Securities Act Registration No. 333-187668
Investment Company Act Reg. No. 811-22819
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
___________________________________
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 T
Pre-Effective Amendment No. ____ £
Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 T
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 T
Amendment No. 12 T
(Check appropriate box or boxes.)
___________________________________
ETFis Series Trust I
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, NY 10016
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(212) 593-4383
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)
ETFis Series Trust I c/o Corporation Service Company 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400 Wilmington, DE 19808 (Name and Add ress of Agent for Service) |
with a copy to:
Jeffrey T. Skinner, Esq.
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
1001 W. Fourth Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: (336) 607-7512
Fax: (336) 734-2608
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
[x] immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485
[ ] on _______________ pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485
[ ] 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485
[ ] on _______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485
[ ] 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
[ ] on _______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
PROSPECTUS | October 10, 2014
Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF
( Ticker: TUTT )
a series of the
ETFis Series Trust I
The Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (the “ Fund ”) is an exchange-traded fund (“ ETF ”). Shares of the Fund are listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange and trade at market prices. The market price for a Fund’s shares may be different from its net asset value per share.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Table of Contents
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Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (Ticker: TUTT) (the “ Fund ”) seeks long-term capital appreciation while maintaining a secondary emphasis on capital preservation, primarily through investments in the U.S. equity market.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“ Shares ”). Most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling Shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the table set forth below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment):
Management Fee | 0.90% |
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% |
Other Expenses 1 | 0.00% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 1 | 0.44% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2 | 1.34% |
(1) | Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
(2) | The Fund bears other expenses that are not covered under the management fee, which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the Fund, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, and extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses). |
Example. This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
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 at current levels. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years |
$141 | $437 |
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities or other instruments (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 annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund is newly organized and, as of the date of the Prospectus, has not had any portfolio turnover.
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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that seeks to provide attractive returns during market upturns while maintaining the ability to protect capital during market downturns by employing a multi-strategy, tactically-managed exposure to U.S. equity markets. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest not less than 80% of its total assets in shares of exchange traded funds (“ ETFs ”) and other issuers listed on U.S. exchanges.
Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-adviser (the “ Sub-Adviser ”), manages the Fund’s assets using a tactical approach premised on the following principles of the Sub-Adviser’s investment philosophy:
· | markets move in recognizable short and intermediate-term trends and countertrends; |
· | over the intermediate term, strong asset classes tend to stay strong, while weak asset classes tend to continue in weakness; and |
· | over the shorter term, markets are dominated by media noise, fear and similar short-term disruptions and concerns. |
The Sub-Adviser believes that the above principles can cause markets to overreact positively or negatively, only to eventually retreat towards equilibrium. The Sub-Adviser will seek to capitalize on such trends by generally managing the Fund’s assets using the following four tactical models:
· | S&P 500 Absolute Momentum Model . Under normal conditions, the Sub-Adviser will invest this portion of the Fund’s assets in ETFs representing or replicating the S&P 500 Index during periods when the Sub-Adviser’s models show markets are trending upwards and, during periods when the Sub-Adviser’s models show markets are trending downwards, will invest in either cash, money market instruments or ETFs holding fixed-income instruments, in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s evaluation of their relative strength. |
· | Relative Strength Equity Model . Under normal conditions, the Sub-Adviser will allocate this portion of the Fund’s assets among one or more ETFs that invest primarily in either large cap stocks, mid cap stocks, small cap stocks, dividend stocks or fixed income instruments, in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s evaluation of their relative strength. |
· | Beta Opportunities Model . Under normal conditions, when the Sub-Adviser’s models show markets are trending upwards, the Sub-Adviser will invest this portion of the Fund’s assets in a portfolio of index-based ETFs that allocate their assets among their constituent securities using methods other that market capitalization, and, during periods when the Sub-Adviser’s models show markets are trending downwards, will invest in either cash, money market instruments or ETFs holding fixed-income instruments, in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s evaluation of their relative strength. |
· | Short-Term S&P 500 Counter Trend . Under normal conditions, the Sub-Adviser will invest this portion of the Fund’s assets in ETFs representing or replicating the S&P 500 Index during periods when the Sub-Adviser’s short-term (daily) market models are trending downwards and will invest in either cash or money market instruments during periods when the Sub-Adviser’s short-term models show markets are trending upwards. |
While the Sub-Adviser will generally seek to maintain an equal weighting among these four tactical models, market movements may result in the Fund being overweight or underweight one or more of the tactical models from time to time.
In implementing any of the above models, the Fund may invest in any of the following securities: actively managed or index-based ETFs (which may include leveraged ETFs), mutual funds and other investment companies, groups of securities related by index or sector made available through certain brokers at a discount brokerage rate (such as stock baskets, baskets of bonds and other index- or sector-based groups of related securities) or individually selected common stocks, when the Sub-Adviser determines that it is more efficient or otherwise advantageous to do so.
An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risks; therefore you may lose money by investing in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be successful in meeting its investment objective. Generally, the Fund will be subject to the following risks:
Market Risk . Market risk refers to the risk that the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline due to daily fluctuations in the securities markets that are generally beyond the Sub-Adviser’s control, including the quality of the Fund’s investments, economic conditions, adverse investor sentiment, poor management decisions, lower demand for a company’s goods and services and general equity market conditions. In a declining stock market, stock prices for all companies (including those in the Fund’s portfolio) may
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decline, regardless of their long-term prospects. Stocks tend to move in cycles, with periods when stock prices generally rise and periods when they generally decline.
Allocation Risk. The Fund’s particular allocations may have a significant effect on the Fund’s performance. Allocation risk is the risk that the Fund’s allocation among the ETFs and other securities in which it invests will cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective that do not allocate their investments in the same manner.
Management Style. The net asset value (“ NAV ”) of the Fund’s Shares changes daily based on the performance of the securities in which it invests. Different types of securities tend to shift into and out of favor with stock market investors depending on market and economic conditions. There is no guarantee that the Sub-Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness or value of, or potential income from, particular investments will be correct or produce the desired results. If the Sub-Adviser fails to accurately judge potential investments, the Fund’s share price may be adversely affected.
Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual issuers, industries or the stock market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over a short and extended periods of time. In a declining stock market, stock prices for all companies (including those in the Fund’s portfolio) may decline, regardless of their long-term prospects.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of the issuers of the individual securities in which the Fund invests. Poor performance by any issuer may cause the value of its securities, and the value of the Fund’s Shares, to decline.
Fluctuation of NAV; Unit Premiums and Discounts . The NAV of the Fund’s Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of Shares on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange (the “ Exchange ”) or any other exchange on which Shares are traded. It cannot be predicted whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. The market prices of Shares may deviate significantly from the NAV of the Shares during periods of market volatility. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that Shares normally will trade close to the Fund’s NAV, disruptions to creations and redemptions and/or market volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the Fund’s NAV. If an investor purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the Shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the Shares, then the investor may sustain losses that are in addition to any losses caused by a decrease in NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares . Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by those brokers. 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. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread”. The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
ETF and other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in ETFs or other investment companies. Through its positions in ETFs and other investment companies, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with such vehicles’ investments, including the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by an ETF or other investment company could decrease (or increase). Investments in ETFs and other investment companies are also subject to the following additional risks:
Market Value Risk. The market value of an ETF’s shares may differ from its NAV. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETF shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the underlying basket of securities. Accordingly, there may be times when an ETF trades at a premium (creating the risk that the Fund pays more than NAV for an ETF when making a purchase) or discount (creating the risks that the Fund’s NAV is reduced for undervalued ETFs it holds, and that the Fund receives less than NAV when selling an ETF).
Tracking Risk. Index-based ETFs and other investment companies in which the Fund invests may not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction
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costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, index-based ETFs and other investment companies in which the Fund invests may incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede an ETF’s or other investment company’s ability to track its applicable index or match its performance.
Investment Limitation. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “ 1940 Act ”), the Fund may not acquire shares of an ETF or other investment company if, immediately after such acquisition, the Fund and its affiliated persons would hold more than 3% of the ETF’s or investment company’s total outstanding shares unless (i) the ETF or the Fund has received an order for exemptive relief from the 3% limitation from the Securities and Exchange Commission that is applicable to the Fund; and (ii) the ETF and the Fund take appropriate steps to comply with any conditions in such order. Accordingly, the 3% limitation may prevent the Fund from allocating its investments in the manner the Sub-Adviser considers optimal, or cause the Sub-Adviser to select an investment other than that which the Sub-Adviser considers optimal.
Expenses. To the extent the Fund invests in ETFs or other investment companies, your cost of investing in the Fund will generally be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs or other investment companies, because you will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the underlying ETFs and investment companies in which the Fund invests in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses. Furthermore, Fund investments in ETFs or other investment companies could affect the timing, amount, and character of the Fund’s distributions and therefore may increase the amount of your tax liability.
Sampling Risk. The index-based ETFs in which the Fund invests may utilize a representative sampling approach to track their respective underlying indices. ETFs that utilize a representative sampling approach are subject to an increased risk of tracking error because the securities selected for the ETF in the aggregate may vary from the investment profile of the underlying index. Additionally, if using a representative sampling approach, an ETF will typically hold a smaller number of securities than the underlying index, and as a result, an adverse development to an issuer of securities that the ETF holds could result in a greater decline in NAV than would be the case if the ETF held all of the securities in the underlying index.
Non-Market Weighted Index-Based ETFs. Management fees charged by non-market weighted index-based ETFs (“ Non-Traditional Indexed ETFs ”) can be significantly higher than those charged by traditional index-based ETFs. Additionally, although Non-Traditional Indexed ETF’s seek to outperform traditional index-based ETFs, there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so, and Non-Traditional Indexed ETFs may perform worse than a traditional ETF if the allocation strategies employed by Non-Traditional Indexed ETF fails to outperform the applicable market-weighted index or if the outperformance is not enough to cover Non-Traditional Indexed ETF’s additional fees.
Leveraged ETF Risk. Leveraged ETFs involve additional risks and considerations not present in traditional ETFs. Leveraged ETFs are designed to double or triple the performance of a particular index. Leveraged ETFs “reset” over short periods of time, meaning they are designed to deliver their stated returns only for the length of their reset periods (typically daily or monthly), and are not designed to deliver their returns intraday or over periods longer than the stated reset period. Instead, because of the structure of these products, their rebalancing methodologies and the effects of compounding, maintaining holdings beyond the reset period can lead to results very different from a simple doubling, tripling, or inverse of the benchmark's average return over the same period of time. This difference in results can be magnified in volatile markets. Further, leveraged ETFs may have lower trading volumes or may be less tax efficient than traditional ETFs. For these reasons, leveraged ETFs are typically considered to be riskier investments than traditional ETFs.
Large Capitalization Companies Risk . The Fund may, at any given time, invest a significant portion of its assets in ETFs holding securities of large capitalization companies (i.e., companies with more than $5 billion in capitalization). Large capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes, and may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Small and Medium Capitalization Companies Risk . The Fund may, at any given time, invest a significant portion of its assets in ETFs holding securities of small capitalization companies (i.e., companies with less than $1 billion in capitalization) and/or medium capitalization companies (i.e., companies with between $1 billion and $5 billion in capitalization). Investing in the securities of small and medium capitalization companies generally involves greater risk than investing in larger, more established companies. The securities of small and medium companies usually have more limited marketability and therefore may be more volatile and less liquid than securities of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. Because small and medium capitalization companies normally have fewer shares outstanding than larger companies, it may be more difficult to buy or sell significant amounts of such shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Small and medium capitalization companies often have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources and lack management depth, making them more susceptible to market pressures. Small
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and medium capitalization companies are typically subject to greater changes in earnings and business prospects than larger, more established companies. The foregoing risks are generally increased for small capitalization companies as compared to companies with larger capitalizations.
Absence of Prior Active Market Risk. Although the Shares in the Fund are approved for listing on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop and be maintained for the Shares of the Fund. As a new fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Fund may ultimately liquidate.
New Adviser and Sub-Adviser Risk. Although the executives and members of the advisory staff of Etfis Capital LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “ Adviser ”), have extensive experience in managing investments for clients including corporations, non-taxable entities, investment companies and other business and private accounts, the Adviser has only been recently formed and registered as an investment adviser, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness. Additionally, although the Sub-Adviser’s principal and the Fund’s sole portfolio manager, Matthew Tuttle, has been a portfolio manager for private investment funds in the past, the Sub-Adviser has no prior experience managing ETFs, which may limit the Sub-Adviser’s effectiveness.
Risks Related to Portfolio Turnover. As a result of its trading strategy, the Fund may sell portfolio securities without regard to the length of time they have been held and will likely have a higher portfolio turnover rate than other registered investment companies. Since portfolio turnover may involve paying brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, higher turnover generally results in additional Fund expenses. High rates of portfolio turnover may lower the performance of the Fund due to these increased costs and may also result in the realization of short-term capital gains. If the Fund realizes capital gains when portfolio investments are sold, the Fund must generally distribute those gains to shareholders, increasing the Fund’s taxable distributions. High rates of portfolio turnover in a given year would likely result in short-term capital gains that are taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates. See “Federal Income Taxes”.
The Fund is new and therefore does not have a performance history for a full calendar year. Performance information for the Fund will be provided once it has annual returns for a full calendar year. Please remember that the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of its future performance. It may perform better or worse in the future.
Etfis Capital LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser. ETFis Series Trust I (the “ Trust ”) and the Adviser have engaged Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC as the Fund’s sub-adviser, subject to the oversight and supervision of the Adviser and the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “ Board ”).
Matthew Tuttle, founder and chief investment officer of the Sub-Adviser, is the Fund’s portfolio manager and has served in such position since the inception of the Fund’s operations.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
Unlike conventional investment companies, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in blocks of 50,000 Shares or whole multiples thereof (“ Creation Units ”). The Fund’s Creation Units may be issued and redeemed, principally in-kind for securities included in the Fund, only by certain large institutions, referred to as “ Authorized Participants ”, that enter into agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter. Retail investors may acquire Shares on the Exchange through a broker-dealer. Shares of the Fund will trade on the Exchange at market price rather than NAV. As such, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund’s distributions are generally taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer
or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale
of Fund 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 the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial
intermediary’s website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUND’S INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND RISKS
The investment objective of the Fund may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ notice to the shareholders.
Redeeming Risk. Shares in the Fund may be redeemed only in Creation Units. Shares may not be redeemed in fractional Creation Units. Only certain large institutions that enter into agreements with the Distributor are authorized to transact in Creation Units with the Fund. These entities are referred to as “Authorized Participants”. All other persons or entities transacting in Shares must do so in the secondary market.
Early Closing Risk. An unanticipated early closing of the Exchange may result in a shareholder’s inability to buy or sell Shares of the Fund on that day.
Liquidity Risk. Trading in Shares of the Fund may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund’s Shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Temporary Defensive Positions. In certain adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategy, provided that the alternative is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and is in the best interest of the Fund. At such times, the Fund may invest in cash or other short-term, highly liquid investments, such as money market instruments, U.S. government obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements or other cash equivalents, and to the extent permitted by applicable law and the Fund’s investment restrictions, shares of other investment companies. Under such circumstances, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in these investments and may do so for extended periods of time. To the extent that the Fund invests in money market instruments or other investment companies, shareholders of the Fund would indirectly pay both the Fund’s expenses and the expenses relating to those other investment companies with respect to the Fund’s assets invested in such investment companies. Under normal circumstances, however, the Fund may also hold money market instruments and/or shares of other investment companies for various reasons including to provide for funds awaiting investment, to accumulate cash for anticipated purchases of portfolio securities, to allow for shareholder redemptions and to provide for the Fund’s operating expenses. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. The Fund’s portfolio holdings will be disclosed on the Trust’s website daily after the close of trading on the Exchange and prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange the following day.
The Fund’s investment adviser is Etfis Capital LLC, 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, NY 10016. The Adviser serves in that capacity pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund. Subject to the authority of the Board, the Adviser provides guidance, oversight and supervision of the Sub-Adviser’s daily management of the Fund’s assets.
The Adviser was organized as a Delaware limited liability company in August 2013. The Adviser has served as the investment adviser of the Fund since the inception of the Fund’s operations. Although the Adviser only recently commenced operations, the executives and members of the advisory staff of the Adviser have extensive experience in managing investments for clients including corporations, non-taxable entities, investment companies and other business and private accounts.
Adviser Compensation. The Adviser is entitled to receive a fee, payable monthly, at the annual rate of 0.075% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Fund has not paid any advisory fees to the Adviser as of the date of this Prospectus.
The Adviser has engaged the Sub-Adviser to manage the Fund’s investments in accordance with the stated investment objective and policies of the Fund, subject to the oversight and supervision of the Adviser and the Board.
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The Fund’s sub-adviser is Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, 155 Lockwood Road, Riverside, Connecticut 06878. The Sub-Adviser serves in that capacity pursuant to a sub-advisory contract (the “ Sub-Advisory Agreement ”) with the Trust on behalf of the Fund as approved by the Board. The Sub-Adviser makes day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund and selects broker-dealers for executing portfolio transactions, subject to the brokerage policies established by the Board.
The Sub-Adviser was organized as a Delaware limited liability company in July 2012. The Sub-Adviser has served as the sub-adviser of the Fund since the inception of the Fund’s operations. The Sub-Adviser is controlled by Matthew Tuttle, its founder and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Tuttle has been managing investments for clients, including high net worth individuals and other registered investment advisers, since 2003.
In addition to providing investment advisory services to the Fund, under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser provides certain operational services for the Fund including, without limitation, the following: (i) assisting with non-advisory operations of the Fund; (ii) assisting with: (a) the preparation of all required tax returns, (b) the preparation and submission of reports to existing shareholders, (c) the periodic updating of prospectuses and statements of additional information and (d) the preparation of reports to be filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; and (iii) maintaining certain of the Fund’s records.
Sub-Adviser Compensation. As full compensation for its services to the Fund, the Sub-Adviser receives monthly compensation from the Fund at the annual rate of 0.825% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. In consideration of the fees paid with respect to the Fund, the Sub-Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund, except the Sub-Adviser’s fee, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, litigation expenses, payments under any 12b-1 plan adopted by the Fund, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses of the Fund.
Matthew Tuttle, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Sub-Adviser, has served as portfolio manager for the Fund since the inception of the Fund’s operations. The portfolio manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Matthew Tuttle is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Adviser. Mr. Tuttle is also the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Tuttle Wealth Management, LLC, an investment advisory firm formed in 2003 and registered with the SEC in 2008, that provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals (including high net worth individuals), pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and other types of business entities. Mr. Tuttle has authored two books on investing, How Harvard & Yale Beat the Market and Financial Secrets of my Wealthy Grandparents . Mr. Tuttle has an MBA in finance from Boston University and is a Certified Financial Planner® professional.
Additional Information. Additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and the portfolio manager’s ownership of Shares of the Fund is available in the SAI.
Disclosure Regarding Advisory Agreement Approval. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s most recent approval of the investment advisory agreements and investment sub-advisory agreements for the Fund will be available in the Fund’s first semi-annual report. You may obtain a copy of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports, without charge, upon request to the Fund.
The Fund is a series of the Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust on September 20, 2012. The Board supervises the operations of the Fund according to applicable state and federal law, and is responsible for the overall management of the Fund’s business affairs.
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ETF Issuer Solutions Inc. (the “ Administrator ”), located at 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, New York 10016, serves as the Fund’s operational administrator. The Administrator supervises the overall administration of the Trust and the Funds including, among other responsibilities, the coordination and day-to-day oversight of the Funds' operations, the service providers' communications with the Funds and each other and assistance with Trust, Board and contractual matters related to the Fund and other series of the Trust. The Administrator also provides persons satisfactory to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust.
ACCOUNTING SERVICES Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent
The Bank of New York Mellon ( “ BNY Mellon ”), located at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286, directly and through its subsidiary companies, provides necessary administrative, accounting, tax and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust as the Fund’s accounting services administrator. BNY Mellon also serves as the custodian for the Fund’s assets, and serves as transfer agent and dividend paying agent for the Fund.
ETF Distributors LLC, (the “ Distributor ”), 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, NY 10016, serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
BBD, LLP, 1835 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust and the Fund.
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, 1001 W. Fourth Street, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101, serves as counsel to the Trust.
The Fund pays all expenses not assumed by the Sub-Adviser. General Trust expenses that are allocated among and charged to the assets of the Funds and other series of the Trust are done so on a basis that the Board deems fair and equitable, which may be on a basis of relative net assets of the Funds and other series of the Trust or the nature of the services performed and relative applicability to the Funds and other series of the Trust.
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with its Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of the Fund or the provision of investor services. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, they will be paid out of the respective Fund’s assets, and over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
The Adviser and its affiliates may, out of their own resources, pay amounts to third parties for distribution or marketing services on behalf of the Fund. The making of these payments could create a conflict of interest for a financial intermediary receiving such payments.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV of the Shares for the Fund is equal to the Fund’s total assets minus the Fund’s total liabilities divided by the total number of Shares outstanding. Interest and investment income on the Trust’s assets accrue daily and are included in the Fund’s total assets. Expenses and fees (including investment advisory, management, administration and distribution fees, if any) accrue daily and are included in the Fund’s total liabilities. The NAV that is published is rounded to the nearest cent; however, for purposes of determining the price of Creation Units, the NAV is calculated to five decimal places.
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The pricing and valuation of portfolio securities is determined in good faith in accordance with procedures approved by, and under the direction of, the Board. In determining the value of the Fund’s assets, portfolio securities are generally valued at market using quotations from the primary market in which they are traded. The Fund normally uses third party pricing services to obtain market quotations.
Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available or which cannot be accurately valued using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures are valued by the Trust’s Fair Value Pricing Committee at fair value as determined in good faith under policies approved by the Board. Fair value pricing may be used, for example, in situations where (i) portfolio securities, such as securities with small capitalizations, are so thinly traded that there have been no transactions for that security over an extended period of time; (ii) an event occurs after the close of the exchange on which a portfolio security is principally traded that is likely to change the value of the portfolio security prior to the Fund’s NAV calculation; (iii) the exchange on which the portfolio security is principally traded closes early; or (iv) trading of the particular portfolio security is halted during the day and does not resume prior to the Fund’s NAV calculation. Pursuant to policies adopted by the Board, the Adviser consults with BNY Mellon and the Sub-Adviser on a regular basis regarding the need for fair value pricing. The Fund’s policies regarding fair value pricing are intended to result in a calculation of the Fund’s NAV that fairly reflects portfolio security values as of the time of pricing. A portfolio security’s “fair value” price may differ from the price next available for that portfolio security using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures, and the fair value price may differ substantially from the price at which the security may ultimately be traded or sold. If the fair value price differs from the price that would have been determined using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures, you may receive more or less proceeds or Shares from redemptions or purchases of Fund Shares, respectively, than you would have otherwise received if the portfolio security were priced using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures and the prices used to determine the Fund’s Indicative Intra-Day Value (“ IIV ”), which could result in the market prices for Shares deviating from NAV. The performance of the Fund may also be affected if a portfolio security’s fair value price were to differ from the security’s price using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures. The Board monitors and evaluates the Fund’s use of fair value pricing, and periodically reviews the results of any fair valuation under the Trust’s policies.
To the extent the assets of the Fund are invested in other open-end investment companies that are registered under the 1940 Act, the Fund’s NAV is calculated based upon the NAVs reported by such registered open-end investment companies, and the prospectuses for these companies explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
The NAV is determined as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange, normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, on each day that the Exchange is open for business. Currently, the Exchange is closed on weekends and in recognition of 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.
The approximate value of the Fund’s investments on a per-Share basis, the Indicative Intra-Day Value, or IIV, is disseminated by the Exchange every 15 seconds during hours of trading on the Exchange The IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of NAV because the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as NAV, which is computed once per day.
The Exchange calculates the IIV for the Fund during hours of trading on the Exchange by dividing the “Estimated Fund Value” as of the time of the calculation by the total number of outstanding Shares of that Fund. “ Estimated Fund Value ” is the sum of the estimated amount of cash held in the Fund’s portfolio, the estimated amount of accrued interest owed to the Fund and the estimated value of the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio, minus the estimated amount of the Fund’s liabilities. The IIV will be calculated based on the same portfolio holdings disclosed on the Fund’s website.
Although the Trust provides information used to calculate the IIV, the Trust is not involved in the actual calculation of the IIV and is not responsible for the calculation or dissemination of the IIV. The Trust makes no warranty as to the accuracy of the IIV.
Information regarding the extent and frequency with which market prices of Shares have tracked the Fund’s NAV for the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarters since that year will be available without charge on the Fund’s website at www.tuttlefunds.com.
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The Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares by Fund shareholders (“ market timing ”). In determining not to adopt market timing policies and procedures, the Board noted that, unlike traditional mutual funds, the Fund’s Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by Authorized Participants, and that the vast majority of trading in the Fund’s Shares occurs on the secondary market. Because secondary market trades do not involve the Fund directly, it is unlikely those trades would cause many of the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With respect to trades directly with the Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (namely, for securities), those trades do not cause any of the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, the Board noted that those trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs (and the Fund may impose higher transaction fees to offset these increased costs), which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board noted that direct trading on a short-term basis by Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that the Fund’s Shares trade at or close to NAV. The Fund also imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units that are designed to offset the Fund’s transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Given this structure, the Board determined that it is not necessary to adopt market timing policies and procedures. The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order at any time and reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive or excessive trading in Creation Units.
The Board has instructed the officers of the Trust to review reports of purchases and redemptions of Creation Units on a regular basis to determine if there is any unusual trading in the Fund’s Shares. The officers of the Trust will report to the Board any such unusual trading in Creation Units that is disruptive to the Fund. In such event, the Board may reconsider its decision not to adopt market timing policies and procedures.
The Fund expects to distribute substantially all of its net investment income to its shareholders quarterly and its net realized capital gains at least annually. As a Fund shareholder, you are entitled to your share of the Fund’s distributions of net investment income and net realized capital gains on its investments. The Fund pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as “distributions”.
The Fund typically earns investment income in the form of dividends from stocks and interest from debt securities. These amounts, net of expenses, are typically passed along to Fund shareholders as dividends from net investment income. The Fund realizes capital gains or losses whenever it sells securities. Net capital gains are distributed to shareholders as “capital gain distributions”.
Net investment income and net capital gains are typically distributed to shareholders at least annually . Dividends may be declared and paid more frequently to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code. In addition, the Fund may determine to distribute at least annually amounts representing the full dividend yield net of expenses on the underlying investment securities, as if the Fund owned the underlying investment securities for the entire dividend period, in which case some portion of each distribution may result in a return of capital. You will be notified regarding the portion of the distribution that represents a return of capital.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional Shares of the Fund only if the broker through which you purchased Shares makes such option available.
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in Shares of the Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this Prospectus and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. In addition, this summary assumes that the Fund shareholder holds Shares as capital assets within the meaning of the Code and does not hold Shares in connection with a trade or business. This summary does not address all potential U.S. federal income tax considerations possibly applicable to an investment in Shares of the Fund, to Fund shareholders holding Shares through a partnership (or other pass-through entity) or to Fund shareholders subject to special tax rules. Prospective Fund shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in Fund Shares.
The Fund has not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “ IRS ”) as to the federal income tax matters described below. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors with regard to the federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership or disposition of Shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, foreign country or other taxing jurisdiction.
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The Fund, as well as any future series of the Trust, is treated as a separate corporate entity under the Code, and intends to qualify and remain qualified as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to so qualify, the Fund must elect to be a regulated investment company or have made such an election for a previous year and must satisfy certain requirements relating to the amount of distributions and source of its income for a taxable year. At least 90% of the gross income of the Fund must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks, securities or foreign currencies, and other income derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies. Any income derived by the Fund from a partnership or trust is treated as derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities or currencies only to the extent that such income is attributable to items of income that would have been qualifying income if realized by the series in the same manner as by the partnership or trust.
The Fund will not qualify as a regulated investment company for any taxable year unless it satisfies certain requirements with respect to the diversification of its investments at the close of each quarter of the taxable year. In general, at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash, cash items, government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities which, with respect to any one issuer, do not represent more than 5% of the total assets of the Fund nor more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer. In addition, not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities (other than government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer. The Fund intends to satisfy all requirements on an ongoing basis for continued qualification as a regulated investment company.
There is a remedy for failure of the Subchapter M asset diversification test, if the failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, subject to certain divestiture and procedural requirements and the payment of a tax. There is also a de minimis exception to a potential failure of the Subchapter M asset diversification test, which would require corrective action but no tax. In addition, a remedy of a failure of the source-of-income requirement exists, if the failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, subject to certain procedural requirements and the payment of a tax.
Tax Treatment of Fund Shareholders
The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Additional tax information appears in the Fund’s SAI. Shareholders should rely on their own tax advisors for advice about the particular federal, state, and local tax consequences of investing in the Fund.
Dividends from net investment income or capital gains distributions, if any, will be distributed in cash. Although the Fund will not be taxed on amounts it distributes, shareholders will generally be taxed on distributions paid by the Fund.
Distributions attributable to net investment income and short-term capital gains are generally taxed as ordinary income, although certain income dividends may be taxed to non-corporate shareholders at long-term capital gains rates. Distributions of long-term capital gains are generally taxed as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long a shareholder has held Fund Shares. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as federal taxes.
Distributions resulting from the sale of foreign currencies and foreign securities by the Fund, to the extent of foreign exchange gains, are generally taxed as ordinary income or loss. If the Fund pays non-refundable taxes to foreign governments during the year, these taxes will reduce the Fund’s net investment income but still may be included in your taxable income. However, you may be able to claim an offsetting tax credit or itemized deduction on your return for your portion of foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Shareholders should consult with their own tax advisors to ensure that distributions with respect to Fund Shares are treated appropriately on their income tax returns.
Regulated investment companies must report cost basis information to the IRS on Form 1099-B for any sale of regulated investment company shares acquired after January 1, 2012 (“ Covered Shares ”). Regulated investment companies must select a default cost basis calculation method and apply that method to the sale of Covered Shares unless an alternate IRS approved method is specifically elected in writing by the shareholder. Average Cost, which is the investment company industry standard, has been selected as the Fund’s default cost basis calculation method. If a shareholder determines that an IRS approved cost basis calculation method other than the Fund’s default method of Average Cost is more appropriate, the shareholder must contact the Fund at the time of or in advance of the sale of Covered Shares that are to be subject to that alternate election. IRS regulations do not permit the change of a cost basis election on previously executed trades.
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All Covered Shares purchased in non-retirement accounts are subject to the new cost basis reporting legislation. Non-covered shares are regulated investment company shares that were acquired prior to the effective date of January 1, 2012. Cost basis information will not be reported to the IRS or shareholder upon the sale of any non-covered regulated investment company shares. Non-covered shares will be redeemed first.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax will be imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of a Fund’s Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons’ “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares is treated generally as a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to the Shares. Shareholders should consult with their own tax advisors to ensure that sales of Fund Shares are treated appropriately on their income tax returns.
Federal regulations generally require the Fund to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a “backup withholding” tax with respect to dividends and the proceeds of any redemption paid to you if you fail to furnish the Fund or the Fund’s paying agent with a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-9, Form W-8BEN or other applicable form. Furthermore, the IRS may notify the Fund to institute backup withholding if the IRS determines that your taxpayer identification number (“ TIN ”) is incorrect or if you have failed to properly report taxable dividends or interest on a federal tax return. A TIN is either the Social Security number or employer identification number of the record owner of the account. Any tax withheld as a result of backup withholding does not constitute an additional tax imposed on the record owner of the account and may be claimed as a credit on the record owner’s federal income tax return. The backup withholding rate is currently 28%. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.
The Fund will be required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of dividends and (effective January 1, 2017) redemption proceeds made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. You may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.
Creation Unit ISSUANCES and Redemptions
On an issuance of Shares of the Fund as part of a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant recognizes capital gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value (at issue) of the issued Shares (plus any cash received by the Authorized Participant as part of the issue) and (ii) the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the exchanged securities (plus any cash paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the issue). On a redemption of Shares as part of a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant recognizes capital gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value (at redemption) of the securities received (plus any cash received by the Authorized Participant as part of the redemption) and (ii) the Authorized Participant’s basis in the redeemed Shares (plus any cash paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the redemption). However, the IRS might assert, under the “wash sale” rules or on the basis that there has been no significant change in the Authorized Participant’s economic position, that any loss on creation or redemption of Creation Units cannot be deducted currently.
In general, any capital gain or loss recognized upon the issue or redemption of Shares (as components of a Creation Unit) is treated either as long-term capital gain or loss, if the deposited securities (in the case of an issue) or the Shares (in the case of a redemption) have been held for more than one year, or otherwise as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any capital loss on a redemption of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such Shares.
For additional discussion regarding an investment in the Fund, please see the section of the SAI entitled “Taxation” .
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions, and sales of Fund Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Fund Shares under all applicable tax laws.
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FUND WEBSITE AND DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Trust maintains a website for the Fund at www.tuttlefunds.com. The website for the Fund contains the following information, on a per-Share basis, for the Fund: (i) the prior Business Day’s NAV; (ii) the reported midpoint of the bid-ask spread at the time of NAV calculation (the “ Bid-Ask Price ”); (iii) a calculation of the premium or discount of the Bid-Ask Price against such NAV; and (iv) data in chart format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the Bid-Ask Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four previous calendar quarters (or for the life of the Fund if, shorter). In addition, on each Business Day, before the commencement of trading in Shares on the Exchange, the Trust will disclose on the Fund’s website the identities and quantities of the portfolio securities and other assets held by the Fund that will form the basis for the calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the SAI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective. The Exchange has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
For purposes of the 1940 Act, the Fund is a registered investment company, and the acquisition of Shares by other registered investment companies and companies relying on exemption from registration as investment companies under Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, except as permitted by an exemptive order that permits registered investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond those limitations.
The Fund is newly organized and therefore has not yet had any operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
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Who we are | ||
Who is providing this notice? | ETFis Series Trust I | |
What we do | ||
How does ETFis Series Trust I protect my personal information? |
To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings.
Our service providers are held accountable for adhering to strict policies and procedures to prevent any misuse of your nonpublic personal information. |
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How does ETFis Series Trust I collect my personal information? |
We collect your personal information, for example, when you: § Open an account § Provide account information § Give us your contact information § Make deposits or withdrawals from your account § Make a wire transfer § Tell us where to send the money § Show your government-issued ID § Show your driver’s license
We also collect your personal information from other companies. |
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Why can’t I limit all sharing? |
Federal law gives you the right to limit only: § Sharing for affiliates’ everyday business purposes – information about your creditworthiness § Affiliates from using your information to market to you § Sharing for non-affiliates to market to you State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing. |
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Definitions | ||
Affiliates |
Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies. § Etfis Capital LLC, the investment adviser to ETFis Series Trust I, ETF Distributors, LLC, the principal underwriter for the ETFis Series Trust I, and ETF Issuer Solutions Inc., the Fund’s operational administrator, could each be deemed to be an affiliate. |
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Non-affiliates |
Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies § ETFis Series Trust I does not share with non-affiliates so they can market to you. |
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Joint marketing |
A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies that together market financial products or services to you. § ETFis Series Trust I does not jointly market. |
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If you would like more information about the Trust, the Fund and the Shares, the following documents are available free upon request:
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports
Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. Once available, you will find in the Fund’s annual report a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the prior fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information
Additional information about the Fund and its policies is also available in the Fund’s SAI. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus (and is legally considered part of this Prospectus).
The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI are available free upon request by calling the Adviser at (212) 593-4383. You can also access and download the annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI without charge at the Fund’s website: www.tuttlefunds.com.
To obtain other information and for shareholder inquiries :
By telephone : | (212) 593-4383 |
By mail : | Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF |
ETFis Series Trust I | |
6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003 | |
New York, NY 10016 | |
On the Internet : | SEC Edgar database: http://www.sec.gov; or www.tuttlefunds.com |
Only one copy of a Prospectus or an annual or semi-annual report will be sent to each household address. This process, known as “householding”, is used for most required shareholder mailings. (It does not apply to confirmations of transactions and account statements, however.) You may, of course, request an additional copy of a Prospectus or an annual or semi-annual report at any time by calling or writing the Fund. You may also request that householding be eliminated from all your required mailings.
You may review and obtain copies of Fund documents (including the SAI) by visiting the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may also obtain copies of Fund documents, after paying a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102 or by electronic request to: publicinfo@sec.gov. Information on the operation of the public reference room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 942-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund or its Shares not contained in this Prospectus, and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.
Dealers effecting transactions in the Fund’s Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, may be generally required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation dealers have to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
ETFis Series Trust I: Investment Company Act file number 811-22819
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STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (TUTT)
October 10, 2014
a series of the
ETFis Series Trust I
6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (212) 593-4383
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
This Statement of Additional Information (“ SAI ”) is meant to be read in conjunction with the prospectus (“ Prospectus ”) for the Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (Ticker: TUTT) (the “ Fund ”) dated the same date as this SAI, which incorporates this SAI by reference in its entirety. Because this SAI is not itself a prospectus, no investment in Shares of the Fund should be made solely upon the information contained herein. Copies of the Prospectus for the Fund may be obtained at no charge by writing or calling the Fund at the address or phone number shown above. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meanings as in the Prospectus. No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this SAI and the Prospectus, and, if given or made, such information or representations may not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Trust. The SAI does not constitute an offer to sell securities.
Audited financial statements are not presented for the Fund since the Fund is newly formed and had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI. Once available, you may obtain a copy of the Fund’s annual report at no charge by request to the Fund at the address or phone number noted below.
A copy of the Prospectus for the Fund may be obtained, without charge, by calling (212) 593-4383 or visiting www.tuttlefunds.com, or writing to the Trust, c/o ETF Distributors LLC, 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, NY 10016.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND
The ETFis Series Trust I (the “ Trust ”) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on September 20, 2012 and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ SEC ”) as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “ 1940 Act ”). The Trust currently consists of three investment portfolios, Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (Ticker: TUTT) (the “ Fund ”), InfraCap MLP ETF (Ticker: AMZA) and Manna Core Equity Enhanced Dividend Income Fund (Ticker: MANA). Other portfolios may be added to the Trust in the future. The shares of the Fund are referred to herein as “ Fund Shares ” or “ Shares ”. The offering of Shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”).
The Fund’s investment adviser is Etfis Capital LLC (the “ Adviser ”). The Adviser has been registered as an investment adviser with the SEC since October 2013 and is owned and controlled by ETF Issuer Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its principals, Matthew B. Brown and William J. Smalley. The Fund’s sub-adviser is Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC (the “ Sub-Adviser ”).
The Fund offers and issues Shares at net asset value (the “ NAV ”) only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (each, a “ Creation Unit ”), generally in exchange for a basket of equity securities included in the Fund’s portfolio (the “ Deposit Securities ”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “ Cash Component ”). Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units and, generally, in exchange for Deposit Securities and a Cash Component. Creation Units are aggregations of 50,000 Shares of the Fund and are available only to certain large institutions, referred to as “ Authorized Participants ”, that enter into agreements with the Distributor. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, the Trust may lower the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.
Fund Shares trade on the NYSE Arca (the “ Exchange ”) at market prices that may be below, at or above NAV. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary for the Fund to maintain the listing of its Shares will continue to be met. The Exchange will consider the suspension of trading and delisting of the Shares of the Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund Shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the intra-day net asset value of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iii) any other event occurs or condition exists that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
The following policies supplement the Fund’s investment objectives and policies as described in the Prospectus for the Fund.
GENERAL INVESTMENT RISKS. All investments in securities and other financial instruments involve a risk of financial loss. No assurance can be given that the Fund’s investment program will be successful. Investors should carefully review the descriptions of the Fund’s investments and its risks in this SAI and the Prospectus.
EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS AND INVESTMENTS IN OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES.
Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”). As noted in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in (or sell short) ETFs, exchange traded notes (“ ETNs ”) and other exchange traded products (“ ETPs ”). The shares of an ETF may be assembled in a block (typically 50,000 shares) known as a creation unit and redeemed in kind for a portfolio of the underlying securities (based on the ETF’s net asset value) together with a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends as of the date of redemption. Conversely, a creation unit may be purchased from the ETF by depositing a specified portfolio of the ETF’s underlying securities, as well as a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends of the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit. The Fund intends to be a short-term investor in ETFs, but does not intend to purchase and redeem creation units to take advantage of short-term arbitrage opportunities. However, the Fund may redeem creation units for the underlying securities (and any applicable cash), and may assemble a portfolio of the underlying securities and use it (and any required cash) to purchase creation units, if Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-adviser (the “ Sub-Adviser ”), believes it is in the Fund’s interest to do so. The Fund’s ability to redeem creation units
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may be limited by the 1940 Act, which provides that the ETFs will not be obligated to redeem shares held by the Fund in an amount exceeding one percent of their total outstanding securities during any period of less than 30 days.
There is a risk that the underlying ETFs in which the Fund invests may terminate due to extraordinary events that may cause any of the service providers to the ETFs, such as the trustees or sponsors, to close or otherwise fail to perform their obligations to the ETFs. Also, because the ETFs in which the Fund intends to principally invest may be granted licenses by agreement to use various indices as a basis for determining their compositions and/or otherwise to use certain trade names, the ETFs may terminate if such license agreements are terminated. In addition, an ETF may terminate if its net assets fall below a certain amount. Although the Fund believes that, in the event of the termination of an underlying ETF, it will be able to invest instead in shares of an alternate ETF tracking the same market index or another market index within the same general market, there is no guarantee that shares of an alternate ETF would be available for investment at that time.
Investments in ETFs and similar securities involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in a broadly based portfolio of stocks including: (1) risks that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of the ETF or other security; (2) an ETF may not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or number of stocks held; (3) an ETF may also be adversely affected by the performance of the specific index, market sector or group of industries on which it is based; and (4) an ETF may not track an index as well as a traditional index mutual fund because ETFs are valued by the market and, therefore, there may be a difference between the market value and the ETF’s net asset value.
An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange traded), including the risk that the general level of stock prices, or that the prices of stocks within a particular sector, may increase or decline, thereby affecting the value of the shares of an ETF. In addition, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (1) the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade at a discount to its net asset value; (2) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; (3) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange deems such action appropriate; and (4) ETF shares may be delisted from the exchange on which they trade, or activation of “ circuit breakers ” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) may halt trading temporarily. ETFs are also subject to the risks of the underlying securities or sectors the ETF is designed to track.
Money Market Mutual Funds . In order to maintain sufficient liquidity, to implement investment strategies or for temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in shares of one or more money market funds. Generally, money market mutual funds are registered investment companies that seek to earn income consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing primarily in high quality money market instruments, including U.S. government obligations, bank obligations and high-grade corporate instruments. An investment in a money market mutual fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company or any other governmental agency, entity or person. While investor losses in money market mutual funds have been rare, they are possible. In addition, the Fund will incur additional indirect expenses due to acquired fund fees and other costs to the extent it invests in shares of money market mutual funds.
Other Investment Companies. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not acquire shares of another investment company (ETFs or other investment companies) if, immediately after such acquisition, the Fund and its affiliated persons would hold more than 3% of the ETF’s or investment company’s total outstanding stock (“ 3% Limitation ”). Accordingly, the Fund is subject to the 3% Limitation unless (i) the ETF or the Fund has received an order for exemptive relief from the 3% Limitation from the SEC that is applicable to the Fund; and (ii) the ETF and the Fund take appropriate steps to comply with any conditions in such order. The SEC has issued such exemptive orders to numerous ETFs and their investment advisers, which permit investment companies to invest in such ETFs (“ Exempted ETFs ”) beyond the 3% Limitation, subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Exempted ETF.
To the extent the 3% Limitation applies to certain ETFs, that limitation may prevent the Fund from allocating its investments in the manner that the Sub-Adviser considers optimal, or cause the Sub-Adviser to select a similar basket of stocks (pre-selected groups of securities related by index or sector made available through certain brokers at a discount brokerage rate) (“ Stock Baskets ”) or a similar index-based mutual fund or other investment company as an alternative. The Fund’s investments in other investment companies will be subject to the same 3% Limitation described above.
Under the 1940 Act, to the extent that the Fund relies upon Section 12(d)(1)(F) in purchasing securities issued by another investment company, the Fund must either seek instructions from its shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies with respect to its investment in such securities (ETFs and other investment companies) and vote such proxies only in accordance with the instructions, or vote the shares held by it in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the securities. In the event that there is a vote of
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ETF or other investment company shares held by the Fund, the Fund intend to vote such shares in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such securities.
EQUITY SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in equity securities, both directly and indirectly through the Fund’s investment in shares of ETFs and other investment companies, ADRs and other types of securities and instruments described in this SAI and in the Prospectus. The equity portion of the Fund’s portfolio may include common stocks traded on domestic or foreign securities exchanges or on the over-the-counter market. In addition to common stocks, the equity portion of the Fund’s portfolio may also include preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks, and convertible bonds. Prices of equity securities in which the Fund invests may fluctuate in response to many factors, including, but not limited to, the activities of the individual companies whose securities the Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses. In addition, regardless of any one company’s particular prospects, a declining stock market may produce a decline in prices for all equity securities, which could also result in losses for the Fund. Market declines may continue for an indefinite period of time, and investors should understand that during temporary or extended bear markets, the value of equity securities will decline.
FOREIGN SECURITIES. The Fund may invest directly or indirectly in foreign debt or equity securities traded on U.S. exchanges, in over-the-counter markets or in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ ADRs ”) described below. The Fund may also invest in foreign currency and foreign currency-denominated securities. Investing in securities issued by companies whose principal business activities are outside the United States may involve significant risks not present in domestic investments. The value of securities denominated in or indexed to foreign currencies, and of dividends and interest from such securities, can change significantly when foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign securities markets generally have less trading volume and less liquidity than U.S. markets and prices on some foreign markets can be highly volatile. Many foreign countries lack uniform accounting and disclosure standards comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, and it may be more difficult to obtain reliable information regarding an issuer’s financial condition and operations. Some foreign countries impose conditions and restrictions on foreigners’ ownership of interests in local issuers, including restring ownership to certain classes of investment in an issuer, which may reduce potential investment returns and impair disposition of those investments. Additional costs associated with an investment in foreign securities may include higher custodial fees than those applicable to domestic custodial arrangements and transaction costs of foreign currency conversions.
Foreign markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S. markets. Foreign issuers, brokers and securities markets may be subject to less government supervision. Foreign securities trading practices, including those involving the release of assets in advance of payment, may involve increased risks in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of a broker-dealer, and may involve substantial delays. It may also be difficult to enforce legal rights in foreign countries because of inconsistent legal interpretations or less defined legal and regulatory provisions or because of corruption or influence on local courts.
Investing abroad also involves different political and economic risks. Foreign investments may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors, including the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or on the ability to repatriate assets or convert currency into U.S. dollars or other governmental intervention. There may be a greater possibility of default by foreign governments or foreign government-sponsored enterprises and securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments, their agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions, may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit and taxing power of the foreign government. Investments in foreign countries also involve a risk of local political, economic or social instability, military action or unrest or adverse diplomatic developments. There is no assurance that the Sub-Adviser will be able to anticipate these potential events or counter their effects.
Depositary Receipts. American Depositary Receipts provide a method whereby the Fund may invest in securities issued by companies whose principal business activities are outside the United States. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities, and may be issued as sponsored or unsponsored programs. In sponsored programs, an issuer has made arrangements to have its securities trade in the form of ADRs. In unsponsored programs, the issuer may not be directly involved in the creation of the program. Although regulatory requirements with respect to sponsored and unsponsored programs are generally similar, in some cases it may be easier to obtain financial information from an issuer that participates in a sponsored program.
Emerging Market Securities. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in emerging markets. An “emerging market” is any country that the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations or its authorities has determined to have a low or middle income economy. Investing in emerging markets involves exposure to potentially unstable governments, the risk of nationalization of business, restrictions on foreign ownership, prohibitions on repatriation of assets and a system of laws that may offer less protection of property rights. Emerging market economies may be based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local and global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. The
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securities markets in emerging markets are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major securities markets in the United States and other developed countries. A high proportion of the shares of many issuers may be held by a limited number of persons and financial institutions, which may limit the number of shares available for investment by the Fund. A limited number of issuers in emerging markets may represent a disproportionately large percentage of market capitalization and trading value. The limited liquidity of securities markets in these countries may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so. The inability of the Fund to dispose fully and promptly of positions in declining markets would cause the Fund’s net asset value to decline as the values of the unsold positions are marked to lower prices. In addition, these securities markets are susceptible to being influenced by large investors trading significant blocks of securities.
Foreign Currency Transactions. Investments in foreign securities involve currency risk. The Fund may engage in various transactions to hedge currency risk, but is not required to do so. The instruments the Fund may use for this purpose include forward foreign currency contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies.
A forward foreign currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specified currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price established at the time of the contract. These contracts are entered into directly between currency traders and their customers. The Fund may use these contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency for the purpose of locking in the U.S. dollar price of foreign securities the Fund has agreed to purchase or the amount in U.S. dollars that the Fund will receive when it has sold foreign securities.
Currency futures contracts are similar to forward currency contracts, except that they are traded on exchanges (and have margin requirements) and are standardized as to contract size and delivery date. The Fund may purchase or sell foreign currency futures contracts to protect against fluctuations in the U.S. dollar values of foreign securities. For example, the Fund may sell a futures contract on a foreign currency when it holds securities denominated in that currency and it anticipates a decline in the value of that currency relative to the U.S. dollar. If such a decline were to occur, the resulting adverse effect on the value of the foreign-denominated securities may be offset, in whole or in part, by gains on the futures contract.
A currency option is the right - but not the obligation - to buy (in the case of a call) or sell (in the case of a put) a set amount of one currency for another at a predetermined time in the future. The two parties to a currency option contract are the option buyer and the option seller/writer. The option buyer may, for an agreed upon price, purchase from the option writer a commitment that the option writer will sell (or purchase) a specified amount of a foreign currency upon demand. The option extends only until the stated expiration date. The rate at which one currency can be purchased or sold is one of the terms of the option and is called the strike price. The total description of a currency option includes the underlying currencies, the contract size, the expiration date, the strike price and whether the option is an option to purchase the underlying currency (a call) or an option to sell the underlying currency (a put). There are three types of option expirations, American-style, European-style and Bermuda-style. American-style options can be exercised on any business day prior to the expiration date. European-style options can be exercised at expiration only. Bermuda-style options can be exercised at the date of expiration, and on certain specified dates that occur between the purchase date and the date of expiration.
The use of foreign currency transactions involves risks, including the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in futures or options prices and movements in the price of currencies which are the subject of the hedge. The successful use of foreign currency transactions also depends on the ability of the Sub-Adviser to correctly forecast interest rate movements, currency rate movements and general stock market price movements. There can be no assurance that the Sub-Adviser’s judgment will be accurate. The use of foreign currency transactions also exposes the Fund to the general risks of investing in futures and options contracts, including: the risk of an illiquid market and the risk of adverse regulatory actions. Any of these factors may cause the Fund to lose money on its foreign currency transactions.
CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. In addition to common and preferred stocks, the Fund may invest directly or indirectly in securities convertible into common stock if, for example, the Sub-Adviser believes that a company’s convertible securities are undervalued in the market. Convertible securities eligible for purchase by the Fund include convertible bonds, convertible preferred stocks and warrants. A warrant is an instrument issued by a corporation which gives the holder the right to subscribe to a specific amount of the corporation’s capital stock at a set price for a specified period of time. Warrants do not represent ownership of the securities, but only the right to buy the securities. The price of warrants do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of their underlying securities. Warrants may be considered speculative in that they have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of their issuing corporation. Warrant positions will not be used to increase the leverage of the Fund; consequently, warrant positions are generally accompanied by cash positions equivalent to the required exercise amount. The Fund’s ability to invest in warrants is limited by its investment restrictions.
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REAL ESTATE SECURITIES. The Fund will not invest directly in real estate, but may invest in readily marketable securities issued by companies that invest in real estate or interests therein. The Fund may also invest in readily marketable interests in real estate investment trusts (“ REITs ”). REITs are generally publicly traded on national stock exchanges and in the over-the-counter market and have varying degrees of liquidity. Investments in real estate securities are subject to risks inherent in the real estate market, including risks related to changes in interest rates, possible declines in the value of and demand for real estate, adverse general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of mortgage funds, overbuilding in a given market and environmental problems.
The Fund may invest in global real estate companies outside the U.S. These companies include, but are not limited to, companies with similar characteristics to a REIT structure, in which revenue consists primarily of rent derived from owned, income producing real estate properties, dividend distributions as a percentage of taxable net income are high (generally greater than 80%), debt levels are generally conservative and income derived from development activities is generally limited.
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Fund may invest directly and indirectly in money market instruments, including U.S. Government obligations or corporate debt obligations (including those subject to repurchase agreements). Money market instruments also may include Banker’s Acceptances and Certificates of Deposit of domestic branches of banks, Commercial Paper, and Master Notes. Banker’s Acceptances are time drafts drawn on and “accepted” by a bank. When a bank “accepts” such a time draft, it assumes liability for its payment. When the Fund acquires a Banker’s Acceptance, the bank that “accepted” the time draft is liable for payment of interest and principal when due. The Banker’s Acceptance carries the full faith and credit of such bank. A Certificate of Deposit is an unsecured, interest bearing debt obligation of a bank. Commercial Paper is an unsecured, short-term debt obligation of a bank, corporation, or other borrower. Commercial Paper maturity generally ranges from two to 270 days and is usually sold on a discounted basis rather than as an interest-bearing instrument. The Fund will invest directly in Commercial Paper only if it is rated in one of the top two rating categories by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch or, if not rated, is of equivalent quality in the Sub-Adviser’s opinion. Commercial Paper may include Master Notes of the same quality. Master Notes are unsecured obligations which are redeemable upon demand of the holder and which permit the investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest. Master Notes will be acquired by the Fund only through the Master Note program of the Fund’s custodian bank, acting as administrator thereof. The Sub-Adviser will monitor, on a continuous basis, the earnings power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios of the issuer of a Master Note held by the Fund.
ILLIQUID INVESTMENTS. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, which are investments 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. Under the supervision of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “ Board ”), the Sub-Adviser determines the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and through reports from the Sub-Adviser, the Board monitors investments in illiquid instruments. In determining the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, the Sub-Adviser may consider various factors including: (i) the frequency of trades and quotations; (ii) the number of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace; (iii) dealer undertakings to make a market; (iv) the nature of the security (including any demand or tender features); and (v) the nature of the marketplace for trades (including the ability to assign or offset the Fund’s rights and obligations relating to the investment). If through a change in values, net assets or other circumstances, the Fund were in a position where more than 15% of its net assets were invested in illiquid securities, it would seek to take appropriate steps to protect liquidity. An investment in illiquid securities poses risks of potential delays in resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and the Fund may be unable to dispose of illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices.
RESTRICTED SECURITIES. Within its limitations on investment in illiquid securities, the Fund may purchase restricted securities that generally can be sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the federal securities laws or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense, and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If during such a period adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.
Derivative Instruments. The Fund will comply with and adhere to all limitations on the manner and extent to which it effects transactions in derivative instruments (including futures and options on such futures) imposed by the provisions of the 1940 Act applicable to the issuance of senior securities. Additionally, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “ CEA ”). Therefore, the Fund is not subject to regulation or registration as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.
Recent legal and regulatory changes, and additional legal and regulatory changes in the future, may substantially affect over-the-counter derivatives markets, and such changes may impact the Fund’s use of such instruments. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted in July 2010, provides for new regulation of the derivatives market, including clearing, margin, reporting and registration requirements. Because the legislation leaves much to rule making, its ultimate impact
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remains unclear. New regulations could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in derivatives transactions (for example, by making certain types of derivatives transactions no longer available to the Fund) and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions (for example, by increasing margin or capital requirements), and the Fund may be unable to execute its investment strategy as a result. It is unclear how the regulatory changes will affect counterparty risk.
FUTURES CONTRACTS. A futures contract is a bilateral agreement to buy or sell a security (or deliver a cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contracts) for a set price in the future. Futures contracts are designated by boards of trade which have been designated “contracts markets” by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“ CFTC ”). No purchase price is paid or received when the contract is entered into. Instead, the Fund, upon entering into a futures contract (and to maintain the Fund’s open positions in futures contracts), would be required to deposit with its custodian in a segregated account in the name of the futures broker an amount of cash, U.S. government securities, suitable money market instruments or liquid, high-grade fixed income securities, known as “initial margin”. The margin required for a particular futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded, and may be significantly modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margin that may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded. By using futures contracts as a risk management technique, given the greater liquidity in the futures market than in the cash market, it may be possible to accomplish certain results more quickly and with lower transaction costs.
If the price of an open futures contract changes (by increase in the case of a sale or by decrease in the case of a purchase) so that the loss on the futures contract reaches a point at which the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, the broker will require an increase in the margin. However, if the value of a position increases because of favorable price changes in the futures contract so that the margin deposit exceeds the required margin, the broker will pay the excess to the Fund. These subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the futures broker, are made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying assets fluctuate, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking to market”. The Fund seeks to earn interest income on its initial and variation margin deposits.
The Fund will incur brokerage fees when it purchases and sell futures contracts. Positions taken in the futures markets are not normally held until delivery or cash settlement is required, but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions which may result in a gain or a loss. While futures positions taken by the Fund will usually be liquidated in this manner, the Fund may instead make or take delivery of underlying securities whenever it appears economically advantageous for the Fund to do so. A clearing organization associated with the exchange on which futures are traded assumes responsibility for closing out transactions and guarantees that, as between the clearing members of an exchange, the sale and purchase obligations will be performed with regard to all positions that remain open at the termination of the contract.
Securities Index Futures Contracts . Purchases or sales of securities index futures contracts may be used in an attempt to protect the Fund’s current or intended investments from broad fluctuations in securities prices. A securities index futures contract does not require the physical delivery of securities, but merely provides for profits and losses resulting from changes in the market value of the contract to be credited or debited at the close of each trading day to the respective accounts of the parties to the contract. On the contract’s expiration date, a final cash settlement occurs, and the futures positions are simply closed out. Changes in the market value of a particular index futures contract reflect changes in the specified index of securities on which the future is based.
By establishing an appropriate “short” position in index futures, the Fund may also seek to protect the value of its portfolio against an overall decline in the market for such securities. Alternatively, in anticipation of a generally rising market, the Fund can seek to avoid losing the benefit of apparently low current prices by establishing a “long” position in securities index futures and later liquidating that position as particular securities are in fact acquired. To the extent that these hedging strategies are successful, the Fund will be affected to a lesser degree by adverse overall market price movements than would otherwise be the case.
Limitations on Purchase and Sale of Futures Contracts . Futures can be volatile instruments and involve certain risks. If the Sub-Adviser applies a hedge in the Fund’s portfolio at an inappropriate time or judges market movements incorrectly, futures strategies may lower the Fund’s return. The Fund could also experience losses if the prices of its futures positions were poorly correlated with its other investments, or if it could not close out its position because of an illiquid market.
In general, the Fund will not purchase or sell futures contracts unless either (i) the futures contracts are purchased for “bona fide hedging” purposes (as defined under the CFTC regulations); or (ii) if purchased for other purposes, (A) the sum of the amounts of initial margin deposits and premiums required to establish such positions on the Fund’s existing futures would not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s total assets or (B) the aggregate net notional value of commodity futures, commodity options contracts,
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or swaps positions determined at the time the most recent position was established does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s total assets, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions it has entered into.
In instances involving the purchase of futures contracts, the Fund will deposit in a segregated account with its custodian an amount of cash, cash equivalents and/or appropriate securities equal to the cost of such futures contracts, to the extent that such deposits are required under the 1940 Act.
FORWARD COMMITMENT AND WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES. The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis or for settlement at a future date if the Fund holds sufficient liquid assets to meet the purchase price. In such purchase transactions, the Fund will not accrue interest on the purchased security until the actual settlement. Similarly, if a security is sold for a forward date, the Fund will accrue the interest until the settlement of the sale. When-issued security purchases and forward commitments have a higher degree of risk of price movement before settlement due to the extended time period between the execution and settlement of the purchase or sale. As a result, the exposure to the counterparty of the purchase or sale is increased. Although the Fund would generally purchase securities on a forward commitment or when-issued basis with the intention of taking delivery, the Fund may sell such a security prior to the settlement date if the Sub-Adviser felt such action was appropriate. In such a case, the Fund could incur a short-term gain or loss.
SHORT SALES OF SECURITIES. The Fund may make short sales, which are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete a short sale transaction, the Fund will borrow the security from a broker-dealer, which generally involves the payment of a premium and transaction costs. The Fund then sells the borrowed security to a buyer in the market. The Fund will then cover the short position by buying shares in the market either (i) at its discretion or (ii) when called by the broker-dealer lender. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay the broker-dealer lender any dividends or interest that accrue during the period of the loan. In addition, the net proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker to the extent necessary to meet regulatory or other requirements, until the short position is closed out.
The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale. When the Fund makes a short sale, the Fund will segregate liquid assets (such as cash, U.S. government securities, or equity securities) on the Fund’s books and/or in a segregated account at the Fund’s custodian or broker (or an affiliate thereof) in an amount sufficient to cover the current value of the securities to be replaced as well as any dividends, interest and/or transaction costs due to the broker-dealer lender, to the extent such deposit is required by applicable law and/or the parties involved in the transaction. In determining the amount to be segregated, any securities that have been sold short by the Fund will be marked to market daily. To the extent the market price of the security sold short increases and more assets are required to meet the Fund’s short sale obligations, additional assets will be segregated to ensure adequate coverage of the Fund’s short position obligations.
In addition, the Fund may make short sales “against the box,” i.e., when the Fund sells a security short while owning securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short (or securities convertible or exchangeable into such securities) and will hold such securities while the short sale is outstanding. The Fund will incur transaction costs, including interest, in connection with opening, maintaining and closing short sales against the box.
INVESTMENTS IN COMPANIES WITH BUSINESS RELATED TO COMMODITIES. As explained under “Fundamental Restrictions” below, the Fund does not invest directly in commodities. However, the Fund may from time to time invest in securities of companies whose business is related to commodities, or in registered investment companies or other companies that invest directly or indirectly in commodities. For example, the Fund may invest in companies whose business is related to mining of precious or other metals (e.g., gold, silver, etc.) or registered investment companies or publicly or privately traded companies that invest in securities of mining companies and related instruments (including, without limitation, the underlying commodities). Investments in equity securities of companies involved in mining or related precious metals industries, and the value of the investment companies and other companies that invest in precious metals and other commodities are subject to a number of risks. For example, the prices of precious metals or other commodities can make sharp movement, up or down, in response to cyclical economic conditions, political events or the monetary policies of various countries, any of which may adversely affect the value of companies who business is related to such commodities, or the value of investment companies and other companies investing in such business or commodities. Furthermore, such companies are subject to risks related to fluctuations of prices and perceptions of value in commodities markets generally.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES. In order to generate additional income, the Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1 / 3 % of its total assets to broker-dealers, major banks or other recognized domestic institutional borrowers of securities which the Sub-Adviser has determined are creditworthy under guidelines established by the Board. In determining whether the Fund
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will lend securities, the Sub-Adviser will consider all relevant facts and circumstances. The Fund may not lend securities to any company affiliated with the Sub-Adviser. Each loan of securities will be collateralized by cash, securities or letters of credit. The Fund might experience a loss if the borrower defaults on the loan.
The borrower at all times during the loan must maintain with the Fund cash or cash equivalent collateral, or provide to the Fund an irrevocable letter of credit equal in value to at least 100% of the value of the securities loaned. While the loan is outstanding, the borrower will pay the Fund any interest paid on the loaned securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral to earn additional income. Alternatively, the Fund may receive an agreed-upon amount of interest income from the borrower who has delivered equivalent collateral or a letter of credit. It is anticipated that the Fund may share with the borrower some of the income received on the collateral for the loan or the Fund will be paid a premium for the loan. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower at any time. The Fund may pay reasonable administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan, and may pay a negotiated portion of the income earned on the cash to the borrower or placing broker. As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.
TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE POSITIONS. The Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its principal investment strategies in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. In such circumstances, the Fund may also hold up to 100% of its portfolio in cash and cash equivalent positions. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Borrowing. The Fund may, subject to the restrictions of the 1940 Act, borrow money from banks as a temporary measure. For example, the Fund may borrow money to meet redemption requests or for extraordinary or emergency purposes. In the event the Fund should ever borrow money under these conditions, such borrowing could increase the Fund’s costs and thus reduce the value of the Fund’s assets. The 1940 Act presently allows the Fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33⅓% of its total assets and the Fund will, to the extent necessary, reduce its existing borrowings (within three days, excluding Sundays and holidays) to comply with the provisions of the 1940 Act.
The Fund has adopted the following investment limitations, which cannot be changed without approval by holders of a majority of its outstanding voting Shares. A “majority” for this purpose means the lesser of (i) 67% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares represented in person or by proxy at a meeting at which more than 50% of its outstanding Shares are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares. Unless otherwise indicated, percentage limitations apply at the time of purchase of the applicable securities.
FUNDAMENTAL RESTRICTIONS. As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund may not:
(1) | Issue senior securities, except as permitted by the 1940 Act; |
(2) | Borrow money (including, without limitation, borrowing to meet redemptions), except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act; |
(3) | Pledge, mortgage or hypothecate its assets; |
(4) | Act as underwriter except to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter under certain federal securities laws; |
(5) | Make loans, provided that the Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1 / 3 % of total Fund assets; |
(6) | Purchase or sell real estate or interests in real estate; provided, however, that the Fund may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate (including, without limitation, investments in REITs and mortgage-backed securities); |
(7) | Invest 25 percent or more of its total assets in the securities of issuers in any particular industry; and |
(8) | Invest in commodities. |
NON-FUNDAMENTAL RESTRICTIONS. The following investment limitations are not fundamental and may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. As a matter of non-fundamental policy, the Fund may not:
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(1) | Purchase securities on margin (but the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of transactions); |
(2) | Make investments for the purpose of exercising control or management over a portfolio company; |
(3) | Invest in securities of other registered investment companies, except as permitted under the 1940 Act; |
(4) | Invest in interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration or development programs, although the Fund may invest in the common stock of companies which invest in or sponsor such programs; |
(5) | Purchase warrants if as a result the Fund would then have more than 5% of its total net assets (taken at the lower of cost or current value) invested in warrants; or |
(6) | Invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. |
With respect to the fundamental and non-fundamental investment restrictions above, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction (i.e., percentage limitations are determined at the time of purchase); provided, however, that the treatment of the fundamental restrictions related to borrowing money and issuing senior securities are exceptions to this general rule.
With respect to the above fundamental investment restriction on borrowing money, the entry into options, forward contracts, futures contracts, including those relating to indices, and options on futures contracts or indices will not constitute borrowing.
With respect to the above fundamental investment restriction on pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets, any such activity to the extent necessary to secure permitted borrowings and to the extent related to the deposit of assets in escrow in connection with (i) writing covered put or call options, (ii) the purchase of securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis, or (iii) collateral or initial or variation margin arrangements with respect to options, forward contracts, futures contracts (including those relating to indices), or options on futures contracts or indices will not be considered pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets.
With respect to the above fundamental investment restriction on making loans, investment in U.S. government obligations, short-term commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and repurchase agreements will not be deemed to be the making of a loan.
With respect to the above fundamental investment restriction regarding concentration in a particular industry, (i) securities of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions, cash items (as such term is used in Section 3 of the 1940 Act) and investments in other registered investment companies are not considered to be issued by members of any industry, and (ii) if the Fund invests in a revenue bond tied to a particular industry, the Fund will consider such investment to be issued by a member of the industry to which the revenue bond is tied.
With respect to the above fundamental investment restriction on investments in commodities, the purchase or sale by the Fund of options, forward contracts, futures contracts (including those relating to indices), options on futures contracts or indices or interests in equity securities issued by companies (including, without limitation, investment companies) that hold or invest in one or more commodities as their sole or principal business activity will not be considered an investment in commodities.
With respect to the above non-fundamental investment restriction on purchasing securities on margin, short sales of securities and futures trades, forward contracts or similar trades requiring margin deposits or other use of a margin account will not be considered purchasing securities on margin.
The 1940 Act presently allows the Fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33⅓% of its total assets and the Fund will, to the extent necessary, reduce its existing borrowings (within three days, excluding Sundays and holidays) to comply with the provisions of the 1940 Act.
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MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
The Board is responsible for the management and supervision of the Fund. The Board approves all significant agreements between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and those companies that furnish services to the Fund; reviews the performance of the Fund; and oversees the business activities of the Fund. This section of the SAI provides information about the persons who serve as trustees (“ Trustees ”) and executive officers to the Trust, as well as the entities that provide services to the Trust.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS. Following are the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust, their ages and addresses, their present positions with the Trust, and their principal occupations during the past five years. Those Trustees who are “interested persons” as defined in the 1940 Act (“ Interested Trustees ”) and those Trustees who are not “interested persons” as defined in the 1940 Act (“ Independent Trustees ”), are identified in the table. The address of each Trustee and executive officer of the Trust, unless otherwise indicated, is 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, New York 10016.
Name and Age | Position(s) held with Trust | Length of Time Served |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex* Overseen by Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years |
Independent Trustees | |||||
James Simpson (43) | Trustee | Since Inception | President, ETP Resources, LLC (2009-Present) (a financial services consulting company); Vice President, Northern Trust Securities, Inc. and Vice President, Northern Trust Global Investments (2008-2009) | Three | None. |
Robert S. Tull (61) | Trustee | Since Inception | Independent Consultant (2013-present); Chief Operating Officer, Factor Advisors, LLC (2010-2013); Chief Operating Officer, GlobalShares (2009-2010) | Three | None. |
Stephen O’Grady (66) | Trustee | Since September 2014 | Lead Market Maker, GFI Group (2011-2012); Partner, Kellogg Capital Markets (2004-2011) | Three | None. |
Interested Trustee* | |||||
William J. Smalley (30) | Trustee, President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary | Since Inception | President, ETF Issuer Solutions Inc. (2012-Present); Managing Principal, ETF Distributors LLC (2012-Present); Vice President, Factor Advisors, LLC (2010-2012); Vice President, MacroMarkets, LLC (2006-2010) | Three | None. |
* Mr. Smalley is an Interested Trustee because he is an employee of the Adviser. | |||||
OTHER EXECUTIVE OFFICERS | |||||
Brinton W. Frith (43) | Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer | Since Inception | Managing Director, ETF Issuer Solutions Inc. (2013-Present); President, Javelin Investment Management, LLC (2008-2013) | N/A | N/A |
Matthew B. Brown (36) | Chief Compliance Officer | Since Inception | CEO, ETF Issuer Solutions Inc. (2012-Present); Managing Principal, ETF Distributors LLC (2012-Present); Director, Factor Advisors, LLC (2010-2012); Director of U.S. Operations, SPA ETFs (2009-2010) | N/A | N/A |
* | The Fund Complex consists of three portfolios: the Fund, InfraCap MLP ETF and Manna Core Equity Enhanced Dividend Income Fund. |
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Board Structure. The Trust’s Board includes three Independent Trustees and one Interested Trustee, Mr. Smalley, who is Chairman of the Board. The Board has not appointed an Independent Trustee to serve as lead Independent Trustee because, among other things, the Board’s current small size and the small number of funds in the Trust permit Trust management to communicate with each Independent Trustee as and when needed, and permit each Independent Trustee to be involved in each committee of the Board (each a “ Committee ”) as well as each Board function. The Board may consider appointing an independent Chairman or a lead Independent Trustee in the future, particularly if the Board’s size or the Trust’s complexity materially increases.
With respect to risk oversight, the Board holds four regular meetings each year to consider and address matters involving the Trust and the Fund. During these meetings, the Board receives reports from the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, Trust management, the Fund’s administrator, transfer agent and distributor, and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “ CCO ”), on regular quarterly items and, where appropriate and as needed, on specific issues. As part of its oversight function, the Board also may hold special meetings or communicate directly with Trust management or the CCO to address matters arising between regular meetings. The Board has established a committee structure that includes an Audit Committee and Nominating Committee (discussed in more detail below). Each Committee is comprised entirely of Independent Trustees. The Independent Trustees have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
Qualification of Trustees. The Board has considered each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills in light of the Board’s function and the Trust’s business and structure, and has determined that each Trustee possesses experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that enable the Trustee to be an effective member of the Board. In this regard, the Board has considered the following specific experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills for each Trustee:
James Simpson | Mr. Simpson has experience as President of ETP Resources, a financial information services company that provides detailed reference data on U.S.-listed exchange-traded products. He also has experience working for financial institutions and securities exchanges and has consulted with respect to the development of exchange-traded products. |
Robert S. Tull | Mr. Tull has experience as a consultant to financial companies and as chief operating officer to financial services companies. Mr. Tull has also assisted with the development of exchange-traded products. |
Stephen O’Grady | M. O’Grady has experience in the development and operation of ETF trading systems and futures exchanges and has served as president of an options brokerage firm. |
William J. Smalley | Mr. Smalley has experience in the financial industry, including the development of exchange-traded products, and is a founder of the Adviser and the Distributor. |
The Board has determined that each of the Trustees’ careers and background, combined with their interpersonal skills and general understanding of financial and other matters, enable the Trustees to effectively participate in and contribute to the Board’s functions and oversight of the Trust. References to the qualifications, attributes and skills of Trustees are pursuant to requirements of the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience, and shall not impose any greater responsibility on any such person or on the Board by reason thereof.
Trustee Standing Committees. The Board has established the following standing committees:
Audit Committee: The Independent Trustees are the current members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee oversees the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, reviews the results of the annual audits of the Fund’s financial statements and interacts with the Fund’s independent auditors on behalf of the Board. The Audit Committee also serves in the role of the Trust’s qualified legal compliance committee and, as such, receives, investigates and makes recommendations as to appropriate remedial action in connection with any report of evidence of a material violation of securities laws or breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Trust, its officers, Trustees or agents. The Audit Committee operates pursuant to an Audit Committee Charter and meets periodically as necessary. The Audit Committee met once during the past fiscal year.
Nominating Committee: The Independent Trustees are the current members of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee nominates, selects and appoints Independent Trustees to fill vacancies on the Board and to stand for election at appropriate meetings of the shareholders of the Trust. The Nominating Committee meets only as necessary. The Nominating Committee did not meet during the past fiscal year. The Nominating Committee generally will not consider nominees recommended by shareholders of the Trust.
Beneficial Ownership of Shares of the Fund. Because the Fund is newly organized, none of the Trustees own Shares of the Fund as of the date of this SAI.
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Ownership In Fund Affiliates . As of the date of this SAI, none of the Independent Trustees, nor members of their immediate families, owned, beneficially or of record, securities of the Adviser, the Fund’s principal underwriter or any affiliate of the Adviser or the principal underwriter.
Compensation. Officers of the Trust and the Trustees who are interested persons of the Trust or the Adviser receive no salary from the Trust. Each Independent Trustee receives $2,000 per year plus $2,000 per series of the Trust. The Trust reimburses each Trustee and officer of the Trust for his or her travel and other expenses relating to attendance at Board or committee meetings.
Name of Trustee | Aggregate Compensation From the Fund | Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Fund Expenses | Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement | Total Compensation From Fund Complex Paid to Trustees |
Independent Trustees | ||||
James Simpson | $3,000 | None | None | $3,000 |
Robert S. Tull | $3,000 | None | None | $3,000 |
Stephen O’Grady* | None | None | None | None |
Interested Trustee | ||||
William J. Smalley | None | None | None | None |
* | Mr. O’Grady became a Trustee during the current fiscal year and therefore did not receive any compensation from the Trust during the previous fiscal year. |
CODES OF ETHICS. The Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Fund’s principal underwriter have each adopted a code of ethics, as required by Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, that is designed to prevent personnel of the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Fund’s principal underwriter subject to the codes from engaging in deceptive, manipulative or fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Fund (which securities may also be held by persons subject to the codes). The codes of ethics permit personnel of the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the principal underwriter subject to the codes to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, subject to certain restrictions and pre-approval requirements. In addition, the codes of ethics of the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the principal underwriter require that access persons of such entities report their personal securities transactions and holdings, which are reviewed for compliance with the code of ethics.
Anti-Money Laundering Program . The Trust has adopted an anti-money laundering (“ AML ”) program, as required by applicable law, that is designed to prevent the Fund from being used for money laundering or the financing of terrorist activities. The Trust’s AML Compliance Officer is responsible for implementing and monitoring the operations and internal controls of the program. Compliance officers at certain of the Fund’s service providers are also responsible for monitoring aspects of the AML program. The AML program is subject to the continuing oversight of the Board.
PROXY VOTING POLICIES. The Trust has adopted a proxy voting and disclosure policy that delegates to each Fund’s Proxy Voting Manager the authority to vote proxies for the Fund, subject to oversight of the Board. Copies of the Trust’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures are included as Appendix A to this SAI.
No later than August 31 of each year, the Trust files Form N-PX with the SEC. Form N-PX states how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30. The Fund’s proxy voting records, as set forth in its most recent Form N-PX filing, are available upon request, without charge, by calling the Fund at (866) 383-7636. This information is also available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
As of 30 days prior to the date of this SAI, the Fund had no Shares outstanding.
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Management of the Fund”.
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Adviser. Etfis Capital LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as investment adviser to the Fund and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust, pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser (the “ Advisory Agreement ”). Because William J. Smalley and Matthew B. Brown each indirectly own more than 25% of the voting interests of the Adviser, each may be deemed under the 1940 Act to control the Adviser. The Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and will remain in effect thereafter only so long as such renewal and continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, provided the continuance is also approved by a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty on 60 days’ notice by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The Advisory Agreement provides that it will terminate automatically in the event of its “assignment,” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the matters to which the Advisory Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services; or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of its duties; or from the reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under the Advisory Agreement.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is entitled to receive a fee, payable monthly, at the annual rate of 0.075% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Fund has not paid any advisory fees to the Adviser as of the date of this SAI.
The Adviser has engaged the Sub-Adviser to manage the Fund’s investments in accordance with the stated investment objective and policies of the Fund, subject to the oversight and supervision of the Adviser and the Board.
Sub-Adviser . The Fund’s Sub-Adviser is Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, 155 Lockwood Road, Riverside, Connecticut 06878. The Sub-Adviser serves in that capacity pursuant to a sub-advisory contract (the “ Sub-Advisory Agreement ”) with the Adviser and the Trust on behalf of the Fund as approved by the Trustees. The Sub-Adviser makes day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund and selects broker-dealers for executing portfolio transactions, subject to the Sub-Adviser’s best execution obligations and the Trust’s and the Sub-Adviser’s brokerage policies.
The Sub-Adviser was organized as a Delaware limited liability company in July 2012. The Sub-Adviser has served as the sub-adviser of the Fund since the inception of the Fund’s operations. The Sub-Adviser is controlled by Matthew Tuttle, its founder and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Tuttle has been managing investments for clients, including high net worth individuals and other registered investment advisers, since 2003.
In addition to providing investment advisory services to the Fund, under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser provides certain operational services for the Fund including, without limitation, the following: (i) assisting with non-advisory operations of the Fund; (ii) assisting with: (a) the preparation of all required tax returns, (b) the preparation and submission of reports to existing shareholders, (c) the periodic updating of prospectuses and statements of additional information and (d) the preparation of reports to be filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; and (iii) maintaining certain of the Fund’s records.
Sub-Adviser Compensation. As full compensation for its services to the Fund, the Sub-Adviser receives monthly compensation from the Fund at the annual rate of 0.875% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. In consideration of the fees paid with respect to the Fund, the Sub-Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund (including, without limitation, the Adviser’s fee, transfer agent fees, administrative fees and expenses, custodian fees, legal fees, accounting fees, any other expenses (including clerical expenses) of issue, sale, repurchase or redemption of shares, expenses of registering or qualifying shares for sale, transfer taxes, all expenses of preparing the Trust’s registration statement and prospectus for the Fund, and the cost of printing and delivering to shareholders prospectuses and reports), except the Sub-Adviser’s fee, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, litigation expenses, payments under any 12b-1 plan adopted by the Fund, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses of the Fund.
Portfolio Manager. Matthew Tuttle, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Sub-Adviser, has served as portfolio manager for the Fund since the inception of the Fund’s operations. The portfolio manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Matthew Tuttle is also the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Tuttle Wealth Management, LLC, an investment advisory firm formed in 2003 and registered with the SEC in 2008, that provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals (including high net worth individuals), pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and other types of business entities. Mr. Tuttle is the author of two books: How Harvard & Yale Beat the Market and Financial Secrets of my Wealthy Grandparents . Mr. Tuttle has an MBA in finance from Boston University and is a Certified Financial Planner® professional.
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Ownership of Fund Shares. The portfolio manager did not own any Shares of the Fund as of the date of this SAI because the Fund had not yet commenced operations.
Other Accounts. In addition to the Fund, the portfolio manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts. The table below shows the number of, and total assets in, such other accounts as of September 30, 2014. None of these accounts has an advisory fee based on the performance of the account.
Portfolio Manager | Type of Accounts |
Total Number of Other Accounts Managed |
Total Assets of Other Accounts Managed |
Matthew Tuttle | Separately Managed Accounts | 1,729 | $191 million |
Material Conflicts of Interest. Because the portfolio manager may at times manage multiple portfolios for multiple clients, the potential for conflicts of interest exists. The portfolio manager may manage portfolios having substantially the same investment style as the Fund. However, the portfolios managed by the portfolio manager may not have portfolio compositions identical to those of the Fund due, for example, to specific investment limitations or guidelines present in some portfolios or accounts, but not others. The portfolio manager may purchase securities for one portfolio and not another portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. The portfolio manager may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of the Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the Fund depending on market conditions. For example, the portfolio manager may purchase a security in one portfolio while appropriately selling that same security in another portfolio. In addition, some of these portfolios may have fee structures that are or have the potential to be higher than the advisory fees paid by the Fund, which can cause potential conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and the other accounts. In addition, current trading practices would not allow the Sub-Adviser to intentionally favor one portfolio over another as trades are executed as trade orders are received.
Compensation. Mr. Tuttle, as portfolio manager, is not compensated directly by the Fund, but rather by the Sub-Adviser, of which he is an owner and is thus entitled to profits related to his ownership. Since profits are expected to increase as assets increase, Mr. Tuttle is expected to receive increased profits as an indirect owner of the Sub-Adviser as assets of the Fund increase.
ADMINISTRATOR. Under the Administrative Services Agreement, ETF Issuer Solutions Inc. (the “ Administrator ”) serves as the operational administrator of the Trust. The Administrator’s address is 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, New York 10016. Under the Administrative Services Agreement, the Administrator supervises the overall administration of the Trust and the Fund including, among other responsibilities, the coordination and day-to-day oversight of the Fund’s operations, the service providers’ communications with the Fund and each other and assistance with Trust, Board and contractual matters related to the Fund and other series of the Trust. The Administrator also provides persons satisfactory to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust. The Administrator will be indemnified in connection with or arising out of performance of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, except for losses resulting from the willful malfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence of Administrator in the performance of such obligations and duties. The Sub-Adviser pays the Administrator out of the Sub-Adviser’s advisory fee; however, the Fund is newly formed and has not paid any fees for administration services as of the date of this SAI.
ACCOUNTING, Custodian and Transfer Agent. Under the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement (the “ Accounting Services Agreement ”), The Bank of New York Mellon (“ BNY Mellon ” or the “ Accounting Services Administrator ”) serves as accounting administrator for the Fund. BNY Mellon’s principal address is One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286. Under the Administration Agreement, BNY Mellon provides necessary administrative, legal, tax, accounting services and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and the Fund. In addition, BNY Mellon makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services.
BNY Mellon provides accounting and administration services to the Trust, including, among other responsibilities, assisting in the preparation and filing of documents required for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund. BNY Mellon provides persons satisfactory to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust.
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The Sub-Adviser pays the Accounting Services Administrator out of the Sub-Adviser’s advisory fee; however, the Fund is newly formed and has not paid any fees for accounting administration services as of the date of this SAI.
BNY Mellon serves as custodian of the Fund’s assets (the “ Custodian ”). The Custodian has agreed to (1) make receipts and disbursements of money on behalf of the Fund; (2) collect and receive all income and other payments and distributions on account of the Fund’s portfolio investments; (3) respond to correspondence from Fund shareholders and others relating to its duties; and (4) make periodic reports to the Fund concerning the Fund’s operations. The Custodian does not exercise any supervisory function over the purchase and sale of securities. The Sub-Adviser pays the Custodian out of the Sub-Adviser’s advisory fee; however, the Fund is newly formed and has not paid any fees for the Custodian’s services as of the date of this SAI.
BNY Mellon serves as transfer agent and dividend paying agent for the Fund (the “ Transfer Agent ”). The Transfer Agent has agreed to (1) issue and redeem Shares of the Fund; (2) make dividend and other distributions to shareholders of the Fund; (3) respond to correspondence by Fund shareholders and others relating to its duties; (4) maintain shareholder accounts; and (5) make periodic reports to the Fund. The Sub-Adviser pays the Transfer Agent out of the Sub-Adviser’s advisory fee; however, the Fund is newly formed and has not paid any fees for the Transfer Agent’s services as of the date of this SAI.
BNY Mellon is the principal operating subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.
Distributor. ETF Distributors LLC, the Distributor, is located at 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, New York 10016. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“ FINRA ”).
Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in whole Creation Units, as described in the section of this SAI entitled “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units”. The Distributor also acts as an agent for the Trust. The Distributor will deliver a Prospectus to persons purchasing Shares in Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Fund or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Fund.
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with its Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of the Fund or the provision of investor services. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, they will be paid out of the Fund’s assets, and over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
Under the Service and Distribution Plan, and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees will receive and review after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made.
The Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or their respective affiliates may, out of their own resources, pay amounts to third parties for distribution or marketing services on behalf of the Fund. The making of these payments could create a conflict of interest for a financial intermediary receiving such payments.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. The Board has selected the firm of BBD, LLP, 1835 Market Street, 26th Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund for the current fiscal year and to audit the annual financial statements of the Fund and prepare the Fund’s federal, state and excise tax returns. Such firm will audit the financial statements of the Fund at least once each year. A copy of the most recent annual report containing the audit report will accompany this SAI whenever a shareholder or a prospective investor requests it.
LEGAL COUNSEL. Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, 1001 West Fourth Street, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Subject to the general supervision of the Board and the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser is responsible for, makes decisions with respect to and places orders for all purchases and sales of portfolio securities for, the Fund. The Sub-Adviser shall manage the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement by and among the Trust on behalf of the Fund, the Sub-Adviser and the Adviser, which is described in detail under “Management Services – Sub-Adviser”. The Sub-Adviser serves as investment adviser for a number of client accounts, in addition to the Fund.
Brokerage Selection. The Fund has adopted, and the Board has approved, policies and procedures relating to the direction of portfolio securities transactions to brokers. In accordance with these policies and procedures, in selecting brokers to be used in portfolio transactions, the Sub-Adviser’s general guiding principle is to obtain the best overall execution for each trade, which is a combination of price and execution. With respect to execution, the Sub-Adviser considers a number of factors, including, without limitation, the actual handling of the order, the ability of the broker to settle the trade promptly and accurately, the financial standing of the broker, the ability of the broker to position securities to facilitate execution, the Sub-Adviser’s past experience with similar trades and other factors that may be unique to a particular order. Recognizing the value of these judgmental factors, the Sub-Adviser may select brokers that charge a brokerage commission that is higher than the lowest commission that might otherwise be available for any given trade. The Sub-Adviser may not give consideration to sales of Shares of the Fund as a factor in selecting brokers to execute portfolio transactions. The Sub-Adviser may, however, place portfolio transactions with brokers that are affiliated with the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser or that promote or sell the Fund’s Shares, so long as such transactions are done in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Board that are designed to ensure that the selection is consistent with the Sub-Adviser’s obligation to seek best execution and not based upon the broker’s sales efforts.
Under Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser may, in its discretion, purchase and sell portfolio securities from and to brokers and dealers who provide the Sub-Adviser with brokerage, research, analysis, advice and similar services, and the Sub-Adviser may pay to these brokers and dealers, in return for such services, a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other brokers and dealers, provided that the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in terms either of that particular transaction or of the overall responsibility of the Sub-Adviser to the Fund and its other clients and that the total commission paid by the Fund will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Fund and its other clients over the long-term. The research received by the Sub-Adviser may include, without limitation: information on the United States and other world economies; information on specific industries, groups of securities, individual companies, and political and other relevant news developments affecting markets and specific securities; technical and quantitative information about markets; analysis of proxy proposals affecting specific companies; accounting and performance systems that allow the Sub-Adviser to determine and track investment results; and trading systems that allow the Sub-Adviser to interface electronically with brokerage firms, custodians and other providers. Research is received in the form of written reports, telephone contacts, personal meetings, research seminars, software programs and access to computer databases. In some instances, research products or services received by the Sub-Adviser may also be used by the Sub-Adviser for functions that are not research related (i.e. not related to the making of investment decisions). Where a research product or service has a mixed use, the Sub-Adviser will make a reasonable allocation according to its use and will pay for the non-research function in cash using its own funds.
The research and investment information services described above make available to the Sub-Adviser for its analysis and consideration the views and information of individuals and research staffs of other securities firms. These services may be useful to the Sub-Adviser in connection with advisory clients other than the Fund, and not all such services may be useful to the Sub-Adviser in connection with the Fund. Although such information may be a useful supplement to the Sub-Adviser’s own investment research in rendering services to the Fund, the value of such research and services is not expected to materially reduce the expenses of the Sub-Adviser in the performance of its services under the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement and will not reduce the management fees payable to the Sub-Adviser by the Fund.
The Fund may invest in securities traded in the over-the-counter market. In these cases, the Fund may initiate trades through brokers on an agency basis and pays a commission in connection with the transaction. The Fund may also effect these transactions by dealing directly with the dealers that make a market in the securities involved, in which case the costs of such transactions would involve dealer spreads rather than brokerage commissions.
Aggregated Trades. While investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those for any other investment companies and accounts advised or managed by the Sub-Adviser, such other advisory clients may invest in the same securities as the Fund. To the extent permitted by law, the Sub-Adviser may aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for other investment companies or accounts advised or managed by the Sub-Adviser in executing transactions. When a purchase or sale of the same security is made as part of an aggregated trade, the transaction will be averaged as to price and available investments allocated as to amount in a manner which the Sub-Adviser believes to be equitable to the Fund and other
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participating investment companies or accounts. In some instances, this investment procedure may adversely affect the price paid or received by the Fund or the size of the position obtained or sold by the Fund.
Portfolio Turnover. The portfolio turnover rate for the Fund is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the reporting period by the monthly average value of the portfolio securities owned during the reporting period. The calculation excludes all securities whose maturities or expiration dates at the time of acquisition are one year or less. Portfolio turnover of the Fund may vary greatly from year to year as well as within a particular year, and may be affected by cash requirements for redemption of Shares and by requirements that enable the Fund to receive favorable tax treatment. Portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor in making investment decisions, and the Fund may engage in short-term trading to achieve its investment objectives. High rates of portfolio turnover could lower performance of the Fund due to increased transaction costs and may also result in the realization of short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income tax rates.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
Portfolio Disclosure Policy. 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 Fund, including the Adviser. The Policy is designed to ensure that the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is consistent with applicable legal requirements and otherwise in the best interest of the Fund.
As an ETF, information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is made available on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of any order of the SEC applicable to the Fund, the regulations of the Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. Such information typically reflects all or a portion of the Fund’s anticipated portfolio holdings as of the next Business Day (as defined below). 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 National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “ NSCC ”) and/or third party service providers.
A “Business Day” with respect to the Fund is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. As of the date of the Prospectus, the Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
The Trust will disclose on the Fund’s website at the start of each Business Day the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Fund that will form the basis of the Fund’s calculation of its 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 the Business Day. Online disclosure of such holdings is publicly available at no charge. The website for the Fund is www.tuttlefunds.com.
The Fund may also send a portion or all of this information to shareholders of the Fund and to investment company analysts and rating and trading entities. However, the Fund will not send this information to shareholders of the Fund or to analysts or rating and/or trading entities until such information is at least 30 days old or until one Business Day after the information has been posted to the Fund’s website.
The officers of the Trust, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser may share non-public portfolio holdings information with the Fund’s service providers that require such information for legitimate business and Fund oversight purposes, such as the Fund’s fund accountant and administrator, transfer agent, distributor, custodian, independent registered public accounting firm, and legal counsel as identified in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI and Doremus FP (a financial edgarizing, typesetting and printing firm). The Fund, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser may also provide non-public portfolio holdings information to appropriate regulatory agencies as required by applicable laws and regulations. The Fund’s service providers receiving such non-public information are subject to confidentiality obligations requiring such service providers to keep non-public portfolio holdings information confidential. Certain of the service providers have codes of ethics that prohibit trading based on, among other things, non-public portfolio holdings information.
The Fund, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser may, from time to time, provide additional portfolio holdings information in the form of quarterly or monthly management letters; provided, however, that the Fund, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser will not send such quarterly or monthly management letters to shareholders until such information is either filed with the SEC or publicly disclosed on the Fund’s website. In addition, non-public portfolio holdings information and other information regarding the investment activities of the Fund may also be disclosed to rating and ranking organizations for use in connection with their rating or ranking of the Fund.
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The Fund currently does not provide non-public portfolio holdings information to any other third parties. In the future, the Fund may elect to disclose such information to other third parties if the appropriate officers of the Trust determine that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so and the recipient is subject to a duty of confidentiality. The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, through their respective officers, are responsible for determining which other third parties have a legitimate business purpose for receiving the Fund’s portfolio holdings information.
The Fund’s policies regarding disclosure of portfolio holdings are subject to the continuing oversight and direction of the Board. The Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Administrator are required to report to the Board any known disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to unauthorized third parties. The Fund has not entered (and does not currently intend to enter) into any arrangement providing for the receipt of compensation or other consideration in exchange for the disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information, other than the benefits that result to the Fund and its shareholders from providing such information, which include the publication of Fund ratings and rankings.
The Fund will make available to the public a complete schedule of its portfolio holdings, as reported on a fiscal quarter basis. This information is generally available within 60 days of the Fund’s fiscal quarter end and will remain available until the next fiscal quarter’s portfolio holdings report becomes available. You may obtain a copy of these quarterly portfolio holdings reports by calling the Fund at (212) 593-4383. The Fund will also file these quarterly portfolio holdings reports with the SEC on Form N-CSR or Form N-Q, as applicable. The Fund’s Form N-CSR and Form N-Q are 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, D.C. The first and third quarter portfolio holdings reports will be filed with the SEC on Form N-Q, and the second and fourth fiscal quarter portfolio holdings reports will be included with the semi-annual and annual reports, respectively, which are sent to shareholders and filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR.
No person is authorized to disclose the Fund’s portfolio holdings or other investment positions except in accordance with the Policy.
The approximate value of the Fund’s investments on a per-Share basis, the Indicative Intra-Day Value (“ IIV ”), is disseminated by the Exchange every 15 seconds during hours of trading on the Exchange. The IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of NAV because the IIV will be calculated by an independent third party and may not be calculated in the exact same manner as NAV, which is computed daily.
The Exchange calculates the IIV for the Fund during hours of trading on the Exchange by dividing the “Estimated Fund Value” as of the time of the calculation by the total number of outstanding Shares. “Estimated Fund Value” is the sum of the estimated amount of cash held in the Fund’s portfolio, the estimated amount of accrued interest owing to the Fund and the estimated value of the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio, minus the estimated amount of the Fund’s liabilities. The IIV will be calculated based on the same portfolio holdings disclosed on the Fund’s website. In determining the estimated value for each of the component securities, the IIV will use last sale, market prices or other methods that would be considered appropriate for pricing equity securities held by registered investment companies.
Although the Trust provides the information used to calculate the IIV, the Trust is not involved in the actual calculation of the IIV and is not responsible for the calculation or dissemination of the IIV. The Trust makes no warranty as to the accuracy of the IIV.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING SHARES
Organization and Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest. The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust and a registered investment company. The Trust was organized on September 20, 2012, and it has authorized capital of an unlimited number of Shares of beneficial interest of no par value which may be issued in more than one class or series.
Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual shareholders meeting if the 1940 Act does not require such a meeting. Generally, there will not be annual meetings of Trust shareholders. If requested by shareholders of at least one-third of the outstanding Shares of the Trust or any series thereof, the Trust will call a meeting of the shareholders of the Trust or the series, as applicable. Shareholders holding two-thirds of Shares outstanding may remove Trustees from office by votes cast at a meeting of Trust shareholders or by written consent.
All Shares will be freely transferable; provided, however, that Shares may not be redeemed individually, but only in Creation Units. The Shares will not have preemptive rights or cumulative voting rights, and none of the Shares will have any preference to conversion, exchange, dividends, retirements, liquidation, redemption or any other feature. Shares have equal voting rights, except that, if the
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Trust creates additional funds, only Shares of that fund may be entitled to vote on a matter affecting that particular fund. Trust shareholders are entitled to require the Trust to redeem Creation Units if such shareholders are Authorized Participants. The Declaration of Trust confers upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that Shares of the Trust may be individually redeemable. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the prices of Shares to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any such adjustments would be accomplished through splits or reverse splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund. If the Fund does not grow to a size to permit it to be economically viable, the Fund may cease operations. In such an event, you may be required to liquidate or transfer your Shares at an inopportune time and you may lose money on your investment.
Book Entry Only System . Depository Trust Company (“ DTC ”) acts as securities depository for the Fund’s Shares. Shares of the Fund 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 which (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange, LLC 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 Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust will inquire of each DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust will provide each 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 the DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust will pay to each DTC Participants a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions will 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, will credit immediately with respect to the DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners with respect to the 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 the DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares 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 will take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost. The DTC Participants’ rules and policies are made publicly available through DTC’s website at: www.dtcc.com.
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PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
Creation. The Trust issues and sells Shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, at their NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day, for an order received in proper form.
Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Fund generally consists of an in-kind deposit of Deposit Securities for each Creation Unit constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and a Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “ Fund Deposit ”, which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares (per Creation Unit) and the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the Deposit Securities), the Cash Component will be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the Deposit Securities), the Cash Component will be such negative amount, and the creator will be entitled to receive cash from the Fund in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities.
The Administrator, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“ NSCC ”), makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the 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 Fund. Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Units of the Fund 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 Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Sub-Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. 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 to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, that may not be eligible for transfer through the Clearing Process (discussed below) or that may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting.
In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of the Fund Deposit, the Administrator, through NSCC, also makes available on each Business Day the estimated Cash Component, effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding Creation Unit of the Fund.
Procedures for Creation of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders to create a Creation Unit of the Fund, 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 NSCC (the “ Clearing Process ”) or a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC, or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “Book Entry Only System”) and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with the Trust, the Distributor and the Administrator with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“ Participant Agreement ”). A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to as an “Authorized Participant”. Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement with the Fund. All Shares of the Fund, 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 Creation Units must be placed for one or more Creation Unit size aggregations of Shares (50,000 in the case of the Fund). All orders to create Creation Units, whether through the Clearing Process (through a Participating Party) or outside the Clearing Process (through a DTC Participant), must be received by the Distributor no later than the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) (“ Closing Time ”), in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. The date on which an order to create Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units as discussed below) 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 (see “Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process” and “Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process”). Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.
Orders to create Creation Units of the Fund will be placed with an Authorized Participant in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, an Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements
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with respect to the order, i.e., to provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, orders to create Creation Units of the Fund will need to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. At any given time there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement. Those placing orders for Creation Units 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 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 the transfer of Deposit Securities and the Cash Component.
Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process. The Clearing Process is the process of creating or redeeming Creation Units through the Continuous Net Settlement System of NSCC. 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 Fund’s transfer agent 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 with the Trust, the Distributor and the Administrator. A DTC Participant that wishes to place an order creating Creation Units to be effected outside the Clearing Process need not 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. A Fund 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 Trust by no later than 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time, of the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. 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 will be final and binding. Cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Administrator through the Federal Reserve wire system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Administrator no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the next Business Day immediately following such Transmittal 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 Administrator does not receive both the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component by 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively, on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order will be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such cancelled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund. The delivery of Creation Units of the Fund so created will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.
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) 115% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “ Additional Cash Deposit ”). The order will be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed, provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on such date and federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the Administrator by 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time, the following Business Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by 3:00 p.m., or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 11:00 a.m. the next Business Day, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the investor will be liable to the Trust for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash will be required to be deposited with the Trust, 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 115% of the daily mark-to-market value of the missing Deposit Securities. To the extent that missing Deposit Securities are not received by 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor or in the event a mark-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.
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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 day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. 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 Administrator or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Creation Units of the Fund so created will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of the Fund if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (c) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as disseminated through the facilities of the Exchange for that date by the Administrator, as described above; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund 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 (g) as a result of circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and the Adviser make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, facsimile or 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 or any other participant in the creation process; and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor will 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 Administrator and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor will 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 will be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination will be final and binding.
Creation Transaction Fee. To compensate the Trust for transfer and other transaction costs involved in creation transactions through the Clearing Process, investors will be required to pay a minimum creation transaction fee, assessed per transaction, as follows:
Fund Name | Creation Transaction Fee |
Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (Ticker: TUTT) | $500 |
The Trust, subject to approval by the Board, may adjust the fee from time to time based upon actual experience. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a creation of a Creation Unit may be charged a fee for such services.
Redemption. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor and the Fund through the Administrator and only on a Business Day. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
With respect to the Fund, the Administrator, through NSCC, makes available immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on each Business Day, the Deposit Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day. Deposit Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities which are applicable to creations of Creation Units.
Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Deposit Securities, as announced by the Administrator on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Deposit Securities (the “ Cash Redemption Amount ”), less a redemption transaction fee described below in the section entitled “Redemption Transaction Fee”. In the event that the Deposit Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder.
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Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed the Participant Agreement. An order to redeem Creation Units using the Clearing Process is deemed received on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Administrator not later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern 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 Fund as next determined. An order to redeem Creation Units using the Clearing Process made in proper form but received by the Fund after 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time, will be deemed received on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date and will be effected at the NAV next determined on such Business Day. The requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount will be transferred by the third Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.
Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant that wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units to be effected outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units will instead be effected through transfer of Shares directly through DTC. An order to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Administrator on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Administrator not later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time, if transmitted by mail, or by 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, if transmitted by other means, on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or proceeded by the requisite number of Shares of the Fund and the Cash Redemption Amount specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the Administrator not later than 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively, Eastern Time, on the next Business Day following such Transmittal Date (the “ DTC Cut-Off-Time ”); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.
After the Administrator has deemed an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process received, the Administrator will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Deposit 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 third Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Administrator. The Trust may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities which differs from the exact composition of the Deposit Securities but does not differ in NAV.
The calculation of the value of the Deposit Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by the Administrator according to the procedures set forth under “Determination of Net Asset Value” computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Administrator. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to the Administrator by a DTC Participant not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of Shares of the Fund are delivered to the Custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the Deposit Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by the Administrator on such Transmittal Date. If, however, a redemption order is submitted to the Administrator by a DTC Participant not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date but either (1) the requisite number of Shares of the Fund are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time as described above on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date or (2) 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 Deposit Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be computed on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the Administrator, i.e., the Business Day on which the Shares of the Fund are delivered through DTC to the Administrator by the DTC Cut-Off-Time on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Deposit Securities, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash which the Fund may, in its 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 Fund 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 Deposit Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities which differs from the exact composition of the Deposit Securities but does not differ in NAV.
Redemptions of Shares for Deposit Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws, and the Trust (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Deposit Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the offering and sale of the Deposit Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting that is subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Deposit Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit
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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, beneficial ownership of Shares or delivery instructions.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of the Shares’ NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Redemption Transaction Fee. To compensate the Trust for transfer and other transaction costs involved in redemption transactions through the Clearing Process, investors will be required to pay a minimum redemption transaction fee, assessed per transaction as follows:
Fund Name | Redemption Transaction Fee |
Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (Ticker: TUTT) | $500 |
Where Shares are redeemed for cash, the redemption transaction fee will be deducted from such redemption proceeds. The Trust, subject to approval by the Board, may adjust the fee from time to time based upon actual experience. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a redemption of a Creation Unit may be charged a fee for such services.
SECURITIES SETTLEMENTS FOR CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS
The Trust generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and Deposit Securities on a basis of “T” plus three business days. The Trust may effect deliveries of Creation Units and Deposit Securities on a basis other than T plus three in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates, or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within three business days of receipt of an order in good form 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 will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays, but not more than 12 calendar days. In the event that a delay in a redemption settlement cycle will extend to more than 12 calendar days, the Trust will effect a cash-in-lieu redemption to the extent necessary. 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 securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with local market holiday schedules, may require a delivery process longer than the standard settlement period. In certain circumstances during the calendar year, the settlement period may be greater than seven calendar days. Such periods are listed in the table below, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Since certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year may exceed the maximum number of days listed in the table below. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays, or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future and longer (worse) redemption periods are possible.
The dates for the period October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015 in which the regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets of the below listed countries are as follows (please note these holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the relevant securities markets):
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October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015
Australia |
Austria | Belgium | Brazil | Canada | Chile | China | ||||||
October 6 November 4 November 27 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 26 March 9 April 3 April 6 April 27 June 8 August 3 |
December 8 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 6 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 14 May 25 June 4 |
November 11 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 14 May 25 July 21 |
November 20 December 24 December 25 December 31 January 1 February 16 February 17 April 3 April 21 May 1 June 4 July 9 September 7 |
October 13 November 11 December 24 December 25 December 26 January 1 February 16 April 3 May 18 July 1 August 3 September 7 |
October 31 December 8 December 24 December 25 December 30 December 31 January 1 April 2 April 3 May 1 May 21 June 29 July 16 September 17 September 18 |
October 1 October 2 October 3 October 6 October 7 December 25 December 26 February 18 February 19 February 20 February 23 February 24 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 25 July 1 September 28 |
Colombia |
Czech Republic | Denmark | Egypt | Finland | France | Germany | ||||||
October 13 November 3 November 11 November 17 November 27 December 8 December 25 January 1 January 12 March 23 April 2 April 3 May 1 May 18 June 8 June 15 June 29 July 20 August 7 August 17 |
October 28 November 17 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 April 6 May 1 May 8 July 6 September 28 |
December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 April 2 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 14 May 15 May 25 June 5 |
October 5 October 6 January 7 January 25 April 12 April 13 July 1 July 19 July 23 September 23 September 24 |
December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 6 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 14 June 19 |
November 11 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 April 3 April 6 April 13 May 1 May 4 May 8 May 20 May 25 July 14 August 31 |
October 3 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 30 December 31 January 1 February 16 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 14 May 25 June 4 |
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Greece |
Hong Kong | Hungary | India | Indonesia | Ireland | Israel | ||||||
October 28 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 6 February 16 February 23 March 25 April 3 April 6 April 10 April 13 May 1 May 25 June 1 August 14 |
October 1 October 2 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 30 February 18 February 19 February 20 April 3 April 6 April 7 May 1 May 25 July 1 September 28 |
October 23 October 24 October 31 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 2 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 25 August 20 August 21 |
October 2 October 3 October 6 October 23 October 24 November 4 November 6 December 25 January 1 January 3 January 26 February 17 March 5 March 21 April 1 April 3 April 14 May 1 May 4 July 1 July 18 August 15 August 19 September 17 September 24 September 30 |
December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 February 19 March 20 April 3 May 14 June 2 August 17 September 24 |
October 27 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 March 17 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 4 May 25 June 1 July 13 August 3 August 31 |
October 3 October 8 October 9 October 12 October 13 October 14 October 15 October 16 December 16 December 17 March 5 April 3 April 5 April 6 April 7 April 8 April 9 April 10 April 22 April 23 April 24 May 24 July 26 September 13 September 14 September 15 September 22 September 23 September 27 September 28 September 29 September 30 |
||||||
Italy |
Japan | Korea | Malaysia | Mexico | Morocco | The Netherlands | ||||||
December 8 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 6 April 3 April 6 May 1 June 2 |
October 13 November 3 November 11 November 24 November 27 December 23 December 25 December 26 December 29 December 30 December 31 January 1 January 2 January 12 February 11 April 29 May 4 May 5 May 6 July 20 September 21 September 22 September 23 |
October 3 October 9 November 13 December 25 December 31 January 1 January 2 February 18 February 19 February 20 May 1 May 5 May 25 September 28 September 29 |
October 6 October 22 October 23 December 25 January 1 February 2 February 19 February 20 May 1 June 1 August 31 September 16 September 24 |
November 17 December 12 December 24 December 25 January 1 February 2 March 16 April 2 April 3 May 1 May 5 September 16 |
October 6 November 6 November 18 January 1 May 1 July 30 August 14 August 21 September 24 September 25 |
December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 April 3 April 6 April 27 April 30 May 1 May 5 May 12 May 14 May 25 |
27 |
New Zealand |
Norway | Peru | The Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Russia | ||||||
October 27 November 27 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 2 January 19 January 26 February 6 April 2 April 3 April 6 April 27 June 1 |
December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 April 1 April 2 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 14 May 25 |
October 8 December 8 December 24 December 25 December 31 January 1 April 2 April 3 May 1 June 29 July 28 July 29 |
October 6 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 30 December 31 January 1 February 19 April 2 April 3 April 9 May 1 June 12 August 21 August 26 August 31 September 24 |
November 11 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 6 April 3 April 6 May 1 June 4 |
December 1 December 8 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 February 17 April 3 April 6 May 1 June 4 June 10 |
October 13 November 3 November 4 November 11 November 27 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 2 January 7 January 19 February 16 February 23 March 9 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 4 May 11 May 25 June 12 July 3 August 31 September 7 |
||||||
Singapore |
South Africa | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Taiwan | Thailand | ||||||
October 6 October 22 October 23 December 24 December 25 December 31 January 1 January 30 February 18 February 19 February 20 April 3 May 1 June 1 July 17 August 10 September 24 |
December 16 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 March 27 April 3 April 6 April 27 May 1 June 16 August 10 September 24 |
November 10 December 8 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 6 March 19 April 2 April 3 April 6 April 8 April 9 May 1 June 4 |
October 31 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 5 January 6 April 2 April 3 April 6 April 30 May 1 May 13 May 14 June 19 |
December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 January 2 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 14 May 25 |
October 10 January 1 February 18 February 19 February 20 May 1 September 28 |
October 23 December 5 December 10 December 31 January 1 March 4 April 6 April 13 April 14 April 15 May 1 May 5 June 1 July 1 July 30 August 12 |
||||||
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Turkey |
United Kingdom | |||||||||||
October 3 October 6 October 7 October 28 October 29 January 1 April 23 May 1 May 19 July 16 July 17 September 22 September 23 September 24 September 25 |
October 13 November 11 November 27 December 6 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 31 January 1 April 3 April 6 May 1 May 4 May 25 August 31 |
Redemptions
The longest redemption cycle for the Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose stocks comprise the Funds. Under certain conditions, the Fund may pay redemption proceeds more than seven days after the tender of a Creation Unit for redemption, but generally the Fund will not take more than fourteen calendar days from the date of the tender to pay redemption proceeds.
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities 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 and liability provisions of the Securities 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, 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 Securities 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-dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus-delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an over-allotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to Shares are reminded that, under Rule 153 of the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the 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 a national securities exchange.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Investing in the Fund – Determination of Net Asset Value”.
The NAV per Share for the 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 outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including the management fee and the sub-advisory fee, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. The NAV of the Fund is
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determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the Exchange is open. Any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources.
In computing the Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s portfolio securities are valued based on market quotations. When market quotations are not readily available for a portfolio security, the Trust must use such security’s fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board.
The value of the Fund’s portfolio securities is based on such securities’ closing price on local markets when available. If a portfolio security’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of such security, the portfolio security will be valued by another method that the Adviser believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Trust may use fair value pricing in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of the Fund’s portfolio security has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which such security is principally traded (such as a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of such security) or trading in such security has been suspended or halted. In addition, the Trust may fair value foreign equity portfolio securities each day the Trust calculates the Fund’s NAV. Accordingly, the Fund’s NAV may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that a fair value determination for a portfolio security will be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of such security. With respect to securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares.
General Policies . Dividends from net investment income are declared and paid at least quarterly by the Fund. Distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Fund to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act. In addition, the Trust may distribute at least annually amounts representing the full dividend yield on the underlying portfolio securities of the Fund, net of expenses of the Fund, as if the Fund owned such underlying portfolio securities for the entire dividend period in which case some portion of each distribution may result in a return of capital for tax purposes for certain shareholders.
Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Trust. The Trust makes additional distributions to the minimum extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Trust, plus any net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the Trust reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a “regulated investment company” (a “ RIC ”) or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of Shares through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. If this service is used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares of the Fund. Beneficial Owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.
Set forth below is a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares. It is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”), the regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial authorities, and administrative rulings and practices as in effect as of the date of this SAI, all of which are subject to change, including the following information which also supplements and should be read in conjunction with the sections in the Prospectus entitled “Distributions” and “Federal Income Taxes”.
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in Fund Shares. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. In addition, this summary assumes that the Fund shareholder holds Fund
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Shares as capital assets within the meaning of the Code, and does not hold Fund Shares in connection with a trade or business. This summary does not address all potential U.S. federal income tax considerations possibly applicable to an investment in Fund Shares, to Fund shareholders holding Fund Shares through a partnership (or other pass-through entity) or to Fund shareholders subject to special tax rules. Prospective Fund shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in Fund Shares.
The Fund has not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as to the federal income tax matters described below. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors with regard to the federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership or disposition of Shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, foreign country or other taxing jurisdiction.
Tax Treatment of the Fund. The Fund, as well as any future series of the Trust, is treated as a separate corporate entity under the Code, and intends to qualify and remain qualified as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to so qualify, the Fund must elect to be a regulated investment company or have made such an election for a previous year and must satisfy certain requirements relating to the amount of distributions and source of its income for a taxable year. At least 90% of the gross income of the Fund must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks, securities or foreign currencies, and other income derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies. Any income derived by the Fund from a partnership or trust is treated as derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities or currencies only to the extent that such income is attributable to items of income that would have been qualifying income if realized by the series in the same manner as by the partnership or trust.
The Fund will not qualify as a regulated investment company for any taxable year unless it satisfies certain requirements with respect to the diversification of its investments at the close of each quarter of the taxable year. In general, at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash, cash items, government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities which, with respect to any one issuer, do not represent more than 5% of the total assets of the Fund nor more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer. In addition, not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities (other than government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer. The Fund intends to satisfy all requirements on an ongoing basis for continued qualification as a regulated investment company.
There is a remedy for failure of the Subchapter M asset diversification test, if the failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, subject to certain divestiture and procedural requirements and the payment of a tax. There is also a de minimis exception to a potential failure of the Subchapter M asset diversification test, which would require corrective action but no tax. In addition, a remedy of a failure of the source-of-income requirement exists, if the failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, subject to certain procedural requirements and the payment of a tax.
A 4% nondeductible excise tax is imposed on regulated investment companies that fail to currently distribute an amount equal to specified percentages of their ordinary taxable income and capital gains net income (excess of realized capital gains over realized capital losses). The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions or deemed distributions of its ordinary taxable income and any capital gains net income prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid liability for this excise tax.
The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage (28% for 2013) of taxable dividends or gross proceeds realized upon a sale to shareholders who: (i) have failed to provide a correct tax identification number in the manner required, (ii) are subject to withholding by the Internal Revenue Service for failure to properly include on their return payments of taxable interest or dividends, (iii) have failed to certify to the Fund that they are not subject to backup withholding when required to do so, or (iv) are “exempt recipients”.
Depending upon the extent of the Fund’s activities in states and localities in which its offices are maintained, in which its agents or independent contractors are located, or in which it is otherwise deemed to be conducting business, the Fund may be subject to the tax laws of such states or localities. In addition, in those states and localities that have income tax laws, the treatment of the Fund and its shareholders under such laws may differ from their treatment under federal income tax laws.
In general, the Fund accepts only U.S. shareholders. However, dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% unless reduced by treaty (and the shareholder files a valid Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN, or other applicable form, with the Fund certifying foreign status and treaty eligibility) or the non-U.S. shareholder files an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8ECI, or other applicable form, with the Fund certifying that the investment to which the
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distribution relates is effectively connected to a United States trade or business of such non-U.S. shareholder (and, if certain tax treaties apply, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment maintained by such non-U.S. shareholder). The Fund may elect not to withhold the applicable withholding tax on any distribution representing a capital gains dividend to a non-U.S. shareholder.
The Fund will send shareholders information each year on the tax status of dividends and distributions. A dividend or capital gains distribution paid shortly after shares have been purchased, although in effect a return of investment, is subject to federal income taxation. Dividends from net investment income and distributions of capital gains will be taxable to shareholders, whether received in cash or reinvested in Fund shares and no matter how long the shareholder has held Fund shares, even if they reduce the net asset value of shares below the shareholder’s cost and thus, in effect, result in a return of a part of the shareholder’s investment.
Tax Treatment of Fund Shareholders. The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Additional tax information appears in the Fund’s SAI. Shareholders should rely on their own tax advisors for advice about the particular federal, state, and local tax consequences of investing in the Fund.
Shareholders may elect to receive dividends from net investment income or capital gains distributions, if any, in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares. Although the Fund will not be taxed on amounts it distributes, shareholders will generally be taxed on distributions paid by the Fund, regardless of whether distributions are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Fund shares.
Distributions attributable to net investment income and short-term capital gains are generally taxed as ordinary income, although certain income dividends may be taxed to non-corporate shareholders at long-term capital gains rates. Distributions of long-term capital gains are generally taxed as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long a shareholder has held Fund shares. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as federal taxes.
Distributions resulting from the sale of foreign currencies and foreign securities by the Fund, to the extent of foreign exchange gains, are generally taxed as ordinary income or loss. If the Fund pays non-refundable taxes to foreign governments during the year, these taxes will reduce the Fund’s net investment income but still may be included in your taxable income. However, you may be able to claim an offsetting tax credit or itemized deduction on your return for your portion of foreign taxes paid by the Fund.
In general, a shareholder who sells or redeems Fund shares will realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the Fund shares. An exchange of shares is treated as a sale and any gain may be subject to tax.
Registered investment companies must report cost basis information to the IRS on Form 1099-B for any sale of fund shares acquired after January 1, 2012 (“Covered Shares”). Registered investment companies must select a default cost basis calculation method and apply that method to the sale of Covered Shares unless an alternate IRS approved method is specifically elected in writing by the shareholder. Average Cost, which is the investment company industry standard, has been selected as the Fund’s default cost basis calculation method. If a shareholder determines that an IRS approved cost basis calculation method other than the Fund’s default method of Average Cost is more appropriate, he must contact the Fund at the time of or in advance of the sale of Covered Shares that are to be subject to that alternate election. IRS regulations do not permit the change of a cost basis election on previously executed trades.
All Covered Shares purchased in non-retirement accounts are subject to the new cost basis reporting legislation. Non-covered shares are registered investment company shares that were acquired prior to the effective date of January 1, 2012. Cost basis information will not be reported to the IRS or shareholder upon the sale of any non-covered registered investment company shares. Non-covered shares will be redeemed first.
As with all investment companies, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax (presently at the rate of 28%) for all distributions payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification numbers or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather, it is a way in which the IRS ensures it will collect taxes otherwise due. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
Shareholders should consult with their own tax advisors to ensure that distributions and sale of the Fund shares are treated appropriately on their income tax returns.
Certain qualifying corporate dividends are taxable at long-term capital gains tax rates to individuals. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2002, the long-term capital gains rate for individual taxpayers at a rate of 15% for individuals who are subject to the
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25% (or greater) tax bracket on their ordinary income and whose taxable income is less than $400,000 ($450,000 for married filing jointly) and at 20% for most individuals whose taxable income is more than $400,000.
All or a portion of the dividends paid by the Fund may be taxable at the reduced long-term capital gains tax rate for individual shareholders. If the Fund designates a dividend as qualified dividend income, it generally will be taxable to individual shareholders at the long-term capital gains tax rate, provided certain holding period requirements are met.
Taxable dividends paid by the Fund to corporate shareholders will be taxed at corporate income tax rates. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction (“DRD”) for a portion of the dividends paid and designated by the Fund as qualifying for the DRD.
If the Fund designates a dividend as a capital gains distribution, it generally will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholders have held their Fund shares or whether the dividend was received in cash or reinvested in additional shares. All taxable dividends paid by the Fund other than those designated as qualified dividend income or capital gains distributions will be taxable as ordinary income to shareholders, whether received in cash or reinvested in additional shares. To the extent the Fund engages in increased portfolio turnover, short-term capital gains may be realized, and any distribution resulting from such gains will be considered ordinary income for federal tax purposes.
Certain individuals, estates and trusts must pay a 3.8% Medicare surtax on “net investment income” including, among other things, dividends and proceeds of sale in respect of securities like the shares, subject to certain exceptions. Prospective investors should consult with their own tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this surtax on their ownership and disposition of the shares.
Shareholders who hold Fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as a retirement plan, generally will not have to pay tax on Fund distributions until they receive distributions from their account.
The Fund will designate: (i) any dividend of qualified dividend income as qualified dividend income; (ii) any tax-exempt dividend as an exempt-interest dividend; (iii) any distribution of long-term capital gains as a capital gains dividend; and (iv) any dividend eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction as such in a written notice provided to shareholders after the close of the Fund’s taxable year. Shareholders should note that, upon the sale or exchange of Fund shares, if the shareholder has not held such shares for at least six months, any loss on the sale or exchange of those shares will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gains dividends received with respect to the shares.
If the Fund declares a dividend in October, November, or December, but pays it in January, it will be taxable to shareholders as if the dividend was received in the year it was declared. Every year, each shareholder will receive a statement detailing the tax status of any Fund distributions for that year.
If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify for the special federal income tax treatment afforded regulated investment companies, all of its taxable income will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates (without any deduction for distributions to its shareholders). In such event, dividend distributions (whether or not derived from interest on tax-exempt securities) would be taxable as qualified dividends to individual shareholders in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2002, to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, and would be eligible for the DRD for corporations, provided in each case that certain holding period and other requirements are met.
The Fund’s net realized capital gains from securities transactions will be distributed only after reducing such gains by the amount of any available capital loss carryforwards. Capital losses may be utilized indefinitely to offset net realized capital gains, if any, prior to distributing such gains to shareholders.
Under sections 1471 through 1474 to the Code, also known as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009” or “FATCA”, foreign financial institutions (which include hedge funds, private equity funds, registered investment companies, securitization vehicles and any other investment vehicles regardless of their size) and other foreign entities must comply with new information reporting rules with respect to their U.S. account holders and investors or confront a new withholding tax on U.S. source payments made to them. A foreign financial institution or other foreign entity that does not comply with the FATCA reporting requirements will be subject to a new 30% withholding tax with respect to any “withholdable payments” made after December 31, 2012, other than such payments that are made on “obligations” that were outstanding on March 18, 2012. For this purpose, withholdable payments are U.S. source payments otherwise subject to nonresident withholding tax and also include the entire gross proceeds from the sale of any equity or debt instruments of U.S. issuers. The new FATCA withholding tax will apply regardless of whether the payment would otherwise be exempt from U.S. nonresident withholding tax ( e.g ., under the portfolio interest exemption or as capital gain). Treasury
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is authorized to provide rules for implementing the FATCA withholding regime with the existing nonresident withholding tax rules. The FATCA provisions also impose new information reporting requirements and increase related penalties for U.S. persons.
FATCA withholding will not apply to withholdable payments made directly to foreign governments, international organizations, foreign central banks or issue and individuals. Treasury is authorized to provide additional exceptions to the application of the FATCA provisions. Prospective investors should consult with their own tax advisors regarding these new provisions.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions, and sales of Fund Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Fund Shares under all applicable tax laws.
Shareholder inquiries may be made by writing to the Trust, c/o Etfis Capital LLC, 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, NY 10016.
The Fund is newly organized and therefore has not yet had any operations as of the date of this SAI.
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TRUST PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
1. Purpose; Delegation . The purpose of this memorandum is to describe the policies and procedures for voting proxies received from issuers whose securities are held by each series (individually, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) of ETFis Series Trust I (the “Trust”). The board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) believes that while typically each Fund’s Sub-Adviser is in the best position to make individual voting decisions for such Fund, there may also be times when the Board determines that the Adviser or another person or group of persons is in the best position to make such voting decisions (such person or group of persons, the “Proxy Voting Manager”). Therefore, subject to the oversight of the Board, each Fund’s Proxy Voting Manager is hereby delegated the duty to make proxy voting decisions for such Fund, and to implement and undertake such other duties as set forth in, and consistent with, these Policies and Procedures.
2. Definitions
(a) Proxy . A proxy permits a shareholder to vote without being present at annual or special meetings. A proxy is the form whereby a person who is eligible to vote on corporate matters transmits written instructions for voting or transfers the right to vote to another person in place of the eligible voter. Proxies are generally solicited by management, but may be solicited by dissident shareholders opposed to management’s policies or strategies.
(b) Proxy Voting Manager . Proxy Voting Manager, as used herein, refers to the individual, individuals or committee of individuals appointed by the Board as being responsible for supervising and implementing these Policies and Procedures with respect to a particular Fund.
3. Policy for Voting Proxies Related to Exchange Traded Funds and other Investment Companies . Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(E)(iii) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, all proxies from exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) or other investment companies voted by a Fund, registered in the name of the Fund, will have the following voting instructions typed on the proxy form: “Vote these shares in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such shares. The beneficial owner of these shares is a registered investment company.”
4. Policy for Voting Proxies Related to Other Portfolio Securities .
(a) Fiduciary Considerations . Proxies with respect to securities other than ETFs or other investment companies are voted solely in the interests of the shareholders of the Trust. Any conflict of interest must be resolved in the way that will most benefit the shareholders.
(b) Management Recommendations . Since the quality and depth of management is a primary factor considered when investing in a company, the recommendation of management on any issue should be given substantial weight. The vote with respect to most issues presented in proxy statements should be cast in accordance with the position of the company’s management, unless it is determined that supporting management’s position would adversely affect the investment merits of owning the stock. However, each issue should be considered on its own merits, and the position of the company’s management should not be supported in any situation where it is found not to be in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders.
5. Conflicts of Interest . The Trust recognizes that under certain circumstances a Proxy Voting Manager may have a conflict of interest in voting proxies on behalf of a Fund. Such circumstances may include, but are not limited to, situations where a Proxy Voting Manager or one or more of its affiliates, including officers, directors or employees, has or is seeking a client relationship with the issuer of the security that is the subject of the proxy vote. The Proxy Voting Manager shall periodically inform its employees that they are under an obligation to be aware of the potential for conflicts of interest on the part of the Proxy Voting Manager with respect to voting proxies on behalf of a Fund, both as a result of the employee’s personal relationships and due to circumstances that may arise during the conduct of the Proxy Voting Manager’s business, and to bring any conflict of interest of which they become aware to the attention of the proxy manager. With respect to securities other than ETFs or other investment companies, the Proxy Voting Manager shall not vote proxies relating to such issuers on behalf of a Fund until it has determined that the conflict of interest is not material or a method of resolving such conflict of interest has been determined in the manner described below. A conflict of interest will be considered material to the extent that it is determined that such conflict has the potential to influence the Proxy Voting Manager’s decision-making in voting a proxy. Materiality determinations will be based upon an assessment of the particular facts and
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circumstances. If the proxy manager determines that a conflict of interest is not material, the Proxy Voting Manager may vote proxies notwithstanding the existence of a conflict. If the conflict of interest is determined to be material, either (i) the conflict shall be disclosed to the Board and the Proxy Voting Manager shall follow the instructions of the Board or (ii) the Proxy Voting Manager shall vote the issue in question based upon the recommendation of an independent third party under a contractual arrangement approved by the Board. The proxy manager shall keep a record of all materiality decisions and report them to the Board on an annual basis.
6. Routine Proposals . Proxies for routine proposals (such as election of directors, selection of independent public accountants, stock splits and increases in capital stock) with respect to securities other than ETFs or other investment companies should generally be voted in favor of management.
7. Non-Routine Proposals . Votes on non-routine matters and votes against a management’s recommendations with respect to securities other than ETFs or other investment companies are voted as determined by the Proxy Voting Manager to be in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders.
8. Proxy Voting Procedures . Proxy voting will be conducted in compliance with the policies and practices described herein and is subject to the Proxy Voting Manager’s supervision. A reasonable effort should be made to obtain proxy material and to vote in a timely fashion. Each Proxy Voting Manager shall maintain records regarding the voting of proxies under these Policies and Procedures.
9. Form N-PX . A record of each proxy vote will be entered on Form N-PX. A copy of each Form N-PX will be signed by the President of the Trust. The Form is to be filed by August 31 each year. Each reporting period covered by the Form N-PX runs from July 1 to June 30. The Trust will disclose in its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in its registration statement (in the SAI) filed with the SEC on or after August 31 that each Fund’s proxy voting record for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available without charge upon request at (212) 593-4383 (collect) and is also available on the SEC’s Website at www.sec.gov.
10. Proxy Voting Managers’ Voting Procedures . The Trust acknowledges that certain of the Proxy Voting Managers to the various Funds have adopted voting policies and procedures for their clients that have been delivered to the Trust. To the extent that a proxy Voting Manager has not adopted such policies and procedures, it shall adopt the policies and procedures provided herein as its own and shall otherwise vote all proxies in what it believes is the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. To the extent that a Proxy Voting Manager’s policies and procedures are consistent with these Policies and Procedures, the Proxy Voting Manager may implement them with respect to voting proxies on behalf of each Fund managed by such Proxy Voting Manager. However, the provisions of paragraph 5 of these Policies and Procedures relating to conflicts of interest shall supersede any comparable provisions of any Proxy Voting Manager’s policies and procedures.
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PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
ETFis Series Trust I
Item 28. Exhibits
(a) | (1) | Certificate of Trust of ETFis Series Trust I dated September 20, 2012, filed April 2, 2013 |
(2) | Declaration of Trust of ETFis Series Trust I dated September 20, 2012, filed April 2, 2013 | |
(3) | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Trust dated September 19, 2013, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(b) | Bylaws of ETFis Series Trust I, filed April 2, 2013 | |
(c) | Not Applicable. | |
(d) | (1) Investment Advisory Agreement between ETFis Series Trust I and Etfis Capital LLC, filed July 28, 2014 | |
(2) Sub-Advisory Agreement among ETFis Series Trust I, Etfis Capital LLC and Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, filed herewith | ||
(e) | Form of Distribution Agreement between ETFis Series Trust I and ETF Distributors, LLC, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(f) | Not Applicable. | |
(g) | Custody Agreement between ETFis Series Trust I and The Bank of New York Mellon, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(h) | (1) | Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement between ETFis Series Trust I and The Bank of New York Mellon, filed December 24, 2013 |
(2) | Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between ETFis Series Trust I and The Bank of New York Mellon, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(3) | Form of Authorized Participant Agreement between ETF Distributors, LLC, The Bank of New York Mellon and Authorized Participants, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(4) | Administration Services Agreement between ETFis Series Trust I and ETF Issuer Solutions, Inc. , filed December 24, 2013 | |
(i) | Legal Opinion of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(j) | Not applicable. | |
(k) | Not applicable. | |
(l) | Form of Initial Share Purchase Agreement, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(m) | Distribution and Service Plan, filed herewith | |
(n) | Not applicable. | |
(o) | Reserved. | |
(p) | (1) | Code of Ethics of the ETFis Series Trust I and Etfis Capital LLC, filed December 24, 2013 |
(2) | Code of Ethics of ETF Distributors, LLC, filed December 24, 2013 | |
(3) | Code of Ethics of Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, filed herewith |
(q) | Powers of Attorney, filed herewith |
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Item 29. Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant
No person is controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.
Item 30. Indemnification
Under Delaware law, Section 3817 of the Treatment of Delaware Statutory Trusts empowers Delaware business trusts to indemnify and hold harmless any Trustee or beneficial owner or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever, subject to such standards and restrictions as may be set forth in the governing instrument of the business trust.
Reference is made to Article IX of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which is incorporated by reference herein. The general effect of the indemnification available to an officer or Trustee may be to reduce the circumstances under which the officer or Trustee is required to bear the economic burden of liabilities and expenses related to actions taken by the individual in his or her capacity as an officer or Trustee.
The Registrant (sometimes referred to as the “ Trust ”) is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is operated pursuant to a Declaration of Trust that permits the Registrant to indemnify every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, Trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (each, a “ Covered Person ”). Each Covered Person is indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he or she becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his or her being or having been such a director, Trustee, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof. This indemnification is subject to the following conditions:
No indemnification is provided to a Covered Person to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by applicable federal law.
The rights of indemnification under the Declaration of Trust may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust; are severable; will not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person is entitled; will continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Covered Person; and will inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained in the Declaration of Trust will affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel other than Covered Persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.
The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
Subject to applicable federal law, expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification shall be advanced by the Trust or the applicable Series prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification.
To the extent that any determination is required to be made as to whether a Covered Person engaged in conduct for which indemnification is not provided as described herein, or as to whether there is reason to believe that a Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification, the Person or Persons making the determination shall afford the Covered Person a rebuttable presumption that the Covered Person has not engaged in such conduct and that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to Trustees, 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, officers or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful
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defense of any act, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustees, 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser
The description of the Adviser and Sub-Adviser is found under the captions “Management of the Fund - Investment Adviser” and “Management of the Fund - Investment Sub-Adviser” in the Prospectus and under the captions “Management Services - Adviser” and “Management Services - Sub-Adviser” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Registration Statement, which are incorporated by reference herein. The Advisers provide investment advisory services to other persons or entities other than the registrant.
The information as to the directors and officers of the Etfis Capital LLC set forth in the Etfis Capital LLC’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (Reference No. 801-78585) and amended through the date hereof, is incorporated herein by reference.
The information as to the directors and officers of Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC set forth in Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (Reference No. 801-76982) and amended through the date hereof, is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 32. Principal Underwriters
(a) ETF Distributors, LLC (the “ Distributor ”) acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: Recon Capital NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF (Ticker: QYLD), Sage Quant Low Volatility and Dividend Fund (Ticker: SQLV), Manna Core Equity Enhanced Dividend Income Fund (Ticker: MANA) and InfraCap MLP ETF (Ticker: AMZA).
(b) The directors and officers of the Distributor are as follows:
Name* | Positions with the Distributor | Positions with Trust | |
William J. Smalley | Managing Principal | President, Chief Executive Officer, Secretary | |
Matthew B. Brown | Chief Compliance Officer | Chief Compliance Officer | |
Edward Samson | Financial Operations Principal | n/a |
* | The principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is: 6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003, New York, NY 10016. |
(c) During the Registrant’s most recent fiscal year, the Distributor did not receive any net underwriting discounts or commissions, compensation on redemptions and repurchases, brokerage commissions or other compensation.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
All accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules thereunder are maintained at the following locations:
Etfis Capital LLC
6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003
New York, NY 10016
The Bank of New York Mellon
One Wall Street
New York, NY 10286
ETF Distributors LLC
6 E. 39th Street, Suite 1003
New York, NY 10016
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Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC
155 Lockwood Road
Riverside, Connecticut 06878
Item 34. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 35. Undertakings
Not applicable.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of New York and State of New York on the 10th day of October, 2014.
ETFIS SERIES TRUST I
(Registrant)
By: /s/William J. Smalley
William J. Smalley, President
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following person(s) in the capacities and on the date(s) indicated.
Name | Title | Date |
/s/ William J. Smalley William J. Smalley |
Trustee, President (Principal Executive Officer) |
October 10, 2014 |
/s/ Brinton Frith Brinton Frith |
Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer) |
October 10, 2014 |
/s/ Stephen G. O’Grady* Stephen G. O’Grady |
Trustee | October 10, 2014 |
/s/ James Simpson* James Simpson |
Trustee | October 10, 2014 |
/s/ Robert S. Tull* Robert S. Tull |
Trustee | October 10, 2014 |
* By:
/s/ William J. Smalley
William J. Smalley, Attorney-in-fact |
October 10, 2014 |
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Exhibit Index
(d)(2) | Sub-Advisory Agreement among ETFis Series Trust I, Etfis Capital LLC and Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC |
(m) | Distribution and Service Plan |
(p)(3) | Code of Ethics of Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC |
(q) | Powers of Attorney |
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Exhibit (d)(2)
INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, made by and between ETFis Series Trust I (the “ Trust ”), on behalf of the Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF (the “ Fund ”), Etfis Capital LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Adviser ”) and Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Sub-Adviser ”).
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Trust has been organized and operates as an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “ 1940 Act ”) and engages in the business of investing and reinvesting its assets in securities and other investments; and
WHEREAS, each of Adviser and Sub-Adviser is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “ Advisers Act ”);
WHEREAS, Adviser has been selected as investment adviser for the Fund by the Trust; and
WHEREAS, Sub-Adviser has been selected as sub-adviser for the Fund by the Trust and the Adviser on the terms described herein;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and each of the parties hereto intending to be legally bound, it is agreed as follows:
1. Obligations of the Sub-Adviser
(a) Services . Subject to the oversight of the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser agrees to perform the following services (the “ Services ”) for the Trust:
(1) manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund;
(2) determine, in its discretion, the securities to be purchased, retained or sold (and implement those decisions) with respect to the Fund;
(3) to vote proxies on behalf of the Fund;
(4) provide the Trust, the Fund and the Adviser with records concerning the Sub-Adviser’s activities under this Agreement that the Trust and the Fund are required to maintain;
(5) render regular reports to the Adviser and the Trust’s trustees and officers concerning the Sub-Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities; and
(6) perform any and all other services commonly performed by sub-advisers to a registered investment company, as reasonably requested from time to time by the Trust or the Adviser.
(b) Manner of Discharging Services . The Sub-Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the oversight of the Adviser and the trustees and officers of the Trust and in compliance with (i) such policies as the trustees may from time to time establish; (ii) the Fund’s objectives, policies, and limitations as set forth in its prospectus and statement of additional information, as the same may be amended from time to time; and (iii) with all applicable laws and regulations (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Rules ”). All Services to be furnished by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any directors, managers, officers or employees (or the equivalent) of the Sub-Adviser or through such other parties (including, without limitation and subject to approval by the Adviser and the Trust under the Rules, one or more third party sub-advisers) as the Sub-Adviser may determine (and, if applicable, engage) from time to time.
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(c) Books and Records . All books and records prepared and maintained by the Sub-Adviser for the Trust and the Fund under this Agreement shall be the property of the Trust and the Fund and, upon request therefor, the Sub-Adviser shall surrender to the Trust and the Fund or the Adviser such of the books and records so requested; provided, however, that the Sub-Adviser may retain a copy of such books and records.
2. Fund Expenses
(a) Responsibility for Fund Fees and Expenses; Unified Fee Arrangement . During the term of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall pay all of the expenses of the Fund, such expenses including but not limited to the Adviser’s fee (as described in the Fund’s prospectus and on Exhibit A ), transfer agent fees, administrative fees and expenses, custodian fees, legal fees, accounting fees, any other expenses (including clerical expenses) of issue, sale, repurchase or redemption of shares, expenses of registering or qualifying shares for sale, transfer taxes, all expenses of preparing the Trust’s registration statement and prospectus for the Fund, and the cost of printing and delivering to shareholders prospectuses and reports; provided, however, that the Sub-Adviser will not be responsible under this paragraph for the fee payment to the Sub-Adviser under Section 4 of this Agreement, payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any), brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses of the Fund. A summary of projected fees and expenses that the Sub-Adviser will be responsible for under this paragraph has been provided to the Sub-Adviser by the Trust and the Adviser.
(b) Sub-Adviser Personnel and Expenses . The Sub-Adviser agrees, at its own expense or at the expense of one or more of its affiliates, to render the Services and to provide the office space, furnishings, equipment and personnel as may be reasonably required to perform the Services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein.
3. Custody and Brokerage Selection .
(a) Custodian . The Trust will establish and maintain an account with a custodian chosen by the Trust (the “ Custodian ”). The Trust, the Fund, and the Adviser agree to cooperate with the Sub-Adviser and the Custodian in taking all such action as may be necessary or advisable to establish the Sub-Adviser’s and the Custodian’s authority with respect to the management of the cash, securities, and other property in the account.
(b) Selecting Brokers; Best Execution . Subject to the oversight of the Adviser and the Rules, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to select brokers or dealers that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Fund. With respect to brokerage selection, the Sub-Adviser shall seek to obtain the best overall execution for Fund transactions, which is a combination of price, quality of execution and other factors. The Sub-Adviser may, in its discretion, purchase and sell portfolio securities from and to brokers and dealers who provide the Sub-Adviser with brokerage, research, analysis, advice and similar services, and the Sub-Adviser may pay to these brokers and dealers, in return for such services, a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other brokers and dealers, provided that the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in terms either of that particular transaction or of the overall responsibility of the Sub-Adviser to the Fund and its other clients and that the total commission paid by the Fund will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Fund and its other clients over the long-term. The Sub-Adviser will promptly communicate to the officers and the trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request.
(c) Affiliated Brokerage . The Sub-Adviser is authorized to direct portfolio transactions to a broker that is an affiliated person of the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or other sub-advisers to the Fund (if any), or the Fund in accordance with such standards and procedures as may be approved by the Trust in accordance with the Rules. Any transaction placed with an affiliated broker must (i) represent best execution, and (ii) may not be a principal transaction.
(d) Aggregated Transactions . The Sub-Adviser is authorized to aggregate or “bunch” purchase or sale orders for the Fund with orders for various other clients when it believes that such action is in the best interests of the Fund and all other such clients. In such an event, allocation of the securities purchased or sold will be made by the Sub-Adviser in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s written policy.
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4. Compensation of Sub-Adviser
(a) Sub-Advisory Fee . The Fund shall pay to the Sub-Adviser from the Fund’s assets an annual fee equal to the amount of the daily average net assets of such Fund shown on Exhibit B attached hereto, payable on a monthly basis. The Sub-Adviser shall look exclusively to the assets of the Fund for payment of the Sub-Adviser’s fee.
(b) Effect of Termination . If this Agreement is terminated prior to the end of any calendar month, the Sub-Adviser’s fee shall be prorated for the portion of any month in which this Agreement is in effect according to the proportion which the number of calendar days during which the Agreement is in effect bears to the number of calendar days in the month, and shall be payable within 20 days after the date of termination.
5. Non-Exclusive Services . The services to be rendered by the Sub-Adviser to the Trust on behalf of the Fund under the provisions of this Agreement are not to be deemed to be exclusive, and the Sub-Adviser shall be free to render similar or different services to others so long as its ability to render the services provided for in this Agreement shall not be impaired thereby. Without limiting the foregoing, the Sub-Adviser may engage in other businesses, may render investment advisory services to other investment companies, or to any other corporation, association, firm, entity or individual, and may render other services to the Trust on behalf of the Fund or to any other investment company, corporation, association, firm, entity or individual.
6. Limits of Liability . The Sub-Adviser shall have no liability to the Fund, its shareholders or its creditors for any error of judgment, mistake of law, or for any loss arising out of any investment, or for any other act or omission in the performance of its obligations to the Fund not involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder. It is agreed that the Sub-Adviser shall have no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the Trust's registration statement under the Act or the Securities Act of 1933, except for information supplied by the Sub-Adviser for inclusion therein.
7. Term of Agreement
(a) Initial Term; Renewal . This Agreement shall be executed and become effective as of the date written below if approved by (i) the board of trustees of the Trust (the “ Board ”), including a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of such party (the “ Independent Trustees ”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval; and (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. It shall continue in effect for a period of two years and may be renewed annually thereafter only so long as such renewal and continuance is specifically approved as required by the 1940 Act (currently, at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and only if the terms and the renewal hereof have been approved by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval).
(b) Amendments . No amendment to this Agreement shall be effective unless the terms thereof have been approved as required by the 1940 Act (currently, by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund unless such shareholder approval would not be required under applicable interpretations of the 1940 Act, and by the vote of a majority of Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval).
(c) Termination . Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by the Trust at any time, without the payment of a penalty, on one hundred twenty (120) days’ written notice to the Sub-Adviser of the Trust’s intention to do so, pursuant to action by the Board or pursuant to a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The Sub-Adviser may terminate this Agreement at any time, without the payment of penalty, on one hundred twenty (120) days’ written notice to the Trust of its intention to do so. Upon termination of this Agreement, the obligations of all the parties hereunder shall cease and terminate as of the date of such termination, except for any obligation to respond for a breach of this Agreement committed prior to such termination, and except for the obligation of the Trust to pay to the Sub-Adviser the fee provided in Paragraph 4
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hereof through the date of termination. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment unless the parties hereto, by agreement, obtain an exemption from the SEC from the provisions of the 1940 Act pertaining to the subject matter of this paragraph.
8. Representations, Warranties and Covenants
(a) Adviser
.
The Adviser hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Sub-Adviser as follows: (i) the Adviser is a limited liability company
duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and is fully authorized to enter into this Agreement
and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; and (ii) the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers
Act, and shall maintain such registration in effect at all times during the term of this Agreement.
(b) Sub-Adviser . The Sub-Adviser hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Adviser and the Trust as follows: (i) the Sub-Adviser is a limited liability company duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and is fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; (ii) the Sub-Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act, and shall maintain such registration in effect at all times during the term of this Agreement; (iii) the Sub-Adviser shall on an annual basis, promptly after its completion, provide the Trust and the Adviser with the Sub-Adviser’s written report demonstrating its compliance with, Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; and (iv) the Sub-Adviser will provide accurate and complete information upon reasonable request from the Adviser or the Trust in connection with (y) the preparation of the registration statement or other documents for the Fund and (z) the compliance obligations of the Trust. In addition, the Sub-Adviser agrees to promptly provide the Trust with notice, as well as any related documentation reasonably requested by the Trust, upon:
(i) any material adverse change in the Sub-Adviser’s business or financial condition;
(ii) any material change in the Sub-Adviser’s ownership (including, without limitation, any change that would result in the assignment of this Agreement);
(iii) any event or occurrence known to the Sub-Adviser that would make information previously provided by the Sub-Adviser to the Trust untrue;
(iv) the Sub-Adviser’s receipt from any regulator or other governmental authority to which the Sub-Adviser is subject of any lawsuit, notice of any investigation or order; or
(v) any final judgments or material settlements involving the Sub-Adviser and its provision of investment advisory services.
(c) Trust. The Trust hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Sub-Adviser as follows: (i) the Trust has been duly organized as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware and is authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its terms; (ii) the Trust is registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act; (iii) shares of the Trust are registered for offer and sale (or will be before any such offer or sale) to the public under the 1933 Act; and (iv) such registrations will be kept in effect during the term of this Agreement.
9. Binding Agreement . This Agreement shall extend to and bind the heirs, executors, administrators and successors of the parties hereto.
10. Certain Definitions . For the purposes of this Agreement, the terms “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” and “assignment” shall have the meaning defined in the 1940 Act and the rules and interpretations thereunder.
11. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by New York law, excluding the laws on conflicts of laws. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed
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in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the Commission thereunder. Any provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case, the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent with the original intent of the parties.
12. Notices . Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given when sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, as follows:
Notice to the Adviser shall be sent to:
Etfis Capital LLC
6 E. 39th Street, 10th Floor
Attention: Brinton W. Frith |
Notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
ETFis Series Trust I
6 E. 39th Street, 10th Floor
Attention: William J. Smalley
|
Notice to the Sub-Adviser shall be sent to:
Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC 155 Lockwood Road, Riverside, Connecticut 06878 Attention: Matthew Tuttle
|
13. Miscellaneous
(a) This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement of the parties hereto.
(b) This Agreement is executed by the Trust with respect to the Fund and the obligations hereunder are not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers or shareholders of the Fund individually, but are binding only upon the Fund to which such obligations pertain and the assets and property of the Fund.
(c) This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original agreement but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
[signature page to follow]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed in duplicate original by their officers thereunto duly authorized as of the day and year first written above.
ETFIS SERIES TRUST I
|
TUTTLE TACTICAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | |||||
/s/ William J. Smalley | /s/ Matthew Tuttle | |||||
William J. Smalley, President | Matthew Tuttle, CEO | |||||
ETFIS CAPITAL LLC | ||||||
/s/ Brinton W. Frith | ||||||
Brinton W. Frith, Chief Executive Officer |
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Exhibit A
Adviser’s Fee
The Adviser shall be entitled to receive 7.5 basis points (0.075%) of the daily asset value of the Fund, subject to the annual minimum of $25,000.
7 |
Exhibit B
Sub-Adviser’s Fee
The Fund shall pay to the Sub-Adviser on or before the tenth (10th) day of each month a payment equal to an annualized rate of 82.5 basis points (0.825%). Upon any termination of this Agreement on a day other than the last day of the month the fee for the period from the beginning of the month in which termination occurs to the date of termination shall be prorated according to the proportion which such period bears to the full month.
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DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLAN
ETFis Series Trust I
1. The Trust . ETFis Series Trust I (the “ Trust ”) is an open-end investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “ 1940 Act ”), and organized as a series trust.
2. The Plan . The Trust desires to adopt a plan of distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act with respect to the shares of beneficial interest (“ Shares ”) of certain series of the Trust which are identified on Exhibit A hereof (each such series, a “ Fund ” and together, the “ Funds ”), and the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “ Board ”) has determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that adoption of this Plan will benefit each such Fund and its holders of Shares (“ Shareholders ”). Accordingly, the Trust has adopted this Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act on behalf of each Fund to enable such Fund to directly or indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution of Shares of the Fund.
3. The Distributor . The Trust has entered into a written Distribution Agreement with ETF Distributors, LLC (the “ Distributor ”), pursuant to which the Distributor will act as the exclusive distributor with respect to the creation and distribution of creation unit size aggregations of shares described in the Funds’ registration statement (“ Creation Units ”).
4. Payments . The Trust may pay the Distributor a monthly fee not exceed .25% (twenty-five basis points) of the Fund’s average daily net assets to reimburse the Distributor for actual amounts expended to finance any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Shares of a Fund or the provision of investor services. The Trust also may pay other service providers for services rendered in connection with the sale and promotion of Shares and the furnishing of services to Shareholders. Such services include, but are not limited to: (i) marketing and promotional services, including advertising; (ii) printing and distributing to persons other than current Shareholders the reports, prospectuses, notices and similar materials that are prepared by the Trust for current Shareholders; (iii) preparing, printing and distributing any sales literature used in connection with the offering of the Shares which is not covered by (ii) above; (iv) the promotion and sale of the Shares, including travel, communications and the compensation of sales personnel; and (v) distribution and Shareholder support assistance. The Distributor may use all or any portion of the amount received pursuant to this Plan to compensate securities dealers or other persons that are Authorized Participants for providing distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services, pursuant to agreements with the Distributor, or to pay any of the expenses associated with other activities authorized hereunder.
As of the end of a Fund’s fiscal year, the expenses incurred in connection with the sale and promotion of the Shares and the furnishing of services to Shareholders, as described above, may exceed .25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Although the Fund is not permitted to pay any such excess expenses during that same fiscal year, such excess expenses may be reimbursed during any of the Fund’s subsequent three fiscal years, provided and to the extent that the current expenses plus the excess expenses do not exceed the .25% limitation for that subsequent year. Such reimbursement must be approved by a majority of the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees (defined below in paragraph 8). All or any portion of such excess expenses may be reimbursed by the Fund during any one or more of the three subsequent fiscal years.
5. Effective Date . This Plan shall not take effect with respect to any Fund until it has been approved (a) by a vote of at least a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Shares of such Fund, if adopted after the public offering of such Shares; and (b) together with any related agreements, by
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votes of the majority of both (i) the Trustees of the Trust and (ii) the Qualified Trustees (as defined in paragraph 8 below), cast in person at a Board of Trustees meeting called for the purpose of voting on this Plan or such agreement.
6. Term . This Plan shall continue in effect for a period of more than one year after it takes effect, only for so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in the manner provided in paragraph 5 above for the approval of this Plan.
7. Agreements Relating to the Plan . All agreements with any person relating to implementation of this Plan shall be in writing, and any agreement related to this Plan shall provide (a) that such agreement may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Shares of the Funds, on not more than 60 days written notice to any other party to the agreement; and (b) that such agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. This Plan shall not obligate the Trust or any other party to enter into an agreement with any particular person.
8. Independent Trustees . As used in this Plan, (a) the term “ Independent Trustees ” shall mean those Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust, and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of this Plan or any agreements related to it, and (b) the terms “assignment” and “interested person” shall have the respective meanings specified in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
9. Reports . Any person authorized to direct the disposition of monies paid or payable by the Trust pursuant to this Plan or any related agreement shall provide to the Trustees of the Trust, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts so expended and the purposes for which such expenditures were made. Such report shall include any division or allocation of expenses between or among Funds.
10. Records . The Trust shall preserve copies of this Plan, each agreement related hereto and each report referred to in paragraph 9 hereof for a period of at least six years from the date of the Plan, agreement and report, the first two years in an easily accessible place.
11. Severability . If any provision of the Plan shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of the Plan shall not be affected thereby.
12. Amendments . This Plan may be amended at any time by the Board of Trustees, provided that (a) any amendment to increase materially the amount to be spent for the services provided for in paragraph 4 hereof shall be effective only upon approval by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund(s), and (b) any material amendment of this Plan shall be effective only upon approval by a vote of both a majority of the Board of Trustees and a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such amendment.
13. Termination . This Plan may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund(s). In the event of termination or non-continuance of this Plan, the Trust may reimburse any expense which it incurred prior to such termination or non-continuance, provided that such reimbursement is specifically approved by both a majority of the Board of Trustees and a majority of the Independent Trustees.
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14. Independent Trustees . While this Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of those Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act shall be committed to the discretion of the Independent Trustees.
This Plan was adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, at a meeting held on August 26, 2014.
/s/William J. Smalley
Secretary
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Exhibit A
Manna Core Equity Enhanced Dividend Income Fund
Infrastructure Capital MLP ETF
Tuttle Tactical Management U.S. Core ETF
4 |
Exhibit (p)(3)
Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC
CODE OF ETHICS
May 7, 2014
Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC
155 Lockwood Rd
Riverside, CT 06878
(t) (888) 723-2821
(f) (888) 723-2821
Tuttle
Tactical Management, LLC
Code of Ethics
Effective Date: May 7th, 2014
PREAMBLE
This Code of Ethics (the “Code”) is an expression of Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC’s (this “Company”) recognition of its fiduciary obligations to its clients and its duty to comply with all federal and state securities laws. It is the Company’s intent to use the Code to set out ideals for the ethical conduct of the Company and its employees in the performance of their investment advisory services. These ideals are premised on the fundamental principles of openness, integrity, honesty, fairness and trust. These ideals are both an indication of the value the Company places on the ethical conduct of its employees and a challenge to its employees to live up to the high standards demanded by the investment advisory profession.
The Company strives to maintain the highest standards of ethics and conduct in all of its business relationships. The Company’s business philosophy is that its clients deserve undivided loyalty and effort and that their interests always come first. The Code memorializes this philosophy through written standards of business conduct that deter wrongdoing and promote, among other things:
| Honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships; |
| Compliance with all applicable securities laws, rules and regulations; |
| The protection of material nonpublic information about the Company’s securities recommendations and its clients’ securities holdings and transactions; |
| Full, fair, accurate and timely disclosure by Supervised Persons of all personal securities transactions and holdings; |
| Pre-clearance by Supervised Persons before they directly or indirectly acquire beneficial ownership in any security in an initial public offering or a private placement; |
| The prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code; and |
| Accountability for adherence to the Code. |
Only by conducting business in accordance with the highest ethical, legal and moral standards can this Company achieve its goals. Since corporate behavior begins with the individual behavior of its personnel, the Company has adopted the Code so that its Supervised Persons may know the individual ethical, legal and moral standards expected of them. All activities of the Company’s Supervised Persons should be guided by and adhere to these standards.
It is a condition of employment with the Company that a Supervised Person receives a copy of the Code and any amendments to the Code. ( Exhibit A: Code Acknowledgement ) The Company urges each Supervised Person, no matter how long or short a time he or she may have been affiliated with the Company, to study this Code and to review it periodically. Abiding by its letter and its spirit is important to each Supervised Person’s personal success and to the collective success of the Company.
2.0 DEFINITIONS
For purposes of the Code, the following terms have the meanings specified in this section:
| “Access Persons” means (a) any director or officer of the Company or (b) any Supervised Person of the Company (i) who has access to nonpublic information regarding any client’s purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any reportable fund or (ii) who is involved in making securities recommendations to clients, or who has access to such recommendations that are nonpublic ( Exhibit B: Supervised and Access Persons ). |
.
| “Advisers Act” means the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. |
| “Automatic Investment Plan” means a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation. Automatic Investment Plan shall include a dividend reinvestment plan. |
| “Compliance Manual” means the compilation of compliance policies and procedures developed by the Company in accordance with federal and state securities laws and regulations. |
| “Covered Security” means any stock, bond, future, investment contract or any other instrument that is considered a “security” under §202(a)(18) of the Advisers Act. “Covered Security” does not include: (i) direct obligations of the Government of the United States; (ii) banker’s acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high-quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements; (iii) shares of money market funds; (iv) shares of mutual funds (unless the Company acts as an investment adviser or principal underwriter for the fund); (v) units of a unit investment trust if the unit investment trust is invested exclusively in unaffiliated mutual funds; or (vi) a de minimis amount of shares (i.e. less than 1000) of companies with a market capitalization of over $10 billion. |
| “Nonpublic Personal Financial Information” means (i) information supplied by a client; (ii) information resulting from a transaction with a client involving a financial product or service; (iii) information otherwise obtained in connection with the Company providing a product or service to a client. Nonpublic Information includes the fact that the entity or individual is a client of the Company, but does not include information that the Company has a reasonable basis to believe is lawfully made “publicly available.” |
| “Supervised Persons” means (i) any of the Company’s officers, directors, managers (or other persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions); (ii) employees or members of their immediate family (including any relative by blood or marriage living in the Supervised Person’s household), (iii) any other persons who provide advice on behalf of the Company and are subject to the Company’s supervision and control; and (iv) any temporary workers, consultants and independent contractors of the Company. ( Exhibit B: Supervised and Access Persons ) |
3.0 CORE PRINCIPLES
3.1 Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations
As an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company and its Supervised Persons are subject to (a) regulation by federal and state securities authorities and (b) federal and state securities laws. The Company expects its Supervised Persons to comply with both the spirit and letter of all federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company’s investment advisory operations and business. Supervised Persons should seek guidance whenever they are in doubt as to the applicability of any law, rule or regulation regarding any contemplated course of action.
3.2 Integrity, Objectivity and Competence
A Supervised Person shall offer and provide investment advisory services with integrity, objectivity and competence. Integrity requires a Supervised Person to be, among other things, honest and candid within the constraints of client confidentiality. Integrity requires that a Supervised Person’s advisory services must not be subordinated to personal gain and advantage. Objectivity requires intellectual honesty and impartiality. The principle of objectivity imposes an obligation on the Supervised Person to be free of conflicts of interest. Competence requires an
adequate level of knowledge and skill and the ability to apply that knowledge and skill effectively when providing investment advisory services to clients. Competence also requires a commitment to learning and professional improvement that must continue throughout a Supervised Person’s professional life.
3.3 Conflicts of Interest
Each Supervised Person should be scrupulous in avoiding any conflict of interest with regard to the Company’s or a client’s interests. A “conflict of interest” occurs when a Supervised Person’s private interest interferes with the interests of the Company or a client. A conflict situation can arise when a Supervised Person pursues interests that prevent the Supervised Person from performing his or her duties objectively or effectively. Any conflict of interest that arises in a specific situation or transaction must be disclosed by the Supervised Person and resolved before taking any action.
Conflicts of interest may also arise where the Company or its Supervised Persons have reason to favor the interests of one client over another client (e.g., larger accounts over smaller accounts, accounts compensated by performance fees over accounts not so compensated, accounts in which Supervised Persons have made material personal investments, accounts of close friends or relatives of Supervised Persons). Supervised Persons are specifically prohibited from inappropriate favoritism of one client over another client that would constitute a breach of fiduciary duty.
Accordingly, Supervised Persons are reminded to strictly adhere to the policies and procedures as set forth in the Compliance Manual regarding brokerage, including, allocation, best execution, soft dollars, and directed brokerage.
3.4 Confidentiality
Supervised Persons must exercise care in maintaining the confidentiality of (a) any client’s (or former client’s) Nonpublic Personal Financial Information, (b) any material nonpublic information about the Company’s securities recommendations and (c) any material nonpublic information about clients’ (or former clients’) securities holdings and transactions. Supervised Persons shall not disclose any information about a client (or former client) including the client’s identity, the client’s financial circumstances, the client’s security holdings, the securities investments made by the Company on behalf of the client, information about the client’s contemplated securities transactions or advice furnished to the client by the Company without the specific consent of the client (or former client) unless in response to proper legal process.
All Supervised Persons are required to comply with the Company’s Privacy Policy and Information Security Policy as set forth in the Compliance Manual. Supervised Persons should consult with the Chief Compliance Officer if they believe they have a legal obligation to disclose confidential information. The obligation to preserve the confidentiality of this information shall continue after the Supervised Person’s association with the Company ends.
3.5 Fair Dealing and Disclosure
Supervised Persons shall perform investment advisory services in a manner that is fair and reasonable. Supervised Persons shall endeavor to at all times deal fairly with the Company’s clients and shall not seek unfair advantage through improper concealment, abuse of improperly acquired confidential information, or misrepresentation of material facts. Supervised Person shall make a full and fair disclosure of all material facts to the Company’s clients and such disclosure shall be accurate, timely and understandable. Supervised Persons shall always offer investment opportunities to the Company’s clients before they act on such opportunities themselves. Supervised Persons shall not use knowledge about pending or currently considered securities transactions for clients to profit personally, directly or indirectly, as a result of such transactions.
4.0 PERSONAL SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS
4.1 General Standards
All personal securities transactions shall be conducted in such a manner as to be consistent with this Code and to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of an Access Person’s position of trust and responsibility.
4.2 Prohibited Purchases and Sales
All personal securities transactions of an Access Person shall be subject to the following prohibitions, procedures and approvals:
(a) | The Chief Compliance Officer will maintain a Restricted Security list of ETFs the Company is active in. Access Persons must obtain pre-approval from the Chief Compliance Officer in the manner set forth in Section 4.3 prior to placing a personal securities transaction for a Restricted Security. The Chief Compliance Officer shall maintain records of decisions approving or disapproving a Access Person’s personal securities transactions. |
(b) | No Access Person may purchase, directly or indirectly, any Covered Security in which he or she has or because of such transaction acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership and which to his actual knowledge at the time of such purchase or sale, is the subject of an initial public offering. |
(c) | No Access Person may purchase, directly or indirectly, any Covered Security in which he or she has or because of such transaction acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership, if such transaction is not in the open market, or if such transaction is made pursuant to any exemption from the registration provisions of the federal securities laws unless such transaction has been approved in advance by the Chief Compliance Officer. |
4.3 Approval Procedures
To obtain pre-approval for the purchase or sale of any Restricted Security, the Access Person must submit a Trade Approval Form ( Exhibit C: Restricted Security Trade Approval Form ) to the Chief Compliance Officer. Once approved, the Access Person shall have five (5) business days to make the transaction. If such transaction is not made within the five (5) business day period, the Associated Person must resubmit the Trade Approval Form to the Chief Compliance Officer for his or her approval.
5.0 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
5.1 Reporting of Personal Securities Holdings
All Access Persons must submit a personal securities holdings report (the “Holdings Report”) ( Exhibit D: Example Holdings Report ). The Holdings Report must be submitted (a) no later than ten (10) days after an individual becomes an Access Person and (b) at least once each twelve- month period thereafter. The information contained in the Holdings Report must be current as of a date not more than (i) forty-five (45) days prior to the date the individual becomes an Access Person or (ii) forty-five (45) days prior to the date the Access Person submits the twelve-month report. An Access Person may provide the Company with duplicate account statements in lieu of the Holdings Report.
5.2 Reporting of Personal Securities Transactions
All Access Persons must submit personal securities transaction reports (the “Transactions Report”) ( Exhibit E: Example Transactions Report ). The Transactions Report must be submitted
no later than thirty (30) days after the end of each year. The information contained in the Transactions Report must cover all transactions made by the Access Person during that year. An Associated Person may provide the Company with duplicate trade confirmations in lieu of the Transactions Report.
5.3 Review of Reports
The Chief Compliance Officer shall review all Holdings Reports and Transactions Reports to: (a)
Assess whether the Access Person followed required procedures;
(b) | Assess whether the Access Person is trading for his or her own account in the same securities he or she is trading for clients, and, if so, whether the clients are receiving terms as favorable as the Access Person takes for him or herself; |
(c) | Periodically analyze the Access Person’s trading for patterns that may indicate abuse (such as market timing); |
(d) | Investigate any substantial disparities between the quality of performance the Access Person achieves for his or her own account and the quality of performance the Access Person achieves for his or her clients’ accounts; and |
(e) | Investigate any substantial disparities between the percentage of trades that are profitable when the Access Person trades for his or her own account and the percentage of trades that are profitable when the Access Person trades for his or her clients’ accounts. |
5.4 Exceptions from Reporting Requirements
An Access Person is not required to submit a:
(a) | Holdings Report with respect to securities held in accounts over which the Access Person does not have any direct or indirect control; |
(b) | Transactions Report with respect to transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan; |
(c) | Transactions Report if the report would duplicate information contained in broker trade confirmations or account statements that the Company holds in its records, provided that the Company receives such confirmations or statements no later than thirty (30) days after the end of the applicable calendar quarter; or |
(d) | Transactions Report or a Holdings Report with respect to transactions or holdings involving a security that is not a Covered Security. |
6.0 PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
6.1 Gifts and Gratuities
A conflict of interest occurs when the personal interests of employees interfere or could potentially interfere with their responsibilities to the Company and its clients. The overriding principle is that Access Person should not accept inappropriate gifts, favors, entertainment, special accommodations, or other thanks of material value that could influence their decision- making or make them feel beholden to a person or company.
Accordingly, no Access Person may:
| Receive, solicit or accept any gift, service or other thing of more than de minimis value from any person or entity that transacts business with or on behalf of the Company; |
| Give or offer to give any gift of more than de minimis value to existing clients, prospective clients, or any entity that transacts business with or on behalf of the Company without pre-approval by the Chief Compliance Officer; |
| Give or accept cash gifts or cash equivalents to or from a client, prospective client, or any entity that transacts business with or on behalf of the Company; |
| Provide or accept extravagant or excessive entertainment to or from a client, prospective client, or any person or entity that does or seeks to do business with or on behalf of the Company. Access Person may provide or accept a business entertainment event, such as dinner or a sporting event, of reasonable value, if the person or entity providing the entertainment is present; or |
| Use his or her position with the Company to obtain anything of value from a client, supplier, person to whom the employee refers business, or any other entity with which the Company does business. |
All Access Person are required to complete a Gift Report ( Exhibit F: Gift Report Form ) when accepting or providing a gift.
6.2 Directorships
Because of the high potential for conflicts of interest and insider trading problems, no Access Person may serve as director of any publicly traded company without first obtaining the approval of Chief Compliance Officer. Any such approval shall be based on a determination by the Chief Compliance Officer that such board service will be consistent with the interests of the clients of the Company and that such Access Person will be isolated from those making investment decisions with respect to such company by appropriate procedures.
6.3 Brokerage Accounts
Access Person may not open or maintain brokerage accounts or place personal securities transaction with a broker that has not been approved by the Chief Compliance Officer. The Company shall maintain a list of approved brokerage accounts for each Access Person. ( Exhibit G: Brokerage Account Form )
6.4 Disclosure
No Access Person may recommend, implement or attempt to cause any securities transactions by a client or participate in any investment decision without disclosing his or her material beneficial ownership, business or personal relationship, or other material interest in the issuer or its affiliates, to the Chief Compliance Officer. If the Chief Compliance Officer deems the disclosed interest to present a material conflict, the Access Person may not participate in any decision- making process regarding the securities of that issuer.
6.5 Outside Business Activities
A Supervised Person may not engage in any outside business activity that involves the receipt of compensation, either directly or indirectly, from any other person or entity other than the Company, without first obtaining the written approval of Chief Compliance Officer. All Supervised Persons are required to complete an annual questionnaire detailing any outside business activities ( Exhibit H: Outside Business Activity Questionnaire ).
6.5 Pay to Play
6.5.1 Explanation
Pay to play is the practice of making campaign contributions and related payments to elected officials in order to influence the awarding of lucrative contracts for the management of public pension plan assets and similar government investment accounts.
6.5.2 Restrictions
The Company is prohibited from providing advisory services for compensation — either directly or through a pooled investment vehicle — for two years, if the Company or its Supervised Persons make a political contribution to an elected official who is in a position to influence the Company’s selection.
The Company and its Supervised Persons are prohibited from soliciting or coordinating campaign contributions from others — a practice referred to as "bundling" — for an elected official who is in a position to influence the selection of the Company. It also prohibits solicitation and coordination of payments to political parties in the state or locality where the Company is seeking business.
The Company is prohibited from paying a third party, such as a solicitor or placement agent, to solicit a government client on the Company’s behalf, unless that third party is an SEC-registered investment adviser or broker-dealer subject to similar pay to play restrictions.
6.5.3 Exceptions
Section 6.5.2 does not apply to contributions made by a Covered Associate, if a natural person, to officials for whom the Covered Associate was entitled to vote at the time of the contributions and which in the aggregate do not exceed $350 to any one official, per election, or to officials for whom the Covered Associate was not entitled to vote at the time of the contributions and which in the aggregate do not exceed $150 to any one official, per election.
6.5.4 Request Form
All Supervised Persons are required to submit a request form prior to making any political contribution ( Exhibit H-1: Political Contribution Request Form ).
7.0 INSIDER TRADING
7.1 Policy Statement
The Company forbids all personnel, either personally or on behalf of others, to trade on material nonpublic information or to communicate material nonpublic information to others in violation of the law. In addition, the Company discourages its Supervised Persons or other employees from seeking or knowingly obtaining material, nonpublic information.
An employee of the Company may not buy or sell securities for their personal portfolio(s) where their decision is substantially derived, in whole or in part, by reason of his or her employment with the Company unless the information is also available to the investing public on reasonable inquiry. No employee of the Company shall prefer his or her own interest to that of the Company’s clients.
The Company is committed to providing absolute client confidentiality. Employees may not communicate material nonpublic information to any party outside of the Company. Employees of the Company may not take client files from the office filing areas, except when meeting outside of the office with the specific client to whom the files pertain.
7.2 Insider Trading
Insider trading is defined as the buying or selling of a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, while in possession of material, nonpublic information
about the security. Insider trading violations may also include “tipping” such information, securities trading by the person “tipped,” and securities trading by those who misappropriate such information.
Insider trading is the trading that takes place when those privileged with confidential information about important events use the special advantage of that knowledge to reap profits or avoid losses on the stock market, to the detriment of the source of the information and to the typical investors who buy or sell their stock without the advantage of “inside” information. For purposes of insider trading, a person trades on the basis of material nonpublic information if a trader is “aware” of the material nonpublic information when making the purchase or sale. While the law concerning insider trading is not static, it is generally understood that the law prohibits:
1. | Trading by an insider, while in possession of material nonpublic information; |
2. | Trading by a non-insider, while in possession of material nonpublic information, where the information either was disclosed to the non-insider in violation of the insider’s duty to keep it confidential or was misappropriated; and |
3. | Communicating material nonpublic information to others. |
7.3 What is Inside Information?
“Inside Information” means material information about securities that has not been disseminated to, or is not generally available to, the general public (also referred to in conversation as “material non-public information”).
7.4 Who is an Insider?
The rule against insider trading prohibits trading while in possession of information which is received, directly or indirectly, from an “Insider” who discloses that information through a breach of duty. The concept of an “Insider” is broad. It includes officers, directors, members, and employees of a company. In addition, a person can be a “temporary insider” if he or she enters into a special confidential relationship in the course of performing services for the Company and, as a result, is given access to information solely for the company’s purposes. A temporary insider can include, among others, a company’s attorneys, accountants, consultants, bank lending officers, and the employees of such organizations. In addition, the Company and/or its affiliates may become a temporary insider of companies that the Company advises or for which the Company performs other services.
If you receive, either directly or indirectly, material, non-public information from an “Insider,” you should not trade in the security to which the information pertains. If you do not know the ultimate source of the information you have received, you should not trade in the securities until you have taken reasonable steps to assure that the ultimate source of the information is not an “Insider.” When you do not know the ultimate source of your information, there is a risk that the information was initially leaked by an “Insider” through the breach of a duty. The reason for taking steps to ascertain the source of the information is to reduce that risk. If you learn that the source of material information is an “Insider,” you should not trade in the security to which the information pertains until you ascertain that the information is public.
While the rule against insider trading is dependent upon a showing that the Insider who leaked the information did so through a breach of duty, it will, in most instances, be very difficult to ascertain whether such a breach occurred in connection with the release of information. There are various contexts in which a person breaches a duty by transmitting material, non-public information. For example, an officer of an issuer violates his duty if he intentionally transmits material, non-public information concerning the company without any justifiable business purpose and the officer knows or should know that the recipient of the information will trade in the issuer’s securities after receiving such information. A secretary of a law firm working on a merger breaches her duty to the law firm by revealing information about the issuer which is the subject of
the merger. The printer at a print shop who is working on disclosure documents which have not yet been filed with the SEC breaches his duty to his employer by disclosing information about the impending transaction.
Because it is difficult to know whether an Insider is breaching a duty by disclosing information to you, as a cautionary measure, you should not trade in a security when you have received material, non-public information about the security from an Insider, regardless of whether you have been able to ascertain that the information was disclosed in connection with a breach of a duty .
7.5 When is Information Material?
Information is “material” if its disclosure would be likely to have an impact on the price of a security or if reasonable investors would want to know the information. Either positive or negative information may be material. While it is not possible to define all categories of material information, there are various categories of information that are particularly sensitive and, as a general rule, should always be considered material.
Examples of such information include:
| Financial results; |
| Projections of future earnings or losses; |
| News of a pending or proposed merger; |
| Acquisitions/Divestitures; |
| Impending bankruptcy or financial liquidity problems; |
| Gain or loss of a substantial customer or supplier; |
| Changes in dividend policy; |
| New product announcements of a significant nature; |
| Significant pricing changes; |
| Stock splits; |
| New equity or debt offerings; |
| Significant litigation exposure due to actual or threatened litigation; or |
| Major changes in senior management. |
Information relating to the market for a security, such as a significant purchase or sale order, also may be material. If you are not sure whether information you have received is material, you should discuss it with the Chief Compliance Officer before trading on such information.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) considers one kind of information -- earnings guidance -- to virtually always be material. When an issuer official engages in a private conversation with an analyst or a fund manager who is seeking guidance about earnings estimates, the issuer official is taking on a high degree risk that he or she may be disclosing material, non-public information. If the issuer official communicates non-public information selectively to the analyst or the fund manager that the Company’s anticipated earnings may be higher than, lower than, or even the same as, what analysts have been forecasting, there is a risk that the issuer official is violating Regulation FD which prohibits selective disclosure of material non-public information.
While an analyst or fund manager who receives such selective disclosure is not subject to the prohibitions of Regulation FD, you should, nevertheless, avoid soliciting such selectively disclosed information. In this regard, you should be wary of the kind of information you receive from an issuer official immediately following the end of an issuer’s fiscal quarter or year end before the results of the fiscal period are publicly released. This does not mean that conversations with issuer officials are prohibited during the period between the end of a fiscal period and the issuer’s public release of earnings information; it just means that you should be
cautious in such conversations and, if the information received is too specific, you should refrain from trading until you discuss what you have received with the Chief Compliance Officer.
The Company’s research efforts may sometimes include contacting customers and suppliers of an issuer and visiting retail or distribution centers for the issuer’s products. When such field research is conducted, you should always use your actual name. It is not necessary to disclose your affiliation with the Company, but you should not affirmatively misrepresent your affiliation. It is permissible to discuss the issuer with employees of the issuer to obtain general information; however, if you believe that you may have received material, non-public information, you should discuss what you have received with the Chief Compliance Officer in order to evaluate our ability to trade in the securities to which the information pertains.
Lastly, you should understand that, although you are not permitted to trade while in possession of material, non-public information which emanated from an Insider who breached their duty, the SEC itself has recognized that you are permitted to gather non-material pieces of non-public information “to create a mosaic from which a material, non-public conclusion may be drawn” as the insider trading laws are not intended to restrict such activity and analysis.
7.6 When is Information Public?
Information is “public” when it has been disseminated broadly to investors in the marketplace. Tangible evidence of such dissemination is the best indication that the information is public. For example, information is public after it has become available to the general public through a public filing with the SEC, publication on the Dow Jones Newswires, The Wall Street Journal or some other publication of general circulation and after sufficient time has passed so that the information has been disseminated widely.
If you are not sure whether information you have received is public you should discuss it with the Chief Compliance Officer before trading on such information.
Information furnished by an issuer in a web cast or conference call which is publicly announced in advance and made available to analysts, investment managers and the general investing public also would be deemed public. On the other hand, information provided by an officer of an issuer in a one-on-one private conversation with an analyst or fund manager would generally not be deemed public information. Consequently, you should be careful in having one-on-one conversations with Insiders since it is possible that material information which has not yet been publicly disseminated might be disclosed in such conversations. If it is, you should not trade in the subject security until the information is public.
Rumors do not necessarily constitute public information. If the so-called “rumor” is reported as a rumor in the financial press, then you can consider it public. However, if it is not disseminated in a manner that constitutes “public” information as described above you run the risk that the information is non-public and, if it is both material and was disclosed, directly or indirectly, through the breach of a duty, you may be prohibited from trading on the basis of it. That is why you should always try to ascertain the original source of information that you receive. One acceptable way to determine whether a “rumor” is publicly available would be to call the issuer’s public relations officer and inquire as to whether the company has publicly confirmed or denied the rumor. You should not contact any other officer or employee of the issuer to determine the accuracy of a rumor because a confirmation or a denial of the rumor could, in itself, constitute non-public information.
Before information can be considered to be generally available, a reasonable period must have elapsed after the information was first made known, for the information to be disseminated among investors. Generally, this means that a person who has access to inside information should wait 72 hours after that information is announced publicly before dealing in securities.
7.7 Possession of the Information Is Enough to Prohibit Trading
The SEC takes the position that a party who is in possession of improperly obtained material, non-public information concerning an issuer may not trade in the issuer’s securities regardless of whether the person is relying on the information in making the trade. According to the SEC, possession is enough to create liability, and it is not a defense to an insider trading violation that you did not rely upon the information you possessed when you made the trade.
7.8 Tender Offers
Tender offers represent a particular concern in the law of insider trading for two reasons. First, tender offer activity often produces extraordinary fluctuations in the price of the target company’s securities. Trading during this time period is more likely to attract regulatory attention (and produces a disproportionate percentage of insider trading cases). Second, the SEC has adopted a rule which expressly forbids trading and “tipping” while in possession of Inside Information regarding a tender offer received from the tender offeror, the target company or anyone acting on behalf of either. The Company’s Supervised Persons should exercise particular caution any time they believe that they may have become aware of any non-public information (regardless of how trivial such information may be) relating to a tender offer.
7.9 Misappropriated Information
There may be circumstances in which you may obtain information about an issuer from persons who are not employed by, or owe a duty of confidentiality to, the issuer and are not deemed to be Insiders or Temporary Insiders. Such non-insiders may be persons who have, or are employed with companies who have, arms-length dealings with the issuer, such as vendors and suppliers. “Non-insiders” should be distinguished from “quasi-insiders.” A quasi-insider is someone who possesses a relationship with the issuer which gives him or her access to confidential information about the issuer and has a duty to keep such information confidential. An attorney, accountant or consultant to the issuer are typical examples of quasi-insiders. You should not solicit or obtain information about the issuer from quasi-insiders.
While you should not solicit information from quasi-insiders, it is permissible for you to solicit information from non-insiders concerning the issuer. You should not, under any circumstances, however, provide any form of payment or item of value to non-insiders in exchange for the information. In addition, you should understand that an employee of a non-insider entity such as a supplier, vendor or other entity which has arms-length dealings with the issuer, while not owing a duty of confidentiality to the issuer, may owe a duty to his or her own employer not to disclose confidential information to persons such as analysts or fund managers. Though you may not know, in a particular situation, whether such employee has a duty of confidentiality, if you do learn, based on the circumstances, that the employee would be breaching any duty to his employer by disclosing the information to you, you should not obtain such information from that person.
7.10 Restrictions on Disclosure of Company Inside Information
It is possible that material nonpublic information may be obtained from time to time in the course of employment related activities performed on behalf of the Company. The Company’s officers and Supervised Persons may not disclose any inside information (whether or not it is material) relating to the Company, its investors or any securities transactions to any person outside the Company unless such disclosure has been authorized by the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer. Inside information may not be communicated to anyone inside or outside of the Company, except among the Company’s deal team members on a “need to know” basis. This information must also be secured. For example, you should restrict access to your paper files and computer files and be aware that conversations containing inside information, if appropriate at all, should be conducted in private.
7.11 Insider Trading Procedures
Any question as to what constitutes material nonpublic information should be resolved in the most conservative fashion ( i.e. that the determination be made that the information in question is material nonpublic information) or the question should be referred to the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her designee.
Before trading for yourself or others in securities of a company about which you may have potential inside information, ask yourself the following questions:
Is the information material?
| Is this information that an investor would consider important in making his or her investment decisions? |
| Is this information that would substantially affect the market price of the securities if generally disclosed? |
Is the information public?
| To whom has the information been provided? |
| Has the information been effectively communicated to the marketplace by being published in a publication(s) of general circulation ( i.e. The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times)? |
If an employee receives information that may constitute material, nonpublic information, the employee:
| Should not buy or sell any securities, including options or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities, for a personal account or a client account; |
| Should not communicate such information to any other person (other than the Chief Compliance Officer); and |
| Should discuss promptly such information with the Chief Compliance Officer. |
Under no circumstances should information that may constitute material, nonpublic information be shared with any persons not employed by the Company, including family members and friends.
7.12 Prevention and Detection
The Chief Compliance Officer shall periodically review the Quarterly Transactions Reports and Personal Securities Holdings reports (together with any brokerage statements) of the Company’s Supervised Persons to ensure that no insider trading is taking place. The Chief Compliance Officer shall also make sure that all employees of the Company adhere to the personal securities transactions and reporting requirements set forth in the Company’s Code of Ethics.
7.13 Supervisory Responsibility
The Chief Compliance Officer is solely responsible for the content and enforcement of the Company’s insider trading policy.
7.14 Annual Review
The Chief Compliance Officer shall discuss insider trading issues with each employee each year in January. The review shall emphasize the necessity to continually maintain client confidentiality, to avoid insider trading, and to comply with the Company’s Code of Ethics. An employee’s execution of the Insider Trading Affidavit ( Exhibit I: Insider Trading Affidavit ) is an acknowledgment of that employee’s understanding of these topics.
7.15 Penalties
Civil and criminal penalties for trading on or communicating material nonpublic information are severe, both for individuals involved in such unlawful conduct and their employers and other controlling persons. A person can be subject to some or all of the penalties below even if he or she does not personally benefit from the violation.
Penalties include:
| Civil injunctions; |
| Treble damages; |
| Disgorgement of profits; |
| Jail sentences (up to 10 years) for each violation; |
| Fines for the person who committed the violation of up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided, whether the person actually benefited or the benefit accrued to a “tippee” of that person; and |
| Severe monetary fines for the employer or other controlling person (i.e., supervisors). |
EACH EMPLOYEE HAS THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMPLYING WITH THE PROCEDURES FOR THE HANDLING OF INSIDE INFORMATION.
8.0 CODE VIOLATIONS
8.1 Overview
The Code does not attempt to identify all possible conflicts of interest, and literal compliance with each of its specific provisions will not shield Supervised Persons from liability for personal trading or other conduct that violates a fiduciary duty to advisory clients.
8.2 Reporting
Each Supervised Person is expected to discharge his or her responsibilities in full compliance with the Code. Each Supervised Person is responsible for the prompt reporting of any existing or potential violations of the Code to the Chief Compliance Officer ( Exhibit J: Code Violations ). Failure to do so is itself a violation of the Code. No Supervised Person shall retaliate against any other Supervised Person for reports of potential violations that are made in good faith. Any such retaliation would be in itself considered a violation of the Code.
8.3 Sanctions
Any violations discovered by or reported to the Chief Compliance Officer shall be reviewed and investigated promptly. Any disciplinary action shall be based on, among other things, the severity of the infraction, whether it is a first or repeat offense, and whether it is part of a pattern of disregard for the letter and intent of this Code. Upon recommendation of the Chief Compliance Officer, the Company may impose such sanctions for violation of the Code as it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, a letter of censure, suspension or termination of employment, reversal of a securities trade at the violator’s expense and risk, including disgorgement of any profit; and, in serious cases, referral to law enforcement or regulatory authorities. The Company shall keep a record of Code violations and any disciplinary actions taken pursuant to this Section 8.3. ( Exhibit K: Disciplinary Actions ).
9.0 REVIEW
9.1 Annual Review
Annual review of the Code is an important component of the Company’s ongoing process of self- evaluation and review of compliance procedures. The Chief Compliance Officer shall perform an annual review of the policies and procedures contained in this Code to determine whether such policies and procedures are adequate and effective. In undertaking such annual review, the Chief Compliance Officer shall consider the following factors:
1. | Compliance matters that arose during the prior year; |
2. | Any changes in the Company’s business activities or relationships; and |
3. | Any changes to applicable securities laws or regulations that may prompt revision to such policies and procedures. |
9.2 Interim Review
The Chief Compliance Officer shall undertake an interim review of policies and procedures contained in this Code in response to significant compliance events, changes in business arrangements or regulatory developments.
10.0 TRAINING
10.1 Annual Training
Training shall take place periodically at the discretion of the Chief Compliance Officer, but no less than annually. All Supervised Persons shall be required to attend any training session or read any applicable materials. Supervised Persons are required to recertify annually that they have read and understood the Code.
10.2 New Employees
New employees to the Company will be required to attend an orientation session that explains their obligations under the Code.
11.0 CODE WAIVERS
The Chief Compliance Officer has the authority to waive any provision of this Code, provided, however, that such waiver does not result in violation of applicable federal or state securities laws. The Chief Compliance Officer shall record in writing all instances where a waiver to this Code has been granted, the person requesting such waiver, the reason the waiver was requested and the reason the waiver was granted.
13.0 RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS
13.1 Recordkeeping Requirements
The Company shall be required to keep:
(a) | A copy of the Code that is in effect or has been in effect at any time within the last five (5) years; |
(b) | A record of any violation of the Code and of any action taken as a result of the violations; (c) A record of all Supervised Persons’ written acknowledgement of receipt of the Code (and any amendments to the Code); |
(d) | A record of all Supervised Persons’ written acknowledgement of annual receipt of the Code; |
(e) | A record of each Holdings Report and Transactions Report submitted by Supervised Persons; |
(f) | A record of the names of persons who are currently, or within the past five (5) years were, Supervised Persons; |
(g) | A copy of Trade Approval Forms for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the approval is granted or denied; and |
(h) | A copy of any waivers to Code provisions or procedures granted by the Chief Compliance Officer. |
13.2 Form ADV Part 2A
The Company shall describe the Code on Form ADV Part 2A and state that the Company will provide a copy of the Code to any client or prospective client upon request.
Exhibit A
CODE OF ETHICS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
By signing in the space provided below, you certify that:
1. | You have received a copy of the Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC Code of Ethics; |
2. | You have read and understand all provisions of the Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC Code of Ethics; |
3. | You have agreed to comply with the terms of the Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC Code of Ethics; and |
4. | You acknowledge that you have a continuing obligation, even after your employment, to safeguard material non public and other confidential information acquired as a result of your employment with Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC. |
Signature: | |
Name: |
|
Title: |
|
Date: |
Exhibit B
SUPERVISED PERSONS AND ACCESS PERSONS
Name |
Matthew Tuttle |
Steve Lamoreaux Dean |
Kasparian Carla Zappa |
Chris Loya Howard |
Strauber Henry Howard |
Steve Bandler |
Brad Rundbaken |
Exhibit C
RESTRICTED SECURITY TRADING PRE AUTHORIZATION FORM
All Access Persons of TWM or TTM must obtain prior approval before trading in any
ETF in our Restricted Security List.
Name: |
Information on Proposed Trade
Security: | |
Buy/Sell (Circle one) | |
Shares: | |
Account Owner: | |
Brokerage Firm: | |
Reason for |
Trade: |
CCO Approval: |
Exhibit D
INITIAL AND ANNUAL PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS REPORT
Name: | Signature: | |||
Title: | Date: |
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Check one or more applicable boxes:
□ I have no reportable personal securities holdings. □ I have reportable personal securities holdings, as disclosed below. □ I have reportable securities holdings, as disclosed on the attached brokerage statements. □ TTM is in receipt of brokerage statements reflecting my personal securities holdings. |
Account Number |
Security Name and Ticker/CUSIP |
Number of Shares/Par |
Principal Amount | Broker or Bank Name |
Attach additional sheets as necessary.
Reviewed by: |
||||||
Print Name | Signature | Date |
Exhibit E
QUARTERLY PERSONAL TRANSACTION REPORT
Name: | For the Quarter Ended: | ||||
Signature: | Date: |
I am reporting below all transactions required to be reported for the quarter pursuant to Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC’s Code of Ethics. I have completed and returned this form by the 30th calendar day following the quarter-end .
Required Transactions to Report
I am required to report all transactions of securities* in which I have a direct or indirect beneficial ownership interest. I am also required to report any transaction executed within an automatic investment plan that overrides a pre-determined schedule.
“Securities” include stocks, bonds, closed-end mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
Transactions Not Required to be Reported
I am not required to report shares of registered open-end investment companies not managed by Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC, securities issued by the United States Government, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, money market mutual funds and other money market instruments and transactions effected through an automatic investment plan or a de minimis amount of shares (i.e. less than 1000) of companies with a market capitalization of over $10 billion. |
REPORTABLE TRANSACTIONS
Check one or more applicable boxes:
□ I had no reportable transactions during the period.
□ I had reportable transactions, as disclosed below.
□ I had reportable transactions, as disclosed on the attached brokerage statements.
□ TTM is in receipt of brokerage statements reflecting my reportable personal securities transactions.
If transactions are reported:
□ | I hereby recertify that I am aware of TTM’s policies regarding prohibition of insider trading, and declare that I have not violated these policies in conducting personal trades during the quarter | |||||
ended_______________. Signature: __________________________ Date: ___________________ |
Trade Date |
Security Name and Ticker/CUSIP |
#Shares/ Par Int Rate/ Maturity |
Purchase/ Sale/Other |
Price |
Principal Amount |
Broker Name |
Account Number |
Attach additional sheets as necessary.
Reviewed by: |
||||||
Print Name | Signature | Date |
Exhibit F
GIFT REPORT
Name:__________________
Position: ______________
From/To |
Gift |
Estimated Worth |
Relationship to Person Giving/Accepting |
I hereby certify that I have disclosed all gifts:
Signature | Date |
Review
I hereby certify that I have reviewed the above listed gifts:
Chief Compliance Officer: _____________________________________________________________________
Exhibit G BROKERAGE
ACCOUNTS
Every employee of Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC must disclose to the firm any and all securities and futures accounts:
In the name of the employee, over which the employee exercises discretion (express or in fact) or in which the employee has an interest.
In the name of a related person of the employee, over which such related person exercises discretion (express or in fact) or in which such related person has an interest. For purposes of this disclosure form, a “related person” should be deemed to include the employee’s spouse and any other person with whom the employee resides or to whom the employee provides financial support.
Employees are not required to disclose Federal Reserve Board “Treasury Direct” accounts.
With respect to the required disclosure regarding such accounts, please be advised of the following (please check one):
□ | As of the date hereof, no such accounts are in existence. However, if such an account will be opened subsequent to the date hereof, I agree to obtain the approval of the Compliance Officer prior to the account being opened. |
□ | Set forth below is a complete list of all such accounts (use additional forms if necessary). |
The Compliance Officer will be sending a letter requesting duplicate confirms and statements for each of the accounts disclosed below. Please provide accurate account numbers and mailing addresses.
Name and Number of Account |
Name of Organization Where Account is Located |
Address of Organization Where Account is Located |
1 | ||
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Employee Name: |
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Exhibit H
OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE
1. | Do you have any outside employment or business activity? |
___YES ___NO
If YES, please describe: | ||
2. | Do you or any of your immediate family members (e.g., spouses, parents, children or siblings) serve as a director, officer or trustee or as an audit, compensation or nominating committee member for any publically traded company or business entity? |
___YES ___NO
If YES, please describe: | ||
3. | Do you or any of your immediate family members hold advisory committee positions of any business entity where the members of the committee have the ability or authority to affect or influence the selection of investment managers or the selection of the investment of the entity’s operating, endowment, pension or other funds? |
___YES ___NO
If YES, please describe: | ||
4. | Do you or any of your immediate family members hold positions as director, officer or trustee or as an audit, compensation or nominating committee member of a client of Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC or any prospective client who is actively considering engaging Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC investment advisory services? |
___YES ___NO
If YES, please describe: | ||
Sign Name | Date | |
Print Name |
Exhibit I
INSIDER TRADING
AFFIDAVIT
1. | Client confidentiality is of paramount importance in the financial services industry. I understand that I may not communicate nonpublic information to any party outside of Tuttle Tactical Management, LLC (the “Company”). |
2. | Client files are available to me in the course of my normal work on a “need to know” basis only. |
3. | I may not recommend trading in a security to any clients or other parties based on material nonpublic information. |
4. | I understand that I am required to submit Quarterly Transactions Reports and Personal Securities Holdings Reports in accordance with the Company’s Code of Ethics and that all transactions executed by me in my personal accounts will be reviewed by the Chief Compliance Officer. |
5. | I understand that I may not execute a trade based on nonpublic information. If I obtain nonpublic information about a security, I must report any personal transactions or transactions of any related parties in that security to the Chief Compliance Officer immediately after its occurrence. |
6. | I understand that violation of the provisions of this policy is cause for immediate discipline. In addition, the violation will be reported by the Company to the appropriate regulatory agency. |
7. | I understand that I am obligated to report violations of this policy by other employees to the Chief Compliance Officer and the appropriate regulatory agency. |
8. | This policy is adopted in order to prevent the misuse of material, nonpublic information by Company employees in violation of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, as amended, and the Insider Trading and Securities Fraud Enforcement Act of 1988. |
9. | I agree to abide by the Company’s Code of Ethics as described in the Company’s Compliance Manual, which is incorporated herein by reference. |
10. | My signature below indicates that I have received a copy of the Company’s Code of Ethics and Compliance Manual and have read and understood all applicable provisions relating to insider trading and personal securities transactions. I agree to continually abide by these policies. |
Signed | Date |
Exhibit H-1
INVESTMENT ADVISOR POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION REQUEST
FORM FOR COVERED ASSOCIATES AND RESTRICTED PERSONS
Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Department: ___________________________________________________________________________
Title/Position: __________________________________________________________________________________________
Home Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________
City, County, State, Zip Code: _______________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Pre-Approval is not needed for personal political contributions to candidates for Federal office who are not State or local officials at the time of the contribution.
Check at least one of the following:
_______________I am requesting approval to make a Political Contribution. (Complete Attachment 1)
_______________I am requesting approval to volunteer for a Campaign. (Complete Attachment 2)
_______________I am requesting approval to Coordinate or Solicit Contributions, including Fundraising
(Complete Attachment 2)
By signing below, I certify that the political contribution or activity described in the attached is accurate, and the proposed contribution or activity is not made to influence or induce the obtaining or retaining of investment advisory services business for the Company.
Signature: ____________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________
Attachment 1 or Attachment 2 must accompany this form
[Legal Department Approval/Disapproval]
Approval: _____________________________________________ Date: ______________________________
Attachment 1
Description of Political Contribution
Proposed Amount of Contribution: $ Payable to:
If Contribution Is In-Kind or Other Than Cash or Check Indicate Its Nature:
List Previous Contributions to this Candidate/Political Organization (Dates And Amounts):
Is the Contribution to be made by a PAC?
If yes, provide name/type/jurisdiction of PAC
If Contribution is to a Candidate, Officeholder, or Campaign, Provide the Information Below:
Name of Candidate/Officeholder:
Are You Entitled To Vote for This Candidate/Officeholder: Yes No
Date of Election:
Type of Election (Primary, General, Special or Run-off):
Office Candidate/Officeholder Seeks:
Jurisdiction of Office Sought (City, County, State, Federal):
Office Candidate/Officeholder Currently Holds, if any:
Jurisdiction of Office Candidate/Officeholder Currently Holds (City, County, State, Federal):
If Contribution is to a Political Organization (such as a Political Party or PAC), Provide the Information Below:
Name of Organization:
Type of Organization: Political Party: PAC: Other: (Describe)
Jurisdiction Covered by Organization (City, County, State, Federal):
If Recipient is a Political Party, Are You Entitled to Vote in the Above Jurisdiction: Yes No
Attachment 2
Description of Volunteer Activity/Solicitation or Coordination of Contributions, or
Fundraising
Part I
Name of Beneficiary (Officeholder, Candidate, Campaign, Political Party, Political Organization
Benefiting from Volunteer Activity, or Soliciting or Coordinating Contributions or Fundraising):
Type of Beneficiary (Check One):
Candidate/Officeholder/Campaign
Political
Party
PAC
Other (describe)
Office Candidate Seeks and Jurisdiction, if applicable:
Office Candidate Currently Holds, if any, and Jurisdiction:
Part 2
(1) Describe Nature of Activity:
(2) How Many Hours Do You Expect to Devote to Activity?
(3) Will You Engage In Volunteer Activity During Working Hours?
Yes No
If Yes, how many hours?
(4) Will You Use Company Resources (Such As Office Space, Personnel, Secretary, Equipment, Phones, Copiers or Computer)?
Yes No
If Yes, describe in detail:
(5) Will You Make Expenditures From Personal Funds in Connection With Activity?
Yes No
If Yes, describe in detail:
(Please note that such personal expenditures may be
a political contribution requiring a separate
Pre-Approval request to be submitted on Attachment 1.)
(6) Will Activity Involve Soliciting or Coordinating Contributions, or Fundraising?
Yes No
If Yes, describe in detail:
(7) If Recipient is a Candidate's Campaign, Provide Additional Information Below:
Type of Election ( e.g., Primary, General, Special or Run-off):
Date of Election:
Exhibit J CODE
VIOLATIONS
Name of Reporting Person:
Position:
Date of Report:
Date of Violation |
Violation |
Code § |
Actions Taken |
Review
I hereby certify that I have reviewed the above listed violations:
Chief Compliance Officer:
Exhibit K DISCIPLINARY
ACTIONS
Date
|
|
Name
|
|
Code Violation
|
|
Disciplinary Action
|
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned officer and/or trustee of ETFis Series Trust I (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, hereby appoints William J. Smalley, Matthew B. Brown, Brinton W. Frith and Jeffrey T. Skinner, with full power of substitution, his true and lawful attorney to execute in his name, place and stead and on his behalf any and all amendments to the Trust’s registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as well as any and all registration statements on Form N-14, and to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and any other regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the offer and sale of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust (including, without limitation, regulatory authorities in any and all states in which shares of any series of the Trust are sold), any such amendment or registration statement and any and all supplements thereto or to any prospectus or statement of additional information forming a part of the registration statement, as well as any and all exhibits and other documents necessary or desirable to the amendment or supplement process. Said attorneys, and each of them, shall have full power and authority, with full power of substitution, to do and perform in the name and on behalf of the undersigned every act whatsoever requisite or desirable to be done in the premises in any and all capacities authorized by the Board of Trustees for such persons to provide or perform with respect to the Trust, as fully and to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do, the undersigned hereby ratifying and approving all such acts of such attorneys.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this instrument on this 27th day of August 2013.
/s/Donna Tull | /s/ Robert S. Tull, Jr. |
Witness | Robert S. Tull, Jr., Trustee |
Print Name: Donna Tull |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned officer and/or trustee of ETFis Series Trust I (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, hereby appoints William J. Smalley, Matthew B. Brown, Brinton W. Frith and Jeffrey T. Skinner, with full power of substitution, his true and lawful attorney to execute in his name, place and stead and on his behalf any and all amendments to the Trust’s registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as well as any and all registration statements on Form N-14, and to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and any other regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the offer and sale of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust (including, without limitation, regulatory authorities in any and all states in which shares of any series of the Trust are sold), any such amendment or registration statement and any and all supplements thereto or to any prospectus or statement of additional information forming a part of the registration statement, as well as any and all exhibits and other documents necessary or desirable to the amendment or supplement process. Said attorneys, and each of them, shall have full power and authority, with full power of substitution, to do and perform in the name and on behalf of the undersigned every act whatsoever requisite or desirable to be done in the premises in any and all capacities authorized by the Board of Trustees for such persons to provide or perform with respect to the Trust, as fully and to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do, the undersigned hereby ratifying and approving all such acts of such attorneys.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this instrument on this 27th day of August 2013.
/s/Lori L. May | /s/ James A. Simpson |
Witness | James A. Simpson, Trustee |
Print Name: Lori L. May |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned officer and/or trustee of ETFis Series Trust I (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, hereby appoints William J. Smalley, Matthew B. Brown, Brinton W. Frith and Jeffrey T. Skinner, with full power of substitution, his true and lawful attorney to execute in his name, place and stead and on his behalf any and all amendments to the Trust’s registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as well as any and all registration statements on Form N-14, and to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and any other regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the offer and sale of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust (including, without limitation, regulatory authorities in any and all states in which shares of any series of the Trust are sold), any such amendment or registration statement and any and all supplements thereto or to any prospectus or statement of additional information forming a part of the registration statement, as well as any and all exhibits and other documents necessary or desirable to the amendment or supplement process. Said attorneys, and each of them, shall have full power and authority, with full power of substitution, to do and perform in the name and on behalf of the undersigned every act whatsoever requisite or desirable to be done in the premises in any and all capacities authorized by the Board of Trustees for such persons to provide or perform with respect to the Trust, as fully and to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do, the undersigned hereby ratifying and approving all such acts of such attorneys.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this instrument on this 26th day of September 2014.
/s/ Sheila O’Grady | /s/ Stephen G. O’Grady |
Witness | Stephen G. O’Grady, Trustee |
Print Name: Sheila O’Grady |