STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
May 17, 2019
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) describes the Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF (the “Fund”), a series of the Alpha
Architect ETF Trust (the “Trust”). Shares of the Fund are and will be listed and traded on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc (the “Exchange”). Empowered Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Quasar Distributors,
LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the Distributor for the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are neither guaranteed nor insured by the U.S. Government.
This SAI, dated May 17, 2019 as supplemented from time to time, is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s
Prospectus, dated May 17, 2019 as supplemented from time to time, which incorporates this SAI by reference. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the
Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Distributor, calling (215) 882-9983 or visiting www.alphaarchitect.com/funds.
The following terms are used throughout this SAI, and have the meanings used below:
“
1933 Act
” means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“
1934 Act
” means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“
Authorized Participant
” means a broker-dealer or other participant in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National
Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) or a participant in DTC with access to the DTC system, and who has executed an agreement with the Distributor that governs transactions in the Fund’s Creation Units.
“
Balancing Amount
”
means an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the In-Kind Creation (or Redemption) Basket,
used to ensure that the NAV of a Fund Deposit (or Redemption) (other than the Transaction Fee), is identical to the NAV of the Creation Unit being purchased.
“
Board
” or “
Trustees
” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust.
“
Business Day
”
means any day on which the Trust is open for business.
“
Adviser
” means
Empowered Funds, LLC.
“
Cash Component
”
means an amount of cash consisting of a Balancing Amount calculated in connection with creations.
“
Cash Redemption Amount
”
means an amount of cash consisting of a Balancing Amount calculated in connection with redemptions.
“
Code
” means the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“
Creation Unit
”
means an aggregation of 50,000 Shares that the Fund issues and redeems on a continuous basis at NAV. Shares will not be issued or redeemed except in Creation Units.
“
Distributor
”
means Quasar Distributors, LLC.
“
Dodd-Frank Act
”
means the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
“
DTC
” means the
Depository Trust Company.
“
Exchange
” means
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
“
ETF
” means an
exchange-traded fund.
“
FINRA
” means the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
“
Fund
” means
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF.
“
Fund Deposit
”
means the In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component necessary to purchase a Creation Unit from the fund.
“
Fund Redemption
”
means the In-Kind Redemption Basket and Cash Redemption Amount received in connection with the redemption of a Creation Unit.
“
IIV
” means an
approximate per Share value of the Fund’s portfolio, disseminated every fifteen seconds throughout the trading day by the Exchange through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other information providers, known as the Intraday
Indicative Value.
“
In-Kind Creation Basket
”
means the basket of securities to be deposited to purchase Creation Units of the Fund.
“
In-Kind Redemption
Basket
” means the basket of securities a shareholder will receive upon redemption of a Creation Unit.
“
Investment Company Act
”
means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
“
IRS
”
means the Internal Revenue Service.
“
NAV
” means the
net asset value of the Fund.
“
NSCC
” means the
National Securities Clearing Corporation.
‘‘
NYSE
’’ means
the New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
“
Prospectus
”
means the Fund’s Prospectus, dated May 17, 2019, as amended and supplemented from time to time.
“
SAI
” means
this Statement of Additional Information, dated May 17, 2019, as amended and supplemented from time to time.
“
SEC
” means the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“
Shares
” means
the shares of the Fund.
“
Transaction Fee
”
is a fee that may be imposed
to compensate the Trust or its custodian for costs incurred in connection with transactions for Creation Units. The Transaction Fee, when applicable, is comprised of a flat (or standard) fee and may include a variable fee. For the Transaction
Fees applicable to the Fund, see “Transaction Fees” in this SAI.
“
Trust
” means the
Alpha Architect ETF Trust, a Delaware statutory trust.
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust formed on October 11, 2013. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under
the Investment Company Act. The Fund is a non-diversified ETF
. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek investment
results that, before fees and expenses, track the performance of a rules-based index, as described in the Prospectus.
The offering of the Shares is registered under the 1933 Act.
The Fund offers and issues Shares at NAV only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares, generally in exchange for a basket of
securities
included in its Index
, together with the deposit of a specified cash payment, or, in certain
circumstances, for an all cash payment. Shares of the Fund will be listed and traded on the Exchange. Shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at, or above NAV.
Unlike mutual funds, Shares are not individually redeemable securities. Rather, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at
NAV, only in Creation Units of 50,000 Shares, which amount may be changed from time to time.
In the instance of creations and redemptions, Transaction Fees may be imposed. Such fees are limited in accordance with requirements of the
SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. Some of the information contained in this SAI and the Prospectus — such as information about purchasing and redeeming Shares from the Fund and Transaction Fees —
is not relevant to most retail investors because it applies only to transactions for Creation Units and most retail investors do not transact for Creation Units.
Once created, Shares generally trade in the secondary market, at market prices that change throughout the day, in amounts less than a
Creation Unit. Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market through a brokerage account or with the assistance of a broker may be subject to brokerage commissions and charges.
EXCHANGE
LISTING AND TRADING
Shares of the Fund will be listed and traded on the Exchange. Shares trade on the Exchange or in secondary markets at prices that may
differ from their NAV or IIV, because such prices may be affected by market forces (such as supply and demand for Shares). As is the case of other securities traded on an exchange, when you buy or sell Shares on the Exchange or in the
secondary markets your broker will normally charge you a commission or other transaction charges. Further, the Trust reserves the right to adjust the price of Shares in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors (namely, to
maintain a price per Share that is attractive to investors) by share splits or reverse share splits, which would have no effect on the NAV.
There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of the Fund will continue to be
met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of the Fund from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the
Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the IIV of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on
the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
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 of the Fund 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.
DISCLOSURE
OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio securities. Under the policy,
portfolio holdings of the Fund, which will form the basis for the calculation of NAV on a Business Day, are publicly disseminated prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange that Business Day through financial reporting or news services,
including the website www.alphaarchitect.com/funds. In addition, each Business Day a portfolio composition file, which displays the In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component, is publicly disseminated prior to the opening of the Exchange via
the NSCC.
INTRADAY
INDICATIVE VALUE
The IIV is an approximate per Share value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, which is disseminated every fifteen seconds throughout the
trading day by the Exchange through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or by other information providers. The IIV is based on the current market value of the Fund’s Fund Deposit, including its Cash Component. The IIV does not
necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time. The IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV of the Fund because the approximate value may
not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV. The quotations for certain investments may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the U.S., except such quotations may be updated to reflect currency
fluctuations. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IIV and make no warranty as to the accuracy of the IIV.
INVESTMENT POLICIES
AND RESTRICTIONS
The Trust has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies with respect to the Fund. These restrictions cannot be
changed with respect to the Fund without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of: (1) 67% or
more of the voting securities of the fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the
Fund.
The investment policies enumerated in this section may be changed with respect to the fund only by a vote of the holders of a majority of
the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, except as noted below:
1. The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations
thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
2. The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, the rules and
regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
3. The Fund may not engage in the business of underwriting securities except to the extent that the Fund may be
considered an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act in the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies, or to the extent otherwise permitted under the
Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
4. The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the
rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
5. The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or
other instruments, and provided that this limitation does not prevent the Fund from (i) purchasing or selling securities of companies that purchase or sell commodities or that invest in commodities; (ii) engaging in any transaction involving
currencies, options, forwards, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, swaps, hybrid instruments or other derivatives; or (iii) investing in securities, or transacting in other instruments, that are linked to or secured by physical or
other commodities.
6. The Fund may not make loans, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules and
regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.
7. The Fund will not concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as
that term is used in the Investment Company Act,
except that the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in
securities of the same industry to approximately the same extent that the Fund’s Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries
.
The following notations are not considered to be part of the Fund’s fundamental investment limitation and are subject to change without
shareholder approval. If a percentage limitation is satisfied at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in such percentage resulting from a change in the value of the Fund’s investments will not constitute a violation of such
limitation. Thus, the Fund may continue to hold a security even though it causes the Fund to exceed a percentage limitation because of fluctuation in the value of the Fund’s assets, except that any borrowing by the Fund that exceeds the
fundamental investment limitations stated above must be reduced to meet such limitations within the period required by the Investment Company Act or the relevant rules, regulations or interpretations thereunder, as described below.
With respect to the fundamental investment limitation relating to borrowing set forth in (1) above, pursuant to Section 18(f)(1) of the
Investment Company Act, the Fund may not issue any class of senior security or sell any senior security of which it is the issuer, except that the Fund shall be permitted to borrow from any bank so long as immediately after such borrowings,
there is an asset coverage of at least 300% and that in the event such asset coverage falls below this percentage, the Fund shall reduce the amount of its borrowings, within three days, to an extent that the asset coverage shall be at least
300%. With respect to the fundamental investment limitation relating to lending set forth in (6) above, this means that the Fund may not make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties. This
limitation does not apply to (i) the lending of portfolio securities, (ii) the purchase of debt securities, other debt instruments, loan participations and/or engaging in direct corporate loans in accordance with its investment goals and
policies, and (iii) repurchase agreements to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan. With respect to the fundamental investment limitation relating to concentration set forth in (7) above, the Investment Company
Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of more than 25% of the Fund’s net assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same
industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future.
For purposes of applying the limitation set forth in the concentration policy, the Fund, with respect to its equity holdings, may use the
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes, MSCI Global Industry Classification System, FTSE/Dow Jones Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB) system or any other reasonable
industry classification system (including systems developed by the Adviser) to identify each industry. Securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), tax-free securities of state or municipal governments and
their political subdivisions (and repurchase agreements collateralized by government securities) and securities of other investment companies, whether registered or excluded from registration under Section 3(c) of the Investment Company Act,
are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
The investment objective, principal strategies of, and risks of investing in the Fund are described in the Prospectus. Unless otherwise
indicated in the Prospectus or this SAI, the investment objective and policies of the Fund may be changed without shareholder approval.
Credit Quality Standards
When investing in fixed income securities and, if applicable, preferred or convertible stocks, the Fund maintains the following credit
quality standards, which apply at the time of investment:
For securities that carry a rating assigned by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (a “Rating Organization”), the
Adviser will use the highest rating assigned by the Rating Organization to determine a security’s credit rating. Commercial paper must be rated at least “A-1” or equivalent by a Rating Organization. The Fund may invest in debt and other fixed
income securities that are “investment grade,” as discussed below. For securities that are not rated by a Rating Organization, the Adviser’s internal credit rating will apply and be subject to the equivalent rating minimums described here.
The Fund may also engage in the following investment strategies or techniques (except where indicated otherwise).
Securities Lending
The Fund may make secured loans of its portfolio securities; however, securities loans will not be made if, as a result, the aggregate
amount of all outstanding securities loans by the Fund exceeds 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the market value of collateral received). For purposes of complying with the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions, collateral received
in connection with securities loans is deemed an asset of the Fund to the extent required by law.
To the extent the Fund engages in securities lending, securities loans will be made to broker-dealers that the Adviser believes to be of
relatively high credit standing pursuant to agreements requiring that the loans continuously be collateralized by cash, liquid securities, or shares of other investment companies with a value at least equal to the market value of the loaned
securities. As with other extensions of credit, the Fund bears the risk of delay in the recovery of the securities and of loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. The Fund also bears the risk that the value of
investments made with collateral may decline.
For each loan, the borrower usually must maintain with the Fund’s custodian collateral with an initial market value at least equal to 102%
of the market value of the domestic securities loaned (or 105% of the market value of foreign securities loaned), including any accrued interest thereon. Such collateral will be marked-to-market daily, and if the coverage falls below 100%, the
borrower will be required to deliver additional collateral equal to at least 102% of the market value of the domestic securities loaned (or 105% of the foreign securities loaned).
The Fund retains all or a portion of the interest received on investment of the cash collateral or receives a fee from the borrower. The
Fund also continues to receive any distributions paid on the loaned securities. The Fund seeks to maintain the ability to obtain the right to vote or consent on proxy proposals involving material events affecting securities loaned. However,
the Fund bears the risk of delay in the return of the security, impairing the Fund’s ability to vote on such matters. The Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned within the normal settlement period
for the security involved.
The Adviser will retain lending agents on behalf of the Fund that are compensated based on a percentage of the Fund’s return on its
securities lending. The Fund may also pay various fees in connection with securities loans, including shipping fees and custodian fees.
Preferred Stocks
The Fund may invest in exchange-listed preferred stocks. Preferred stocks include convertible and non-convertible preferred and preference
stocks that are senior to common stock. Preferred stocks are equity securities that are senior to common stock with respect to the right to receive dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from the issuer’s liquidation. Some
preferred stocks also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as holders of the issuer’s common stock, and thus represent an ownership interest in the issuer. Depending on the features of the
particular security, holders of preferred stock may bear the risks disclosed in the Prospectus or this SAI regarding equity or fixed income securities.
Depositary Receipts
The Fund may invest in foreign securities by purchasing depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European
Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). These securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities which they represent. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S.
dollars and are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, GDRs, in bearer form, are issued and designed for use outside the United States and EDRs (also referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts (“CDRs”)), in bearer form, may be
denominated in other currencies and are designed for use in European securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. EDRs are European receipts evidencing
a similar arrangement. GDRs are receipts typically issued by non-United States banks and trust companies that evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are
deemed to have the same classification as the underlying securities they represent. Thus, an ADR, GDR or EDR representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks and broker-dealers. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which securities
are acquired by the Fund from a securities dealer or bank subject to resale at an agreed upon price on a later date. The Fund bears a risk of loss in the event that the other party to a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligations and the
Fund is delayed or prevented from exercising its rights to dispose of the collateral securities. Such a default may subject the Fund to expenses, delays, and risks of loss including: (i) possible declines in the value of the underlying
security while the Fund seeks to enforce its rights, (ii) possible reduced levels of income and lack of access to income during this period, and (iii) the inability to enforce its rights and the expenses involved in attempted enforcement.
Debt and Other Fixed Income Securities Generally
The Fund may invest in debt securities by purchasing the following: obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities;
corporate debt securities; master-demand notes; bank certificates of deposit; time deposits; bankers’ acceptances; commercial paper and other notes; and inflation-indexed securities. The Fund may invest in debt securities that are investment
grade. Investment grade securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities, as well as securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two Rating Organizations
rating that security, such as Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (‘‘Standard & Poor’s’’) or Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (‘‘Moody’s’’), or rated in one of the four highest rating categories by one Rating Organization if it is the
only Rating Organization rating that security or unrated, if deemed to be of comparable quality by the Adviser and traded publicly on the world market. Securities rated Baa and BBB are the lowest that are considered “investment grade”
obligations. Moody’s describes securities rated Baa as “subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.” Standard & Poor’s describes securities rated BBB as
“regarded as having adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.” For
securities rated BBB, Fitch states that “…expectations of default risk are currently low…capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this
capacity.” The Fund, at the discretion of the Adviser, may retain a debt security that has been downgraded below the initial investment criteria.
Debt and other fixed income securities include fixed and floating rate securities of any maturity. Fixed rate securities pay a specified
rate of interest or dividends. Floating rate securities pay a rate that is adjusted periodically by reference to a specified index or market rate. Fixed and floating rate securities include securities issued by federal, state and local
governments and related agencies, and by a wide range of private issuers, and generally are referred to in this SAI as ‘‘fixed income securities.’’ Indexed bonds are a type of fixed income security whose principal value and/or interest rate is
adjusted periodically according to a specified instrument, index or other statistic (
e.g.
, another security, inflation index or currency).
Holders of fixed income securities are exposed to both market and credit risk. Market risk (or ‘‘interest rate risk’’) relates to changes in
a security’s value as a result of changes in interest rates. In general, the values of fixed income securities increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. Credit risk relates to the ability of an issuer to make
payments of principal and interest. Obligations of issuers are subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws that affect the rights and remedies of creditors.
Because interest rates vary, to the extent that the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the future income of the Fund cannot be
predicted with certainty. To the extent that the Fund invests in indexed securities, the future income of the Fund also will be affected by changes in those securities’ indices over time (
e.g.
, changes in inflation rates or currency rates).
Cash Items
The Fund may temporarily invest a portion of its assets in cash or cash items pending other investments or to maintain liquid assets
required in connection with some of the Fund’s investments. These cash items and other high quality debt securities may include money market instruments, such as securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies, bankers’ acceptances,
commercial paper, bank certificates of deposit and investment companies that invest primarily in such instruments.
U.S. Government Securities
U.S. government securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its authorities, agencies or
instrumentalities. Different kinds of U.S. government securities have different kinds of government support. For example, some U.S. government securities (
e.g
., U.S. Treasury bonds) are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Other U.S. government securities are issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or government-chartered or -sponsored enterprises but are neither
guaranteed nor insured by the U.S. government.
It is possible that the availability and the marketability (that is, liquidity) of the securities discussed in this section could be
adversely affected by actions of the U.S. government to tighten the availability of credit.
As with other fixed income securities, U.S. government securities expose their holders to market risk because their values typically change
as interest rates fluctuate. For example, the value of U.S. government securities may fall during times of rising interest rates. Yields on U.S. government securities tend to be lower than those of corporate securities of comparable
maturities.
In addition to investing directly in U.S. government securities, the Fund may purchase certificates of accrual or similar instruments
evidencing undivided ownership interests in interest payments and/or principal payments of U.S. government securities. Certificates of accrual and similar instruments may be more volatile than other government securities.
Foreign Investments
Foreign Market Risk.
Foreign
security investment or exposure involves special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that because there are generally fewer investors
on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of shares traded each day, it may be difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities, or increase or decrease exposures, on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may fluctuate
more than prices of securities traded in the U.S.
Foreign Economy Risk.
The economies
of certain foreign markets often do not compare favorably with that of the U.S. with respect to such issues as growth of gross domestic product, reinvestment of capital, resources, and balance of payments positions. Certain foreign economies
may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade
barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries,
expropriation of assets, or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these
actions could severely affect security prices, impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities, or obtain exposure to them, or transfer the Fund’s assets back into the U.S., or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations.
Other foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts, and political and social
instability. Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the U.S. or other foreign countries. Foreign corporate governance may not be as robust as in the U.S. As
a result, protections for minority investors may not be strong, which could affect security prices.
Currency Risk and Exchange Risk.
Securities in which the Fund invests, or to which it obtains exposure, may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of these securities. Generally, when
the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Similarly when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a
foreign currency, an investment in, or exposure to, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk is generally known as “currency risk,” which is the possibility that a stronger
U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors investing overseas. Foreign currencies also involve the risk that they will be devalued or replaced, adversely affecting the Fund’s investments.
Governmental Supervision and
Regulation/Accounting Standards.
Many foreign governments supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to a lesser extent than the U.S. government. Some countries may not have laws to protect investors the
way that the U.S. securities laws do. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the U.S. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much disclosure or detail as U.S. accounting standards,
it may be harder to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition.
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets
Outside the U.S.
Foreign securities in which the Fund invests, or to which it obtains exposure, are generally held outside the U.S. in foreign banks and securities depositories. The Fund’s custodian is the Fund’s “foreign custody
manager” as provided in Rule 17f-5 under the Investment Company Act. The “foreign custody manager” is responsible for determining that the Fund’s directly-held foreign assets will be subject to reasonable care, based on standards applicable to
custodians in relevant foreign markets. However, certain foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. They may also have operations subject to limited or no regulatory oversight.
Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. In addition, it likely will be more
expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities, or increase or decrease exposures thereto, in certain foreign markets than it is in the U.S. market due to higher brokerage, transaction, custody and/or other costs. The increased expense
of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments.
Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the U.S. Foreign settlement and clearance
procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically involved with the settlement of U.S. investments. Settlements in certain foreign countries at times have not
kept pace with the number of securities transactions. The problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, the Fund may miss attractive
investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, directly or indirectly, it may lose money if the value
of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable to that party for any losses incurred.
Dividends and interest on, and proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities the Fund holds, or has exposure to, may be subject to foreign
withholding or other taxes, and special federal tax considerations may apply.
Corporate Debt Securities
The rate of interest on a corporate debt security may be fixed, floating or variable, and may vary inversely with respect to a reference
rate. Debt securities may be acquired with warrants attached. The Fund may invest in commercial interests, including commercial paper, master notes and other short-term corporate instruments that are denominated in U.S. dollars. Commercial
paper consists of short-term promissory notes issued by corporations. Commercial paper may be traded in the secondary market after its issuance. Master notes are demand notes that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts of money at
varying rates of interest pursuant to arrangements with issuers who meet the quality criteria of the Fund. The interest rate on a master note may fluctuate based upon changes in specified interest rates, be reset periodically according to a
prescribed formula or be a set rate. Although there is no secondary market in master demand notes, if such notes have a demand future, the payee may demand payment of the principal amount of the note upon relatively short notice. Master notes
are generally illiquid and therefore subject to the Fund’s percentage limitations for investments in illiquid securities.
Illiquid Securities
The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. The term “illiquid investments” will have
the same meaning as given in Rule 22e-4 of the 1940 Act. Illiquid investments include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets. On or about June 1, 2019, in
connection with the Liquidity Rules, the term “illiquid security” will be defined as a security that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or
disposition significantly changing the market value of the security. The inability of the Fund to dispose of illiquid or not readily marketable investments readily or at a reasonable price could impair the Fund’s ability to raise cash for
redemptions or other purposes. The liquidity of securities purchased by the Fund, which are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, except for certain 144A bonds, will be monitored by the Fund on an ongoing basis. Factors considered in
determining whether a security is illiquid may include, but are not limited to: the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase and sell the security and the number of potential purchasers; the
number of dealers who undertake to make a market in the security; the nature of the security, including whether it is registered or unregistered, and the market place; whether the security has been rated by a nationally recognized statistical
rating organization (“NRSRO”); the period of time remaining until the maturity of a debt instrument or until the principal amount of a demand instrument can be recovered through demand; the nature of any restrictions on resale; and with respect
to municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, there is reasonable assurance that the obligation will remain liquid throughout the time the obligation is held and, if unrated, an analysis similar to that which would be
performed by an NRSRO is performed. If a restricted security is determined to be liquid, it will not be included within the category of illiquid securities. Investing in Rule 144A securities could have the effect of increasing the level of the
Fund’s illiquidity to the extent that the Fund, at a particular point in time, may be unable to find qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing the securities. The Fund is permitted to sell restricted securities to qualified
institutional buyers. In the event that such a security is deemed to be no longer liquid, the Fund’s holdings will be reviewed to determine what action, if any, is required to ensure that the retention of such security does not result in the
Fund having more than 15% of its net assets invested in illiquid or not readily marketable securities.
Portfolio Turnover
Because the Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF has not yet commenced operations, it does not have a portfolio turnover rate to provide.
Cybersecurity Risk
The Fund, like all companies, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks. Cyber security failures or breaches of the
Fund or its service providers or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact
business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively
impacted as a result.
Trustees and Officers
The business and affairs of the Trust are managed by its officers under the oversight of its Board. The Board sets broad policies for the
Trust and may appoint Trust officers. The Board oversees the performance of the Adviser and the Trust’s other service providers. Each Trustee serves until his or her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified.
The Board is comprised of four Trustees. One Trustee and certain of the officers of the Trust are directors, officers or employees of the
Adviser. The other Trustees (the “Independent Trustees”) are not “interested persons” (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act) of the Trust. The fund complex includes all funds advised by the Adviser (“Fund Complex”).
The Trustees, their age, term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during the past five years, the
number of portfolios in the Fund Complex overseen and other directorships, if any, held by each Trustee, are shown below. The officers, their age, term of office and length of time served and their principal business occupations during the past
five years are shown below. Unless noted otherwise, the address of each Trustee and each Officer is: c/o Alpha Architect ETF Trust, 213 Foxcroft Road, Broomall, PA 19008.
Name,
Address, and
Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
Held with
Trust
|
Term of
Office
and
Length of
Time
Served
|
Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years
|
Number of
Funds in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee
|
Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past 5
Years
|
Independent Trustees
|
Daniel Dorn
Born: 1975
|
Trustee
|
Since 2014
|
Associate Professor of Finance, Drexel University, LeBow College of Business (2003 – present).
|
5
|
None
|
Name,
Address, and
Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
Held with
Trust
|
Term of
Office
and
Length of
Time
Served
|
Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years
|
Number of
Funds in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee
|
Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past 5
Years
|
Michael S. Pagano, Ph.D., CFA
Born: 1962
|
Trustee
|
Since 2014
|
The Robert J. and Mary Ellen Darretta Endowed Chair in Finance, Villanova University (1999 - present); Associate Editor of
The Financial Review
(2009 - present) and Editorial Board Member of Advances in Quantitative Analysis of Finance and Accounting (2010 -
present); Founder, Michael S. Pagano, LLC (business consulting firm) (2008 - present); Member of FINRA’s Market Regulation Committee (2009 - present).
|
5
|
None
|
Chukwuemeka (Emeka) O. Oguh
Born: 1983
|
Trustee
|
Since 2018
|
Co-founder and CEO, PeopleJoy (2016 - present); Co-founder and CEO, Apptempo (2013 - 2015); Head of Product, DataMinr (2011 - 2013);
Fund of Funds analyst, Merrill Lynch (2005 - 2009).
|
5
|
None
|
Interested Trustee*
|
Wesley R. Gray, Ph.D.
Born: 1980
|
Trustee and
President of
the Trust
|
Trustee and
President
since 2014
|
Founder and Executive Managing Member, Empowered Funds, LLC (2013 - present); Founder and Executive Managing Member, Empirical
Finance, LLC d/b/a Alpha Architect (2010 - present).
|
5
|
None
|
*
Dr. Gray is an “interested person,” as defined by the Investment Company Act, because of
his employment with and ownership interest in the Adviser.
Officers
Name, Address,
and Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
Held with
Trust
|
Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
|
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years
|
John Vogel, Ph.D.
Born: 1983
|
Treasurer
|
Since 2014
|
Managing Member, Empowered Funds, LLC (2013 - present); Managing Member, Empirical Finance, LLC d/b/a Alpha Architect (2012 -
present).
|
Patrick R. Cleary
Born: 1982
|
Secretary and
Chief Compliance
Officer
|
Since 2015
|
Chief Operating Officer and Managing Member, Alpha Architect, LLC (2014 – present); Director of Strategy and Corporate Development,
Algeco Scotsman (a multinational leasing company) (2014); Strategy Consultant, Boston Consulting Group (a management consulting firm) (2010 – 2014).
|
Trustee Qualifications
Information on the Trust’s Trustees and Officers appears above including information on the business activities of Trustees during the past
five years. In addition to personal qualities, such as integrity, the role of an effective Trustee inherently requires the ability to comprehend, discuss and critically analyze materials and issues presented in exercising judgments and reaching
informed conclusions relevant to his duties and fiduciary obligations. The Board believes that the specific background of each Trustee evidences such ability and is appropriate to his serving on the Board. As indicated, Dr. Dorn holds an
academic position in the area of finance. Dr. Pagano holds an academic position in the area of finance. Dr. Gray is the Founder and Executive Managing Member of the Adviser and Empirical Finance, LLC d/b/a Alpha Architect. Mr. Oguh is a
financial technology entrepreneur, business executive and former mutual fund / ETF analyst.
Board Structure
Dr. Gray is considered to be an Interested Trustee and serves as Chairman of the Board. The Chairman’s responsibilities include: setting an
agenda for each meeting of the Board; presiding at all meetings of the Board and, if present, meetings of the Independent Trustees; and, serving as a liaison between the other Trustees, Trust officers, management personnel and counsel.
The Board believes that having an interested Chairman, who is familiar with the Adviser and its operations, while also having three-fourths
of the Board composed of Independent Trustees, strikes an appropriate balance that allows the Board to benefit from the insights and perspective of a representative of management while empowering the Independent Trustees with the ultimate
decision-making authority. The Board has not appointed a lead Independent Trustee at this time. The Board does not believe that an independent Chairman or lead Independent Trustee would enhance the Board’s effectiveness, as the relatively small
size of the Board allows for diverse viewpoints to be shared and for effective communications between and among Independent Trustees and management so that meetings proceed efficiently. Independent Trustees have effective control over the
Board’s agenda because they form more than a majority of the Board and can request presentations and agenda topics at Board meetings.
The Board intends to hold four regularly scheduled meetings each year, at least two of which shall be in person. The Board may also hold
special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. The Independent Trustees meet separately at each regularly scheduled in-person meeting of the Board; during a portion of each
such separate meeting management is not present. The Independent Trustees may also hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone.
The Board conducts a self-assessment on an annual basis, as part of which it considers whether the structure of the Board and its Committees
is appropriate under the circumstances. Based on such self-assessment, among other things, the Board will consider whether its current structure is appropriate. As part of this self-assessment, the Board will consider several factors, including
the number of funds overseen by the Board, their investment objectives, and the responsibilities entrusted to the Adviser and other service providers with respect to the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the Fund complex.
The Board sets broad policies for the Trust and may appoint Trust officers. The Board oversees the performance of the Adviser and the
Trust’s other service providers. As part of its oversight function, the Board monitors the Adviser’s risk management, including, as applicable, its management of investment, compliance and operational risks, through the receipt of periodic
reports and presentations. The Board has not established a standing risk committee. Rather, the Board relies on Trust officers, advisory personnel and service providers to manage applicable risks and report exceptions to the Board in order to
enable it to exercise its oversight responsibility. To this end, the Board receives reports from such parties at least quarterly, including, but not limited to, investment and/or performance reports, distribution reports, Rule 12b-1 reports,
valuation reports and internal controls reports. Similarly, the Board receives quarterly reports from the Trust’s chief compliance officer (“CCO”), including, but not limited to, a report on the Trust’s compliance program, and the Independent
Trustees have an opportunity to meet separately each quarter with the CCO. The CCO typically provides the Board with updates regarding the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures, including any enhancements to them. The Board expects all
parties, including, but not limited to, the Adviser, service providers and the CCO, to inform the Board on an intra-quarter basis if a material issue arises that requires the Board’s oversight.
The Board generally exercises its oversight as a whole but has delegated certain oversight functions to an Audit Committee. The function of
the Audit Committee is discussed in detail below.
Committees
The Board currently has two standing committees: an Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee. Each Independent Trustee serves on each of
these committees.
The purposes of the Audit Committee are to: (1) oversee generally the Fund Complex’s accounting and financial reporting policies and
practices, their internal controls and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service providers; (2) oversee the quality, integrity and objectivity of the Fund Complex’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (3)
assist the full Board with its oversight of the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Fund Complex’s accounting and financial reporting, internal controls and independent audits; (4) approve, prior to
appointment, the engagement of the Trust’s independent auditors and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust’s independent auditors; and (5) act as a liaison between the
Trust’s independent auditors and the full Board. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Audit Committee met two times.
The purposes of the Nominating Committee are, among other things, to: (1) identify and recommend for nomination candidates to serve as
Trustees and/or on Board committees who are not “interested persons” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act (“Interested Persons”) of the Trust and who meet any independence requirements of Exchange Rule 5.3(k)(1) or the
applicable rule of any other exchange on which shares of the Trust are listed; (2) evaluate and make recommendations to the full Board regarding potential trustee candidates who are Interested Persons of the Trust; and (3) review periodically
the workload and capabilities of the Trustees and, as the Committee deems appropriate, to make recommendations to the Board if such a review suggests that changes to the size or composition of the Board and/or its committees are warranted. The
Committee will generally not consider potential candidates for nomination identified by shareholders. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Nominating Committee met on an ad hoc basis and the members communicated as needed regarding
potential trustee candidates.
Compensation of Trustees
The Trust’s officers and any interested Trustees receive no compensation directly from the Trust.
The Independent Trustees determine the amount of compensation that they receive. In determining compensation for the Independent Trustees,
the Independent Trustees take into account a variety of factors including, among other things, their collective significant work experience (
e.g
.,
in business and finance, government or academia). The Independent Trustees also recognize that these individuals’ advice and counsel are in demand by other organizations, that these individuals may reject other opportunities because of the time
demands of their duties as Independent Trustees, and that they undertake significant legal responsibilities. The Independent Trustees also consider the compensation paid to independent board members of other registered investment company
complexes of comparable size.
Independent Trustees are paid an annual retainer of $2,000 per Fund for their services, including attendance at meetings of the Board. All
Trustees are reimbursed for their travel expenses and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending Board meetings. In addition, each Independent Trustee is entitled to reimbursement for reasonable travel and
other out-of-pocket expenses up to $3,000 per calendar year for educational resources, including attending educational programs to stay informed about industry and regulatory developments. The Trust does not accrue pension or retirement
benefits as part of the Fund’s expenses, and Trustees are not entitled to benefits upon retirement from the Board.
The table shows the compensation paid to Trustees for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 by the Fund Complex.*
Independent Trustees
|
Compensation
|
Compensation
Deferred
|
Total Compensation from the Fund
Complex Paid to Trustee
|
Emeka O. Oguh
|
$7,500
|
$0
|
$7,500
|
Daniel Dorn
|
$8,500
|
$0
|
$8,500
|
Michael S. Pagano
|
$8,500
|
$0
|
$8,500
|
Interested Trustee
|
|
|
|
Wesley R. Gray
**
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
*
The Adviser, and not the Fund, is responsible for compensating the Trustees.
**
Dr. Gray is an “interested person,” as defined by the Investment Company Act, because of his employment
with and ownership interest in the Adviser.
Equity Ownership of Trustees
The following table sets forth the name and dollar range of equity securities of the Fund owned by Trustees as of December 31, 2018 (the
Fund had not yet commenced operations).
|
Dollar Range of Equity Securities Owned
|
Freedom 100 Emerging
Markets ETF
|
Aggregate Dollar Range of Shares
(All Funds in the Complex)
|
Independent Trustees
|
|
Emeka O. Oguh
|
None
|
$1-$10,000
|
Daniel Dorn
|
None
|
$10,001 - $50,000
|
Michael S. Pagano
|
None
|
over $100,000
|
Interested Trustee
|
|
Wesley R. Gray
|
None
|
over $100,000
|
As of December 31, 2018, the Fund had not commenced operations. As a result, none of the Independent Trustees or their immediate family
members beneficially owned any securities in any investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust, or in any person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control
with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust.
Codes of Ethics
The Board, on behalf of the Trust, has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. In addition, the
Adviser has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1. These Codes of Ethics (each a “Code of Ethics” and together the “Codes of Ethics”) apply to the personal investing activities of trustees, directors, officers and certain employees
(“access persons”). Rule 17j-1 and the Codes of Ethics are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by access persons. Under each Code of Ethics, access persons are permitted to engage in
personal securities transactions, but are required to report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. In addition, certain access persons are required to obtain approval before investing in private placements and are
prohibited from investing in initial public offerings (“IPOs”). Copies of the Codes of Ethics are on file with the SEC, and are available to the public.
Proxy Voting
The Board has delegated to the Adviser the responsibility to vote proxies related to the securities held in the Fund’s portfolios. Under
this authority, the Adviser is required by the Board to vote proxies related to portfolio securities in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders.
The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which are included in
Appendix A
to this SAI. The Board will periodically review the fund’s proxy voting record.
The Trust will annually disclose its complete
proxy voting record for the year ended June 30 on Form N-PX. The Trust’s most
recent Form N-PX is available without charge, upon request, by calling (215) 882-9983. The Trust’s Form N-PX also is available on the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov.
CONTROL
PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
The Adviser owns all of the initial Shares issued by the Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF prior to the commencement of investment
operations and the public launch of the Fund. No other person owns of record or is known by the Fund to own beneficially 5% or more of the Fund’s outstanding equity securities.
Management ownership
The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.
INVESTMENT
MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICES
Investment Advisory Agreement
Under an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Adviser (the “Advisory Agreement”), the Fund pays
the Adviser a fee at an annualized rate, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, based on its average daily net assets, set forth in the table below:
Fund
|
|
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF
|
0.49%
|
The Adviser manages the investment and the reinvestment of the assets of the Fund, in accordance with the investment objectives, policies
and limitations of the Fund, subject to the general supervision and control of the Board. The Adviser is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and is a limited liability company organized under
the laws of Pennsylvania. The address of the Adviser is 213 Foxcroft Road, Broomall, PA 19008. The Adviser is owned by Alpha Architect LLC. The Adviser was founded in October 2013 and provides investment advisory services to registered
investment companies.
Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser bears all of the costs of the Fund, except for the advisory fee, payments under the Fund’s Rule
12b-1 Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”), brokerage expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest (including borrowing costs), litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses (including litigation to
which the Trust or the fund may be a party and indemnification of the Trustees and officers with respect thereto).
The Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund will remain in effect for an initial term of two years, and thereafter for as long as its
continuance is specifically approved at least annually, by (1) the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the shareholders of the Fund, and (2) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement
or Interested Persons of any person thereto, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement for the Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty,
by the Board or, with respect to the Fund, by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, on 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser, and by the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice, and that it shall be automatically terminated if it is
assigned.
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF has not commenced operations as if the date of this SAI and therefore does not have any advisory fee
information to report as of the date of this SAI.
Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association (the “Custodian”), located at 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212, serves as the
Custodian of the Fund’s assets.
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 and (3) 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. As compensation for these services, the Custodian receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from its fees.
Administrator, Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, (the “Administrator” or “Transfer Agent”), located at 615
East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202, serves as Administrator and Fund Accountant to the Fund. The Administrator provides the Fund with all required general administrative services, including, without limitation, clerical and general back
office services; bookkeeping, internal accounting and secretarial services; the calculation of NAV; and the preparation and filing of all reports, updates to registration statements, and all other materials required to be filed or furnished by
the Fund under federal and state securities laws. As compensation for these services, the Administrator receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from its
fees.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC also serves as the Transfer Agent of the Fund’s assets. The Transfer Agent has agreed to: (1) issue and
redeem shares of the Fund in Creation Units, (2) make dividend and other distributions to shareholders of the Fund, (3) maintain shareholder accounts and (4) make periodic reports to the Fund. As compensation for these services, the Transfer
Agent receives certain out-of-pocket costs and transaction fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from its fees.
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore does not have any servicing fees
information to report as of the date of this SAI.
Calculation Agent
The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed by the Life + Liberty Investments, LLC and licensed to Empowered Funds, LLC, the
Fund’s investment adviser. The Adviser has retained an unaffiliated third party, Solactive, AG (“Calculation Agent”), to calculate the Index. The Calculation Agent, using the applicable rules-based methodology, will calculate, maintain and
disseminate the Index on a daily basis.
The Index Personnel will monitor the results produced by the Calculation Agent to help ensure that the Index is being calculated in
accordance with the applicable rules-based methodology.
The following table shows the number of other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and the reporting information is provided as of
December 31, 2018:
Type of Accounts
|
Total
Number of
Accounts
|
Total Assets
of Accounts
(millions)
|
Total Number of
Accounts with
Performance Based
Fees
|
Total Assets of
Accounts with
Performance Based
Fees (millions)
|
Registered Investment Companies
|
0
|
$0
|
0
|
$0
|
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
1
|
$7.317M
|
1
|
$7.317M
|
Other Accounts
|
254
|
$518.77M
|
1
|
$8.645M
|
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI, so the Portfolio Manager did not have any equity ownership in the Fund as
of December 31, 2018.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
The portfolio manager’s management of “other accounts” may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with their management
of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts may have the same investment objective as the Fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the
identical investment objectives, whereby the portfolio manager could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include the portfolio manager’s knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades,
whereby a portfolio manager could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Fund.
The portfolio
manager manages accounts that are charged a performance-based fee, and consequently, has a financial incentive to favor the account with a performance-based fee because the Adviser (and its employees and supervised persons) may have an
opportunity to earn greater fees on such account as compared to the Fund. Thus, the portfolio manager has an incentive to direct their best investment ideas to the client account that pays performance-based fees, and to allocate, aggregate,
or sequence trades in favor of such account. The portfolio manager also has an incentive to give the account with performance-based fees better execution and better brokerage commissions.
However, the Adviser has established policies
and procedures to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all accounts it manages are fairly and equitably allocated. There can be no assurance that these policies and procedures will be effective, however.
Compensation
The portfolio manager owns an equity interest in the parent company of the Adviser and his compensation is determined by the advisory fee
revenue generated by the Adviser’s and its parent’s assets under management. An affiliate of the Adviser, Advanced Alpha Architect LP, is a hedge fund that includes a performance fee as part of the compensation payable to the Adviser, and
subsequently, its parent company.
PORTFOLIO
TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Brokerage Transactions
Depending on prevailing market conditions, portfolio changes will generally be implemented through in-kind transactions (including a Cash
Component or Cash Redemption Amount as applicable) for Creation Units or through cash-only transactions for Creation Units. In connection with an in-kind component, the Adviser may nonetheless execute brokerage transactions for the Fund and the
Fund may incur brokerage commissions, particularly during the early stages of the Fund’s development or in the case of transactions involving realized losses. In connection with the cash component (or with an all cash transaction), the Adviser
will execute brokerage transactions for the Fund in connection with portfolio changes. Generally, equity securities are bought and sold through brokerage transactions for which commissions are payable. Purchases from underwriters will include
the underwriting commission or concession, and purchases from dealers serving as market makers will include a dealer’s mark-up or reflect a dealer’s mark-down. Money market securities and other debt securities are usually bought and sold
directly from the issuer or an underwriter or market maker for the securities. Generally, the Fund will not pay brokerage commissions for such purchases. When a debt security is bought from an underwriter, the purchase price will usually
include an underwriting commission or concession. The purchase price for securities bought from dealers serving as market makers will similarly include the dealer’s mark-up or reflect a dealer’s mark-down. When the Fund executes transactions in
the over-the-counter market, it will generally deal with primary market makers unless prices that are more favorable are otherwise obtainable.
In addition, the Adviser may place a combined order, often referred to as “bunching,” for two or more accounts it manages, including the
Fund, engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security or other instrument if, in its judgment, joint execution is in the best interest of each participant and will result in best price and execution. Transactions involving commingled
orders are allocated in a manner deemed equitable to each account or Fund. Although it is recognized that, in some cases, the joint execution of orders could adversely affect the price or volume of the security that a particular account or the
Fund may obtain, it is the opinion of the Adviser and the Board that the advantages of combined orders outweigh the possible disadvantages of separate transactions. In addition, in some instances the Fund effecting the larger portion of a
combined order may not benefit to the same extent as participants effecting smaller portions of the combined order. Nonetheless, the Adviser believes that the ability of the Fund to participate in higher volume transactions will generally be
beneficial to the Fund.
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF has not commenced operations as if the date of this SAI and therefore does not have any brokerage
commission information to report as of the date of this SAI.
Brokerage Selection
The Trust does not expect to use one particular broker-dealer to effect the Trust’s portfolio transactions. When one or more broker-dealers
is believed capable of providing the best combination of price and execution, the Adviser may not select a broker-dealer based on the lowest commission rate available for a particular transaction. The Adviser does not currently use soft
dollars.
Brokerage with Fund Affiliates
Although not expected, the Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Fund,
the Adviser or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the Investment Company Act, the 1934 Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. Under the Investment Company Act and the 1934 Act, affiliated broker-dealers are permitted to receive
and retain compensation for effecting portfolio transactions for the Fund on an exchange if a written contract is in effect between the affiliate and the Fund expressly permitting the affiliate to receive and retain such compensation. These
rules further require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund for exchange transactions not exceed
“
usual and customary”
brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts that are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with
comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.” The Board, including those who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, has adopted procedures for
evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and reviews these procedures periodically.
Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers”
The Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers” (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act)
that the Fund may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers and dealers” of the Trust are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage
commissions from the Trust’s portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Trust; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Trust’s shares.
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF has not commenced operations as if the date of this SAI and therefore does not have any regular broker
dealer information to report as of the date of this SAI.
Quasar Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), located at 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, 6
th
Floor, Milwaukee, WI 53202, serves as the Distributor for the Fund.
Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described below under
“Transactions in Creation Units.” Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor also acts as 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 is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA. 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 has adopted the Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. In accordance with its Plan, the Fund is authorized
to pay an amount of 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities. The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of the Fund’s method of distribution. No fees are currently paid by the
Fund under the Plan. In the event such fees were to be charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in the Fund because they would be paid on an ongoing basis. If fees were charged under each Plan, the Trustees would receive
and review at the end of each 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 Plan will remain in effect for a period of one year and is renewable from year to year with respect to the Fund, so long as its
continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees, and (2) by a vote of the majority of those Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan (the “Rule 12b-1 Trustees”),
cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of fees paid by the Fund unless such amendment is approved by an Investment Company Act majority vote
of the outstanding shares and by the Fund Trustees in the manner described above. The Plan is terminable with respect to the Fund at any time by a vote of a majority of the Rule 12b‑1 Trustees or by an Investment Company Act majority vote of
the outstanding shares.
ACCOUNTING
AND LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Spicer Jeffries LLP, 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80237 serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm.
Legal Counsel
Pellegrino, LLC, 303 West Lancaster Avenue, Suite 302, Wayne, PA 19087, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION CONCERNING SHARES
Organization and Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust and registered open-end investment company. The Trust was organized on October 11, 2013 and has
authorized capital of an unlimited number of Shares of beneficial interest of no par value that may be issued in more than one class or series. Currently, the Trust consists of six series. The Board may designate additional series and classify
Shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series.
Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders if the Investment Company Act does not require such
a meeting, which it does not. Generally, there will not be annual meetings of Trust shareholders, but if requested in writing by shareholders of at least 25% of the outstanding Shares of the Trust, the Trust will call a meeting of shareholders.
Shareholders holding two-thirds of Shares outstanding of the relevant Fund may remove Trustees from office by votes cast at a meeting of Trust shareholders or by written consent.
All Shares are freely transferable. 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. The Trust’s Agreement and 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 Fund may be individually redeemable. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the stock prices of Shares to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any
such adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits that would have no effect on the NAV of the Fund.
The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust disclaims liability of the shareholders or the officers of the Trust for acts or obligations
of the Trust that are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of the Fund’s property for all loss and expense of the Fund’s shareholders being held personally
liable solely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason. The risk of a Trust shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is
limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself would not be able to meet the Trust’s obligations and this risk should be considered remote.
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, shareholders
may be required to liquidate or transfer their Shares at an inopportune time and shareholders may lose money on their investment.
Book Entry Only System
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Book Entry.”
DTC acts as Securities Depository for Shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee
and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the
clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities
certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a
number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, NYSE Amex Equities 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 and sale 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 shall inquire of each such DTC
Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such
form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the
Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon
receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit 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 of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on
account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants
or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue 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 shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Transactions In Creation Units
The Fund sells and redeems Shares in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next
determined after receipt of an order in proper form on any Business Day.
As of the date of this SAI, the Exchange observes the following holidays: New
Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
The Fund will not issue fractional Creation Units.
A Creation Unit is an aggregation of 50,000 Shares. The Board may declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares
outstanding of the Fund or Trust, and make a corresponding change in the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.
To purchase or redeem any Creation Units from the Fund, you must be, or transact through, an Authorized Participant. In order to be an
Authorized Participant, you must be either a broker-dealer or other participant (“Participating Party”) in the Continuous Net Settlement System (“Clearing Process”) of the NSCC or a participant in DTC with access to the DTC system (“DTC
Participant”), and you must execute an agreement (“Participant Agreement”) with the Distributor that governs transactions in the Fund’s Creation Units.
Transactions by an Authorized Participant that is a Participating Party using the NSCC system are referred to as transactions “through the
Clearing Process.” Transactions by an Authorized Participant that is a DTC Participant using the DTC system are referred to as transactions “outside the Clearing Process.”
Investors who are not Authorized Participants but want to transact in Creation Units may contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized
Participants.
An Authorized Participant may require investors to enter into a separate agreement to transact through it for Creation Units and may
require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in a particular form.
Investors should be aware that their broker may not be an Authorized Participant and, therefore, may need to place any order to purchase or redeem
Creation Units through another broker or person that is an Authorized Participant, which may result in additional charges.
There are expected to be a
limited number of Authorized Participants at any one time.
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. Market disruptions and telephone or other communication failures may impede the transmission of orders.
Purchasing Creation Units
Fund Deposit
. The consideration for a
Creation Unit of the Fund is the Fund Deposit. The Fund Deposit will consist of the In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component, or an all cash payment (“Cash Value”), as determined by the Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund.
The Cash Component will typically include a “Balancing Amount” reflecting the difference, if any, between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the
market value of the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket. If the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket, the purchaser pays the Balancing Amount to the Fund. By contrast, if the NAV
per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket, the Fund pays the Balancing Amount to the purchaser. The Balancing Amount ensures that the consideration paid by an investor for a Creation Unit
is exactly equal to the value of the Creation Unit.
The Transfer Agent, in a portfolio composition file sent via the NSCC, generally makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to
the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), a list of the names and the required number of shares of each security in the In-Kind Creation Basket to be included in the current Fund Deposit for the Fund (based on
information about the Fund’s portfolio at the end of the previous Business Day) (subject to amendment or correction). If applicable, the Transfer Agent, through the NSCC, also makes available on each Business Day, the estimated Cash Component
or Cash Value, effective through and including the previous Business Day, per Creation Unit.
The announced Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, for purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until
such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available. From day to day, the composition of the In-Kind Creation Basket may change as, among other things, corporate actions and investment decisions by the Adviser are implemented for the
Fund’s portfolio. All questions as to the composition of the In-Kind Creation Basket and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities shall be determined by the Fund, and the Fund’s determination shall be final
and binding. The Fund reserves the right to accept a nonconforming (
i.e
., custom) Fund Deposit.
Payment of any stamp duty or the like shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing a Creation Unit. The
Authorized Participant must ensure that all Deposit Securities properly denote change in beneficial ownership.
Cash in lieu.
The Fund may, in its
sole discretion, permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (“cash in lieu”) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any security in the In-Kind Creation Basket. The Fund may permit or require cash in lieu when, for example,
the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process. Similarly, the Fund may permit or require cash in
lieu when, for example, the Authorized Participant or its underlying investor is restricted under U.S. or local securities law or policies from transacting in one or more securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket. The Fund will comply with the
federal securities laws in accepting securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket, including the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket that are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. All orders
involving cash in lieu are considered to be “custom orders.”
Order Cut-Off Time
.
For an order involving a Creation Unit to be effectuated at the Fund’s NAV on a particular day, it must be received by the Distributor by or
before the deadline for such order (“Order Cut-Off Time”). The Order Cut-Off time for orders to purchase Creation Units for the Fund on the next Business Day must be submitted as a “Future Dated Trade” between 4:30 p.m. Eastern time and 5:30
p.m. Eastern time on the prior Business Day (“T-1”). The Business Day following the day on which such an order is submitted to purchase Creation Units of the Fund is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”
Custom orders typically clear outside the Clearing Process and, therefore, like other orders outside the Clearing Process, may need to be
transmitted early on the relevant Business Day to be effectuated at that day’s NAV. A custom order may be placed when, for example, an Authorized Participant cannot transact in a security in the In-Kind Creation or Redemption Basket and
additional cash is included in the Fund Deposit or Fund Redemption in lieu of such security. Custom orders may be required to be received by the Distributor by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time to be effectuated based on the Fund’s NAV on that Business
Day.
In all cases, cash and securities should be transferred to the Fund by the “Settlement Date,” which, unless extended as noted below, is
generally the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The Settlement Date may be extended to two Business Days following the Transmittal Date if deemed to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders by the
Advisor. Persons placing custom orders or orders involving Cash Value should be aware of time deadlines imposed by intermediaries, such as DTC and/or the Federal Reserve Bank wire system, which may delay the delivery of cash and securities by
the Settlement Date.
Placement of Creation Orders
. All
purchase orders must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. To order a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable purchase order to the Distributor. In-kind (portions of) purchase orders will be processed
through the Clearing Process when it is available. The Clearing Process is an enhanced clearing process that is available only for certain securities and only to DTC Participants that are also participants in the Clearing Process of the NSCC.
In-kind (portions of) purchase orders not subject to the Clearing Process will go through a manual clearing process run by DTC. Fund Deposits that include government securities must be delivered through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer
system (“Federal Reserve System”). Fund Deposits that include cash may be delivered through the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System. Certain orders for the Fund may be made outside the Clearing Process. In-kind deposits of securities
for such orders must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for government securities) or through DTC (for corporate securities).
Orders Using Clearing Process
. In
connection with creation orders made through the Clearing Process, the Distributor transmits, on behalf of the Authorized Participant, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions,
the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the requisite Fund Deposit 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 Business Day the order is placed (“Transmittal Date”) if (i) such order is received by the Distributor by the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant
Agreement are properly followed. Cash Components will be delivered using either the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System, as described below.
Orders Outside Clearing Process
. Fund
Deposits made outside the Clearing Process 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.
With respect to such orders, the 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 securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket (whether
standard or custom) through DTC to the relevant Trust account by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time (the “DTC Cut-Off Time”) on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component, along with any
cash in lieu and Transaction Fee, must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than 12:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the
Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The delivery of corporate securities through DTC must occur by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The delivery of government
securities through the Federal Reserve System must occur by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following the 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 by the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the Custodian does not receive both the required In-Kind Creation
Basket by the DTC Cut-Off Time and the Cash Component and applicable Transaction Fee by the appointed time, such order may be canceled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, a canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using
the fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then-current In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component. Except as provided in Appendix B, the delivery of Creation Units so created will generally occur no later than the second Business Day
following the day on which the order is deemed received by the Distributor. The Settlement Date may be extended to two Business Days following the Transmittal Date if deemed to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders by the
Advisor. Authorized Participants that submit a canceled order will be liable to the Fund for any losses resulting therefrom.
Orders involving foreign securities are expected to be settled outside the Clearing Process. Thus, upon receipt of an irrevocable purchase
order, the Distributor will notify the Adviser and the Custodian of such order. The Custodian, who will have caused the appropriate local sub-custodian(s) of the Fund to maintain an account into which an Authorized Participant may deliver the
Fund Deposit (or cash in lieu), with adjustments determined by the Fund, will then provide information of the order to such local sub-custodian(s). The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the Settlement, by means
satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds in U.S. dollars estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component and Transaction Fee.
While, as stated above, Creation Units are generally delivered the following Business Day, and generally no later than the second Business
Day) following the day on which the order is deemed received by the Distributor, except as discussed in Appendix B, the Fund may settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than the one described above in order to accommodate foreign
market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable
on the security), and in certain other circumstances.
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: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares, would own 80% or more of the
currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (iii) the securities delivered do not conform to the In-Kind Creation Basket for the relevant date; (iv) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would have adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of
the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust, the Fund or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust, the Fund or the rights of
beneficial owners; or (vii) in the event that circumstances that are outside the control of the Trust, Custodian, Distributor and Adviser make it practically impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of
God; public service or utility problems resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; fires, floods or extreme weather conditions; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other
information systems affecting the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Custodian or sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process; and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify an Authorized
Participant of its rejection of the order. The Fund, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits, and they shall not
incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit
. Once the
Fund has accepted a creation order, upon next determination of the Fund’s NAV, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor will transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the
Authorized Participant that placed the order.
Except as provided below, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the Fund obtains good title to the Kind-Creation Basket securities and
the Cash Component, along with any cash in lieu and Transaction Fee. Except as provided in
Appendix B
, the delivery of Creation Units will generally
occur no later than the second Business Day following the Transmittal Date for securities.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust
reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
With respect to orders involving foreign securities, when the applicable local sub-custodian(s) has confirmed to the Custodian that the
In-Kind Creation Basket (or cash in lieu) has been delivered to the Fund’s account at the applicable sub-custodian(s), the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the
Creation Unit.
Creation Units may be created in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable In-Kind Creation Basket, provided the
purchaser tenders an initial deposit consisting of any available securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket and cash equal to the sum of the Cash Component and at least 105% of the market value, as adjusted from time to time by the Adviser, of
the In-Kind Creation Basket securities not delivered (“Additional Cash Deposit”). Such initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the Creation Unit on the date the order is placed. The order shall be deemed to be received on the
Transmittal Date provided that it is placed in proper form prior to 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, on such date, and federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the Custodian by the DTC Cut-Off Time the following Business Day. If the
order is not placed in proper form by 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by the DTC Cut-Off Time the next Business Day, then the order will be canceled or deemed unreceived and the Authorized
Participant effectuating such transaction will be liable to the Fund for any losses resulting therefrom.
To the extent securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket remain undelivered, pending delivery of such securities additional cash will be
required to be deposited with the Trust as necessary to maintain an Additional Cash Deposit equal to at least 105% (as adjusted by the Adviser) of the daily marked-to-market value of the missing securities. To the extent that either such
securities are still not received by 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor or a marked-to-market payment is not made within one Business Day
following notification to the purchaser and/or Authorized Participant that such a payment is required, the Trust may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing securities, and the Authorized Participant effectuating such transaction will
be liable to the Fund for any costs incurred therein or losses resulting therefrom, including any Transaction Fee, any amount by which the actual purchase price of the missing securities exceeds the Additional Cash Deposit or the market value
of such securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor, as well as brokerage and related transaction costs. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing
securities have been received by the Trust. The delivery of Creation Units so created will generally occur no later than the second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.
Transaction Fees
Authorized Participants may be required to pay a Transaction Fee as set forth in the table below to compensate the Trust or its custodian
for costs incurred in connection with creation and redemption transactions (“Transaction Costs”):
Fund
|
Standard Transaction Fee
|
Variable Charge
|
|
|
|
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF
|
$1,750*
|
Up to 2.00 %
|
____________________
*
The Transaction Fee may be higher for transactions outside the Clearing Process. In addition, one half of
the Transaction Fee may be waived in conjunction with rebalancing transactions.
The Standard Transaction Fee, which is payable to the Trust’s custodian, typically applies to in-kind purchases of the Fund effected through
the Clearing Process on any Business Day, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased or redeemed that day (assuming, in the case of multiple orders on the same day, that the orders are received at or near the same time). A Transaction
Fee of up to four times the standard fee may apply to creation and redemption transactions that occur outside the Clearing Process. As shown in the table above, certain Fund Deposits consisting of cash-in-lieu or Cash Value may be subject to a
variable charge, which is payable to the Fund, of up to 2.00% of the value of the order in addition to the standard Transaction Fee. The Standard Transaction Fee may be waived on certain orders if the Trust’s custodian has determined to waive
the Transaction Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee. The Fund may determine to waive the variable charge on certain orders when such waiver is determined to be in the best interests
of Fund shareholders, e.g., for cash creation orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Fund’s portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order.
The Fund may adjust the Transaction Fee from time to time. The Standard Transaction Fee is based, in part, on the number of holdings in the
Fund’s portfolio and may be adjusted on a quarterly basis if the number of holdings change. Investors will also be responsible for the costs associated with transferring the securities in the In-Kind Creation (and Redemption) Baskets to (and
from) the account of the Trust. Further, investors who, directly or indirectly, use the services of a broker or other intermediary to compose a Creation Unit in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a transaction in Creation Units may
be charged an additional fee by such intermediary for such services.
Cash Purchase Method
. When cash
purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases. In the case of a cash purchase, the investor must pay the cash equivalent of the Fund Deposit. In
addition, cash purchases may be subject to Transaction Fees as described above.
Redeeming Creation Units
Fund Redemptions
. Fund Shares may be
redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of the
In-Kind Redemption Basket and a Cash Redemption Amount, or an all cash payment (“Cash Value”), in all instances equal to the value of a Creation Unit.
There can be no assurance that there will be sufficient liquidity in Shares in the secondary market to permit assembly of a Creation Unit.
In addition, investors may incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a Creation Unit.
The Cash Redemption Amount will typically include a Balancing Amount, reflecting the difference, if any, between the NAV of a Creation Unit
and the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket. If the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket, the Fund pays the Balancing Amount to the redeeming investor. By
contrast, if the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket, the redeeming investor pays the Balancing Amount to the Fund.
The composition of the In-Kind Creation Basket will normally be the same as the composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket. Otherwise, the
In-Kind Redemption Basket will be made available by the Adviser or Transfer Agent. The Fund reserves the right to accept a nonconforming (
i.e
.,
custom) Fund Redemption.
In lieu of an In-Kind Redemption Basket and Cash Redemption Amount, Creation Units may be redeemed consisting solely of cash in an amount
equal to the NAV of a Creation Unit, which amount is referred to as the Cash Value. Such redemptions for the Fund may be subject to a variable charge, as explained above. If applicable, information about the Cash Value will be made available by
the Adviser or Transfer Agent.
From day to day, the composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket may change as, among other things, corporate actions are implemented for
the fund’s portfolio. All questions as to the composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities shall be determined by the Fund, and the Fund’s determination shall be
final and binding.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed: (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than
customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares or determination of the
Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as permitted by the SEC, including as described below.
Cash in lieu.
The Fund may, in its
sole discretion, permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (“cash in lieu”) to be added to the Cash Redemption Amount to replace any security in the In-Kind Redemption Basket. The Fund may permit or require cash in lieu when, for
example, the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process. Similarly, the Fund may permit or require
cash in lieu when, for example, the Authorized Participant or its underlying investor is restricted under U.S. or local securities law or policies from transacting in one or more securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket. The Fund will comply
with the federal securities laws in satisfying redemptions with the applicable In-Kind Redemption Basket, including the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket that are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the
1933 Act. All redemption orders involving cash in lieu are considered to be “custom redemptions.”
Placement of Redemption Orders
.
Redemptions must be placed to the Transfer Agent through the Distributor. In addition, redemption orders must be processed either through the DTC process or the Clearing Process. To redeem a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit
an irrevocable redemption order to the Distributor.
An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption order is deemed to represent to the Fund that it or, if applicable, the investor on whose
behalf it is acting, (i) owns outright or has full legal authority and legal beneficial right to tender for redemption the Creation Unit to be redeemed and can receive the entire proceeds of the redemption, and (ii) all of the Shares in the
Creation Unit to be redeemed have not been borrowed, loaned or pledged to another party nor are they the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or such other arrangement which would preclude the delivery of such Shares
to the Fund. The Fund reserves the absolute right, in its sole discretion, to verify these representations, but will typically require verification in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If
the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification report, does not provide sufficient verification of the requested representations, the redemption order will not be considered to be in proper form and may be rejected by the Fund.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust
reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
Placement of Redemption Orders Using
Clearing Process
. Orders to redeem Creation Units through the Clearing Process are deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than the Order Cut-Off Time on such
Transmittal Date, and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Orders deemed received will be effectuated 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 Trust after the Order Cut-Off Time will be deemed received on the next Business Day and will be effected at the NAV next determined on such next Business Day. In connection with such
orders, the Distributor transmits on behalf of the Authorized Participant such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the redemption. Pursuant to such trade instructions, the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the requisite
Creation Unit(s) to the Fund, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. Cash Redemption Amounts will be delivered using either the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System. The applicable In-Kind
Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount will be transferred to the investor by the second NSCC 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 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. Such orders are deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than the Order Cut-Off Time on the Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied
or followed by the delivery of both (a) the Creation Unit(s), which delivery must be made through DTC to the Custodian no later than the DTC Cut-Off Time on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date and (b) the Cash Redemption
Amount by 12:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. After the Trust has deemed such an order received,
the Trust will initiate procedures to transfer, and expect to deliver, the requisite In-Kind Redemption Basket and/or any Cash Redemption Amount owed to the redeeming party by the second Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such
redemption order is deemed received by the Trust.
Orders involving foreign securities are expected to be settled outside the Clearing Process. Thus, upon receipt of an irrevocable redemption
order, the Distributor will notify the Adviser and the Custodian. The Custodian will then provide information of the redemption to the Fund’s local sub-custodian(s). The redeeming Authorized Participant, or the investor on whose behalf it is
acting, will have established appropriate arrangements with a broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which the securities are customarily traded and to which such securities (and any cash in lieu) can be delivered
from the Fund’s accounts at the applicable local sub-custodian(s).
The calculation of the value of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received upon redemption will
be made by the Custodian computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to the Transfer Agent by a DTC Participant or an Authorized
Participant with the ability to transact through the Federal Reserve System, as applicable, not later than 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 In-Kind Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received will be determined by the Custodian on such Transmittal Date. If, however, either: (i) the requisite number of Shares of the
Fund are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time, as described above, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the
In-Kind Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received will be computed on the Business Day following the Transmittal Date provided that the Fund Shares of the Fund are delivered through DTC to the Custodian by
11:00 a.m., Eastern time, the following Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its
option to redeem 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 that 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 Transaction Fee, including a variable
charge, if applicable, as described above).
The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from
the exact composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket, or cash in lieu of some securities added to the Cash Component, but in no event will the total value of the securities delivered and the cash transmitted differ from the NAV. Redemptions
of Fund Shares for the In-Kind Redemption Basket will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (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 securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket under such laws. An
Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the In-Kind Redemption Basket applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit 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.
Delivery of Redemption Basket
. Once
the Fund has accepted a redemption order, upon next determination of the Fund’s NAV, the Fund will confirm the issuance of an In-Kind Redemption Basket, against receipt of the Creation Unit(s) at such NAV, any cash in lieu and Transaction Fee,
if applicable. A Creation Unit tendered for redemption and the payment of the Cash Redemption Amount, any cash in lieu and Transaction Fee, if applicable, will be effected through DTC. The Authorized Participant, or the investor on whose behalf
it is acting, will be recorded on the book-entry system of DTC.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust
reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
Cash Redemption Method
. When cash
redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions. In the case of a cash redemption, the investor will receive the cash equivalent of the In-Kind
Redemption Basket minus any Transaction Fees, if applicable.
Settlement of Foreign Securities and Regular Foreign Holidays
The Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis of the Transmittal Date (“T”) plus two
Business Days (
i.e.
, days on which the national securities exchange is open) (“T+2”). The Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and
portfolio securities on a basis other than T+2 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. Given that foreign securities settle in accordance with the normal rules of settlement of such securities in the applicable foreign market, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, the Settlement Date may be up to 14
calendar days after the Transmittal Date in certain circumstances.
The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within two 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. In such cases, the local
market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods. 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. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within
normal settlement periods. 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.
Because the Fund’s portfolio securities may trade on days that the Fund’s Exchange is closed or on days that are not Business Days for the
Fund, Authorized Participants may not be able to redeem their Shares, or to purchase and sell Shares on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
A schedule of regular foreign holidays applicable to the Fund is included in
Appendix B
.
DETERMINATION
OF NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV of Shares is calculated each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00
p.m., Eastern time.
The Fund calculates its NAV per Share by:
• Taking the current market value of its total assets,
• Subtracting any liabilities, and
• Dividing that amount by the total number of Shares owned by shareholders.
If you buy or sell Shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market price, which may be higher or lower than NAV. Your
transaction will be priced at NAV only if you purchase or redeem your Shares in Creation Units.
Because securities listed on foreign exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the NAV of the
Fund, to the extent it may hold foreign securities, may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares.
Equity securities that are traded on a national securities exchange, except those listed on the NASDAQ Global Market® (“NASDAQ”) are valued
at the last reported sale price on the exchange on which the security is
principally traded. Securities traded on NASDAQ will be valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). If, on a particular day, an
exchange-traded or NASDAQ security does not trade, then the most recent quoted bid for exchange traded or the mean between the most recent quoted bid and ask price for NASDAQ securities will be used. Equity securities that are not traded on a
listed exchange are generally valued at the last sale price in the over-the-counter market. If a nonexchange traded security does not trade on a particular day, then the mean between the last quoted closing bid and asked price will be used.
Prices denominated in foreign currencies are converted to U.S. dollar equivalents at the current exchange rate, which approximates fair value.
If a market price is not readily available or is deemed not to reflect market value, the Fund will determine the price of the security held
by the Fund based on a determination of the security’s fair value pursuant to policies and procedures approved by the Board. In addition, the Fund may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange, if any, when a
significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Fund’s NAV is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Fund Share prices are calculated, and may be closed
altogether on some days when the Fund is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security, in the event the Fund holds foreign securities, may include, but are not limited to the following: corporate actions, earnings announcements,
litigation or other events impacting a single issuer; governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or significant domestic or foreign market
fluctuations. If the Fund holds foreign securities, it would use various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a foreign security’s market price is readily available
and reflective of market value and, if not, the fair value of the security.
To the extent the Fund has holdings of foreign or other securities that may trade infrequently, fair valuation may be used more frequently
than for other funds. Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Fund Shares. However, when the Fund uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities
higher or lower than another fund would have priced the security. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Shares’ NAV performance to diverge from the Shares’ market price and from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the
Fund’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate.
Repurchase agreements are generally valued at par. Pricing services will be used to determine the value of a fixed income investment. In
certain circumstances, short-term instruments may be valued on the basis of amortized cost.
Redeemable securities issued by open-end investment companies are valued at the investment company’s applicable net asset value, with the
exception of exchange-traded open-end investment companies which are priced as equity securities. Each investment company values securities and other instruments in a manner as described in that investment company’s prospectus.
The value of assets denominated in foreign currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using exchange rates deemed appropriate by the Fund.
The following is a summary of certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders that are not described
in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.
This “Taxes” section is based on the Code and applicable regulations in effect on the date of this SAI. Future legislative, regulatory or
administrative changes, including provisions of current law that sunset and thereafter no longer apply, or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court
decisions may have a retroactive effect.
This is for general information only and not tax advice. All investors should consult their own tax
advisors as to the federal, state, local and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.
Taxation of the Fund
Each fund in the Trust is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. Losses in one fund do not offset gains in
another fund and the requirements (other than certain organizational requirements) for qualifying for regulated investment company status as described below are determined at the fund level rather than the Trust level.
The Fund has elected and intends to qualify, or, if newly organized, intends to elect and qualify, each year as a regulated investment
company (sometimes referred to as a “regulated investment company,” “RIC” or “fund”) under Subchapter M of the Code. If the Fund so qualifies, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable
income (that is, generally, taxable interest, dividends, net short-term capital gains, and other taxable ordinary income, net of expenses, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (that is, the excess of net
long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that it distributes to shareholders.
In order to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund must satisfy the following requirements:
·
|
Distribution Requirement —the Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable
income and 90% of its net tax-exempt income, if any, for the tax year (including, for purposes of satisfying this distribution requirement, certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year that are treated as
made during such taxable year).
|
·
|
Income Requirement — the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect
to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business
of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from qualified publicly traded partnerships (“QPTPs”).
|
·
|
Asset Diversification Test — the Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the
Fund’s tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the
Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25%
of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) or of two or more issuers which the Fund
controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses, or, in the securities of one or more QPTPs.
|
In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the Fund for purposes of the Income Requirement or the identification
of the issuer for purposes of the Asset Diversification Test is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to such type of investment may
adversely affect the Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. See, “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions” below with respect to the application of these requirements to certain types of investments. In other circumstances, the Fund may
be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the Income Requirement, Distribution Requirement, or Asset Diversification Test, which may have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In lieu of potential
disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the Asset Diversification Test or Income Requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.
The Fund may use “equalization accounting” (in lieu of making some cash distributions) in determining the portion of its income and gains
that has been distributed. If the Fund uses equalization accounting, it will allocate a portion of its undistributed investment company taxable income and net capital gain to redemptions of Fund Shares and will correspondingly reduce the amount
of such income and gains that it distributes in cash. If the IRS determines that the Fund’s allocation is improper and that the Fund has under-distributed its income and gain for any taxable year, the Fund may be liable for federal income
and/or excise tax. If, as a result of such adjustment, the Fund fails to satisfy the Distribution Requirement, the Fund will not qualify that year as a regulated investment company the effect of which is described in the following paragraph.
If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital
gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the
extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. Subject to savings provisions for certain failures
to satisfy the Income Requirement or Asset Diversification Test, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, it is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a regulated investment company in any
given tax year. Even if such savings provisions apply, the Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if
it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.
Portfolio Turnover.
For investors
that hold their Fund Shares in a taxable account, a high portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes. This is because a fund with a high turnover rate is likely to accelerate the recognition of capital gains and more of such gains are
likely to be taxable as short-term rather than long-term capital gains in contrast to a comparable fund with a low turnover rate. Any such higher taxes would reduce the Fund’s after-tax performance. See, “Taxation of Fund Distributions -
Distributions of Capital Gains” below. For non-U.S. investors, any such acceleration of the recognition of capital gains that results in more short-term and less long-term capital gains being recognized by the Fund may cause such investors to
be subject to increased U.S. withholding taxes. See, “Non-U.S. Investors –Capital Gain Dividends” and “Short- Term Capital Gain Dividends and Interest Related Dividends” below.
Capital Loss Carryovers.
The
capital losses of the Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, the Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to
shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. Rules similar to those that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals apply to RICs. Thus, if the Fund has a "net capital loss" (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains),
the excess (if any) of the Fund's net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund's net
long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year. Any such net capital losses of the Fund that are not used to offset capital gains
may be carried forward indefinitely to reduce any future capital gains realized by the Fund in succeeding taxable years. The amount of capital losses that can be carried forward and used in any single year is subject to an annual limitation if
there is a more than 50% “change in ownership” of the Fund. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the Fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50% over a three-year look-back period. An
ownership change could result in capital loss carryovers being used at a slower rate, thereby reducing the Fund’s ability to offset capital gains with those losses. An increase in the amount of taxable gains distributed to the Fund’s
shareholders could result from an ownership change. The Fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change, which can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions or as a result of engaging in a
tax-free reorganization with another fund. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the Fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the Fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. Additionally, if the Fund
engages in a tax-free reorganization with another fund, the effect of these and other rules not discussed herein may be to disallow or postpone the use by the Fund of its capital loss carryovers (including any current year losses and built-in
losses when realized) to offset its own gains or those of the other fund, or vice versa, thereby reducing the tax benefits Fund shareholders would otherwise have enjoyed from use of such capital loss carryovers.
Deferral of Late Year Losses.
The
Fund may elect to treat part or all of any "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits.
The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year (see, “Taxation of Fund Distributions -
Distributions of capital gains” below). A “qualified late year loss” includes:
|
(i)
|
any net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (“post- October
losses”), and
|
|
(ii)
|
the excess, if any, of (1) the sum of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, and (b) other ordinary losses incurred
after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (2) the sum of (a) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, and (b) other ordinary gains incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year.
|
The terms “specified losses” and “specified gains” mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property
(including the termination of a position with respect to such property), foreign currency losses and gains, and losses and gains resulting from holding stock in a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for which a mark-to-market election
is in effect. The terms “ordinary losses” and “ordinary gains” mean other ordinary losses and gains that are not described in the preceding sentence.
Undistributed Capital Gains
. The
Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. The Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to
the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the highest corporate tax rate (currently 35%). If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each
received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for
its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain, and will increase the tax basis for its Shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.
Federal Excise Tax
. To avoid a 4%
non-deductible excise tax, the Fund must distribute by December 31 of each year an amount equal to at least: (1) 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of capital gain net income (that is, the excess of the gains from sales
or exchanges of capital assets over the losses from such sales or exchanges) for the one-year period ended on October 31 of such calendar year, and (3) any prior year undistributed ordinary income and capital gain net income. The Fund may elect
to defer to the following year any net ordinary loss incurred for the portion of the calendar year which is after the beginning of the Fund’s taxable year. Also, the Fund will defer any “specified gain” or “specified loss” which would be
properly taken into account for the portion of the calendar year after October 31. Any net ordinary loss, specified gain, or specified loss deferred shall be treated as arising on January 1 of the following calendar year. Generally, the Fund
intends to make sufficient distributions prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid any material liability for federal income and excise tax, but can give no assurances that all or a portion of such liability will be avoided. In addition,
under certain circumstances, temporary timing or permanent differences in the realization of income and expense for book and tax purposes can result in the Fund having to pay an excise tax.
Foreign Income Tax
. Investment
income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income tax withheld at the source and the amount of tax withheld generally will be treated as an expense of the Fund. The United States has entered into
tax treaties with many foreign countries which entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of, or exemption from, tax on such income. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be
invested in various countries is not known. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to pass-through foreign tax credits to shareholders, although it reserves the right not to do so.
Purchase of Shares.
As a result of
tax requirements, the Trust on behalf of the Fund has the right to reject an order to purchase Shares if the purchaser (or group of purchasers acting in concert with each other) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of
the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the Deposit Securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to
require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Fund Distributions
The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain for each taxable year.
Distributions by the Fund will be treated in the manner described below regardless of whether such distributions are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund (or of another fund). The Fund will send you information annually
as to the federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.
Distributions of Net Investment Income.
The
Fund receives ordinary income generally in the form of dividends and/or interest on its investments. The Fund may also recognize ordinary income from other sources, including, but not limited to, certain gains on foreign currency-related
transactions. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. If you are a taxable investor, distributions of net investment income
generally are taxable as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. In the case of the Fund whose strategy includes investing in stocks of corporations, a portion of the income dividends paid to you may be qualified
dividends eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. See the discussion below under the headings, “– Qualified Dividend Income for Individuals” and “– Dividends-Received Deduction for Corporations.”
Distributions of Capital Gains.
The
Fund may derive capital gain and loss in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities. Distributions derived from the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss will be taxable to you as
ordinary income. Distributions paid from the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss will be taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your Shares in the Fund. Any net
short-term or long-term capital gain realized by the Fund (net of any capital loss carryovers) generally will be distributed once each year and may be distributed more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or
income taxes on the Fund.
Returns of Capital.
Distributions
by the Fund that are not paid from earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of (and in reduction of) the shareholder’s tax basis in his Shares; any excess will be treated as gain from the sale of his Shares.
Thus, the portion of a distribution that constitutes a return of capital will decrease the shareholder’s tax basis in his Fund Shares (but not below zero), and will result in an increase in the amount of gain (or decrease in the amount of loss)
that will be recognized by the shareholder for tax purposes on the later sale of such Fund Shares. Return of capital distributions can occur for a number of reasons including, among others, the Fund over-estimates the income to be received from
certain investments such as those classified as partnerships or equity real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) (see, “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions – Investments in U.S. REITs” below).
Qualified Dividend Income for Individuals.
Ordinary income dividends reported by the Fund to shareholders as derived from qualified dividend income will be taxed in the hands of individuals and other noncorporate shareholders at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain.
“Qualified dividend income” means dividends paid to the Fund (a) by domestic corporations, (b) by foreign corporations that are either (i) incorporated in a possession of the United States, or (ii) are eligible for benefits under certain income
tax treaties with the United States that include an exchange of information program, or (c) with respect to stock of a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Both the Fund and the
investor must meet certain holding period requirements to qualify Fund dividends for this treatment. Specifically, the Fund must hold the stock for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the stock becomes
ex-dividend. Similarly, investors must hold their Fund Shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Fund distribution goes ex-dividend. Income derived from investments in derivatives, fixed-income
securities, U.S. REITs, PFICs, and income received “in lieu of” dividends in a securities lending transaction generally is not eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income. If the qualifying dividend income received by the Fund is equal
to or greater than 95% of the Fund's gross income (exclusive of net capital gain) in any taxable year, all of the ordinary income dividends paid by the Fund will be qualifying dividend income.
Dividends-Received Deduction for
Corporations
. For corporate shareholders, a portion of the dividends paid by the Fund may qualify for the 70% corporate dividends-received deduction. The portion of dividends paid by the Fund that so qualifies will be reported by the
Fund to shareholders each year and cannot exceed the gross amount of dividends received by the Fund from domestic (U.S.) corporations. The availability of the dividends-received deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt financing
restrictions that apply to both the Fund and the investor. Specifically, the amount that the Fund may report as eligible for the dividends-received deduction will be reduced or eliminated if the Shares on which the dividends earned by the Fund
were debt-financed or held by the Fund for less than a minimum period of time, generally 46 days during a 91-day period beginning 45 days before the stock becomes ex-dividend. Similarly, if your Fund Shares are debt-financed or held by you for
less than a 46-day period then the dividends-received deduction for Fund dividends on your Shares may also be reduced or eliminated. Even if reported as dividends eligible for the dividends-received deduction, all dividends (including any
deducted portion) must be included in your alternative minimum taxable income calculation
.
Income derived by the Fund from investments in
derivatives, fixed-income and foreign securities generally is not eligible for this treatment.
Impact of Realized but Undistributed Income
and Gains, and Net Unrealized Appreciation of Portfolio Securities
. At the time of your purchase of Shares, the Fund’s net asset value may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation of
portfolio securities held by the Fund. A subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable, and would be taxed as ordinary income (some portion of which may be taxed as qualified
dividend income), capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. The Fund may be able to reduce the amount of such
distributions from capital gains by utilizing its capital loss carryovers, if any.
Pass-Through of Foreign Tax Credits
.
If more than 50% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a fiscal year is invested in foreign securities, the Fund may elect to pass through to you your pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, the Fund may
report more taxable income to you than it actually distributes. You will then be entitled either to deduct your share of these taxes in computing your taxable income, or to claim a foreign tax credit for these taxes against your U.S. federal
income tax (subject to limitations for certain shareholders). The Fund will provide you with the information necessary to claim this deduction or credit on your personal income tax return if it makes this election. No deduction for foreign tax
may be claimed by a non-corporate shareholder who does not itemize deductions or who is subject to the alternative minimum tax. Shareholders may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate shares of the foreign income
tax paid by the Fund due to certain limitations that may apply. The Fund reserves the right not to pass through to its shareholders the amount of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund. Additionally, any foreign tax withheld on payments made “in
lieu of” dividends or interest will not qualify for the pass-through of foreign tax credits to shareholders. See, “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions – Securities Lending” below.
U.S. Government Securities.
Income
earned on certain U.S. government obligations is exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S.
government, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by the Fund. Income on investments by the Fund in certain other obligations, such as repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government
obligations, commercial paper and federal agency-backed obligations (e.g., GNMA or FNMA obligations), generally does not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.
Dividends Declared in December and Paid in
January
. Ordinarily, shareholders are required to take distributions by the Fund into account in the year in which the distributions are made. However, dividends declared in October, November or December of any year and payable to
shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month will be deemed to have been received by the shareholders (and made by the Fund) on December 31 of such calendar year if such dividends are actually paid in January of the following
year. Shareholders will be advised annually as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year in accordance with the guidance that has been provided by the IRS.
Medicare Tax
. A 3.8% Medicare tax is
imposed on net investment income earned by certain individuals, estates and trusts. “Net investment income,” for these purposes, means investment income, including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net
gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund Shares, reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (1) the shareholder’s net investment income
or (2) the amount by which the shareholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000
(in any other case). This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.
Sales and Redemption of Fund Shares
Sales and redemptions (including redemptions in kind) of Fund Shares are taxable transactions for federal and state income tax purposes. If
you redeem your Fund Shares, the IRS requires you to report any gain or loss on your redemption. If you held your Shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss that you realize will be a capital gain or loss and will be long-term or short-term,
generally depending on how long you have held your Shares. Any redemption fees you incur on Shares redeemed will decrease the amount of any capital gain (or increase any capital loss) you realize on the sale. Capital losses in any year are
deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of
Creation Units.
An Authorized Participant who exchanges equity securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at
the time of purchase and the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the Cash Component paid. A person who exchanges Creation Units for equity securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference
between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units
cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash
sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term
capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less.
If the Fund redeems Creation Units in cash, it may recognize more capital gains than it will if it redeems Creation Units in-kind.
Tax Basis Information
. The Fund will
be required to provide shareholders with cost basis information on the redemption of any of the shareholder’s Shares in the Fund, subject to certain exceptions for exempt recipients. If you hold your Fund Shares through a broker (or other
nominee), please contact that broker (nominee) with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.
Wash Sales
. All or a portion of any
loss that you realize on a redemption of your Fund Shares will be disallowed to the extent that you buy other Shares in the Fund (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after your Share redemption. Any loss
disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis in the new Shares.
Redemptions at a Loss Within Six Months of
Purchase
. Any loss incurred on a redemption or exchange of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributed to you by the Fund on those Shares.
Reportable Transactions.
Under
Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s Shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of
years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper.
Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions
Set forth below is a general description of the tax treatment of certain types of securities, investment techniques and transactions that
may apply to the Fund and, in turn, affect the amount, character and timing of dividends and distributions payable by the Fund to its shareholders. This section should be read in conjunction with the discussion above under “Investment
Objective, Investment Strategies and Risks” for a detailed description of the various types of securities and investment techniques that apply to the Fund.
In General
. In general, gain or loss
recognized by the fund on the sale or other disposition of portfolio investments will be a capital gain or loss. Such capital gain and loss may be long-term or short-term depending, in general, upon the length of time a particular investment
position is maintained and, in some cases, upon the nature of the transaction. Property held for more than one year generally will be eligible for long-term capital gain or loss treatment. The application of certain rules described below may
serve to alter the manner in which the holding period for a security is determined or may otherwise affect the characterization as long-term or short-term, and also the timing of the realization and/or character, of certain gains or losses.
Certain Fixed Income Investments.
Gain
recognized on the disposition of a debt obligation purchased by the fund at a market discount (generally, at a price less than its principal amount) will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of the market discount that
accrued during the period of time the fund held the debt obligation unless the fund made a current inclusion election to accrue market discount into income as it accrues. If the fund purchases a debt obligation (such as a zero-coupon security
or payment-in-kind security) that was originally issued at a discount, the fund generally is required to include in gross income each year the portion of the original issue discount that accrues during such year. Therefore, the fund’s
investment in such securities may cause the fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on the securities. To generate cash to satisfy those distribution requirements, the fund may have
to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise might have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of fund shares.
Investments in Debt Obligations that are at
Risk of or in Default Present Tax Issues for the Fund.
Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether and to what extent the fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, when the fund may cease to accrue
interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent the fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how the fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and
income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the fund in order to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company.
Foreign Currency Transactions.
The
fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the
extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. This treatment could increase or decrease the fund's ordinary income distributions to you, and may cause some or all of the fund's previously
distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. In certain cases, the fund may make an election to treat such gain or loss as capital.
PFIC Investments
. The fund may
invest in securities of foreign companies that may be classified under the Code as PFICs. In general, a foreign company is classified as a PFIC if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross
income is investment-type income. When investing in PFIC securities, the fund intends to mark-to-market these securities under certain provisions of the Code and recognize any unrealized gains as ordinary income at the end of the fund’s fiscal
and excise tax years. Deductions for losses are allowable only to the extent of any current or previously recognized gains. These gains (reduced by allowable losses) are treated as ordinary income that the fund is required to distribute, even
though it has not sold or received dividends from these securities. You should also be aware that the designation of a foreign security as a PFIC security will cause its income dividends to fall outside of the definition of qualified foreign
corporation dividends. These dividends generally will not qualify for the reduced rate of taxation on qualified dividends when distributed to you by the fund. Foreign companies are not required to identify themselves as PFICs. Due to various
complexities in identifying PFICs, the fund can give no assurances that it will be able to identify portfolio securities in foreign corporations that are PFICs in time for the fund to make a mark-to-market election. If the fund is unable to
identify an investment as a PFIC and thus does not make a mark-to-market election, the fund may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is
distributed as a taxable dividend by the fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.
Investments in Partnerships and QPTPs.
For
purposes of the Income Requirement, income derived by the fund from a partnership that is not a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be
qualifying income if realized directly by the fund. While the rules are not entirely clear with respect to the fund investing in a partnership outside a master-feeder structure, for purposes of testing whether the fund satisfies the Asset
Diversification Test, the fund generally is treated as owning a pro rata share of the underlying assets of a partnership. See, “Taxation of the Fund.” In contrast, different rules apply to a partnership that is a QPTP. A QPTP is a partnership
(a) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market, (b) that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, and (c) that derives less than 90% of its income from sources that satisfy the Income Requirement
(e.g., because it invests in commodities). All of the net income derived by the fund from an interest in a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income but the fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in one or more QPTPs. However,
there can be no assurance that a partnership classified as a QPTP in one year will qualify as a QPTP in the next year. Any such failure to annually qualify as a QPTP might, in turn, cause the fund to fail to qualify as a regulated investment
company. Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to the fund with respect to items attributable to an interest in a QPTP. Fund investments in partnerships, including in QPTPs, may
result in the fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.
Securities Lending
. While securities
are loaned out by the fund, the fund generally will receive from the borrower amounts equal to any dividends or interest paid on the borrowed securities. For federal income tax purposes, payments made “in lieu of” dividends are not considered
dividend income. These distributions will neither qualify for the reduced rate of taxation for individuals on qualified dividends nor the 70% dividends received deduction for corporations. Also, any foreign tax withheld on payments made “in
lieu of” dividends or interest will not qualify for the pass-through of foreign tax credits to shareholders.
Investments in Convertible Securities
.
Convertible debt is ordinarily treated as a “single property” consisting of a pure debt interest until conversion, after which the investment becomes an equity interest. If the security is issued at a premium (i.e., for cash in excess of the
face amount payable on retirement), the creditor-holder may amortize the premium over the life of the bond. If the security is issued for cash at a price below its face amount, the creditor-holder must accrue original issue discount in income
over the life of the debt. The creditor-holder's exercise of the conversion privilege is treated as a nontaxable event. Mandatorily convertible debt (e.g., an exchange traded note or ETN issued in the form of an unsecured obligation that pays
a return based on the performance of a specified market index, exchange currency, or commodity) is often, but not always, treated as a contract to buy or sell the reference property rather than debt. Similarly, convertible preferred stock with
a mandatory conversion feature is ordinarily, but not always, treated as equity rather than debt. Dividends received generally are qualified dividend income and eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction. In general, conversion of
preferred stock for common stock of the same corporation is tax-free. Conversion of preferred stock for cash is a taxable redemption. Any redemption premium for preferred stock that is redeemable by the issuing company might be required to be
amortized under original issue discount principles.
Investments in Securities of Uncertain Tax
Character.
The fund may invest in securities the U.S. federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment of such securities or the income from
such securities differs from the tax treatment expected by the fund, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by the fund, requiring the fund to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, in order to
comply with the tax rules applicable to regulated investment companies under the Code.
Backup Withholding
By law, the Fund may be required to withhold a portion of your taxable dividends and sales proceeds unless you:
·
|
provide your correct social security or taxpayer identification number,
|
·
|
certify that this number is correct,
|
·
|
certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, and
|
·
|
certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).
|
The Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or
proceeds paid. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and
payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting. The special U.S. tax certification requirements applicable to non-U.S. investors to avoid backup withholding are described under the “Non-U.S. Investors” heading below.
Non-U.S. Investors
Non-U.S. investors (shareholders who, as to the United States, are nonresident alien individuals, foreign trusts or estates, foreign
corporations, or foreign partnerships) may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements. Non-U.S. investors should consult their tax advisors about the applicability of U.S. tax
withholding and the use of the appropriate forms to certify their status.
In General
. The United States
imposes a flat 30% withholding tax (or a withholding tax at a lower treaty rate) on U.S. source dividends, including on income dividends, paid to you by the Fund, subject to certain exemptions described below. However, notwithstanding such
exemptions from U.S. withholding at the source, any dividends and distributions of income and capital gains, including the proceeds from the sale of your Fund shares, will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 28% if you fail to
properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.
Capital Gain Dividends
. In general,
capital gain dividends reported by the Fund to shareholders as paid from its net long-term capital gains, other than long-term capital gains realized on disposition of U.S. real property interests (see the discussion below), are not subject to
U.S. withholding tax unless you are a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year.
Short-Term Capital Gain Dividends and
Interest-Related Dividends
. The prior exemptions from U.S. withholding for interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources and short-term capital gain dividends have expired. With
respect to taxable years of the Fund that began before January 1, 2014, short-term capital gain dividends reported by the Fund to shareholders as paid from its net short-term capital gains, other than short-term capital gains realized on
disposition of U.S. real property interests (see the discussion below), were not subject to U.S. withholding tax unless you were a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more
during the calendar year. Similarly, with respect to taxable years of the Fund that began before January 1, 2014, dividends reported by the Fund to shareholders as interest-related dividends and paid from its qualified net interest income from
U.S. sources were not subject to U.S. withholding tax. “Qualified interest income” included, in general, U.S. source (1) bank deposit interest, (2) short-term original discount, (3) interest (including original issue discount, market discount,
or acquisition discount) on an obligation that is in registered form, unless it is earned on an obligation issued by a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is a 10-percent shareholder or is contingent interest, and (4) any
interest-related dividend from another regulated investment company. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend these exemptions to taxable years of a fund beginning on or after January 1, 2014 or what the terms of any such extension
would be, including whether such extension would have retroactive effect. If the exemptions are reinstated, the Fund reserves the right to not report small amounts of short-term capital gain dividends or interest-related dividends.
Additionally, the Fund’s reporting of short-term capital gain dividends or interest-related dividends may not be passed through to shareholders by intermediaries who have assumed tax reporting responsibilities for this income in managed or
omnibus accounts due to systems limitations or operational constraints.
Net Investment Income from Dividends on
Stock and Foreign Source Interest Income Continue to be Subject to Withholding Tax; Foreign Tax Credits.
Ordinary dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. investors on the income earned on portfolio investments in (i) the stock of
domestic and foreign corporations and (ii) the debt of foreign issuers continue to be subject to U.S. withholding tax. Foreign shareholders may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% on the income resulting from an election to
pass-through foreign tax credits to shareholders, but may not be able to claim a credit or deduction with respect to the withholding tax for the foreign tax treated as having been paid by them.
Income Effectively Connected with a U.S.
Trade or Business
. If the income from the Fund is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a foreign shareholder, then ordinary income dividends, capital gain dividends and any gains realized upon the sale or
redemption of Shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. citizens or domestic corporations and require the filing of a nonresident U.S. income tax return.
Investment in U.S. Real Property
.
The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (“FIRPTA”) makes non-U.S. persons subject to U.S. tax on disposition of a U.S. real property interest (“USRPI”) as if he or she were a U.S. person. Such gain is sometimes referred to as
FIRPTA gain. The Fund may invest in equity securities of corporations that invest in USRPI, which may trigger FIRPTA gain to the Fund’s non-U.S. shareholders.
The Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of FIRPTA gain when a RIC is classified as a qualified investment entity. A RIC
will be classified as a qualified investment entity only with respect to any distribution by the RIC which is attributable directly or indirectly to a distribution to the RIC from a U.S. REIT (“FIRPTA distribution”) and if, in general, 50% or
more of the RIC’s assets consist of interests in U.S. REITs and other U.S. real property holding corporations (“USRPHC”). If a RIC is a qualified investment entity and the non-U.S. shareholder owns more than 5% of a class of Fund shares at any
time during the one-year period ending on the date of the FIRPTA distribution, the FIRPTA distribution to the non-U.S. shareholder is treated as gain from the disposition of a USRPI, causing the distribution to be subject to U.S. withholding
tax at a rate of 35% (unless reduced by future regulations), and requiring the non-US shareholder to file a nonresident U.S. income tax return. In addition, even if the non-U.S. shareholder does not own more than 5% of a class of Fund shares,
but the Fund is a qualified investment entity, the FIRPTA distribution will be taxable as ordinary dividends (rather than as a capital gain or short-term capital gain dividend) subject to withholding at 30% or lower treaty rate.
It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend the look-through rules previously in effect before January 1, 2014 for distributions of
FIRPTA gain to other types of distributions on or after January 1, 2014 from a RIC to a non-US shareholder from the RIC’s direct or indirect investment in USRPI or what the terms of any such extension would be, including whether such extension
would have retroactive effect.
U.S. Estate Tax
. Transfers by gift
of Shares of the Fund by a foreign shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual will not be subject to U.S. federal gift tax. An individual who, at the time of death, is a non-U.S. shareholder will nevertheless be subject to U.S. federal
estate tax with respect to Fund Shares at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens and residents, unless a treaty exemption applies. If a treaty exemption is available, a decedent’s estate may nonetheless need to file a U.S. estate tax
return to claim the exemption in order to obtain a U.S. federal transfer certificate. The transfer certificate will identify the property (i.e., Fund Shares) as to which the U.S. federal estate tax lien has been released. In the absence of a
treaty, there is a $13,000 statutory estate tax credit (equivalent to U.S. situs assets with a value of $60,000). For estates with U.S. situs assets of not more than $60,000, the Fund may accept, in lieu of a transfer certificate, an affidavit
from an appropriate individual evidencing that decedent’s U.S. situs assets are below this threshold amount.
U.S. Tax Certification Rules
.
Special U.S. tax certification requirements may apply to non-U.S. shareholders both to avoid U.S. backup withholding imposed at a rate of 28% and to obtain the benefits of any treaty between the United States and the shareholder’s country of
residence. In general, if you are a non-U.S. shareholder, you must provide a Form W-8 BEN (or other applicable Form W-8) to establish that you are not a U.S. person, to claim that you are the beneficial owner of the income and, if applicable,
to claim a reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding as a resident of a country with which the United States has an income tax treaty. A Form W-8 BEN provided without a U.S. taxpayer identification number will remain in effect for a
period beginning on the date signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year unless an earlier change of circumstances makes the information on the form incorrect. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup
withholding.
The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those
described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund, including the applicability of foreign tax.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
(“FATCA”).
Under FATCA, the Fund will be required to withhold a 30% tax on (a) income dividends paid by the Fund after June 30, 2014, and (b) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares
paid by the Fund after December 31, 2016, to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions (“FFI”) or non-financial foreign entities (“NFFE”), 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. The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain direct and indirect
ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) if it does have such owners, reporting information relating to them.
The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGA”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with a number of other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement
FATCA; an entity in one of those countries may be required to comply with the terms of an IGA instead of U.S. Treasury regulations.
An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding if it is deemed compliant or by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a
U.S. tax compliance agreement with the IRS under section 1471(b) of the Code (“FFI agreement”) under which it agrees to verify, report and disclose certain of its U.S. accountholders and meet certain other specified requirements. The FFI will
either report the specified information about the U.S. accounts to the IRS, or, to the government of the FFI’s country of residence (pursuant to the terms and conditions of applicable law and an applicable IGA entered into between the US and
the FFI’s country of residence), which will, in turn, report the specified information to the IRS. An FFI that is resident in a country that has entered into an IGA with the U.S. to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding
provided that the FFI shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from the Fund can avoid the FATCA withholding tax generally by certifying that it does not
have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner. The NFFE will report the information to the Fund or other applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn,
report the information to the IRS.
Such foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by U.S. Treasury
regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in the Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. Non-U.S.
investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the impact of these requirements on their investment in the Fund. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the U.S. tax certification rules to avoid
backup withholding described above. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation.
Effect of Future Legislation; Local Tax Considerations
The foregoing general discussion of U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in
effect on the date of this SAI. Future legislative or administrative changes, including provisions of current law that sunset and thereafter no longer apply, or court decisions may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and any
such changes or decisions may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein. Rules of state and local taxation of ordinary income, qualified dividend income and capital gain dividends may differ from the rules
for U.S. federal income taxation described above. Distributions may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation. Non-U.S. shareholders may be subject to U.S. tax rules that
differ significantly from those summarized above. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the consequences of these and other state and local tax rules affecting investment in the Fund.
Financial
Statements and Annual Reports will be available after the Fund has completed a fiscal year of operations. When available, you may request a copy of the Fund’s Annual Report at no charge by calling (215) 882-9983, or through the website at
www.alphaarchitect.com/funds.