustees of the Trust. The Governance Committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board. The principal responsibilities of the Governance Committee include: (i) considering and reviewing Board governance and compensation issues; (ii) conducting a self-assessment of the Board’s operations; (iii) selecting and nominating all persons to serve as independent Trustees and evaluating the qualifications of “interested” Trustee candidates; and (iv) reviewing

 

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shareholder recommendations for nominations to fill vacancies on the Board if such recommendations are submitted in writing and addressed to the Committee at the Trust’s office. Messrs. Nero, Singer and Ferayorni currently serve as members of the Governance Committee. Mr. Singer serves as the Chairman of the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee did not meet during the most recent fiscal year.

Fund Shares Owned by Board Members. Because the Funds are new, as of the date of this SAI, no Trustee owns shares of the Funds. The Trust is not part of any “family of investment companies” as such term is defined in Form N-1A.

Board Compensation. The Trust paid the following fees to the Trustees during the Funds’ most recently completed fiscal year ended October 31, 2015:

 

Trustee

       Aggregate
Compensation
From the Trust(1)
       Total
Compensation
From the Fund Complex(2)

Interested

                 

Eric Ervin

       $0         $0 

Michael J. Rosen

       $0         $0 

Independent

                 

Christopher Nero

       $7,500         $7,500 

Nathaniel R. Singer

       $2,000         $2,000 

Rick Slaughter(3)

       $6,500         $6,500 

Justin Ferayorni, CFA(4)

       $0         $0 

 

(1) No Trustee is entitled to any deferred compensation, pension or retirement benefits payable by the Fund.
(2) The term “Fund Complex” refers to the Reality Shares ETF Trust.
(3) Resigned as Trustee effective December 9, 2015.
(4) Appointed as Trustee effective December 9, 2015.

Trust Officers. Set forth below are the names, dates of birth, position with the Trust, length of term of office, and the principal occupations for the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as executive officers of the Trust. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each officer is 402 West Broadway, Suite 2800, San Diego, California 92101. The Chief Compliance Officer is the only officer who receives compensation from the Trust for his services.

 

Name, Address(1) and    

Age

  

Position with Trust and

Length of Term(2)

   Principal Occupations in Past 5 Years

Eric Ervin

(Born: 1976)

  

President

(since 2014)

   President, CEO and Co-Founder of Reality Shares, Inc. (October 2011 – present); Vice President, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (June 2009 – October 2011)

Tom Trivella

(Born: 1958)

  

Treasurer

(since 2014)

   Chief Operating Officer of Reality Shares, Inc. (October 2013 – present); Chief Operating Officer, Citadel Securities LLC (June 2010 – August 2012); Chief Operating Officer, ICAP Corporates LLC (July 2008 - May 2010)

Ryan Ballantyne

(Born: 1971)

  

Secretary

(since 2014)

   Executive Vice President - Sales and Trading of Reality Shares, Inc. (September 2012 – present); Managing Director, Miller Tabak & Co., LLC (April 2007 – August 2012)

Ted J. Uhl

(Born: 1975)

  

Chief Compliance Officer

(since 2014)

   Deputy Chief Compliance Officer of ALPS (June 2010 – Present); Senior Risk Manager for ALPS (October 2006 - June 2010).

 

(1) The business address of Messrs. Ervin, Trivella and Ballantyne is 402 West Broadway, Suite 2800, San Diego, California 92101. The business address of Mr. Uhl is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, CO 80203.
(2) Each officer shall serve until death, resignation or removal.

 

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BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Purchasing and Selling Fund Shares.”

Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depository for the Funds’ shares. Shares of the Funds are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities’ certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE 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.

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

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 shares of the Funds as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

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

 

S-22


CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

Purchase (Creation). The Trust issues and sells Shares of the Funds only: (i) in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees), at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day (as defined below), in proper form.

A “Business Day” with respect to the Funds is, generally, any day on which the Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Funds may consist of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and an amount of cash (the “Cash Component”) computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit” for the Funds, which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Funds. Because non-exchange traded derivatives and certain listed derivatives are not currently eligible for in-kind transfer, they will be substituted through the Cash Component. Specifically, the Funds will not accept exchange-traded options, OTC options, exchange-traded futures, forward contracts, or swaps as Deposit Securities.

The Cash Component is sometimes also referred to as the “Balancing Amount.” The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the value of Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number, the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number, the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. The Cash Component does not include any stamp duty tax or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities. These are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.

In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component at its discretion. For example, cash may be substituted to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below). The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) 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 in other situations deemed appropriate by the Trust. The Funds reserve the right to use this approach, including issuing and redeeming Creation Units partially in-kind and partially in cash.

The Funds, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), make available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on its Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Funds.

Such Deposit Securities are applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Units of the Funds until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available.

The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for the Funds Deposit for the Funds changes from time to time based on a number of factors.

Procedures for Creation of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit of the Funds, 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. In each case, such entity must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“Participant Agreement”). A Participating Party

 

S-23


or DTC Participant that has entered a Participation Agreement is referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement. All shares of the Funds, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

All orders to create shares must be placed for one or more Creation Units. All orders to create Creation Units must be received by the Distributor no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the date such orders are placed in order to receive that day’s NAV. All orders must be received in proper form. The date on which an order to create Creation Units is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below, which procedures may change from time to time without notice at the discretion of the Trust. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.

All orders to create Creation Units through an Authorized Participant shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the 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, in that case, orders to create Creation Units of the Funds have to be placed by each 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.

Those placing orders for Creation Units of the Funds through the Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Distributor prior to the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date. Orders for Creation Units of the Funds that are effected outside the Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and the Cash Component.

Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process. The Clearing Process is a process commonly used to create or redeem Creation Units of the Funds. Fund Deposits made through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Participant Agreement authorizes the Distributor to transmit through The Bank of New York Mellon to NSCC, on behalf of the Participating Party, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions to NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to deliver the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component to the Trust, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. An order to create Creation Units through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.

Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Fund Deposits made outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Units to be effected outside the Clearing Process does not need to be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of securities and cash directly through DTC. The Funds Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Funds by no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the “Settlement Date.” The Settlement Date is typically the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date. The Funds reserve the right to settle transactions on a basis other than “T” plus three Business Days (i.e., days on which the NYSE is open) (“T+3”). In certain cases Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units of the Funds on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.

 

S-24


All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to The Bank of New York Mellon through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by The Bank of New York Mellon no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Settlement Date. An order to create Creation Units outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if The Bank of New York Mellon does not receive both the required Deposit Securities and the Cash Component by 2:00 p.m. on the Settlement Date, such order may be canceled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Funds Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then-current NAV of the Funds. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

Creation Units may be created 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 NAV 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) at least 102%, which the Trust may change from time to time, of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”) with the Funds pending delivery of any missing Deposit Securities.

If an Authorized Participant determines to post an additional cash deposit as collateral for any undelivered Deposit Securities, such Authorized Participant must deposit with The Bank of New York Mellon the appropriate amount of federal funds by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the date of requested settlement. If the Authorized Participant does not place its purchase order by the closing time or The Bank of New York Mellon does not receive federal funds in the appropriate amount by such time, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Funds for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with The Bank of New York Mellon, 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 102%, which the Trust may change from time to time, of the daily marked-to-market value of the missing Deposit Securities. To the extent that missing Deposit Securities are not received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Settlement Date or in the event a marked-to-market payment is not made within one Business Day following notification by the Distributor that such a payment is required, the Trust may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Securities.

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 market value of such Deposit Securities on the transmittal date plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases, as well as any stamp taxes, income or dividends due. 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 Bank of New York Mellon or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust and all related transaction costs and other items, as noted above, have been cleared. In addition, a transaction fee, as listed below, will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

Cash Purchases. When, in the sole discretion of the Trust, cash purchases of Creation Units of shares are available or specified for the Funds, such purchases shall be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition, to offset brokerage and other costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the Authorized Participant must pay the Transaction Fees required by the Funds. If the Authorized Participant acts as a broker for the Funds in connection with the purchase of Deposit Securities, the Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain brokerage commissions, taxes, and transaction and market impact costs as discussed under the heading “Brokerage Transactions” herein.

 

S-25


Acceptance of Orders of Creation Units. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor with respect to the Funds. Orders may be rejected and acceptance may be revoked if, for example: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Funds; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered are not the same as those disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Funds as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Funds; (v) acceptance of the Funds Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Funds 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; or (vii) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon, the Distributor or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; 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 Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, The Bank of New York Mellon or a sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon, a 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 any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

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/Redemption Transaction Fee. A transaction fee, as set forth in the table below, is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase or redemption of Creation Units, as applicable. Authorized Participants will be required to pay a fixed creation transaction fee and/or a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, on a given day regardless of the number of Creation Units created or redeemed on that day. The Funds may adjust the transaction fee from time to time. An additional charge or a variable charge (discussed below) will be applied to certain creation and redemption transactions, including non-standard orders and whole or partial cash purchases or redemptions. With respect to creation orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust, and with respect to redemption orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the Funds Securities (defined below) from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may also be charged a fee for such services.

 

Fund   Creation/Redemption
Transaction Fee

Reality Shares DIVCON Leaders Dividend ETF

  $500

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF

  $500

Reality Shares DIVCON Dividend Guard ETF

  $500

In addition to the transaction fees listed above, the Funds may charge an additional variable fee for creations and redemptions in cash to offset brokerage and impact expenses associated with a cash transaction. The variable transaction fee will be calculated based on historical transaction cost data and the Adviser’s view of current market conditions; however the actual variable fee charged for a given transaction may be lower or higher than the trading expenses incurred by the Funds with respect to that transaction. A variable fee of up to 2.00% may be charged.

 

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Placement of Redemption Orders Using the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed the Participant Agreement. Except as described herein, an order to redeem Creation Units using the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by The Bank of New York Mellon (in its capacity as Transfer Agent) not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date, and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Such order will be effected based on the NAV of the Funds as next determined. The considerations for redemption of Creation Units of the Funds generally consists of (i) a designated portfolio of in-kind securities that closely approximate the holdings of the Funds (the “Fund Securities”) and (ii) an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Redemptions Amount”) as described below. The requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount generally will be transferred by the third NSCC Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement. An order to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by The Bank of New York Mellon (in its capacity as Transfer Agent) not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the Funds specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to The Bank of New York Mellon no later than 11:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the contracted settlement date; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. After the Trust has deemed an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process received, the Trust will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities which are expected to be delivered within three Business Days and the Cash Redemption Amount to the Authorized Participant on behalf of the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the Settlement Date. In certain cases Authorized Participants will redeem and create Creation Units of the Funds on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.

General Redemption Procedures. An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption request is deemed to represent to the Trust that it (or its client) (i) owns outright or has full legal authority and legal beneficial right to tender for redemption the requisite number of shares to be redeemed and can receive the entire proceeds of the redemption, and (ii) the shares to be redeemed have not been loaned or pledged to another party nor are they the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or such other arrangement which would preclude the delivery of such shares to the Trust. The Trust reserves the right to verify these representations at its discretion. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Trust, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust.

If the requisite number of shares of the Funds is not delivered on the Transmittal Date as described above, the Funds may reject or revoke acceptance of the redemption request because the Authorized Participant has not satisfied all of the settlement requirements.

The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds and shall be held by The Bank of New York Mellon and marked-to-market daily, and that the fees of The Bank of New York Mellon and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant’s agreement will permit the Trust, on behalf of the affected Fund, to purchase the missing shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Cash Component and the value of the collateral as well as any transaction costs, stamp taxes, income or dividends due.

The calculation of the value of the Funds Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by The Bank of New York Mellon according to the procedures set forth under Determination of NAV computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to The Bank of New York Mellon by a DTC Participant not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the Funds are delivered to The Bank of New York Mellon prior to the DTC cut-off time, then the value of the Funds Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered

 

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will be determined by The Bank of New York Mellon on such Transmittal Date. If, however, a redemption order is submitted to The Bank of New York Mellon by a DTC Participant not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date but either (i) the requisite number of shares of the Funds are not delivered by the DTC cut-off-time on such Transmittal Date, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Funds Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be computed on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the Trust on which the shares of the Funds are delivered through DTC to The Bank of New York Mellon by the DTC cut-off-time on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.

The Funds may also, in their sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Funds Securities but does not differ in NAV.

Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Funds (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserve 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 Funds 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 stock included in the Funds Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.

Cash Redemptions. The Funds may pay out the proceeds of redemptions of Creation Units solely in cash or through any combination of cash or securities. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Funds may, in their 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 Funds 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). Proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption. If the Authorized Participant acts as a broker for the Funds in connection with the sale of Fund Securities, the Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain brokerage commissions, taxes, and transaction and market impact costs as discussed under the heading “Brokerage Transactions” herein. Because non-exchange traded derivatives and certain listed derivatives are not currently eligible for in-kind transfer, they will be substituted with an amount of cash of equal value when the Funds process redemptions of Creation Units. Specifically, the Funds will transfer the corresponding cash value of exchange-traded options, OTC options, exchange-traded futures, forward contracts, or swaps as Deposit Securities.

In-Kind Redemptions. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions 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 may 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 Funds will not suspend or postpone redemption beyond seven days, except as permitted under Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. Section 22(e) provides that the right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Funds (1) for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Funds’ portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in each Fund’s Prospectus entitled “Pricing of Fund Shares.”

The NAV per share of a 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 of the Fund outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including without limitation, the management and administration fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV per share. The NAV per share for the Fund is calculated by the Administrator and determined as of 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.

In computing each Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s securities holdings are valued based on their last readily available market price. Price information on listed securities, including ETFs in which the Fund invests, is taken from the exchange where the security is primarily traded. Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available or determined to not represent the current fair value are valued based on fair value as determined by the Fund in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board.

 

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PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Board has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Funds to the Adviser. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which are included in Appendix B to this SAI.

The Trust is required to disclose annually the Funds’ complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next and to file Form N-PX with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) no later than August 31 of each year. The current Form N-PX for the Funds, when filed, may be obtained at no charge upon request by calling (855) 595-0240 or by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

TAXES

The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Funds is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authority, all as in effect as of the date of the filing of this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company (RIC). Each Fund intends to elect to be treated and intends to qualify each year as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded RICs and their shareholders, each Fund must, among other things:

(a) derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below);

(b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with investments in such other securities limited with respect to any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested in (1) the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (2) the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and

(c) distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount equal to or greater than the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid – generally taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income.

In general, for purposes of the 90% qualifying income test described in (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (ii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in clause (a)(i) of the description of the 90% qualifying income test applicable to RICs, above) will be treated as qualifying income.

Taxation of the Funds. If a Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of dividends.

 

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If, for any taxable year, a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC or failed to meet the distribution requirement described above, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, the Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent year. Under certain circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but in order to do so the Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may be forced to dispose of certain assets. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to recognize any net built-in gains 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.

Each Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). Investment income that is retained by a Fund will generally be subject to tax at regular corporate rates. If a Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be subject to tax at corporate rates, but the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax return to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.

If a Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year, plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amount. For these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. Each Fund intends to declare and pay dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.

Each 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. 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, and certain other late-year losses.

If a Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year.

 

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Fund Distributions. Distributions are generally taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. Moreover, distributions on a Fund’s shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing shares at a time when the Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Realized income and gains must generally be distributed even when the Fund’s NAV also reflects unrealized losses.

Dividends and other distributions by a Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, if any dividend or distribution is declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to its shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month but is actually paid during the following January, such dividend or distribution will be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

Distributions by a Fund of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the assets that generated those gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from a Fund’s net capital gain that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For individuals, long-term capital gains are currently subject to tax at reduced maximum tax rates. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.

For noncorporate shareholders, distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” will be taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and Fund level. In order for some portion of the dividends received by a Fund shareholder to be “qualified dividend income,” the Fund making the distribution must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the ex-dividend date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a passive foreign investment company.

In general, distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder taxed as an individual, provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Fund’s shares. If the aggregate qualified dividend income received by a Fund during any taxable year represents 95% or more of its gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be reported as qualified dividend income. To the extent that a Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.

 

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If a Fund makes distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution to each shareholder will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, and will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares. After the shareholder’s basis has been reduced to zero, any such distributions will result in a capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her shares as capital assets. A reduction in a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares will reduce any loss or increase any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its shares.

Sale or Exchange of Shares. A sale or exchange of shares in a 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 be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be disallowed if substantially identical shares of the Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

Backup Withholding. The Funds (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which a shareholder holds Fund shares) generally are required to withhold and to 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 under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding rate is 28%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).

Federal Tax Treatment of Certain Fund Investments. Transactions of a Fund in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts, swap agreements, straddles and foreign currencies may be subject to various special and complex tax rules, including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules. These rules could affect whether gains and losses recognized by a Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to a Fund, and/or defer a Fund’s ability to recognize losses. These rules may in turn affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to shareholders by the Funds. These provisions may also require a Fund to “mark-to-market” certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding U.S. federal income and excise taxes. Each Fund will monitor these transactions and intends to make the appropriate entries in its books and records, and if the Fund deems it advisable, will make appropriate elections if available in order to mitigate the effect of these rules, prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC and minimize the imposition of U.S. federal income and excise taxes.

A Fund’s transactions in broad based equity index futures contracts, exchange-traded options on such indices and certain other futures contracts are generally considered “Section 1256 contracts” for federal income tax purposes. Any unrealized gains or losses on such Section 1256 contracts are treated as though they were realized at the end of each taxable year. The resulting gain or loss is treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Gain or loss recognized on actual sales of Section 1256 contracts is treated in the same manner.

 

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A Fund’s entry into a short sale transaction, an option or certain other contracts, such as futures, could be treated as the constructive sale of an appreciated financial position, causing the Fund to realize gain, but not loss, on the position.

In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when a Fund closes the sale by delivering the borrowed property to the lender, not when the borrowed property is sold. Gain or loss from a short sale is generally considered as capital gain or loss to the extent that the property used to close the short sale constitutes a capital asset in a Fund’s hands. Except with respect to certain situations where the property used by a Fund to close a short sale has a long-term holding period on the date of the short sale, special rules would generally treat the gains on short sales as short-term capital gains. These rules may also terminate the running of the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by a Fund. Moreover, a loss on a short sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by a Fund for more than one year. In general, a Fund will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse the lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed stock if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the short sale is entered into.

Foreign Investments. Income received by a 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 such countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes.

If a Fund holds shares in a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”), it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.

A Fund may be eligible to treat a PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code in which case, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund will be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts will be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain. Alternatively, the Fund may make a mark-to-market election that will result in such Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any gains resulting from such deemed sales as ordinary income and would deduct any losses resulting from such deemed sales as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, is effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock. Such Fund may have to distribute this excess income to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax. In order to distribute this income and avoid a tax at the Fund level, the Fund might be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss.

Foreign Currency Transactions. Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time the 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 income or receivables or pays such expenses or liabilities generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly,

 

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on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on 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 income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income.

Additional Tax Information Concerning REITs. The Funds are not prohibited from investing in entities treated as REITs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities, if any, may at times result in a Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if a Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

A Fund may invest in REITs that hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or which are, or have certain wholly-owned subsidiaries that are, “taxable mortgage pools” (“TMPs”). Under certain Treasury guidance, a portion of the Fund’s income from a REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC or equity interests in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. This guidance provides that excess inclusion income of a RIC, such as the Fund, must generally be allocated to shareholders of the RIC in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest or TMP interests directly. In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity, which otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income (see “Taxes – Tax-Exempt Shareholders” below), and (iii) in the case of a foreign shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. The Funds do not intend to invest a substantial portion of its assets in REITs which generate excess inclusion income.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will not be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt entity that is a shareholder in the RIC. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in a Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b) or if a Fund invests in REITs that recognize excess inclusion income.

Non-U.S. Shareholders. In general, dividends, other than Capital Gain Dividends, paid by a Fund to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a non-U.S. person directly, would not be subject to withholding.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a U.S. income tax deduction for losses) realized on a sale of shares of a Fund or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other conditions are met.

 

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Ordinary dividends, redemption payments and certain Capital Gain Dividends paid after June 30, 2014 to a non-U.S. shareholder that fails to meet certain requirements or make certain required certifications are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate. Under current IRS guidance, withholding on such payments will begin at different times depending on the type of payment, the type of payee, and when the shareholder’s account is or was opened. In general, withholding with respect to ordinary dividends began on July 1, 2014, although in many cases withholding on ordinary dividends will begin on a later date. Withholding on redemption payments and certain Capital Gain Dividends is currently scheduled to begin on January 1, 2017. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an 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.

In order for a non-U.S. investor to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, described above, the non-U.S. investor must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Non-U.S. investors in the Funds should consult their tax advisors in this regard.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal income tax consequences referred to above. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any income or gain effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.

Creation and Redemption of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange, and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities or non-U.S. currency surrendered and any cash paid for such Creation Units. All or a portion of any gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant exchanging a currency other than its functional currency for Creation Units may be treated as ordinary income or loss. 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 U.S. dollar market value of any securities or non-U.S. currency received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units by an Authorized Participant that does not mark-to-market its holdings cannot be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. All or some portion of any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if 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 Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses.

A person subject to U.S. federal income tax with the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who receives non-U.S. currency upon a redemption of Creation Units and does not immediately convert the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars may, upon a later conversion of the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars, or upon the use of the non-U.S. currency to pay expenses or acquire assets, recognize as ordinary gains or losses any gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in the value of the non-U.S. currency relative to the U.S. dollar since the date of the redemption.

Persons exchanging securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.

 

S-35


Section 351. The Trust on behalf of the Funds has the right to reject an order for a purchase of shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or any group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, such Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

Certain Reporting Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, generally, if a shareholder recognizes a loss 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 IRS 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 regulations. 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.

Cost Basis Reporting. 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.

General Considerations. The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of shares of the Funds, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

Brokerage Transactions. The Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the Funds for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting the brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, the Adviser’s policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to the breadth of the market in the security; the price of the security; the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any; execution capability; settlement capability; back office efficiency and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid 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. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, less liquid securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. The Adviser does not consider the provision or value of research, products or services a broker or dealer may provide, if any, as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer or the determination of the reasonableness of commissions paid in connection with portfolio transactions. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of the Funds’ shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.

To the extent creation or redemption transactions are conducted on a cash or “cash in lieu” basis, the Funds may contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities in connection with such transactions (see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Units” herein). Such orders may be placed with an Authorized Participant in its capacity as broker-dealer or with an affiliated broker-dealer of such Authorized Participant. In such cases, the Funds will require such broker-dealer to achieve execution at a price that is at least as favorable to the Funds as the value of such securities used to calculate the Funds’ NAV. The broker-dealer will be required to reimburse the Funds for, among other things, any difference between the price (including applicable brokerage commissions, taxes and transaction costs) at which such securities were bought or sold and the value of such securities used to calculate the Funds’ NAV. This amount will vary depending on the quality of the execution and may be capped at amounts determined by the Adviser in its sole discretion.

Brokerage Commissions. As of the date of this SAI, the Funds had not commenced operations, and therefore did not pay any brokerage commissions.

Brokerage with Fund Affiliates. As of the date of this SAI, the Funds had not commenced operations, and therefore did not pay any brokerage commissions to any affiliated brokers.

Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers.” As of the date of this SAI, the Funds had not commenced operations, and therefore did not hold securities of any “regular brokers or dealers.”

 

S-36


DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Trust has adopted a Portfolio Holdings Policy (the “Policy”) designed to govern the disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings and the use of material non-public information about Fund holdings. The Policy applies to all officers, employees, and agents of the Funds, including the Adviser. The Policy is designed to ensure that the disclosure of information about the Funds’ portfolio holdings is consistent with applicable legal requirements and otherwise in the best interest of the Funds.

As an ETF, information about the Funds’ portfolio holdings is made available on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of any exemptive order of the SEC applicable to the Funds, regulations of the Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. Such information typically reflects all or a portion of the Funds’ anticipated portfolio holdings as of the next Business Day. This information is used in connection with the creation and redemption process and is disseminated on a daily basis through the facilities of the Exchange, the NSCC and/or third-party service providers.

The Funds may disclose on the Funds’ website at the start of each Business Day the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Funds that will form the basis of the Funds’ calculation of their NAV on that Business Day. The portfolio holdings so disclosed will be based on information as of the close of business on the prior Business Day and/or trades that have been completed prior to the opening of business on that Business Day and that are expected to settle on that Business Day.

Daily access to the Funds’ portfolio holdings with no lag time is permitted to personnel of the Adviser, the Funds’ distributor and the Funds’ administrator, custodian and accountant and other agents or service providers of the Trust who have need of such information in connection with the ordinary course of their respective duties to the Funds. The Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings.

The Funds may disclose their complete portfolio holdings or a portion of its portfolio holdings online at www.realityshares.com. Online disclosure of such holdings is publicly available at no charge.

The Fund files a complete schedule of its portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Funds’ Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operations of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST

The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of shares of the Funds. Each share issued by the Funds has a pro rata interest in the assets of the Funds. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the Funds, and in the net distributable assets of the Funds on liquidation.

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. If additional series of the Trust are created, shares of all series vote together as a single class except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular series or if a matter affects a particular series differently from other series, that series will vote separately on such matter.

Each share held entitles the shareholder of record to one vote. As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders, but approval will be sought for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of Trustees under certain circumstances. In addition, a Trustee may be removed by the remaining Trustees or by shareholders at a special meeting called upon written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders requesting the meeting.

Where the prospectus or SAI states that an investment limitation or the Fundamental policy may not be changed without shareholder approval, such approval means the vote of: (i) 67% or more of the Funds’ shares present at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Funds are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the Funds’ outstanding shares, whichever is less.

Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of shares of the Funds and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the Funds’ shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the Funds, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Funds cannot accurately predict the length of time for which one or more shareholders may remain a control person or persons of the Funds.

 

S-37


Any series of the Trust may reorganize or merge with one or more other series of the Trust or another investment company. Any such reorganization or merger shall be pursuant to the terms and conditions specified in an agreement and plan of reorganization authorized and approved by the Trustees and entered into by the relevant series in connection therewith. In addition, such reorganization or merger may be authorized by vote of a majority of the Trustees then in office and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, without the approval of shareholders of any series.

LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES’ LIABILITY

The Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his or her own willful defaults and, if reasonable care has been exercised in the selection of officers, agents, employees or administrators, shall not be liable for any neglect or wrongdoing of any such person. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust will indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with actual or threatened litigation in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Trust unless it is determined in the manner provided in the Declaration of Trust that they have not acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in the best interests of the Trust. 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 his or her duties.

CODES OF ETHICS

The Board has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. In addition, the Adviser and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1. These Codes of Ethics apply to the personal investing activities of trustees, officers and certain employees (“access persons”). Rule 17j-1 and the Codes are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by access persons. Under each Code of Ethics, access persons are permitted to engage in personal securities transactions, but are required to report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. In addition, certain access persons are required to obtain approval before investing in initial public offerings or private placements or are prohibited from making such investments. Copies of these Codes of Ethics are on file with the SEC, and are available to the public.

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

As of the date of this SAI, the Funds had not commenced operations, and therefore there were no record owners of the Funds. Persons who own of record or beneficially more than 25% of the Funds’ outstanding shares may be deemed to control the Funds within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Shareholders controlling the Funds could have the ability to vote a majority of the shares of the Funds on any matter requiring the approval of shareholders of the Funds.

CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT

The Bank of New York Mellon, located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, acts as custodian, transfer agent and dividend paying agent for the Funds.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Ernst & Young LLP, located at 725 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90017, serves as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm.

LEGAL COUNSEL

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, located at 2020 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006-1806, serves as counsel to the Trust.

 

S-38


APPENDIX A

DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS

Description of Corporate Bond Ratings

The following descriptions of corporate bond ratings have been published by Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch, Inc., (“Fitch”), respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF MOODY’S LONG-TERM RATINGS

Aaa Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edged”. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the Fundamentally strong position of such issues.

Aa Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risk appear somewhat larger than the Aaa securities.

A Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper-medium grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment some time in the future.

Baa Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium-grade obligations (i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured). Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present, but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.

DESCRIPTION OF S&P’S LONG-TERM RATINGS

Investment Grade

AAA Debt rated “AAA” has the highest rating assigned by S&P. Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely strong.

AA Debt rated “AA” has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal and differs from the highest rated debt only in small degree.

A Debt rated “A” has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal, although it is somewhat more susceptible to adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher-rated categories.

BBB Debt rated “BBB” is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for debt in this category than in higher rated categories.

DESCRIPTION OF FITCH’S LONG-TERM RATINGS

Investment Grade Bond

AAA Bonds rated AAA are judged to be strictly high grade, broadly marketable, suitable for investment by trustees and fiduciary institutions liable to slight market fluctuation other than through changes in the money rate. The prime feature of an AAA bond is a showing of earnings several times or many times greater than interest requirements, with such stability of applicable earnings that safety is beyond reasonable question whatever changes occur in conditions.

AA Bonds rated AA are judged to be of safety virtually beyond question and are readily salable, whose merits are not unlike those of the AAA class, but whose margin of safety is less strikingly broad. The issue may be the obligation of a small company, strongly secured but influenced as to rating by the lesser financial power of the enterprise and more local type market.

 

A-1


A Bonds rated A are considered to be investment grade and of high credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances than bonds with higher ratings.

BBB Bonds rated BBB are considered to be investment grade and of satisfactory credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, however, are more likely to have adverse impact on these bonds, and therefore impair timely payment. The likelihood that the ratings of these bonds will fall below investment grade is higher than for bonds with higher ratings.

Description of Commercial Paper Ratings

The following descriptions of commercial paper ratings have been published by Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s, and Fitch, Inc., respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF MOODY’S SHORT-TERM RATINGS

PRIME-1 Issuers rated Prime-1 (or supporting institutions) have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by many of the following characteristics:

• Leading market positions in well-established industries.

• High rates of return on funds employed.

• Conservative capitalization structures with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection.

• Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation.

• Well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.

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

S&P’S SHORT-TERM RATINGS

A-1 This highest category indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is strong. Debt determined to possess extremely strong safety characteristics is denoted with a plus sign (+) designation.

A-2 Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is satisfactory. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high as for issues designated “A-1”.

DESCRIPTION OF FITCH’S SHORT-TERM RATINGS

F-1 Highest Credit Quality. Indicates the best capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote exceptionally strong credit feature.

F-2 Good Credit Quality. A satisfactory capacity for timely payment, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.

F-3 Fair Credit Quality. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non-investment grade.

 

A-2


APPENDIX B

REALITY SHARES ADVISORS, LLC

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

December 2013

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (“RSA”) has been delegated proxy voting responsibility by the Reality Shares EFT Trust (“Trust”) for proxies solicited on the securities held in the Trust’s underlining mutual funds’ portfolios (“Funds”), which are managed by RSA. These policies and procedures, which may be amended from time to time, apply to the voting of such proxies by RSA.

SECTION 1- PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

The fundamental guideline followed by RSA in voting proxies on behalf of the Funds is to make every effort to ensure that the manner in which shares are voted is in the best interest of the Funds and the value of the specific investment. Absent special circumstances of the types described below, it is the policy of RSA to exercise its proxy voting discretion in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Exhibit A (“Proxy Voting Guidelines”). Any changes to the Proxy Voting Guidelines must be pre-approved in writing by RSA’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”).

SECTION 2 - VOTING RESPONSIBILITY

The CCO has the responsibility of voting the Funds’ proxies received by RSA (the “Responsible Voting

Party”). RSA may delegate to a non-affiliated third party vendor, the responsibility to review proxy proposals and make voting recommendations. RSA will ensure that any third party recommendations followed will be consistent with the Proxy Voting Guidelines.

SECTION 3 - APPLICATION OF PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

It is intended that the Proxy Voting Guidelines will be applied with a measure of flexibility. Accordingly, except as otherwise provided in these policies and procedures, the Responsible Voting Party (with the pre-approval of the CCO) may vote a proxy contrary to the Proxy Voting Guidelines if it is determined that such action is in the best interests of the Funds. In the exercise of such discretion, the Responsible Voting Party may take into account a wide array of factors relating to the matter under consideration, the nature of the proposal, and the company involved. Similarly, poor past performance, uncertainties about management and future directions, and other factors may lead to a conclusion that particular proposals by an issuer present unacceptable investment risks and should not be supported. In addition, the proposals should be evaluated in context. For example, a particular proposal may be acceptable standing alone, but objectionable when part of an existing or proposed package, such as where the effect may be to entrench management. Special circumstances or instructions from the Board of Trustees of the Trust may also justify casting different votes.

The Responsible Voting Party will document the rationale for any proxy voted contrary to the Proxy Voting Guidelines. Such information will be maintained as part of the recordkeeping process.

SECTION 4 - CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

RSA may occasionally be subject to conflicts of interest in the voting of proxies due to business or personal relationships it maintains with persons having an interest in the outcome of certain votes. For example, a conflict would exist if RSA, its, or the Funds’ affiliates and/or employees have a business or personal relationship with other proponents of proxy proposals, participants in proxy contests, corporate directors or candidates for directorships.

 

B-1


If at anytime, RSA and/or the Responsible Voting Party become aware of any type of potential or actual conflict of interest relating to a particular proxy proposal, they will promptly report such conflict to the CCO. Conflicts of interest will be handled in various ways depending on the type and materiality. This includes:

 

  I.

Where the Proxy Voting Guidelines outline RSA’s voting position, as either “for” or “against” such proxy proposal, voting will be in made accordance with the Proxy Voting Guidelines.

 

  II.

Where the Proxy Voting Guidelines outline RSA’s voting position to be determined on a “case by case” basis for such proxy proposal, or such proposal is not listed in the Proxy Voting Guidelines, then one of the two following methods will be selected by RSA depending upon the facts and circumstances of each situation and the requirements of applicable law:

 

  A.

Voting the proxy in accordance with the voting recommendation of non-affiliated third party vendors.

 

  B.

Voting the proxy pursuant to direction by the Board of Trustees of the Funds.

SECTION 5 - OTHER SPECIAL SITUATIONS

RSA may choose not to vote proxies in certain situations, such as: 1) where RSA deems the cost of voting would exceed any anticipated benefit to the Funds, or 2) where a proxy is received for a security no longer held in a Fund’s portfolio (i.e., RSA had previously sold the entire position).

SECTION 6 - PROXY VOTING RECORDS

RSA will maintain the following records under these policies and procedures:

 

  I.

A copy of all policies and procedures.

 

  II.

A copy of each proxy statement received regarding the Funds’ securities.

 

  III.

A record of each vote cast by RSA on behalf of the Funds.

 

  IV.

A copy of any document created by RSA that was material to making a decision on how to vote proxies on behalf of the Funds or that memorialize the basis for that decision.

 

  V.

A copy of each written request by the Board of Trustees or CCO of the Funds for information on how RSA voted proxies on behalf of the Funds, and a copy of any written response by RSA to any (written or verbal) request for information on how RSA voted proxies on behalf of the Funds.

The foregoing records will be retained for at least six (6) years from the end of the year the document was created. RSA may rely on one or more third parties to create and retain the records referred to in items II and III above.

SECTION 7 – REPORTING AND DISCLOSURES

A copy of these policies and procedures will be provided to the Funds’ CCO and the Board of Trustees anytime upon request and at least annually for review and approval. In addition, information on each proxy voted will be provided to the Funds’ CCO or designee, in accordance with the Funds’ written policies and procedures.

 

B-2


Exhibit A

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

Proxy Voting Guidelines

It is intended that these Proxy Voting Guidelines will be applied with a measure of flexibility. Accordingly, except as otherwise provided in the Reality Shares Advisors, LLC Proxy Voting Policy, the Firm may vote a proxy contrary to the below guidelines if it is determined that such action is in the best interests of the Funds.

RSA will vote “For” the following voting issues:

Board Majority of Independent Directors

Board Committee membership exclusively of independent Directors

Fixed Board size

Shareholders ability to remove Directors

Shareholders proposal to have independent Chair Director

Ratification of auditors

Confidential voting

D&O indemnification

Employee stock purchase plans

Shareholder ratification of golden parachutes

Shareholder approval to implement ESOP

Shareholder ability to remove Directors with or without cause

Shareholder electing directors to fill board vacancies

401(k) plans for employees

Expensing stocks options

Minor bylaw changes

Corporate name changes

Changing date, time, and/or location of annual meeting

Disclosure of CEO succession planning

Shareholder voting required for poison pills

RSA will vote “Against” the following voting issues:

Directors required to own minimum amount of company stock

Limit of tenure of Directors

Poison pills without shareholder approval

Mandatory retirement age for Directors

Amending bylaws without shareholder consent

Restriction on shareholders’ ability to call special meetings

Requiring supermajority of shareholder votes

RSA will vote “Case by Case” for the following voting issues and for any issues not listed in these guidelines:

Auditor indemnification and limits of liability

Limiting non-audit services by auditor

Shareholder proposals on audit firm rotation

Election of Directors

Compensation Committee members

Management “say on pay” proposals

 

B-3


Proposals to classify/stagger the Board

Advance notice proposals

Anti-green mail proposals

Proxy expense reimbursements

Change state of incorporation

To increase common shares of company

 

B-4


PART C: OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 28.

 

Exhibits

(a)(1)  

Certificate of Trust of Reality Shares ETF Trust (the “Registrant”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(1) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-192288), filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-13-438546 on November 12, 2013 (the “Registration Statement”).

(a)(2)  

Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Trust of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-192288), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-14-260683 on July 3, 2014 (“Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3”).

(a)(3)  

Registrant’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Agreement and Declaration of Trust”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(3) to the Registration Statement.

(a)(4)  

Form of Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(4) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-192288), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-14-409410 on November 12, 2014 (“Pre-Effective Amendment No. 4”).

(b)  

Registrant’s Amended and Restated By-Laws are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (b) to the Registration Statement.

(c)  

See Article III and Article V of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(3) to the Registration Statement.

(d)(1)  

Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) is filed herewith.

(e)(1)  

Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distribution Agreement”) is Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(1) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-192288), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-14-446892 on December 18, 2014 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 2”).

(e)(2)  

Amendment No. 1 to the Distribution Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2.

(e)(3)  

Form of Authorized Participant Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1.


(f)  

Not Applicable.

(g)(1)  

Custody Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custody Agreement”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3.

(g)(2)  

Amendment to the Custody Agreement dated May 30, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3.

(h)(1)  

Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Administration Agreement”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3.

(h)(2)  

Amendment to the Administration Agreement dated May 30, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3.

(h)(3)  

Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Transfer Agency Agreement”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(3) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3.

(h)(4)  

Amendment to the Transfer Agency Agreement dated May 30, 2014 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(4) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3.

(h)(5)  

Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Funds Services, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2.

(i)  

Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is filed herewith.

(j)  

Not applicable.

(k)  

Not applicable.

(l)  

Initial Capital Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (l) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 4.

(m)  

Not applicable.

(n)  

Not applicable.

(o)  

Not applicable.

(p)(1)  

Code of Ethics for the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1.

(p)(2)  

Code of Ethics for the Adviser is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1.

(p)(3)  

Code of Ethics for ALPS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(3) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1.


(q)(1)  

Powers of Attorney for Mssrs. Nathaniel Singer, Chris Nero and Rick Slaughter are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (q) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1.

(q)(2)  

Power of Attorney for Michael Rosen is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (q)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-192288), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-14-176865 on May 1, 2014

(q)(3)  

Power of Attorney for Justin Ferayorni is filed herewith.

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

Not applicable.

Item 30. Indemnification:

Please see Article VII of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which is filed as Exhibit (a)(3) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) may be permitted to trustees, directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and, therefore, is 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 trustees, directors, officers or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suite or proceeding) is asserted by such trustees, directors, officers or controlling persons in connection with the shares 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 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.

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

The following lists any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which the Adviser, and each director, officer or partner of the Adviser, is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner, or trustee. Unless noted below, neither the Adviser nor any director, officer or partner of the Adviser is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.

The Adviser serves as the investment adviser for the Reality Shares DIVS ETF. The Adviser’s principal address is 402 West Broadway, Suite 2800, San Diego, CA 92101. The Adviser is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.


Name and Position with the Adviser    Name of Other Company    Position with Other Company
Eric Ervin, President    Reality Shares, Inc.    President
Ryan Ballentyne, Vice President and Secretary    Reality Shares, Inc.    Vice President and Secretary
Tom Trivella, Assistant Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Compliance Officer    Reality Shares, Inc.    Assistant Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer

Item 32. Principal Underwriters

 

(a) ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: ALPS Series Trust, Arbitrage Funds, AQR Funds, Babson Capital Funds Trust, BBH Trust, BLDRS Index Funds Trust, BPV Family of Funds, Broadview Funds Trust, Brown Management Funds, Caldwell & Orkin Funds, Inc., Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust, Centaur Mutual Funds Trust, Century Capital Management Trust, Columbia ETF Trust, CornerCap Group of Funds, Cortina Funds, Inc., CRM Mutual Fund Trust, Cullen Funds, DBX ETF TRUST, db-X Exchange-Traded Funds Inc., Drexel Hamilton Mutual Funds, EGA Emerging Global Shares Trust, EGA Frontier Diversified Core Fund, Financial Investors Trust, Firsthand Funds, Heartland Group, Inc., Henssler Funds, Inc., Holland Balanced Fund, IndexIQ Trust, Index IQ ETF Trust, James Advantage Funds, Laudus Trust, Laudus Institutional Trust, Mairs & Power Funds Trust, Oak Associates Funds, Pax World Series Trust I, Pax World Funds Trust II, PowerShares QQQ 100 Trust Series 1, RiverNorth Funds, Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust, Stadion Investment Trust, Stone Harbor Investment Funds, Transparent Value Trust, Wakefield Alternative Series Trust, Wasatch Funds, WesMark Funds, Westcore Trust, Whitebox Mutual Funds, Williams Capital Liquid Assets Fund, Wilmington Funds and WisdomTree Trust.

 

(b)

To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows:

 

Name*    Position with Underwriter    Positions with Registrant
Edmund J. Burke    Director     
Thomas A. Carter    President, Director     
Jeremy O. May    Executive Vice President, Director     
Kevin J. Ireland    Senior Vice President, Director of Institutional Sales     
Mark R. Kiniry    Senior Vice President, National Sales Director – Investments     


Bradley J. Swenson    Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer     
Robert J. Szydlowski    Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer     
Kenneth V. Hager    Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary     
Eric Parsons    Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer     
Steven Price    Vice President, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer     
James Stegall    Vice President, Institutional Sales Manager     
Gary Ross    Vice President, Director of Sales     
Jeff Brainard    Vice President, Divisional Sales Manager – Internal Sales     
Erin D. Nelson    Vice President, Assistant General Counsel     
JoEllen Legg    Vice President, Assistant General Counsel     
David T. Buhler    Vice President, Senior Associate Counsel     
Rhonda A. Mills    Vice President, Associate Counsel     
Jennifer T. Welsh    Vice President, Associate Counsel     
Paul F. Leone    Vice President, Associate Counsel     
Randall D. Young    Secretary     
Gregg Wm. Givens    Assistant Treasurer     

* The principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.

 

(c)

Not applicable.

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records:

All accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Rules thereunder will be maintained by the Registrant, or on its behalf by the following entities:


Reality Shares ETF Trust

402 West Broadway, Suite 2800

San Diego, CA 92101

The Bank of New York Mellon

101 Barclay Street

New York, New York 10286

Reality Shares Advisors, LLC

402 West Broadway, Suite 2800

San Diego, CA 92101

ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

Denver, Colorado 80203

Item 34. Management Services:

None.

Item 35. Undertakings:

Not applicable.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 7 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California on the 10th day of December, 2015.

 

REALITY SHARES ETF TRUST

By:

 

/s/ Eric R. Ervin

Eric R. Ervin

President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 7 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date(s) indicated.

 

Signature         Title    Date

/s/ Eric R. Ervin

Eric R. Ervin

     

Trustee and President

  

December 10, 2015

/s/ Christopher Nero*

Chris Nero

     

Trustee

  

December 10, 2015

/s/ Michael S. Rosen*

Michael Rosen

     

Trustee

  

December 10, 2015

/s/ Nathaniel R. Singer*

Nathaniel Singer

     

Trustee

  

December 10, 2015

/s/ Justin Ferayorni*

Justin Ferayorni

     

Trustee

  

December 10, 2015

/s/ Tom Trivella

Tom Trivella

     

Treasurer

  

December 10, 2015

 

*By:

 

/s/ Tom Trivella

 

Tom Trivella

 

Attorney-in-Fact


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number

 

Description

(d)(1)   Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Reality Shares Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”)
(i)   Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
(q)(3)   Power of Attorney for Justin Ferayorni