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Institutional Shares | Cornerstone Advisors Core Plus Bond Fund
Cornerstone Advisors Core Plus Bond Fund
Fund Investment Objective

The Cornerstone Advisors Core Plus Bond Fund (the "Core Plus Bond Fund" or "Fund") seeks total return, consisting 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 Institutional Shares of the Fund.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2
Institutional Shares
Cornerstone Advisors Core Plus Bond Fund
Institutional Shares
Management Fees 0.28% [1]
Shareholder Servicing Fee 0.05%
Remaining Other Expenses 0.23%
Other Expenses 0.28%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.56%
[1] The fee shown is the total management fee payable by the Fund to the Adviser and the sub-advisers based on the current advisory and sub-advisory fees and the allocation of Fund assets among the sub-advisers during the prior fiscal year. Each sub-adviser receives a fee from the Fund based on the portion of the Fund's assets allocated to such sub-adviser. Asset allocations and fees payable to the sub-advisers may vary and, consequently, the total management fee actually payable by the Fund will fluctuate and may be higher or lower than that shown above.
Example

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

 

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

Expense Example
One Year
Three Years
Five Years
Ten Years
Institutional Shares | Cornerstone Advisors Core Plus Bond Fund | Institutional Shares | USD ($) 57 179 313 701
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. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 150% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by allocating its assets among one or more investment strategies directly through the use of one or more sub-advisers and/or indirectly through investments in affiliated and unaffiliated open-end funds, closed-end funds, unregistered funds (principally hedge funds) and exchange-traded funds ("Underlying Funds"). The Fund invests in Underlying Funds and/or uses one or more sub-advisers to invest its assets in the following two primary investment categories: (i) U.S. fixed income securities and (ii) global fixed income securities. The Fund may, from time to time, pursue its investment objective by investing substantially all of its assets in Underlying Funds, typically referred to as a "fund of funds" strategy.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in bonds (the "80% Investment Policy"). The 80% Investment Policy may be changed by the Fund upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders. For purposes of the 80% Investment Policy, bonds include fixed income securities, derivatives and other instruments with economic characteristics similar to fixed income securities, and/or Underlying Funds which primarily invest in fixed income securities. Fixed income securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities; obligations of foreign governments, foreign government agencies or supranational organizations; municipal bonds; corporate obligations; residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities; convertible securities; inflation-protected securities; bank loans (through both assignments and participations); private placements and structured notes.

 

The Fund may invest in securities of any maturity, duration or credit quality, including those that are rated below investment grade ("high yield" or "junk" bonds), and may invest in securities of developed and emerging market issuers denominated in any currency. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, principally options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts and swap agreements, to gain or hedge exposure to securities, markets, currencies or other instruments, to equitize cash positions in the Fund's portfolio, or to enhance the Fund's return, which is also known as speculation. The Fund may also invest in cash, money market instruments and other short-term obligations to achieve its investment objective.

 

The Fund uses a multi-manager and/or multi-fund approach, relying on one or more sub-advisers and/or Underlying Funds with differing investment philosophies to manage portions of the Fund's portfolio under the general supervision of the Fund's primary investment adviser, Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. (the "Adviser"). The Fund allocates its assets among strategies and sub-advisers and/or Underlying Funds according to an allocation schedule determined by the Adviser. The Adviser expects to rebalance allocation weightings for each strategy, sub-adviser or Underlying Fund on an annual basis, but may do so more frequently based on market conditions, the performance of a strategy, sub-adviser or Underlying Fund, or other factors. The Adviser may change an allocation schedule based on, among other factors, the Adviser's analysis of the Fund's investment strategies, the potential for each strategy to perform independently of the other, historical performance, and market conditions.

 

The Fund may buy and sell securities frequently in seeking to achieve its objective.

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.

 

Because an Underlying Fund's use of an investment strategy or investment in an asset class, security or other investment is subject to the same or similar risks as the Fund's use of such strategy or investment in such asset class, security or other investment, the term "the Fund" in the paragraphs below collectively refers to both the Fund and each Underlying Fund.

 

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. In the case of foreign securities, price fluctuations will reflect international economic and political events, as well as changes in currency values relative to the U.S. dollar.

 

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 since political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions are more likely to occur in these countries.

 

Foreign Government Agencies Risk — Bonds issued by government agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments are generally backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the entity issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to provide that support. A foreign government agency's operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government's economic and other policies.

 

High Yield Bond Risk — High yield, or "junk," bonds are highly speculative securities that are usually issued by smaller, less creditworthy and/or highly leveraged (indebted) companies. Compared with investment-grade bonds, high yield bonds are considered to carry a greater degree of risk and are considered to be less likely to make payments of interest and principal. In particular, lower-quality high yield bonds (rated CCC, CC, C, or unrated securities judged to be of comparable quality) are subject to a greater degree of credit risk than higher-quality high yield bonds and may be near default. High yield bonds rated D are in default. Market developments and the financial and business conditions of the issuers of these securities generally influence their price and liquidity more than changes in interest rates, when compared to investment-grade debt securities.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Interest Rate Risk — The risk that the value of fixed income securities, including U.S. Government securities, will fall due to rising interest rates.

 

Currency Risk — As a result of the Fund's investments in securities or other investments denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies, the Fund is 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.

 

Derivatives Risk — The Fund's use of futures contracts, options, forward contracts and swaps for all purposes, including speculative purposes, is subject to market risk, leverage risk, correlation risk and liquidity risk. In addition, the Fund's use of derivatives for hedging purposes is subject to hedging risk. Leverage risk, liquidity risk and hedging risk are described below. 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 or at all with the underlying asset, rate or index. The Fund's use of forward contracts and swaps is also subject to credit risk and valuation risk. Credit risk and valuation risk are described elsewhere in this section. Each of these risks could cause the Fund to lose more than the principal amount invested in a derivative instrument.

 

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 accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance.

 

Multi-Manager Risk — The Adviser may be unable to identify and retain sub-advisers who achieve superior investment records relative to other similar investments or effectively allocate the Fund's assets among sub-advisers to enhance the return and reduce the volatility that would typically be expected of any one management style. While the Adviser monitors the investments of each sub-adviser and monitors the overall management of the Fund, each sub-adviser makes investment decisions for the assets it manages independently from one another. It is possible that the investment styles used by a sub-adviser will not always be complementary to those used by others, which could adversely affect the performance of the Fund. A multi-manager fund may, under certain circumstances, incur trading costs that might not occur in a fund that is served by a single adviser.

 

Valuation Risk — The risk that a security may be difficult to value. The Fund may value certain securities at a price higher than the price at which they can be sold. This risk may be especially pronounced for investments that are illiquid or may become illiquid.

 

Investment Company Risk — To the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies, such as open-end funds, closed-end funds and ETFs, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of the securities held by such other investment companies. As a shareholder of another investment company, the Fund relies on that investment company to achieve its investment objective. If the investment company fails to achieve its objective, the value of the Fund's investment could decline, which could adversely affect the Fund's performance. By investing in another investment company, Fund shareholders indirectly bear the Fund's proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses that Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund's own operations.

 

Because ETFs and certain closed-end funds are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks listed on an exchange, their shares potentially may trade at a discount or premium. Investments in ETFs and certain closed-end funds are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. In addition, because the value of ETF and certain closed-end fund shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund's holdings at the most optimal time, which could adversely affect Fund performance.

 

Leverage Risk — The use of leverage can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund's share price and may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations.

 

Money Market Instruments Risk — The value of money market instruments may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the credit ratings of the investments. An investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by any bank, the FDIC or any other government agency. A money market fund's sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the fund, and there should be no expectation that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time. Certain money market funds float their net asset value while others seek to preserve the value of investments at a stable net asset value (typically, $1.00 per share). An investment in a money market fund, even an investment in a fund seeking to maintain a stable net asset value per share, is not guaranteed and it is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in these and other types of money market funds. If the liquidity of a money market fund's portfolio deteriorates below certain levels, the money market fund may suspend redemptions (i.e., impose a redemption gate) and thereby prevent the Fund from selling its investment in the money market fund or impose a fee of up to 2% on amounts the Fund redeems from the money market fund (i.e., impose a liquidity fee). These measures may result in an investment loss or prohibit the Fund from redeeming shares when the Adviser would otherwise redeem shares. Money market funds and the securities they invest in are subject to comprehensive regulations. The enactment of new legislation or regulations, as well as changes in interpretation and enforcement of current laws, may affect the manner of operation, performance and/or yield of money market funds.

 

Allocation Risk — The Adviser's judgment about, and allocations among, Underlying Funds, sub-advisers, asset classes and investment strategies may adversely affect the Fund's performance.

 

Private Placements Risk — Investment in privately placed securities may be less liquid than investments in publicly traded securities. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid by the Fund or less than what may be considered the fair value of such securities. Further, companies whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that might be applicable if their securities were publicly traded.

 

Unregistered Fund Risk — Investments in unregistered funds are subject to additional risks beyond those associated with investments in registered investment companies, because investments in unregistered funds do not have the benefit of the protections afforded by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), to investors in registered investment companies. In addition, investments in unregistered funds are often illiquid and difficult to value, their marketability may be restricted and the realization of investments from them may take considerable time and/or be costly, in particular because they may have restrictions that allow redemptions only at specific infrequent dates with considerable notice periods and apply lock-ups and/or redemption fees.

 

Asset-Backed Securities Risk — Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities is dependent largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

 

Bank Loans Risk — Investments in bank loans (through both assignments and participations) are generally subject to the same risks as investments in other types of debt instruments, including, in many cases, investments in junk bonds. There may be limited public information available regarding bank loans and bank loans may be difficult to value. If the Fund holds a bank loan through another financial institution, or relies on a financial institution to administer the loan, its receipt of principal and interest on the loan may be subject to the credit risk of that financial institution. It is possible that any collateral securing a loan may be insufficient or unavailable to the Fund, and that the Fund's rights to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or insolvency laws. In addition, the secondary market for bank loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods, which may cause the Fund to be unable to realize the full value of its investment in a bank loan. The proceeds from the sale of a bank loan would also not be available to the Fund for making additional investments or meeting its redemption obligations during an extended trade settlement period.

 

Bank loans may not be considered "securities," and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws.

 

Convertible Securities Risk — Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value). An issuer of a convertible security may fail to pay interest or dividends and principal in a timely manner.

 

Negative perceptions of the issuer's ability to make such payments will cause the price of that security to decline. Companies that issue convertible securities are often small to mid-size, and they often have low credit ratings, including below investment grade ratings. In addition, the credit rating of a company's convertible securities is generally lower than that of its nonconvertible debt securities. Convertibles are normally considered "junior" securities that is, the company usually must pay interest on its nonconvertible debt before it can make payments on its convertible securities.

 

If an issuer stops making interest or principal payments, these securities may become worthless and the Fund could lose its entire investment.

 

Hedging Risk — The Fund may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes. Hedging through the use of these instruments does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities that the Fund owns or intends to purchase or sell. While entering into these instruments tends to reduce the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged asset, such instruments also limit any potential gain that may result from the increase in value of the asset. There can be no assurance that any hedging strategy will be effective or that there will be a hedge in place at any given time.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Risk — The value of inflation-protected securities generally fluctuates in response to changes in real interest rates, which are in turn tied to the relationship between nominal (or stated) interest rates and the rate of inflation. In general, the price of an inflation-protected debt security can decrease when real interest rates increase, and can increase when real interest rates decrease. Interest payments on inflation-protected debt securities will fluctuate as the principal and/or interest is adjusted for inflation and can be unpredictable. The market for inflation-protected securities may be less developed or liquid, and more volatile, than certain other securities markets.

 

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk — Mortgage-backed securities are affected by, among other things, interest rate changes and the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations.

 

Municipal Bonds Risk — The Fund could be impacted by events in the municipal securities market. Negative events, such as severe fiscal difficulties, bankruptcy, an economic downturn, unfavorable legislation, court rulings or political developments could adversely affect the ability of municipal issuers to repay principal and to make interest payments.

 

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

 

Prepayment and Extension Risk — When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Fund's assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations.

 

Sovereign Debt Risk — The Fund's investments in foreign sovereign debt securities are subject to the risks that: (i) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as debt service burden, political constraints, cash flow problems and other national economic factors; (ii) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling or additional lending to defaulting governments; and (iii) there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Structured Notes Risk — Structured notes are specially-designed derivative debt instruments in which the terms may be structured by the purchaser and the issuer of the note. The Fund bears the risk that the issuer of the structured note will default. The Fund also bears the risk of loss of its principal investment and periodic payments expected to be received for the duration of its investment. In addition, a liquid market may not exist for the structured notes. The lack of a liquid market may make it difficult to sell the structured notes at an acceptable price or to accurately value them.

 

Supranational Entities Risk — Government members, or "stockholders," usually make initial capital contributions to a supranational entity and in many cases are committed to make additional capital contributions if the supranational entity is unable to repay its borrowings. There is no guarantee, however, that one or more stockholders of the supranational entity will continue to make any necessary additional capital contributions. If such contributions are not made, the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities, and the Fund may lose money on such investments.

 

U.S. Government Securities Risk — U.S. Government securities are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates. Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies are backed by the U.S. Treasury, while others are backed solely by the ability of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the agency's own resources.

Performance Information

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual total returns for 1 year and since inception compare with those of 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. Updated performance information is available by calling 1-888-762-1442.

Bar Chart
BEST QUARTER WORST QUARTER
2.88% (1.01)%
(03/31/2019) (06/30/2018)
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2019

This table compares the Fund's average annual total returns for the period ended December 31, 2019 to those of an appropriate broad based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts ("IRAs").

Average Annual Total Returns - Institutional Shares - Cornerstone Advisors Core Plus Bond Fund
Label
1 Year
Since Inception
Inception Date
Institutional Shares Fund Return Before Taxes 7.19% 2.87% Aug. 30, 2016
Institutional Shares | After Taxes on Distributions Fund Return After Taxes on Distributions 5.57% 1.46% Aug. 30, 2016
Institutional Shares | After Taxes on Distributions and Sales Fund Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 4.25% 1.57% Aug. 30, 2016
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 8.72% 2.67% Aug. 30, 2016