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Aegon Market Neutral Income Fund
Aegon Market Neutral Income Fund
Investment Objective

The Aegon Market Neutral Income Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve positive absolute returns over a full business cycle through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in Institutional Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Aegon Market Neutral Income Fund
Institutional Shares
Investor Shares
Management Fees 0.80% 0.80%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees none 0.25%
Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short 0.07% 0.07%
Other Operating Expenses 1.07% 1.07%
Other Expenses [1] 1.14% 1.14%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.94% 2.19%
Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements [2] (0.87%) (0.87%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements 1.07% 1.32%
[1] Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[2] Aegon USA Investment Management, LLC (the "Adviser") has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, 12b-1 Fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short and non-routine expenses (collectively, "excluded expenses")) from exceeding 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund's Institutional Shares and Investor Shares until January 31, 2021 (the "contractual expense limit"). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the date of the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the "Board") of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund III (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 January 31, 2021.
Example

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

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - Aegon Market Neutral Income Fund - USD ($)
One Year
Three Years
Institutional Shares 109 525
Investor Shares 134 601
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 has not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus, it does not have portfolio turnover information to report.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund employs a market neutral investment strategy, which means that the Fund seeks to earn a positive absolute return over a full business cycle (i.e., a full cycle of economic expansion and contraction) by maintaining a portfolio that is designed to have low volatility and low correlations with the general stock and bond markets.

 

In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Fund uses a convertible arbitrage strategy, which involves taking a long position in a convertible security and a short position in the underlying common stock, in order to capitalize on pricing inefficiencies between the convertible security and the stock. For example, the Adviser may sell common stocks or bonds that the Adviser believes to be overvalued short against positions in which the Fund has invested in convertible securities.

 

The Fund invests in convertible securities (including synthetic convertible securities), common stocks, preferred stocks, warrants and non-convertible fixed income securities. Convertible securities include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds, debentures, notes or preferred stocks and their hybrids that can be converted into (exchanged for) common stock or other securities, such as warrants or options, which provide an opportunity for equity participation. Synthetic convertible securities involve the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security (i.e., an income producing component security (the “incoming-producing component”) and a right to acquire an equity security (the “convertible component”)). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds and preferred stocks, while the convertible component is achieved by investing in warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index.

 

The Fund may utilize derivatives, principally options, futures contracts, forward contracts and swap agreements, to gain or hedge (i.e., offset) exposure to securities, markets, currencies, or other instruments. The Fund may invest in foreign companies in both developed and emerging market countries, and may invest in securities denominated in any currency, including local currencies or hard currencies (i.e., a currency that is not likely to depreciate suddenly or to fluctuate greatly in value). Emerging market countries are countries that are included in the JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index - Global Diversified, the JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index - Diversified, the JPMorgan Emerging Local Markets Index or the JPMorgan Government Bond Index - Emerging Markets Global Diversified, as well as those countries which are not defined as a High Income Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) member country by the World Bank. The Fund may invest in securities of any market capitalization, maturity, duration or credit quality, including those that are rated below investment grade (“high yield” or “junk” bonds). From time to time, the Fund may focus its investments in a particular sector, or may focus its investments in a particular country or geographic region, such as Europe or Japan.

 

In managing the Fund’s assets, the Adviser uses a combination of “bottom-up” research of convertible securities, corporate debt and equity securities and a “top-down” analysis of the macroeconomic and interest rate environment and the global equity markets. In the Adviser’s qualitative “top-down” approach, the Adviser analyzes various fundamental, technical, sentiment and valuation factors that affect the movement of markets and securities prices worldwide. This “top-down” analysis assists the Adviser in analyzing portfolio risk and allocating assets among sectors, industries, and credit quality categories. In its “bottom-up” research, the Adviser considers various fundamental, technical and other factors, such as creditworthiness, debt covenants, capital structure, valuation, volatility and liquidity.

 

Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently.

Principal Risks

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Active Management Risk — The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Market Neutral Strategy Risk — The Fund’s market neutral strategy may cause the Fund to underperform compared to equity or fixed income markets or other mutual funds that do not utilize a market neutral strategy. For example, in rising markets, the Fund’s short positions may significantly impact the Fund’s overall performance and cause the Fund to underperform or sustain losses. Periodic underperformance is to be expected and is a result of the Fund’s overall hedging techniques employed for the market neutral strategy. Additionally, there is a risk that the Adviser will be unable to construct a portfolio that limits the Fund’s exposure to market movements, and as a result, the Fund’s performance may reflect general market movements.

 

Convertible Securities Risk — The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates (with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline) and the credit standing of the issuer. The price of a convertible security will also normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of the conversion or exercise feature.

 

Preferred Stock Risk — Preferred stocks are non-voting equity securities that pay a stated fixed or variable rate of return. Preferred stocks are subject to issuer-specific risks (such as credit risk) and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. The market value of preferred stocks generally decreases when interest rates rise. Preferred stocks generally are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and liquidation payments and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than the company’s bonds and other debt instruments. Preferred stock may also be subject to prepayment/re-investment risk, which is discussed elsewhere in this section.

 

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. Investment in short sales may also cause the Fund to incur expenses related to borrowing securities. Reinvesting proceeds received from short selling may create leverage, which can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price. In addition, shorting a future contract may require posting only a margin that may amount to less than the notional exposure of the contract. Such a practice may exacerbate the loss in a case of adverse price action.

 

Credit Risk — The risk that the issuer of a security or the counterparty to a contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation.

 

Sector Emphasis Risk — The securities of companies in the same business sector, if comprising a significant portion of the Fund’s portfolio, may in some circumstances react negatively to market conditions, interest rates and economic, regulatory or financial developments and adversely affect the value of the portfolio to a greater extent than if such securities comprised a lesser portion of the Fund’s portfolio or the Fund’s portfolio was diversified across a greater number of industry sectors.

 

Interest Rate Risk — The risk that a rise in interest rates will cause a fall in the value of fixed income securities in which the Fund invests. A low interest rate environment may present greater interest rate risk, because there may be a greater likelihood of rates increasing and rates may increase more rapidly.

 

Duration Risk — A portfolio with a longer average portfolio duration is more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a portfolio with a shorter average portfolio duration.

 

Geographic Focus Risk — To the extent that it focuses its investments in a particular country or geographic region, the Fund may be more susceptible to economic, political, regulatory or other events or conditions affecting issuers and countries within that country or geographic region. As a result, the Fund may be subject to greater price volatility and risk of loss than a fund holding more geographically diverse investments.

 

Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of futures contracts, forward contracts, options and swaps is subject to market risk, correlation risk and liquidity risk. Liquidity risk is described elsewhere in this section. Many over-the-counter derivative instruments will not have liquidity beyond the counterparty to the instrument. Market risk is the risk that the market value of an investment may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Correlation risk is the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. The Fund’s use of forward contracts, options and swap agreements is also subject to credit risk and valuation risk. Valuation risk is the risk that the derivative may be difficult to value and/or valued incorrectly. Credit risk is described elsewhere in this section. Each of the above risks could cause the Fund to lose more than the principal amount invested in a derivative instrument. Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the Fund’s initial investment. The other parties to certain derivative contracts present the same types of credit risk as issuers of fixed income securities. The Fund’s use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Both U.S. and non-U.S. regulators are in the process of adopting and implementing regulations governing derivatives markets, the ultimate impact of which remains unclear.

 

Warrants Risk — Warrants are instruments that entitle the holder to buy an equity security at a specific price for a specific period of time. Warrants may be more speculative than other types of investments. The price of a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a warrant may offer greater potential for capital appreciation as well as capital loss. A warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk — Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. This may result in higher transaction costs and additional capital gains tax liabilities, which may affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Liquidity Risk — The risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. The Fund may have to lower the price of the security, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance.

 

Equity Market Risk — The risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

Fixed Income Market Risk — The prices of the Fund’s fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to perceptions about the creditworthiness of individual issuers, including governments and their agencies. Generally, the Fund’s fixed income securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise and vice versa. In a low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Declines in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. In the case of foreign securities, price fluctuations will reflect international economic and political events, as well as changes in currency valuations relative to the U.S. dollar. In response to these events, the Fund’s value may fluctuate and/or the Fund may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Fund’s liquidity or force the Fund to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market.

 

Corporate Fixed Income Securities Risk — Corporate fixed income securities respond to economic developments, especially changes in interest rates, as well as perceptions of the creditworthiness and business prospects of individual issuers.

 

Below Investment Grade Securities (Junk Bonds) Risk — Fixed income securities rated below investment grade (junk bonds) involve greater risks of default or downgrade and are generally more volatile than investment grade securities because the prospect for repayment of principal and interest of many of these securities is speculative. Because these securities typically offer a higher rate of return to compensate investors for these risks, they are sometimes referred to as “high yield bonds,” but there is no guarantee that an investment in these securities will result in a high rate of return.

 

Synthetic Convertible Instruments Risk — The value of a synthetic convertible instrument will respond differently to market fluctuations than a convertible security because a synthetic convertible instrument is composed of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. In addition, if the value of the underlying common stock or the level of the index involved in the convertible component falls below the exercise price of the warrant or option, the warrant or option may lose all value.

 

Foreign Investment/Emerging Markets Risk — The risk that non-U.S. securities may be subject to additional risks due to, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad, currency movements, and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened with respect to emerging market countries because political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions are more likely to occur in these countries.

 

Foreign Currency Risk — As a result of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies, the Fund will be subject to currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency hedged. In either event, the dollar value of an investment in the Fund would be adversely affected. Due to the Fund’s active positions in currencies, it will be subject to the risk that currency exchange rates may fluctuate in response to, among other things, changes in interest rates, intervention (or failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad.

 

New Fund Risk — Because the Fund is new, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategy, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets under management to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences for shareholders and will cause shareholders to incur expenses of liquidation.

 

Extension Risk — The risk that rising interest rates may extend the duration of a fixed income security, typically reducing the security’s value.

 

Prepayment/Re-investment Risk — The risk that, in a declining interest rate environment, fixed income securities with stated interest rates may have the principal paid earlier than expected, requiring the Fund to invest the proceeds at generally lower interest rates.

Performance Information

The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, and therefore does not have performance history for a full calendar year. 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 returns and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

Current performance information is available by calling 1-833-GO-AEGON (833-462-3466) or on the Internet at www.aegoninvestments.com.