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SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

April 6, 2023

 

MKAM ETF

Ticker Symbol: MKAM

Listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market®

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the statutory prospectus (the “Prospectus”), which contains more information about the MKAM ETF (the “Fund”) and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Prospectus, reports to shareholders, and other information about the Fund, including the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, online at www.mkametf.com. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 215-882-9983. The current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information dated April 6, 2023 are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.

 

MKAM ETF

 

Fund Summary

 

Investment Objective

 

MKAM ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to capture the majority of equity market returns, while exposing investors to less volatility and downside risk than other equity investments.

 

Fees And Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or example.

 

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

 

Management Fee1   0.94 %
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees   None  
Other Expenses2   0.00 %
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses3   0.02 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses   0.96 %

 

1. The Fund’s investment advisory agreement provides that the adviser will pay substantially all expenses of the Fund, except for the fee payment under the Fund’s Investment Advisory Agreement, payments under the Fund’s Rule 12b-1 Distribution and Service Plan, brokerage expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest (including borrowing costs), litigation expense and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses.  Additionally, the Fund shall be responsible for its non-operating expenses, including the fees and expenses associated with the Fund’s securities lending program, if applicable.
   
2. Other Expenses are estimated for the current fiscal year.
   
3. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (AFFE) are estimated for the current fiscal year. AFFE include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of investments in other investment companies, including funds which invest exclusively in money market instruments. Because AFFEs are not borne directly by the Fund, they will not be reflected in the expense information in the Fund’s financial statements and the information presented in the table will differ from that presented in the Fund’s financial highlights included in the Fund’s reports to shareholders.

 

Example

 

The following 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 for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

  One Year: Three Years:  
  $98 $306  

 

 

 

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund may pay transaction costs, including 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 Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. At the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and portfolio turnover data therefore is not available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in U.S. equity securities that generally mimic the performance of the S&P 500 Index while attempting to reduce volatility and mitigate drawdowns. The Fund’s exposure to U.S. equity securities can range from 0% to 100% but the Fund’s bias will be to participate in the stock market. When the Fund is not invested in U.S. equity securities it will typically invest in cash or cash equivalents, including United States Treasury Securities, money-market instruments, and money-market mutual funds (“Fixed-Income Investments”) which, at times, could represent 100% of the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund expects to obtain its desired exposure to these asset classes through direct investments or by investing in other ETFs or money-market funds that provide such exposure.

 

The Fund’s Sub-Adviser (MKAM ETF LLC) attempts to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by following an asset allocation strategy that enables the Sub-Adviser to periodically shift the assets of the Fund between U.S. equity securities and Fixed-Income Investments. The Fund’s allocation to these types of assets is determined by the Sub-Adviser’s proprietary stock market model (the “Model”), which focuses on two inputs: trends and valuation.

 

The Model is designed to identify a primary trend, or price direction, of stock and/or general market prices and assess the valuation of such securities and/or the market. Where the Model’s results suggest a rising markets trend and valuations are not considered excessive, the Fund’s portfolio will maintain a higher allocation to U.S. equities. Whereas, when the Model results suggest a falling markets trend and/or valuations are considered high, the Fund’s portfolio will be positioned to maintain a higher allocation to Fixed-Income Investments. At times the Model may identify a mixed market (i.e., some trends are positive, or the valuations are not exceedingly high) which will result in the Fund being partially invested in equity securities and partially invested in Fixed-Income Investments. The Fund’s asset allocations are dynamic and will change over time.

 

All investments in the portfolio are continually monitored, with the Fund’s portfolio being rebalanced when the Model’s allocation changes. It is expected that the Fund’s portfolio will be rebalanced monthly, but this may occur more or less frequently based on the Model’s asset allocation signals. On a daily basis, the Sub-Adviser’s Model determines trends and assesses valuation in the asset classes in which the Fund invests. The Model measures technical factors related to daily index price movements such as moving averages, relative strength and correlations to determine price trends in U.S. equities. Valuation will be assessed based on fundamental analysis. Fundamental analysis generally involves the review of a business’s financial statements, operational and management activities, competitive landscape, and markets. The Model produces specific buy and sell signals on the asset classes in which the Fund invests.

 

The Fund may buy index put options or sell index futures contracts, which can protect the Fund from a significant market drawdown. The value of an index put option generally increases as stock prices (and the value of the index) decrease and decreases as those stocks (and the index) increase in price. When the Fund sells an index futures contract it will be attempting to hedge against possible declines in the Fund’s equity portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund’s use of these instruments will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective.

 

The Fund is a “non-diversified” fund, which means it can invest in fewer securities at any one time than a diversified fund and can invest more of its assets in securities of a single issuer than a diversified fund. The Fund may invest a significant percentage of its assets in one or more ETFs.

 

Principal Risks

 

An investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. An investor may lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency.

 

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Investment Risk. When you sell your Shares of the Fund, they could be worth less than what you paid for them. The Fund could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

 

Asset Allocation Risk. The Fund is also subject to asset allocation risk, which is the chance that the selection of investments, and the allocation of assets to such investments, will cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective.

 

Equity Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets generally.

 

Large-Capitalization Companies Risk. Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better - or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past, lasted for as long as several years.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Investing in securities of mid-capitalization companies involve greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. Often mid-capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.

 

Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund. The success of the Fund’s investment program depends largely on the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by the Sub-Adviser, including the use of quantitative models or methods. It is possible the investment techniques and risk analyses employed on behalf of the Fund will not produce the desired results.

 

Quantitative Security Selection Risk. Data for some companies may be less available and/or less current than data for companies in other markets. The Sub-Adviser uses quantitative models, and its processes could be adversely affected if erroneous or outdated data is utilized. The securities selected using a quantitative model could perform differently from the financial markets as a whole as a result of the characteristics used in the analysis, the weight placed on each characteristic and changes in the characteristic’s historical trends. In addition, the investment models used in making investment decisions may not adequately consider certain factors, or may contain design flaws or faulty assumptions, any of which may result in a decline in the value of an investment in the Fund.

 

Fixed-Income Risk. The market value of fixed-income securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed-income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding fixed-income securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed-income investments are also subject to credit risk.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Changes in interest rates can result in losses for fixed-income and other securities. Specifically, for fixed-income securities or fixed-income ETFs, when interest rates rise, the market values of the fixed-income instruments normally decrease. Typically, the longer the maturity or duration of a fixed-income security, the greater the security’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Changes in monetary policy, government policy, government spending and inflation may affect the level of interest rates.

  

Credit Risk. Debt securities are subject to credit risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer or guarantor of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt or to otherwise honor its obligations and/or default completely. Debt securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, depending on the issuer’s financial condition and on the terms of the securities, which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a debt security may be downgraded after purchase or the perception of an issuer’s credit worthiness may decline, which may adversely affect the value of the security.

 

Risk of U.S. Treasury Bills. Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary.

 

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Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk. To the extent the Fund’s assets are allocated to cash or cash equivalents, there is the risk that the value of the cash account, including interest, will not keep pace with inflation, thus reducing purchasing power over time. Cash equivalents include shares in money market funds that invest in short-term, high-quality instruments such as Treasury bills and notes, the value of which generally are tied to changes in interest rates. Cash equivalents are not guaranteed as to principal or interest, and the Fund could lose money through these investments.

 

Options Risk. The value of the Fund’s positions in index options will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the underlying index. The Fund risks losing all or part of the cash paid for purchasing index put options. Unusual market conditions or the lack of a ready market for any particular option at a specific time may reduce the effectiveness of the Fund’s option strategies, and for these and other reasons the Fund’s option strategies may not reduce the Fund’s volatility to the extent desired.

 

Futures Contract Risk. The successful use of futures contracts draws upon the Sub-Adviser’s skill and experience with respect to such instruments and is subject to special risk considerations. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts, which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV and total return, are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the futures contract; (b) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the Sub-Adviser’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors; (e) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations; and (f) if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

 

Hedging Transactions Risk. The Sub-Adviser from time to time employs various hedging techniques. The success of the Fund’s hedging strategy will be subject to the Sub-Adviser’s ability to correctly assess the degree of correlation between the performance of the instruments used in the hedging strategy and the performance of the investments in the portfolio being hedged. Since the characteristics of many securities change as markets change or time passes, the success of the Fund’s hedging strategy will also be subject to the Sub-Adviser’s ability to continually recalculate, readjust, and execute hedges in an efficient and timely manner. For a variety of reasons, the Sub-Adviser may not seek to establish a perfect correlation between such hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Such imperfect correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to risk of loss. In addition, it is not possible to hedge fully or perfectly against any risk, and hedging entails its own costs (such as trading commissions and fees).

 

Leverage Risk. Use of derivative instruments may involve leverage. Leverage is the risk associated with securities or investment practices that multiply small index, market or asset-price movements into larger changes in value. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss. As a result, a relatively small decline in the value of the underlying investments could result in a relatively large loss. The use of leverage will increase the impact of gains and losses on the Fund’s returns, and may lead to significant losses if investments are not successful.

  

Investment Company Risk. An investment in other registered investment companies is subject to the risks associated with those investment companies, which include, but are not limited to, the risk that such fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results; the risk that securities in such fund may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes; and the risk that the fund will be concentrated in a particular issuer, market, industry or sector, and therefore will be especially susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, market, industry or sector. Moreover, the Fund will incur duplicative expenses from such investments, bearing its share of that fund’s expenses while also paying its own advisory fees and trading costs.

 

An ETF may also trade at a discount to its net asset value. This could, in turn, result in differences between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares. The Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETFs. In addition, the Fund may invest in underlying funds which invest a larger portion of their assets in one or more sectors than many other mutual funds, and thus will be more susceptible to negative events affecting those sectors.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds. Thus, the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.

 

Geopolitical/Natural Disaster Risks. The Fund’s investments are subject to geopolitical and natural disaster risks, such as war, terrorism, trade disputes, political or economic dysfunction within some nations, public health crises and related geopolitical events, as well as environmental disasters, epidemics and/or pandemics, which may add to instability in world economies and volatility in markets. The impact may be short-term or may last for extended periods.

 

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ETF Risks

 

  Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

  Premium-Discount Risk. The Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The existence of significant market volatility, disruptions to creations and redemptions, or potential lack of an active trading market for Fund Shares (including through a trading halt), among other factors, may result in the Shares trading significantly above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) to NAV. If you buy Fund Shares when their market price is at a premium or sell the Fund Shares when their market price is at a discount, you may pay more than, or receive less than, NAV, respectively.

 

  Cost of Trading Risk. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares.

 

  Trading Risk. Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of the Fund’s Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of its underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than the Fund’s Shares, potentially causing the market price of the Fund’s Shares to deviate from its NAV. When buying or selling Shares of the Fund in the secondary market, you will likely incur brokerage commission or other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread” also known as the bid-ask spread, which is the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund Shares (the “ask” price). The bid-ask spread varies over time based on, among other things, trading volume, market liquidity and market volatility. Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund Shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments due to the associated trading costs.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decision. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not provided below because the Fund has not yet been in operation for one full calendar year. When provided, the information will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns compare with a broad measure of market performance. Past performance does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.mkametf.com or by calling the Fund at (215) 882-9983.

 

Investment Adviser & Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Investment Adviser: Empowered Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (“Adviser”)
Investment Sub-Adviser: MKAM ETF LLC (“Sub-Adviser”)

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Stephen R. Mulholland, CFA®, CFP® is a Principal and Founding Partner of the Sub-Adviser and has been primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund since its inception in 2023.

 

Mark Kuperstock, IACCP®, is a Principal and Founding Partner of the Sub-Adviser and has been primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund since its inception in 2023.

 

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Summary Information about Purchases, Sales, Taxes, and Financial Intermediary Compensation

 

Purchase And Sale Of Fund Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis only in large blocks of Shares, typically 10,000 Shares, called “Creation Units,” and only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem Creation Units. Creation Units generally are issued and redeemed ‘in-kind’ for securities and partially in cash. Individual Shares may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Once created, individual Shares generally trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day. Market prices of Shares may be greater or less than their NAV. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Fund’s shares are not redeemable securities.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is in an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a tax-advantaged account may be subject to federal income tax. You should consult your tax advisor about your specific tax situation.

 

Purchases Through Broker-Dealers And Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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