As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 25, 2019

1933 Act File No. 002-22019

1940 Act File No. 811-01241

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
FORM N-1A
 
  REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT of 1933
o
  POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 224 x
  REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
o
  AMENDMENT NO. 197 x
 
EATON VANCE GROWTH TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
 
Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
 
(617) 482-8260
(Registrant’s Telephone Number)
 
MAUREEN A. GEMMA
Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective pursuant to Rule 485 (check appropriate box):
o immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) o on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
x on December 1, 2019 pursuant to paragraph (b) o 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
o 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) o on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
If appropriate, check the following box:
o This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

 

 

 

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund

Class A Shares - EHGAX Class C Shares - EHGCX Class I Shares - EHGIX

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund

Class A Shares - EHIAX Class I Shares - EHIIX

Prospectus Dated
December 1, 2019

Important Note. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of each Fund’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds' website (http://www.eatonvance.com/funddocuments), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. If you are a direct investor, you may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Funds electronically by signing up for e-Delivery at eatonvance.com/edelivery. If you own your shares through a financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank), you must contact your financial intermediary to sign up.

You may elect to receive all future Fund shareholder reports in paper free of charge. If you are a direct investor, you can inform the Funds that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by calling 1-800-262-1122. If you own these shares through a financial intermediary, you must contact your financial intermediary or follow instructions included with this disclosure, if applicable, to elect to continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Eaton Vance funds held directly or to all funds held through your financial intermediary, as applicable.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

This Prospectus contains important information about the Funds and the services
available to shareholders. Please save it for reference.

 

 
 

Table of Contents

Fund Summaries 3
Hexavest Global Equity Fund 3
Hexavest International Equity Fund 8
Important Information Regarding Fund Shares 12
Investment Objectives & Principal Policies and Risks 13
Management and Organization 18
Valuing Shares 20
Purchasing Shares 20
Sales Charges 24
Redeeming Shares 26
Shareholder Account Features 27
Additional Tax Information 29
Financial Highlights 31
Hexavest Global Equity Fund 31
Hexavest International Equity Fund 33
Appendix A – Financial Intermediary Sales Charge Variations 35

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 2 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Fund Summaries

Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Investors may also pay commissions or other fees to their financial intermediary when they buy and hold shares of the Fund, which are not reflected below. You may qualify for a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares if you invest, or agree to invest over a 13-month period, at least $50,000 in Eaton Vance funds. Certain financial intermediaries also may offer variations in Fund sales charges to their customers as described in Appendix A – Financial Intermediary Sales Charge Variations in this Prospectus. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in Sales Charges beginning on page 24 of this Prospectus and page 22 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) Class A Class C Class I
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.75% None None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of net asset value at time of purchase or redemption) None 1.00% None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) Class A Class C Class I
Management Fees 0.80% 0.80% 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% None
Other Expenses 0.33% 0.33% 0.33%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.38% 2.13% 1.13%
Expense Reimbursement(1) (0.23)% (0.23)% (0.23)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement 1.15% 1.90% 0.90%
(1) The investment adviser and administrator and the sub-adviser have agreed to reimburse the Fund’s expenses to the extent that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 1.15% for Class A shares, 1.90% for Class C shares and 0.90% for Class I shares. This expense reimbursement will continue through November 30, 2020. Any amendment to or termination of this reimbursement would require approval of the Board of Trustees. The expense reimbursement relates to ordinary operating expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses and does not include expenses such as: brokerage commissions, borrowing costs (including borrowing costs of any acquired funds), taxes or litigation expenses. Amounts reimbursed may be recouped by the investment adviser and administrator and the sub-adviser during the same fiscal year to the extent actual expenses are less than the contractual expense cap during such year.

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the operating expenses remain the same and that any expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

  Expenses with Redemption Expenses without Redemption
  1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Class A shares $685 $965 $1,266 $2,118 $685 $965 $1,266 $2,118
Class C shares $293 $645 $1,123 $2,444 $193 $645 $1,123 $2,444
Class I shares $92 $336 $600 $1,354 $92 $336 $600 $1,354

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” the portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 92% of the average value of its portfolio.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 3 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of issuers located throughout the developed world, including the United States (the “80% Policy”). A company will be considered to be located in the developed world if it is domiciled in and tied economically to one or more developed countries as defined by the MSCI World Index. The MSCI World Index is an unmanaged index of approximately 1,600 companies located in 23 countries. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest (i) at least 30% of its net assets in companies located outside the United States, including in emerging market countries and (ii) in issuers located in at least five different countries (including the United States). A company will be considered to be located outside the United States if it is domiciled in and tied economically to one or more non-U.S. countries and may include stocks of companies that trade in the form of depositary receipts.

The Fund may invest in securities issued by companies with a broad range of market capitalizations, including smaller companies. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), a type of pooled investment vehicle, in order to manage cash positions or seek exposure to certain markets or market sectors. The Fund may also invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”).The Fund will actively manage its exposure to foreign currencies and may seek to enhance return by increasing or decreasing its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund expects to increase or decrease its foreign currency exposure primarily by entering into forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may also invest in futures contracts to enable changes in macroeconomic views to be efficiently and cost-effectively implemented, as well as to manage cash flows. Both forward foreign currency exchange contracts and futures contracts are types of derivative instruments. The Fund may also use derivatives consistent with its 80% Policy. The Fund may lend its securities.

The Fund is managed using a predominately top-down investment style that incorporates proprietary fundamental research and quantitative models. The regional, country, currency, sector, and industry allocations of the portfolio are based primarily on the sub-adviser’s analysis of the macroeconomic environment, valuations of markets and the sentiment of investors (which often results in a contrarian view and value bias). Individual stock selection is based on fundamental research, optimization and quantitative screening to achieve desired market exposures and to emphasize stocks identified as having higher return potential. At the top-down level, sell decisions are based on a significant deterioration in the macroeconomic environment, valuation and/or sentiment. At the individual security level, sell decisions are based on a change in views at the top-down level or on a significant change in fundamentals or relative valuation of the security. The portfolio managers seek to manage investment risk by using quantitative tools to assist in portfolio construction and monitoring and maintaining desired market exposures across the Fund’s holdings.

Principal Risks

Market Risk. The value of investments held by the Fund may increase or decrease in response to economic, political and financial events (whether real, expected or perceived) in the U.S. and global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Fund may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in reaction to changing market conditions. Actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, such as decreases or increases in short-term interest rates, could cause high volatility in markets.

Equity Securities Risk. The value of equity securities and related instruments may decline in response to adverse changes in the economy or the economic outlook; deterioration in investor sentiment; interest rate, currency, and commodity price fluctuations; adverse geopolitical, social or environmental developments; issuer and sector-specific considerations; or other factors. Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks. If the stock market declines in value, the value of the Fund’s equity securities will also likely decline. Although prices can rebound, there is no assurance that values will return to previous levels.

Foreign Investment Risk. Foreign investments can be adversely affected by political, economic and market developments abroad, including the imposition of economic and other sanctions by the United States or another country. Foreign markets may be smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major markets in the United States, and as a result, Fund share values may be more volatile. Trading in foreign markets typically involves higher expense than trading in the United States. The Fund may have difficulties enforcing its legal or contractual rights in a foreign country. Depositary receipts are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign instruments.

Emerging Markets Investment Risk. Investment markets in emerging market countries are typically smaller, less liquid and more volatile than developed markets, and emerging market securities often involve greater risks than developed market securities.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 4 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Currency Risk. Exchange rates for currencies fluctuate daily. The value of foreign investments may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates in relation to the U.S. dollar. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets and currency transactions are subject to settlement, custodial and other operational risks.

Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s exposure to derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other investments. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event underlying a derivative (“reference instrument”), due to failure of a counterparty or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may create leverage in the Fund, which represents a non-cash exposure to the underlying reference instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund. Derivatives risk may be more significant when derivatives are used to enhance return or as a substitute for a cash investment position, rather than solely to hedge the risk of a position held by the Fund. Use of derivatives involves the exercise of specialized skill and judgment, and a transaction may be unsuccessful in whole or in part because of market behavior or unexpected events. Changes in the value of a derivative (including one used for hedging) may not correlate perfectly with the underlying reference instrument. Derivative instruments traded in over-the-counter markets may be difficult to value, may be illiquid, and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying reference instrument. If a derivative’s counterparty is unable to honor its commitments, the value of Fund shares may decline and the Fund could experience delays in the return of collateral or other assets held by the counterparty. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment, particularly when there is no stated limit on the Fund’s use of derivatives. A derivative investment also involves the risks relating to the reference instrument underlying the investment.

Smaller Company Risk. The stocks of smaller, less seasoned companies are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk than the stocks of larger, more established companies. Such companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, may be dependent on a limited management group, and may lack substantial capital reserves or an established performance record. There may be generally less publicly available information about such companies than for larger, more established companies. Stocks of these companies frequently have lower trading volumes making them more volatile and potentially more difficult to value.

ETF Risk. ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or other investments. ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and are subject to secondary market trading risks. In addition, the Fund will bear a pro rata portion of the operating expenses of an ETF in which it invests. Other pooled investment vehicles generally are subject to risks similar to those of ETFs.

Real Estate Risk. Real estate investments are subject to risks associated with owning real estate, including declines in real estate values, increases in property taxes, fluctuations in interest rates, limited availability of mortgage financing, decreases in revenues from underlying real estate assets, declines in occupancy rates, changes in government regulations affecting zoning, land use, and rents, environmental liabilities, and risks related to the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Companies in the real estate industry may also be subject to liabilities under environmental and hazardous waste laws, among others. REITs must satisfy specific requirements for favorable tax treatment and can involve unique risks in addition to the risks generally affecting the real estate industry. Changes in underlying real estate values may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that investments are concentrated in particular geographic regions or property types.

Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves a possible delay in recovery of the loaned securities or a possible loss of rights in the collateral if the borrower fails financially. The Fund could also lose money if the value of the collateral decreases.

Liquidity Risk. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or trading partner, large position size, market conditions, or legal restrictions impair its ability to sell particular investments or to sell them at advantageous market prices. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell an investment or continue to hold it or keep the position open, sell other investments to raise cash or abandon an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. These effects may be exacerbated during times of financial or political stress. 

Risks Associated with Active and Quantitative Management. The success of the Fund’s investment strategy depends on portfolio management’s successful application of analytical skills and investment judgment. Active management involves subjective decisions. The portfolio managers also use quantitative investment techniques and analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund. There can be no assurance that these techniques will achieve the desired results.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 5 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

General Fund Investing Risks. The Fund is not a complete investment program and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund is designed to be a long-term investment vehicle and is not suited for short-term trading. Investors in the Fund should have a long-term investment perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). In addition, the redemption by one or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders of their holdings in the Fund could have an adverse impact on the remaining shareholders in the Fund. The Fund relies on various service providers, including the investment adviser, in its operations and is susceptible to operational, information security and related events (such as cyber or hacking attacks) that may affect the service providers or the services that they provide to the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and how the Fund’s average annual returns over time compare with those of a broad-based securities market index. The returns in the bar chart are for Class A shares and do not reflect a sales charge. If the sales charge was reflected, the returns would be lower. Past performance (both before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The Fund’s performance reflects the effects of expense reductions. Absent these reductions, performance would have been lower. Updated Fund performance information can be obtained by visiting www.eatonvance.com.

During the period from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2018, the highest quarterly total return for Class A was 8.48% for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 and the lowest quarterly return was -9.26% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. The year-to-date total return through the end of the most recent calendar quarter (December 31, 2018 to September 30, 2019) was 11.22%.

Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2018 One Year Five Years Life of Fund
Class A Return Before Taxes -13.46% 2.68% 5.79%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions -14.80% 1.27% 4.38%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and the Sale of Class A Shares -6.60% 1.83% 4.35%
Class C Return Before Taxes -9.76% 3.57% 6.53%
Class I Return Before Taxes -7.99% 4.15% 7.06%
MSCI World Index (reflects net dividends, which reflects the deduction of withholding taxes) -8.71% 4.56% 7.61%

These returns reflect the maximum sales charge for Class A (5.75%). Class A and Class I commenced operations on August 29, 2012. The Class C performance shown above for the period prior to December 1, 2016 (commencement of operations) is the performance of Class A shares at net asset value without adjustment for any differences in the expenses of the two classes. If adjusted for such differences, returns would be different. (Source for the MSCI World Index: MSCI.) MSCI data may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose. MSCI provides no warranties, has not prepared or approved this report, and has no liability hereunder. Investors cannot invest directly in an Index.

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and the actual characterization of distributions, and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to shareholders who hold shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns for other Classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Class A shares. Return After Taxes on Distributions for a period may be the same as Return Before Taxes for that period because no taxable distributions were made during that period. Also, Return After Taxes on Distributions and the Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be greater than or equal to Return Before Taxes and/or Return After Taxes on Distributions for the same period because of losses realized on the sale of Fund shares.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 6 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Management

Investment Adviser. Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Hexavest Inc. (“Hexavest”).

Portfolio Managers. The Fund is managed by a team comprised of:

Vital Proulx, Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012;

Vincent Delisle, Portfolio Manager and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since July 2018;

Jean-François Bérubé, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since July 2018;

Jean-Pierre Couture, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012;

Christian Crête, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since December 2014;

Etienne Durocher-Dumais, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since June 2016;

Marc Christopher Lavoie, President and Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012; and

Kevin LeBlanc, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since June 2017.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares either through your financial intermediary or (except for purchases of Class C shares by accounts with no specified financial intermediary) directly from a Fund either by writing to the Fund, P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, or by calling 1-800-262-1122. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into a Fund is $1,000 for each class (with the exception of Class I) and $250,000 for Class I (waived in certain circumstances). There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

For important information about taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Important Information Regarding Fund Shares” on page 12 of this Prospectus.

 

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 7 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Investors may also pay commissions or other fees to their financial intermediary when they buy and hold shares of the Fund, which are not reflected below. You may qualify for a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares if you invest, or agree to invest over a 13-month period, at least $50,000 in Eaton Vance funds. Certain financial intermediaries also may offer variations in Fund sales charges to their customers as described in Appendix A – Financial Intermediary Sales Charge Variations in this Prospectus. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in Sales Charges beginning on page 24 of this Prospectus and page 22 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) Class A Class I
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.75% None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of net asset value at time of purchase or redemption) None None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) Class A Class I
Management Fees 0.80% 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% None
Other Expenses 0.53% 0.53%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.58% 1.33%
Expense Reimbursement(1) (0.43)% (0.43)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement 1.15% 0.90%
(1) The investment adviser and administrator and the sub-adviser have agreed to reimburse the Fund’s expenses to the extent that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 1.15% for Class A shares and 0.90% for Class I shares. This expense reimbursement will continue through November 30, 2020. Any amendment to or termination of this reimbursement would require approval of the Board of Trustees. The expense reimbursement relates to ordinary operating expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses and does not include expenses such as: brokerage commissions, borrowing costs (including borrowing costs of any acquired funds), taxes or litigation expenses. Amounts reimbursed may be recouped by the investment adviser and administrator and the sub-adviser during the same fiscal year to the extent actual expenses are less than the contractual expense cap during such year.

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the operating expenses remain the same and that any expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

  1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Class A shares $685 $1,005 $1,348 $2,311
Class I shares $92 $379 $688 $1,564

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” the portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 70% of the average value of its portfolio.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 8 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of foreign companies (the “80% Policy”). A company will be considered a foreign company if it is domiciled in and tied economically to one or more countries represented in the MSCI Europe, Australasia, Far East Index (“MSCI EAFE Index”) and may include stocks of companies that trade in the form of depositary receipts. The MSCI EAFE Index is an unmanaged index of approximately 900 companies located in 21 countries. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by companies domiciled in emerging market countries.

The Fund may invest in securities issued by companies with a broad range of market capitalizations, including smaller companies. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), a type of pooled investment vehicle, in order to manage cash positions or seek exposure to certain markets or markets sectors. The Fund may also invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). The Fund will actively manage its exposure to foreign currencies and may seek to enhance return by increasing or decreasing its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund expects to increase or decrease its foreign currency exposure primarily by entering into forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may also invest in futures contracts to enable changes in macroeconomic views to be efficiently and cost-effectively implemented, as well as to manage cash flows. Both forward foreign currency exchange contracts and futures contracts are types of derivative instruments. The Fund may also use derivatives consistent with its 80% Policy. The Fund may lend its securities.

The Fund is managed using a predominately top-down investment style that incorporates proprietary fundamental research and quantitative models. The regional, country, currency, sector, and industry allocations of the portfolio are based primarily on the sub-adviser’s analysis of the macroeconomic environment, valuations of markets and the sentiment of investors (which often results in a contrarian view and value bias). Individual stock selection is based on fundamental research, optimization and quantitative screening to achieve desired market exposures and to emphasize stocks identified as having higher return potential. At the top-down level, sell decisions are based on a significant deterioration in the macroeconomic environment, valuation and/or sentiment. At the individual security level, sell decisions are based on a change in views at the top-down level or on a significant change in fundamentals or relative valuation of the security. The portfolio managers seek to manage investment risk by using quantitative tools to assist in portfolio construction and monitoring and maintaining desired market exposures across the Fund’s holdings.

Principal Risks

Market Risk. The value of investments held by the Fund may increase or decrease in response to economic, political and financial events (whether real, expected or perceived) in the U.S. and global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Fund may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in reaction to changing market conditions. Actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, such as decreases or increases in short-term interest rates, could cause high volatility in markets.

Equity Securities Risk. The value of equity securities and related instruments may decline in response to adverse changes in the economy or the economic outlook; deterioration in investor sentiment; interest rate, currency, and commodity price fluctuations; adverse geopolitical, social or environmental developments; issuer and sector-specific considerations; or other factors. Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks. If the stock market declines in value, the value of the Fund’s equity securities will also likely decline. Although prices can rebound, there is no assurance that values will return to previous levels.

Foreign Investment Risk. Foreign investments can be adversely affected by political, economic and market developments abroad, including the imposition of economic and other sanctions by the United States or another country. Foreign markets may be smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major markets in the United States, and as a result, Fund share values may be more volatile. Trading in foreign markets typically involves higher expense than trading in the United States. The Fund may have difficulties enforcing its legal or contractual rights in a foreign country. Depositary receipts are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign instruments.

Emerging Markets Investment Risk. Investment markets in emerging market countries are typically smaller, less liquid and more volatile than developed markets, and emerging market securities often involve greater risks than developed market securities.

Currency Risk. Exchange rates for currencies fluctuate daily. The value of foreign investments may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates in relation to the U.S. dollar. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets and currency transactions are subject to settlement, custodial and other operational risks.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 9 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s exposure to derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other investments. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event underlying a derivative (“reference instrument”), due to failure of a counterparty or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may create leverage in the Fund, which represents a non-cash exposure to the underlying reference instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund. Derivatives risk may be more significant when derivatives are used to enhance return or as a substitute for a cash investment position, rather than solely to hedge the risk of a position held by the Fund. Use of derivatives involves the exercise of specialized skill and judgment, and a transaction may be unsuccessful in whole or in part because of market behavior or unexpected events. Changes in the value of a derivative (including one used for hedging) may not correlate perfectly with the underlying reference instrument. Derivative instruments traded in over-the-counter markets may be difficult to value, may be illiquid, and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying reference instrument. If a derivative’s counterparty is unable to honor its commitments, the value of Fund shares may decline and the Fund could experience delays in the return of collateral or other assets held by the counterparty. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment, particularly when there is no stated limit on the Fund’s use of derivatives. A derivative investment also involves the risks relating to the reference instrument underlying the investment.

Smaller Company Risk. The stocks of smaller, less seasoned companies are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk than the stocks of larger, more established companies. Such companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, may be dependent on a limited management group, and may lack substantial capital reserves or an established performance record. There may be generally less publicly available information about such companies than for larger, more established companies. Stocks of these companies frequently have lower trading volumes making them more volatile and potentially more difficult to value.

ETF Risk. ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or other investments. ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and are subject to secondary market trading risks. In addition, the Fund will bear a pro rata portion of the operating expenses of an ETF in which it invests. Other pooled investment vehicles generally are subject to risks similar to those of ETFs.

Real Estate Risk. Real estate investments are subject to risks associated with owning real estate, including declines in real estate values, increases in property taxes, fluctuations in interest rates, limited availability of mortgage financing, decreases in revenues from underlying real estate assets, declines in occupancy rates, changes in government regulations affecting zoning, land use, and rents, environmental liabilities, and risks related to the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Companies in the real estate industry may also be subject to liabilities under environmental and hazardous waste laws, among others. REITs must satisfy specific requirements for favorable tax treatment and can involve unique risks in addition to the risks generally affecting the real estate industry. Changes in underlying real estate values may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that investments are concentrated in particular geographic regions or property types.

Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves a possible delay in recovery of the loaned securities or a possible loss of rights in the collateral if the borrower fails financially. The Fund could also lose money if the value of the collateral decreases.

Liquidity Risk. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or trading partner, large position size, market conditions, or legal restrictions impair its ability to sell particular investments or to sell them at advantageous market prices. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell an investment or continue to hold it or keep the position open, sell other investments to raise cash or abandon an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. These effects may be exacerbated during times of financial or political stress. 

Risks Associated with Active and Quantitative Management. The success of the Fund’s investment strategy depends on portfolio management’s successful application of analytical skills and investment judgment. Active management involves subjective decisions. The portfolio managers also use quantitative investment techniques and analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund. There can be no assurance that these techniques will achieve the desired results.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 10 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

General Fund Investing Risks. The Fund is not a complete investment program and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund is designed to be a long-term investment vehicle and is not suited for short-term trading. Investors in the Fund should have a long-term investment perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). In addition, the redemption by one or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders of their holdings in the Fund could have an adverse impact on the remaining shareholders in the Fund. The Fund relies on various service providers, including the investment adviser, in its operations and is susceptible to operational, information security and related events (such as cyber or hacking attacks) that may affect the service providers or the services that they provide to the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and how the Fund’s average annual returns over time compare with those of a broad-based securities market index. The returns in the bar chart are for Class A shares and do not reflect a sales charge. If the sales charge was reflected, the returns would be lower. Past performance (both before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The Fund’s performance reflects the effects of expense reductions. Absent these reductions, performance would have been lower. Updated Fund performance information can be obtained by visiting www.eatonvance.com.

During the period from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2018, the highest quarterly total return for Class A was 9.39% for the quarter ended September 30, 2013, and the lowest quarterly return was -8.10% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. The year-to-date total return through the end of the most recent calendar quarter (December 31, 2018 to September 30, 2019) was 8.56%.

Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2018 One Year Five Years Life of Fund
Class A Return Before Taxes (16.54)% (1.46)% 2.36%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions (16.57)% (1.75)% 1.76%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and the Sale of Class A Shares (9.67)% (1.09)% 1.84%
Class I Return Before Taxes (11.24)% (0.04)% 3.58%
MSCI EAFE Index (reflects net dividends, which reflects the deduction of withholding taxes) (13.79)% 0.53% 4.74%

These returns reflect the maximum sales charge for Class A (5.75%). Class A and Class I commenced operations on August 29, 2012. (Source for the MSCI EAFE Index: MSCI.) MSCI data may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose. MSCI provides no warranties, has not prepared or approved this report, and has no liability hereunder. Investors cannot invest directly in an Index.

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and the actual characterization of distributions, and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to shareholders who hold shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns for other Classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Class A shares. Return After Taxes on Distributions for a period may be the same as Return Before Taxes for that period because no taxable distributions were made during that period. Also, Return After Taxes on Distributions and the Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be greater than or equal to Return Before Taxes and/or Return After Taxes on Distributions for the same period because of losses realized on the sale of Fund shares.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 11 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Management

Investment Adviser. Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Hexavest Inc. (“Hexavest”).

Portfolio Managers. The Fund is managed by a team comprised of:

Vital Proulx, Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012;

Vincent Delisle, Portfolio Manager and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since July 2018;

Jean-François Bérubé, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since July 2018;

Jean-Pierre Couture, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012;

Christian Crête, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since December 2014;

Etienne Durocher-Dumais, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since June 2016; and

Marc Christopher Lavoie, President and Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares either through your financial intermediary or directly from a Fund either by writing to the Fund, P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, or by calling 1-800-262-1122. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into a Fund is $1,000 for Class A and $250,000 for Class I (waived in certain circumstances). There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

For important information about taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Important Information Regarding Fund Shares” on page 12 of this Prospectus.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 12 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

Important Information Regarding Fund Shares

Tax Information

If your shares are held in a taxable account, each Fund’s distributions will be taxed to you as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are exempt from taxation. If your shares are held in a tax-advantaged account, you will generally be taxed only upon withdrawals from the account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase a Fund’s shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (collectively, “financial intermediaries”), the Fund, its principal underwriter and its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend a Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 13 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Investment Objectives & Principal Policies and Risks

The investment objective and principal investment policies and risks of each Fund are described in its Fund Summary. Set forth below is additional information about such policies and risks, as well as information about other types of investments and practices in which each Fund may engage from time to time, unless otherwise noted. References to the Fund below are to each Fund. See also “Strategies and Risks” in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

Definitions. As used herein, the following terms have the indicated meaning: “1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; “1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; “ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; and “investment adviser” means the Fund’s investment adviser but if the Fund is sub-advised, it refers to the sub-adviser(s) providing day-to-day management with respect to the investments or strategies discussed.

Equity Securities. Equity securities include: common stocks; preferred stocks, including convertible and contingent convertible preferred stocks; equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other unincorporated entities or enterprises; depositary receipts, rights and warrants in underlying equity interests; and other securities that are treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Fund cannot predict the income it might receive from equity securities because issuers generally have discretion as to the payment of any dividends or distributions.

The value of equity securities and related instruments may decline in response to adverse changes in the economy or the economic outlook; deterioration in investor sentiment; interest rate, currency, and commodity price fluctuations; adverse geopolitical, social or environmental developments; issuer- and sector-specific considerations; and other factors. Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks. If the stock market declines, the value of Fund shares will also likely decline. Although stock prices can rebound, there is no assurance that values will return to previous levels.

Foreign Investments. Investments in foreign issuers could be affected by factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards, less publicly available financial and other information, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. Because foreign issuers may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standard practices and requirements and regulatory measures comparable to those in the United States, there may be less publicly available information about such foreign issuers. Settlements of securities transactions in foreign countries are subject to risk of loss, may be delayed and are generally less frequent than in the United States, which could affect the liquidity of the Fund’s assets. Evidence of ownership of certain foreign investments may be held outside the United States, and the Fund may be subject to the risks associated with the holding of such property overseas.

Foreign issuers may become subject to sanctions imposed by the United States or another country, which could result in the immediate freeze of the foreign issuers’ assets or securities. The imposition of such sanctions could impair the market value of the securities of such foreign issuers and limit the Fund’s ability to buy, sell, receive or deliver the securities. Trading in certain foreign markets is also subject to liquidity risk.

Political events in foreign countries may cause market disruptions. In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”) (“Brexit”). There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range and potential implications of possible political, regulatory, economic, and market outcomes in the EU and beyond are difficult to predict. If one or more countries leave the EU or the EU dissolves, the world’s securities markets likely will be significantly disrupted.

As an alternative to holding foreign-traded investments, the Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated investments of foreign companies that trade on U.S. exchanges or in the U.S. over-the-counter market including depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), which evidence ownership of shares of a foreign issuer and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, they continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer’s country, as well as in the case of depositary receipts traded on foreign markets, currency risk. Depositary receipts may be sponsored or unsponsored. Unsponsored depositary receipts are established without the participation of the issuer. As a result, available information concerning the issuer of an unsponsored depository receipt may not be as current as for sponsored depositary receipts, and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer. Unsponsored depositary receipts may involve higher expenses, may not pass through voting or other shareholder rights and may be less liquid.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 14 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Emerging Markets Investments. The risks of foreign investments can be more significant in emerging markets. Emerging markets may offer higher potential for gains and losses than investments in the developed markets of the world. Political and economic structures in emerging market countries generally lack the social, political and economic stability of developed countries, which may affect the value of the Fund’s investments in these countries and also the ability of the Fund to access markets in such countries. Governmental actions can have a significant effect on the economic conditions in emerging market countries, which also may adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments. The laws of emerging market countries relating to the limited liability of corporate shareholders, fiduciary duties of officers and directors, and bankruptcy of state enterprises are generally less developed than or different from such laws in the United States. It may be more difficult to obtain a judgment in the courts of these countries than it is in the United States. Disruptions due to work stoppages and trading improprieties in foreign securities markets have caused such markets to close. If extended closings were to occur in stock markets where the Fund is heavily invested, the Fund’s ability to redeem Fund shares could become impaired. In such circumstances, the Fund may have to sell more liquid securities than it would otherwise choose to sell. Emerging market securities are also subject to speculative trading, which contributes to their volatility.

Foreign Currencies. The value of foreign assets and currencies as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency rates and exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), governmental administration of economic or monetary policies (in this country or abroad), and relations between nations and trading. Foreign currencies also are subject to settlement, custodial and other operational risks. Currency exchange rates can be affected unpredictably by intervention, or the failure to intervene, by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. If the U.S. dollar rises in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth less in U.S. dollars. If the U.S. dollar decreases in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth more in U.S. dollars. A devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Costs are incurred in connection with conversions between currencies.

The Fund may engage in spot transactions and forward foreign currency exchange contracts, purchase and sell options on currencies and purchase and sell currency futures contracts and related options thereon (collectively, “Currency Instruments”) to seek to hedge against the decline in the value of currencies in which its portfolio holdings are denominated against the U.S. dollar or to seek to enhance returns.

Smaller Companies. Securities of smaller companies, which may include legally restricted securities, are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk than the securities of larger, more established companies. Because of the absence of any public trading market for some of these investments (such as those which are legally restricted) it may be more difficult to value these investments and may take longer to liquidate these positions at fair value than would be the case for publicly traded securities.

Derivatives. Generally, derivatives can be characterized as financial instruments whose performance is derived at least in part from the performance of an underlying reference instrument. Derivative instruments may be acquired in the United States or abroad consistent with the Fund’s investment strategy and may include the various types of exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) instruments described herein and other instruments with substantially similar characteristics and risks. Fund obligations created pursuant to derivative instruments may give rise to leverage, which would subject the Fund to the requirements described under “Asset Coverage” in the Fund’s SAI. The Fund may invest in a derivative transaction if it is permitted to own, invest in, or otherwise have economic exposure to the reference instrument. Depending on the type of derivative instrument and the Fund’s investment strategy, a reference instrument could be a security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event (“reference instruments”). The Fund may engage in derivative transactions to seek return, to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices or currency exchange rates, or as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies. The Fund may trade in the specific types and/or combinations of derivative transactions listed below.

Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks, including adverse or unexpected movements in the price of the reference instrument, and counterparty, liquidity, market, tax and leverage risks. Certain derivatives may also be subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. In addition, derivatives also involve the risk that changes in their value may not correlate perfectly with the assets, rates, indices or instruments they are designed to hedge or closely track. Use of derivative instruments may cause the realization of higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if such instruments had not been used. Success in using derivative instruments to hedge portfolio assets depends on the degree of price correlation between the derivative instruments and the hedged asset. Imperfect correlation may be caused by several factors, including temporary price disparities among the trading markets for the derivative instrument, the reference instrument and the Fund’s assets. To the extent that a derivative instrument is intended to hedge against an event that does not occur, the Fund may realize losses.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 15 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

OTC derivative instruments involve an additional risk in that the issuer or counterparty may fail to perform its contractual obligations. Some derivative instruments are not readily marketable or may become illiquid under adverse market conditions. In addition, during periods of market volatility, an option or commodity exchange or swap execution facility or clearinghouse may suspend or limit trading in an exchange-traded derivative instrument, which may make the contract temporarily illiquid and difficult to price. Commodity exchanges may also establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or futures option can vary from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. This may prevent the closing out of positions to limit losses. The staff of the SEC takes the position that certain purchased OTC options, and assets used as cover for written OTC options, are illiquid. The ability to terminate OTC derivative instruments may depend on the cooperation of the counterparties to such contracts. For thinly traded derivative instruments, the only source of price quotations may be the selling dealer or counterparty. In addition, certain provisions of the Code limit the use of derivative instruments. Derivatives permit the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, to which its portfolio is exposed in much the same way as the Fund can increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, of its portfolio by making investments in specific securities. There can be no assurance that the use of derivative instruments will benefit the Fund.

The U.S. and non-U.S. derivatives markets have undergone substantial changes in recent years as a result of changes under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and regulation changes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations require many derivatives to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expand entity registration requirements, impose business conduct requirements on counterparties, and impose other regulatory requirements that will continue to change derivatives markets as regulations are implemented. Additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make the use of derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, and may impose limits or restrictions on the counterparties with which the Fund engages in derivative transactions. Fund management cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented, and future regulation may impair the effectiveness of the Fund’s derivative transactions and its ability to achieve its investment objectives.

Futures Contracts. Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts. Futures contracts on securities obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of the financial instrument called for in the contract at a specified future date at a specified price. An index futures contract obligates the purchaser to take, and a seller to deliver, an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made. It is the practice of holders of futures contracts to close out their positions on or before the expiration date by use of offsetting contract positions, and physical delivery of financial instruments or delivery of cash, as applicable, is thereby avoided. An option on a futures contract gives the holder the right to enter into a specified futures contract.

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. A forward foreign currency exchange contract (“currency forward”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect against an adverse change in the relationship between currencies or to increase exposure to a particular foreign currency.

Certain currency forwards may be individually negotiated and privately traded, exposing them to credit and counterparty risks. The precise matching of the currency forward amounts and the value of the instruments denominated in the corresponding currencies will not generally be possible. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge against long-term currency changes. Currency forwards are subject to the risk of political and economic factors applicable to the countries issuing the underlying currencies. Furthermore, unlike trading in most other types of instruments, there is no systematic reporting of last sale information with respect to the foreign currencies underlying currency forwards. As a result, available information may not be complete.

Equity-Linked Securities. Equity-linked securities are primarily used as an alternative means to more efficiently and effectively access the securities markets of emerging market countries and may also be known as participation notes, equity swaps, and zero strike calls and warrants. Equity-linked securities are privately issued securities whose investment results are designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified stock index or “basket” of stocks, or sometimes a single stock. The Fund deposits an amount of cash with its custodian (or broker, if legally permitted) in an amount near or equal to the selling price of the underlying security in exchange for an equity-linked security. Upon sale, the Fund receives cash from the broker or custodian equal to the current value of the underlying security.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 16 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

In addition to the risks of the underlying security, there is the risk that the issuer of an equity-linked security may default on its obligation under the security. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out such a transaction with the other party or obtain an offsetting position with any other party, at any time prior to the end of the term of the underlying agreement. This may impair the Fund’s ability to enter into other transactions at a time when doing so might be advantageous.

Counterparty Risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the Fund does business (such as trading, securities lending or as a derivatives counterparty), or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any instruments that the Fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial condition and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause the value of Fund shares to decline or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the Fund. Counterparty risk is increased for contracts with longer maturities.

Leverage. Certain types of Fund transactions may give rise to economic leverage, which represents a non-cash exposure to the underlying asset, index, rate or instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund.

The Fund is required to segregate liquid assets or otherwise cover the Fund’s obligation created by a transaction that may give rise to leverage. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements. Leverage may cause the Fund’s share price to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged, as certain types of leverage may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The loss on leveraged investments may substantially exceed the initial investment. 

Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may invest in ETFs. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other operating expenses paid by ETFs in which it invests. If such fees exceed 0.01%, the costs associated with such investments will be reflected under Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses in the Fund’s Annual Fund Operating Expenses table(s) in its Fund Summary. Requirements of the federal securities laws may limit the Fund’s ability to invest in other investment companies, including ETFs, unless the investment company has received an exemptive order from the SEC on which the Fund may rely. Investments in a pooled investment vehicle will count towards a Fund's 80% Policy if the vehicle invests primarily in the type of securities stated in the Fund's 80% Policy.

ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or other instruments that they own. The market for common shares of ETFs, which are generally traded on an exchange and may be traded at a premium or discount to net asset value, is affected by the demand for those securities, regardless of the value of such ETF’s underlying securities.

Real Estate Investments. Companies primarily engaged in the real estate industry and other real estate-related investments may include publicly traded real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) or real estate operating companies that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, real estate developers, companies with substantial real estate holdings and other companies whose products and services are related to the real estate industry, such as lodging operators, brokers, property management companies, building supply manufacturers, mortgage lenders, or mortgage servicing companies. REITs tend to be small to medium-sized companies, and may include equity REITs and mortgage REITs. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow generated by the REIT. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that have expenses of their own, so the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of those expenses. The Fund will not own real estate directly.

Real estate investments are subject to special risks including changes in real estate values, property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, occupancy rates, government regulations affecting zoning, land use, and rents, and the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Companies in the real estate industry may also be subject to liabilities under environmental and hazardous waste laws, among others. Changes in underlying real estate values may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that investments concentrate in particular geographic regions or property types.

Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REIT, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, and self-liquidations. In addition, equity and mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for tax-free pass through of income or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to a REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, a REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments.

Shares of REITs may trade less frequently and, therefore, are subject to more erratic price movements than securities of larger issuers. REITs are also subject to credit, market, liquidity and interest rate risks.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 17 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

REITs may issue debt securities to fund their activities. The value of these debt securities may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REIT, the creditworthiness of the REIT, interest rates, and tax and regulatory requirements, among other things.

Liquidity Risk. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker, or legal restrictions impair the Fund’s ability to sell particular investments or close derivative positions at an advantageous market price. Trading opportunities are also more limited for securities and other instruments that are not widely held or are traded in less developed markets. These factors may make it more difficult to sell or buy a security at a favorable price or time. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell an investment or continue to hold it or keep the position open, sell other investments to raise cash or abandon an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. It also may be more difficult to value less liquid investments. These effects may be exacerbated during times of financial or political stress. Increased Fund redemption activity also may increase liquidity risk due to the need of the Fund to sell portfolio investments and may negatively impact Fund performance.

The Fund will not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund will have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments mean any investments that the Fund’s investment adviser reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in seven calendar days or less under then-current market conditions without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.

Securities Lending. The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to broker-dealers and other institutional borrowers. During the existence of a loan, the Fund will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest paid by the issuer on the securities loaned, or all or a portion of the interest on investment of the collateral, if any. The Fund may pay lending fees to such borrowers. Loans will only be made to firms that have been approved by the investment adviser, and the investment adviser or the securities lending agent will periodically monitor the financial condition of such firms while such loans are outstanding. Securities loans will only be made when the investment adviser believes that the expected returns, net of expenses, justify the attendant risks. Securities loans currently are required to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents (such as money market instruments) or other liquid securities held by the custodian and maintained in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. The Fund may engage in securities lending to generate income. Upon return of the loaned securities, the Fund would be required to return the related collateral to the borrower and may be required to liquidate portfolio securities in order to do so. The Fund may lend up to one-third of the value of its total assets or such other amount as may be permitted by law.

As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the securities loaned if the borrower of the securities fails financially. To the extent that the portfolio securities acquired with such collateral have decreased in value, it may result in the Fund realizing a loss at a time when it would not otherwise do so. As such, securities lending may introduce leverage into the Fund. The Fund also may incur losses if the returns on securities that it acquires with cash collateral are less than the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs.

Borrowing. The Fund is permitted to borrow for temporary purposes (such as to satisfy redemption requests, to remain fully invested in anticipation of expected cash inflows and to settle transactions). Any borrowings by the Fund are subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. Borrowings are also subject to the terms of any credit agreement between the Fund and lender(s). Fund borrowings may be equal to as much as 331/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including such borrowings) less the Fund’s liabilities (other than borrowings). The Fund will not purchase additional investments while outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of the value of its total assets.

In addition, the Fund will be required to maintain a specified level of asset coverage with respect to all borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it may not be advantageous to do so. The rights of the lender to receive payments of interest and repayments of principal of any borrowings made by the Fund under a credit facility are senior to the rights of holders of shares with respect to the payment of dividends or upon liquidation. In the event of a default under a credit arrangement, the lenders may have the right to cause a liquidation of the collateral (i.e., sell Fund assets) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well.

Cash and Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest in cash or money market instruments, including high quality short-term instruments or an affiliated investment company that invests in such instruments. During unusual market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or money market instruments temporarily, which may be inconsistent with its investment objective(s) and other policies.

Money market instruments may be adversely affected by market and economic events, such as a sharp rise in prevailing short-term interest rates; adverse developments in the banking industry, which issues or guarantees many money market instruments; adverse economic, political or other developments affecting issuers of money market instruments; changes in the credit quality of issuers; and default by a counterparty.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 18 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies by Fund service providers to conduct business, such as the Internet, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cybersecurity failures by or breaches of the Fund’s investment adviser or administrator and other service providers (including, but not limited to, the custodian or transfer agent), and the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, 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, or additional compliance costs. While various Fund service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems intended to identify and mitigate cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund and issuers in which the Fund invests.

Research Process.  The Fund’s portfolio management may utilize information provided by, and the expertise of, the research staff of the investment adviser, sub-adviser and/or their affiliates in making investment decisions. As part of the research process, portfolio management may consider financially material environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors. Such factors, alongside other relevant factors, may be taken into account in the Fund’s securities selection process.

General.  The Fund's 80% Policy will not be changed unless shareholders are given at least 60 days’ advance written notice of the change. Unless otherwise stated, the Fund's investment objective and certain other policies may be changed without shareholder approval. Shareholders will receive 60 days' advance written notice of any material change in the investment objective. The Fund might not use all of the strategies and techniques or invest in all of the types of securities described in this Prospectus or the SAI. While at times the Fund may use alternative investment strategies in an effort to limit its losses, it may choose not to do so.

The Fund’s annual operating expenses are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets and may change as Fund assets increase and decrease over time. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, the redemption by one or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders of their holdings in the Fund could have an adverse impact on the remaining shareholders in the Fund. Mutual funds, investment advisers, other market participants and many securities markets are subject to rules and regulations and the jurisdiction of one or more regulators.  Changes to applicable rules and regulations or to widely accepted market conventions or standards could have an adverse effect on securities markets and market participants, as well as on the Fund’s ability to execute its investment strategy. With the increased use of technologies by Fund service providers, such as the Internet, to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. See “Additional Information about Investment Strategies and Risks” in the Fund’s SAI.

The Fund's investment policies include a provision allowing the Fund to invest (i) all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objective, policies and restrictions as the Fund; or (ii) in more than one open-end management investment company sponsored by Eaton Vance or its affiliates, provided any such companies have investment objectives, policies and restrictions that are consistent with those of the Fund. Any such company or companies would be advised by the Fund’s investment adviser (or an affiliate) and the Fund would not pay directly any advisory fee with respect to the assets so invested. The Fund may initiate investments in one or more of such investment companies at any time without shareholder approval.

Management and Organization

Management. Each Fund’s investment adviser is Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”), with offices at Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110. Eaton Vance and its predecessor organizations have been managing assets since 1924 and managing mutual funds since 1931. Eaton Vance and its affiliates currently manage over $485 billion on behalf of mutual funds, institutional clients and individuals.

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement with each Fund, Eaton Vance has delegated the investment management of each Fund to Hexavest Inc. (“Hexavest”), a registered investment adviser with offices at 1250 Réne Lévesque Blvd. West, Suite 4200 Montréal, Québec Canada. Hexavest is a minority-owned affiliate of Eaton Vance Corp. Eaton Vance pays Hexavest a portion of its fees for sub-advisory services provided to each Fund.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 19 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Each Fund’s annual shareholder report covering the fiscal period ended July 31 provides information regarding the basis for the Trustees’ approval of each Fund’s investment advisory and administrative agreement and investment sub-advisory agreement.

Hexavest Global Equity Fund. Eaton Vance manages the investments of the Fund and provides administrative services and related office facilities. Under its investment advisory and administrative agreement, Eaton Vance receives a monthly fee as follows:

Average Daily Net Assets Annual Fee Rate
(for each level)
Up to $500 million 0.800%
$500 million but less than $1 billion 0.775%
$1 billion but less than $2.5 billion 0.750%
$2.5 billion but less than $5 billion 0.730%
$5 billion and over 0.715%

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the effective rate of the investment advisory and administrative fee paid to Eaton Vance, based on average daily net assets of the Fund was 0.80%.

Hexavest Global Equity Fund is managed by a team of portfolio managers. Members of the team, each who have served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since it commenced operations in 2012, have been employed by Hexavest for more than five years and manage other Eaton Vance portfolios are: Vital Proulx, Marc Christopher Lavoie and Jean-Pierre Couture. Christian Crête and Etienne Durocher-Dumais are also members of the team, manage other Eaton Vance portfolios and have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since 2014 and 2016, respectively. Kevin LeBlanc is also a member of the team and has served as portfolio manager since 2017. Vincent Delisle and Jean-François Bérubé are also members of the team, manage other Eaton Vance portfolios and have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since 2018.

Mr. Proulx is Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Hexavest. Mr. Lavoie is President and a Portfolio Manager of Hexavest. Mr. Couture is a Portfolio Manager of Hexavest. Prior to joining Hexavest in 2012, Mr. Crête spent thirteen years at New Brunswick Investment Management Corporation where he held numerous roles, including Equity Portfolio Manager and Research Economist/Analyst. Mr. Durocher-Dumais is a Portfolio Manager at Hexavest. Mr. Durocher-Dumais joined Hexavest in 2012, and prior to that he was an Equity Research Associate as Desjardins Securities. Mr. LeBlanc joined Hexavest in 2015 as an Equity Analyst on the North American portfolios, and prior to that he was a research associate at Dundee Capital Markets. Mr. Delisle is Co-Chief Investment Officer of Hexavest. Prior to joining Hexavest in 2018, Mr. Delisle spent fourteen years at Scotiabank as Managing Director, Portfolio & Quantitative Strategy and Head of Equity Research. Mr. Bérubé has been employed by Hexavest for more than five years, is responsible for quantitative research and is a Vice President of Hexavest.

Hexavest International Equity Fund. Eaton Vance manages the investments of the Fund and provides administrative services and related office facilities. Under its investment advisory and administrative agreement, Eaton Vance receives a monthly fee as follows:

Average Daily Net Assets Annual Fee Rate
(for each level)
Up to $500 million 0.800%
$500 million but less than $1 billion 0.775%
$1 billion but less than $2.5 billion 0.750%
$2.5 billion but less than $5 billion 0.730%
$5 billion and over 0.715%

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the effective rate of the investment advisory and administrative fee paid to Eaton Vance, based on average daily net assets of the Fund was 0.80%.

Hexavest International Equity Fund is managed by a team of portfolio managers. Members of the team, each who have served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since it commenced operations in 2012, have been employed by Hexavest for more than five years and manage other Eaton Vance portfolios are: Vital Proulx, Marc Christopher Lavoie and Jean-Pierre Couture. Christian Crête and Etienne Durocher-Dumais are also members of the team, manage other Eaton Vance portfolios and have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since 2014 and 2016, respectively. Vincent Delisle and Jean-François Bérubé are also members of the team, manage other Eaton Vance portfolios and have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since 2018.

Additional information about each portfolio manager appears above. 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 20 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

The SAI provides additional information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager, and each portfolio manager’s ownership of Fund shares with respect to which that portfolio manager has management responsibilities.

Eaton Vance provides sub-transfer agency and related services to Eaton Vance mutual funds pursuant to a Sub-Transfer Agency Support Services Agreement. For its services under the agreement, Eaton Vance receives an aggregate fee from such funds equal to its actual expenses incurred in performing such services.

Organization. Each Fund is a series of Eaton Vance Growth Trust, a Massachusetts business trust.  Each Fund offers multiple classes of shares. Each Class represents a pro rata interest in a Fund but is subject to different expenses and rights. The Funds do not hold annual shareholder meetings but may hold special meetings for matters that require shareholder approval (such as electing or removing Trustees, approving management or advisory contracts or changing investment policies that may only be changed with shareholder approval).

Because the Funds use this combined Prospectus, a Fund could be held liable for a misstatement or omission made about another Fund.

Valuing Shares

Each Fund values its shares once each day only when the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is open for trading (typically Monday through Friday), as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time). If trading on the Exchange is halted for the day before the scheduled close of regular trading, each Fund’s net asset value per share generally will still be calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the Exchange. The purchase price of Fund shares is their net asset value (plus any applicable sales charge), which is derived from the value of Fund holdings. When purchasing or redeeming Fund shares through a financial intermediary, your financial intermediary must receive your order by the close of regular trading on the Exchange in order for the purchase price or the redemption price to be based on that day’s net asset value per share. It is the financial intermediary’s responsibility to transmit orders promptly. Each Fund may accept purchase and redemption orders as of the time of their receipt by certain financial intermediaries (or their designated intermediaries).

The Board has adopted procedures for valuing investments (the “Procedures”) and has delegated to the investment adviser(s) the daily valuation of such investments. Pursuant to the Procedures, securities and other investments held by a Fund are generally valued at market value. Exchange-listed investments (including certain derivatives) are normally valued at last sale or closing prices. Exchange-traded options are valued at the mean of the bid and asked prices at valuation time as reported by the Options Price Reporting Authority for U.S. listed options, or by the relevant exchange or board of trade for non-U.S. listed options. Non-exchange traded derivatives are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or independent pricing services. Most loans and other debt obligations are valued using prices supplied by one or more pricing services.

An instrument’s “fair value” is the amount that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the instrument upon its current sale in the ordinary course of business. Under certain limited circumstances, a Fund may use fair value pricing if, for example, market prices or a pricing service's prices (as applicable) are unavailable or deemed unreliable, or if events occur after the close of a securities market (usually a foreign market) and before portfolio assets are valued that cause or are likely to cause a market quotation to be unavailable or unreliable, such as corporate actions, regulatory news, or natural disasters or governmental actions that may affect investments in a particular sector, country or region. In addition, for foreign equity securities and total return swaps and futures contracts on foreign indices that meet certain criteria, the Board has approved the use of a fair value service that values such investments to reflect market trading that occurs after the close of the applicable foreign markets of comparable securities or other investments that have a strong correlation to the fair valued investments. An investment that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than (i) actual market quotations, (ii) the value determined by other funds using their own fair valuation procedures, or (iii) the price at which the investment could have been sold during the period in which fair valuation was used with respect to such investment to calculate a Fund’s NAV. Because foreign investments held by a Fund, if any, may trade on days when Fund shares are not priced, the value of such investments, and thus the net asset value of a Fund’s shares, can change on days when Fund shares cannot be redeemed or purchased. Eaton Vance has established a Valuation Committee that oversees the valuation of investments.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 21 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Purchasing Shares

Set forth below is information about the manner in which each Fund offers shares. A financial intermediary may offer Fund shares subject to variations in or elimination of the Fund sales charges (“variations”), provided such variations are described in this Prospectus. All variations described in Appendix A are applied by, and the responsibility of, the identified financial intermediary. Sales charge variations may apply to purchases, sales, exchanges and reinvestments of Fund shares and a shareholder transacting in Fund shares through an intermediary identified on Appendix A should read the terms and conditions of Appendix A carefully. See also “Shareholder Account Features – ‘Street Name’ Accounts.” For the variations applicable to shares offered through certain financial intermediaries, please see Appendix A – Financial Intermediary Sales Charge Variations. A variation that is specific to a particular financial intermediary is not applicable to shares held directly with a Fund or through another intermediary.

You may purchase shares through your financial intermediary or by mailing an account application form to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). Purchase orders will be executed at the net asset value (plus any applicable sales charge) next determined after their receipt in proper form (meaning that the order is complete and contains all necessary information) by a Fund’s transfer agent. A Fund’s transfer agent or your financial intermediary must receive your purchase in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time) for your purchase to be effected at that day’s net asset value. If you purchase shares through a financial intermediary, that intermediary may charge you a fee for executing the purchase for you.

Each Fund may suspend the sale of its shares at any time and any purchase order may be refused for any reason. The funds sponsored by the Eaton Vance organization (the “Eaton Vance funds”) generally do not accept investments from residents of the European Union or Switzerland.  The funds also do not accept investments from other non-U.S. residents, provided that a fund may accept investments from certain non-U.S. investors at the discretion of the principal underwriter. The Funds do not issue share certificates.

As used throughout this Prospectus, the term “employer sponsored retirement plan” includes the following: an employer sponsored pension or profit sharing plan that qualifies under section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (such as a 401(k) plan, money purchase pension, profit sharing and defined benefit plan); ERISA covered 403(b) plan; Taft-Hartley multi-employer plan; and non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements that operate in a similar manner to a qualified retirement plan (including 457 plans and executive deferred compensation arrangements). Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRAs”) are not employer sponsored retirement plans for purposes of this definition.

Class A and Class C Shares

Your initial investment must be at least $1,000. After your initial investment, additional investments may be made in any amount at any time by sending a check payable to the order of the Fund or the transfer agent directly to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). Please include your name and account number and the name of the Fund and Class of shares with each investment. Each Fund no longer accepts direct purchases of Class C shares by accounts for which no broker-dealer or other financial intermediary is specified. Any direct purchase received by a Fund's transfer agent for Class C shares for such accounts will automatically be invested in Class A shares.

The minimum initial investment amount and Fund policy of redeeming accounts with low account balances are waived for bank automated investing accounts, certain group purchase plans (including employer sponsored retirement plans and proprietary fee-based programs sponsored by financial intermediaries) and for persons affiliated with Eaton Vance, its affiliates and certain Fund service providers (as described in the SAI).

Class I Shares

Your initial investment must be at least $250,000, except as noted below. Class I shares are offered to clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class I shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments, foundations and employer sponsored retirement plans. Class I shares may also be available through brokerage platforms of broker-dealer firms that have agreements with a Fund’s principal underwriter to offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor. An investor acquiring Class I shares through such platforms may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Each Fund offers other share classes that have different fees and expenses.  Class I shares also are offered to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates and certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance.

The Class I minimum initial investment is waived for persons affiliated with Eaton Vance, its affiliates and certain Fund service providers (as described in the SAI). The minimum initial investment also is waived for: (i) permitted exchanges; (ii) employer sponsored retirement plans; (iii) corporations, endowments and foundations with assets of at least $100 million; (iv) Class I shares purchased through the brokerage platforms described above; and (v) accounts of clients of financial intermediaries who (a) charge an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (b) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class I shares through a no-load network or platform (in each case, as described above).

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 22 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Class I shares may be purchased through a financial intermediary or by requesting your bank to transmit immediately available funds (Federal Funds) by wire. To make an initial investment by wire, you must complete an account application and telephone Eaton Vance Shareholder Services at 1-800-262-1122 to be assigned an account number. You may request an account application by calling 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time). Shareholder Services must be advised by telephone of each additional investment by wire.

Subsequent Investments. Subsequent investments of any amount may be made at any time, including through automatic investment each month or quarter from your bank account. You may make automatic investments of $50 or more each month or each quarter from your bank account provided such investments equal a minimum of $200 per year. You can establish bank automated investing on the account application or by providing written instructions to the Fund’s transfer agent. Please call 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time) for further information.

You also may make additional investments by accessing your account via the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com. The trade date of purchases made through the Internet from a pre-designated bank account will be the day the purchase is requested through the Eaton Vance website (provided the request is on a business day and submitted no later than the close of regular trading on the Exchange). For more information about purchasing shares through the Internet, please call 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time).

Inactive Accounts. In accordance with state “unclaimed property” (also known as “escheatment”) laws, your Fund shares may legally be considered abandoned and required to be transferred to the relevant state if no account activity or contact with the Fund or your financial intermediary occurs within a specified period of time. Please initiate contact a least once per calendar year and maintain a current and valid mailing address on record for your account. For more information, please see https://funds.eatonvance.com/mutual-funds-and-abandoned-property.php or please contact us at 1-800-262-1122.

Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing. The Funds are not intended for excessive trading or market timing. Market timers seek to profit by rapidly switching money into a fund when they expect the share price of the fund to rise and taking money out of the fund when they expect those prices to fall. By realizing profits through short-term trading, shareholders that engage in rapid purchases and sales (including exchanges, if permitted) of a fund’s shares may dilute the value of shares held by long-term shareholders. Volatility resulting from excessive purchases and sales of fund shares, especially involving large dollar amounts, may disrupt efficient portfolio management. In particular, excessive purchases and sales of a fund’s shares may cause a fund to have difficulty implementing its investment strategies, may force the fund to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times to raise cash or may cause increased expenses (such as increased brokerage costs, realization of taxable capital gains without attaining any investment advantage or increased administrative costs).

A fund that invests all or a portion of its assets in foreign securities may be susceptible to a time zone arbitrage strategy in which shareholders attempt to take advantage of fund share prices that may not reflect developments in a foreign securities market that occur after the close of such market but prior to the pricing of fund shares. In addition, a fund that invests in securities that are, among other things, thinly traded, traded infrequently or illiquid, is susceptible to the risk that the current market price for such securities may not accurately reflect current market values. A shareholder may seek to engage in short-term trading to take advantage of these pricing differences (commonly referred to as “price arbitrage”). The investment adviser(s) and sub-adviser(s) are authorized to use the fair value of a security if prices are unavailable or are deemed unreliable (see “Valuing Shares”). The use of fair value pricing and the restrictions on excessive trading and market timing described below are intended to reduce a shareholder’s ability to engage in price or time zone arbitrage to the detriment of the Funds.

The Boards of the Eaton Vance funds have adopted policies to discourage short-term trading and market timing and to seek to minimize their potentially detrimental effects. Pursuant to these policies, an Eaton Vance fund shareholder who, through one or more accounts, completes two round-trips within 90 days generally will be deemed to be market timing or trading excessively in fund shares.  “Two round-trips within 90 days” means either (1) a purchase of fund shares followed by a redemption of fund shares followed by a purchase followed by a redemption or (2) a redemption of fund shares followed by a purchase of fund shares followed by a redemption followed by a purchase, in either case with the final transaction in the sequence occurring within 90 days of the initial transaction in the sequence.  Purchases and redemptions subject to the limitation include those made by exchanging to or from another fund. Under the policies, the Board may delegate to a Fund, or to its principal underwriter, sub-transfer agent or other service provider (each, a “delegate”) the responsibility to reject or cancel a purchase order, suspend or terminate an exchange privilege or terminate the ability of an investor to invest in the Eaton Vance funds if the Fund or its delegate determines that a proposed transaction involves market timing or excessive trading that it believes is likely to be detrimental to the Fund.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 23 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Each Fund and its delegate use reasonable efforts to detect market timing and excessive trading activity, but they cannot ensure that they will be able to identify all cases of market timing and excessive trading. Each Fund or its delegate may also reject or cancel any purchase order (including an exchange) from an investor or group of investors for any other reason. Decisions to reject or cancel purchase orders (including exchanges) in a Fund are inherently subjective and will be made in a manner believed to be in the best interest of a Fund’s shareholders. No Eaton Vance fund has any arrangement to permit market timing.

The following fund share transactions (to the extent permitted by a fund’s prospectus) generally are exempt from the market timing and excessive trading policy described above because they generally do not raise market timing or excessive trading concerns:

· transactions made pursuant to a systematic purchase plan or as the result of automatic reinvestment of dividends or distributions, or initiated by a Fund (e.g., for failure to meet applicable account minimums);
· transactions made by participants in employer sponsored retirement plans involving participant payroll or employer contributions or loan repayments, redemptions as part of plan terminations or at the direction of the plan, mandatory retirement distributions, or rollovers;
· transactions made by model-based discretionary advisory accounts; or
· transactions made by an Eaton Vance fund that is structured as a “fund-of-funds,” provided the transactions are in response to fund inflows and outflows or are part of a reallocation of fund assets in accordance with its investment policies.

It may be difficult for a Fund or its delegate to identify market timing or excessive trading in omnibus accounts traded through financial intermediaries. Each Fund and its delegate have provided guidance to financial intermediaries (such as banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and retirement administrators) concerning the application of the Eaton Vance funds’ market timing and excessive trading policies to Fund shares held in omnibus accounts maintained and administered by such intermediaries, including guidance concerning situations where market timing or excessive trading is considered to be detrimental to a Fund. Each Fund or its delegate may rely on a financial intermediary’s policy to restrict market timing and excessive trading if it believes that policy is likely to prevent market timing that is likely to be detrimental to the Fund. Such policy may be more or less restrictive than a Fund’s policy. Although each Fund or its delegate reviews trading activity at the omnibus account level for activity that indicates potential market timing or excessive trading activity, the Funds and its delegate typically will not request or receive individual account data unless suspicious trading activity is identified. Each Fund and its delegate generally rely on financial intermediaries to monitor trading activity in omnibus accounts in good faith in accordance with their own or Fund policies. Each Fund and its delegate cannot ensure that these financial intermediaries will in all cases apply the policies of the Fund or their own policies, as the case may be, to accounts under their control.

Choosing a Share Class. Each Fund offers different classes of shares. The different classes of shares represent investments in the same portfolio of securities, but the classes are subject to different expenses and privileges, and will likely have different share prices due to differences in class expenses. A share class also may be subject to a sales charge. In choosing the class of shares that suits your investment needs, you should consider:

· how long you expect to own your shares;
· how much you intend to invest; and
· the total operating expenses associated with owning each class.

Each investor’s considerations are different. You should speak with your financial intermediary to help you decide which class of shares to purchase. Set forth below is a brief description of each class of shares offered by the Funds.

Class A shares are offered at net asset value plus a front-end sales charge of up to 5.75%. This charge is deducted from the amount you invest. The Class A sales charge is reduced for purchases of $50,000 or more. The sales charge applicable to your purchase may be reduced under the right of accumulation or a statement of intention, which are described in “Reducing or Eliminating Class A Sales Charges” under “Sales Charges” below. Some investors may be eligible to purchase Class A shares at net asset value under certain circumstances, which are also described below. Class A shares pay distribution and service fees equal to 0.25% annually of average daily net assets.

Class C shares are offered through financial intermediaries at net asset value with no front-end sales charge. If you sell your Class C shares within 12 months of purchase, you generally will be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge or “CDSC.” The CDSC is deducted from your redemption proceeds. Under certain circumstances, the CDSC for Class C may be waived (such as certain redemptions from employer sponsored retirement plans). See “CDSC Waivers” under “Sales Charges” below. Class C shares pay distribution and service fees equal to 1.00% annually of average daily net assets. Orders for Class C shares of one or more Eaton Vance funds will be refused when the total value of the purchase (including the aggregate market value of all Eaton Vance fund shares held within the

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 24 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

purchasing shareholder’s account(s)) is $1 million or more. Investors considering cumulative purchases of $1 million or more should consider whether another Class of shares would be more appropriate and consult their financial intermediary. Each Fund no longer accepts direct purchases of Class C shares by accounts for which no broker-dealer or other financial intermediary is specified. Any direct purchase received by a Fund’s transfer agent for Class C shares for such accounts will automatically be invested in Class A shares. In addition, Class C shares held in an account for which no financial intermediary is specified and which are not subject to a CDSC will periodically be converted to Class A shares.

Class I shares are offered to clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class I shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments, foundations and employer sponsored retirement plans. Class I shares may also be available through brokerage platforms of broker-dealer firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter to offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor. An investor acquiring Class I shares through such platforms may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Class I shares are also offered to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates, and certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance (including employees, officers and directors of Eaton Vance’s affiliates). Class I shares do not pay distribution or service fees.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries. In addition to payments disclosed under “Sales Charges” below, the principal underwriter, out of its own resources, may make cash payments to certain financial intermediaries who provide marketing support, transaction processing and/or administrative services and, in some cases, include some or all Eaton Vance funds in preferred or specialized selling programs. Payments made by the principal underwriter to a financial intermediary may be significant and are typically in the form of fees based on Fund sales, assets, transactions processed and/or accounts attributable to that financial intermediary. Financial intermediaries also may receive amounts from the principal underwriter in connection with educational or due diligence meetings that include information concerning Eaton Vance funds. The principal underwriter may pay or allow other promotional incentives or payments to financial intermediaries to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations.

Certain financial intermediaries that maintain fund accounts for the benefit of their customers provide sub-accounting, recordkeeping and/or administrative services to the Eaton Vance funds and are compensated for such services by the funds. As used in this Prospectus, the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker, dealer, bank (including bank trust departments), registered investment adviser, financial planner, a retirement plan and/or its administrator, their designated intermediaries and any other firm having a selling, administration or similar agreement with the principal underwriter or its affiliates.

Sales Charges

Class A Front-End Sales Charge. Class A shares are offered at net asset value per share plus a sales charge that is determined by the amount of your investment. The current sales charge schedule is:

Amount of Purchase Sales Charge*
as a Percentage of
Offering Price
Sales Charge*
as a Percentage of Net
Amount Invested
Dealer Commission
as a Percentage of
Offering Price
Less than $50,000 5.75% 6.10% 5.00%
$50,000 but less than $100,000 4.75% 4.99% 4.00%
$100,000 but less than $250,000 3.75% 3.90% 3.00%
$250,000 but less than $500,000 3.00% 3.09% 2.50%
$500,000 but less than $1,000,000 2.00% 2.04% 1.75%
$1,000,000 but less than $3,000,000 0.00** 0.00** TIERED**
$3,000,000 or more 0.00** 0.00** TIERED**
* Because the offering price per share is rounded to two decimal places, the actual sales charge you pay on a purchase of Class A shares may be more or less than your total purchase amount multiplied by the applicable sales charge percentage.
** No sales charge is payable at the time of purchase on investments of $1 million or more. The principal underwriter will pay a commission to financial intermediaries on sales of $1 million or more as follows: 1.00% on amounts of $1 million or more but less than $3 million; plus 0.75% on amounts of $3 million or more. A CDSC of 1.00% will be imposed on such investments (as described below) in the event of redemptions within 18 months of purchase.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 25 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Reducing or Eliminating Class A Sales Charges. Front-end sales charges on purchases of Class A shares may be reduced under the right of accumulation or under a statement of intention. To receive a reduced sales charge, you must inform your financial intermediary or a Fund at the time you purchase shares that you qualify for such a reduction. If you do not let your financial intermediary or the Fund know you are eligible for a reduced sales charge at the time of purchase, you will not receive the discount to which you may otherwise be entitled.

Right of Accumulation. Under the right of accumulation, the sales charge you pay is reduced if the current market value of your holdings in a Fund or any other Eaton Vance fund (based on the current maximum public offering price) plus your new purchase total $50,000 or more. Shares owned by you, your spouse and children under age twenty-one may be combined for purposes of the right of accumulation, including shares held for the benefit of any of you in omnibus or “street name” accounts. In addition, shares held in a trust or fiduciary account of which any of the foregoing persons is the sole beneficiary (including employer sponsored retirement plans and IRAs) may be combined for purposes of the right of accumulation. Shares purchased and/or owned in a SEP, SARSEP and SIMPLE IRA plan may be combined for purposes of the right of accumulation for the plan and its participants. You may be required to provide documentation to establish your ownership of shares included under the right of accumulation (such as account statements for you, your spouse and children or marriage certificates, birth certificates and/or trust or other fiduciary-related documents).

Statement of Intention. Under a statement of intention, purchases of $50,000 or more made over a 13-month period are eligible for reduced sales charges. Shares eligible under the right of accumulation (other than those included in employer sponsored retirement plans) may be included to satisfy the amount to be purchased under a statement of intention. Under a statement of intention, the principal underwriter may hold 5% of the dollar amount to be purchased in escrow in the form of shares registered in your name until you satisfy the statement or the 13-month period expires. A statement of intention does not obligate you to purchase (or a Fund to sell) the full amount indicated in the statement. If during the 13-month period you redeem any of the shares that you purchased pursuant to the statement of intention, the value of the redeemed shares will not be included for purposes of satisfying your statement of intention. For additional information about statements of intention, see “Sales Charges” in the SAI.

Class A shares are offered at net asset value (without a sales charge) to accounts of clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class A shares through a no-load network or platform, or self-directed brokerage accounts that may or may not charge transaction fees to customers; or (iii) employer sponsored retirement plans. Class A shares also are offered at net asset value to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates; certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance; direct purchases of shares by accounts where no financial intermediary is specified; and to certain fund service providers as described in the SAI. Class A shares are also offered at net asset value to shareholders who make a permitted direct transfer or roll-over to an Eaton Vance prototype IRA from an employer-sponsored retirement plan previously invested in Eaton Vance funds (applicable only to the portion previously invested in Eaton Vance funds), provided that sufficient documentation is provided to the transfer agent of such transfer or roll-over at the time of the account opening. Class A shares may also be purchased at net asset value pursuant to the exchange privilege and when distributions are reinvested. A financial intermediary may not, in accordance with its policies and procedures, offer one or more of the waiver categories described above and shareholders should consult their financial intermediary for more information. The Fund may eliminate, modify or add to the terms of these sales charge waivers at any time without providing notice to shareholders.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge.  Class A and Class C shares are subject to a CDSC on certain redemptions. The CDSC generally is paid to the principal underwriter. Class A shares purchased at net asset value in amounts of $1 million or more are subject to a 1.00% CDSC if redeemed within 18 months of purchase. Class C shares are subject to a 1.00% CDSC if redeemed within 12 months of purchase. CDSCs are based on the lower of the net asset value at the time of purchase or at the time of redemption. Shares acquired through the reinvestment of distributions are exempt from the CDSC. Redemptions are made first from shares that are not subject to a CDSC.

The sales commission payable to financial intermediaries in connection with sales of Class C shares is described under “Distribution and Service Fees” below.

CDSC Waivers. CDSCs are waived for certain redemptions pursuant to a Withdrawal Plan (see “Shareholder Account Features”) and in connection with certain redemptions from employer sponsored retirement plans or IRAs to satisfy required minimum distributions or to return excess contributions made to IRAs, if applicable. The CDSC is also waived following the death of a beneficial owner of shares (a death certificate and other applicable documents may be required). In addition, redemptions of Class C shares by certain employer sponsored retirement plans are not subject to a CDSC if the principal underwriter did not compensate such plans’ financial intermediary at the time of sale as described under “Distribution and Service Fees.”

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 26 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Conversion Feature.  Effective January 25, 2019 (the “Effective Date”), Class C shares of a Fund will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund during the month following the ten year anniversary of the purchase of such Class C shares. If a financial intermediary that maintains a Class C shareholder’s account has not tracked the holding period for Class C shares, Class C shares held as of the Effective Date will automatically convert to Class A shares 10 years after the Effective Date. In addition, Class C shares held in an account with each Fund’s transfer agent for which no financial intermediary is specified and that are not subject to a CDSC will be converted to Class A shares of the Fund periodically.

In some circumstances, the Board may determine to cease to offer and subsequently close an existing class of Fund shares. In such circumstances, the Fund may automatically convert the shares for such class into another share class, subject to prior notice to shareholders of the impacted class. Any such conversion will occur at the respective net asset value of each class as of the conversion date without the imposition of any fee or other charges by the Fund.

Distribution and Service Fees. Class A and Class C shares have in effect plans under Rule 12b-1 that allow each Fund to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of shares and service fees for personal and/or shareholder account services (so-called “12b-1 fees”). Class C shares pay distribution fees to the principal underwriter of 0.75% of average daily net assets annually. Because these fees are paid from Fund assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase your cost over time and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. The principal underwriter generally compensates financial intermediaries on sales of Class C shares (except exchange transactions and reinvestments) in an amount equal to 1% of the purchase price of the shares. After the first year, such financial intermediaries also receive 0.75% of the value of outstanding Class C shares sold by such financial intermediaries in annual distribution fees. With respect to purchases of Class C shares by certain employer sponsored retirement plans, the principal underwriter does not compensate the financial intermediary at the time of sale. In such cases, the financial intermediary receives 0.75% of the value of outstanding Class C shares sold by such financial intermediary in annual distribution fees immediately after the sale. Class C shares also pay service fees to the principal underwriter equal to 0.25% of average daily net assets annually. Class A shares pay distribution and service fees equal to 0.25% of average daily net assets annually. After the sale of shares, the principal underwriter generally receives the Class A distribution and service fees and the Class C service fees for one year. Thereafter financial intermediaries generally receive from the principal underwriter 0.25% annually of average daily net assets based on the value of outstanding shares sold by such financial intermediaries for personal services and maintenance of shareholder accounts performed by such intermediaries. With respect to purchases of Class A and Class C shares by certain employer sponsored retirement plans, the financial intermediary receives the above described distribution and service fees or service fees, as applicable, from the principal underwriter immediately after the sale. Distribution and service fees are subject to the limitations contained in the sales charge rule of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

More information about Fund sales charges is available free of charge on the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com and in the SAI. Please consult the Eaton Vance website for any updates to Fund sales charge information before making a purchase of Fund shares. Please consult your financial intermediary with respect to any sales charge variations listed on Appendix A.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 27 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Redeeming Shares

You can redeem shares in any of the following ways:

By Mail Send your request to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). The request must be signed exactly as your account is registered (for instance, a joint account must be signed by all registered owners to be accepted) and a Medallion signature guarantee may be required.  Circumstances that may require a Medallion signature guarantee include, but are not limited to, requests to distribute redemption proceeds to a party other than the registered account owner(s); requests to mail redemption proceeds to an address other than the address of record; requests to distribute proceeds to a bank account not on file; requests to re-issue uncashed checks representing redemption proceeds; or transaction requests from an account beneficiary when an account owner is deceased.  You can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee at banks, savings and loan institutions, credit unions, securities dealers, securities exchanges, clearing agencies and registered securities associations that participate in The Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Inc. (STAMP, Inc.).  Only Medallion signature guarantees issued in accordance with STAMP, Inc. will be accepted.  You may be asked to provide additional documents if your shares are registered in the name of a corporation, partnership or fiduciary.
By Telephone Certain shareholders can redeem by calling 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time). Proceeds of a telephone redemption are generally limited to $100,000 per account (which may include shares of one or more Eaton Vance funds) and can be sent only to the account address or to a bank pursuant to prior instructions.
By Internet Certain shareholders can redeem by logging on to the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com. Proceeds of internet redemptions are generally limited to $100,000 per account (which may include shares of one or more Eaton Vance funds) and can be sent only to the account address or to a bank pursuant to prior instructions.  
For Additional Information Please call 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time).
Through a Financial Intermediary Your financial intermediary is responsible for transmitting the order promptly.  A financial intermediary may charge a fee for this service.

A redemption may be requested by sending a Medallion signature guaranteed letter of instruction to the transfer agent (see back cover for address) or, for telephone redemptions as described above, by calling 1-800-262-1122. Certain redemption requests, including those involving shares held by certain corporations, trusts or certain other entities and shares that are subject to certain fiduciary arrangements, may require additional documentation and may be redeemed only by mail. The Funds' transfer agent or your financial intermediary must receive your redemption in proper form (meaning that it is complete and contains all necessary information) no later than the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time) for your redemption to be effected at that day’s net asset value. Redemption proceeds are reduced by the amount of any applicable CDSC and any federal income and state tax required to be withheld.

Redemption proceeds typically are paid to the redeeming shareholder in cash up to two business days after the redemption, but payment could take up to seven days, as permitted by the 1940 Act for the reasons discussed below. The actual number of days following receipt of a redemption request in which the Fund typically expects to pay redemption proceeds generally will depend on how you hold your shares with the Fund.

If your shares are held in a “street name” account with a financial intermediary (see “Shareholder Account Features – ‘Street Name’ Accounts”), your intermediary will elect through National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) to settle redemptions either one business day or two business days after the redemption date and redemption proceeds normally will be wired to your financial intermediary on the settlement date pursuant to that election.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 28 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

If your shares are held directly with the Funds' transfer agent, redemptions normally will be settled in one business day after the redemption date and redemption proceeds will be sent by regular mail on such date. However, if you have given proper written authorization in advance, you may request that redemption proceeds be wired on the settlement date directly to your bank account in any bank in the United States. While not currently charged by a Fund, you may be required to pay a wire transfer fee by your bank. If you request expedited mail delivery of your redemption proceeds and the Fund is able to accommodate your request, charges may apply. You may redeem all or a portion of the shares from your account on any day the Fund is open for business, provided the amount requested is not on hold or held in escrow pursuant to a statement of intention. When you purchase by check or with ACH funds transfer, the purchase will be on hold for up to 10 days from the date of receipt. During the hold period, redemption proceeds will not be sent until the transfer agent is reasonably satisfied that the purchase payment has been collected.

Each Fund typically expects to meet redemption requests by (i) distributing any cash holdings, (ii) selling portfolio investments and/or (iii) borrowing from a bank under a line of credit. In addition to the foregoing, the Fund also may distribute securities as payment (a so-called “redemption in-kind”), in which case the redeeming shareholder may pay fees and commissions to convert the securities to cash. Unless requested by a shareholder, each Fund generally expects to limit use of redemption in-kind to stressed market conditions, but is permitted to do so in other circumstances. A shareholder who wishes to receive redemption proceeds in-kind must notify a Fund on or before submitting the redemption request by calling 1-800-262-1122. Securities distributed in a redemption in-kind would be valued pursuant to each Fund’s valuation procedures and selected by the investment adviser. If a shareholder receives securities in a redemption in-kind, the shareholder could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash and the value of such securities would be subject to price fluctuations until sold. There can be no assurance that each Fund will manage liquidity successfully in all market environments. As a result, a Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds in a timely fashion because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests or other factors. Additional information about redemptions in-kind, including the procedures for submitting such redemption requests, is contained in each Fund’s SAI.

If your account value falls below $750, you may be asked either to add to your account or redeem it within 60 days. If you take no action, your account will be redeemed at net asset value and the proceeds sent to you.

Shareholder Account Features

Distributions. You may have your Fund distributions paid in one of the following ways:

• Full Reinvest Option Distributions are reinvested in additional shares.  This option will be assigned if you do not specify an option.
• Partial Reinvest Option Dividends are paid in cash* and capital gains are reinvested in additional shares.
• Cash Option Distributions are paid in cash.*
• Exchange Option Distributions are reinvested in additional shares of any class of another Eaton Vance fund chosen by you, subject to the terms of that fund’s prospectus.  Before selecting this option, you must obtain a prospectus of the other fund and consider its objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully.
* If any distribution check remains uncashed for six months, Eaton Vance reserves the right to invest the amount represented by the check in Fund shares at the then-current net asset value of the Fund and all future distributions will be reinvested.

Information about the Funds. From time to time, you may receive the following:

· Semiannual and annual reports containing a list of portfolio holdings as of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters, respectively, performance information and financial statements.
· Periodic account statements, showing recent activity and total share balance.
· Tax information needed to prepare your income tax returns.
· Proxy materials, in the event a shareholder vote is required.
· Special notices about significant events affecting your Fund.

Most fund information (including semiannual and annual reports, prospectuses and proxy statements) as well as your periodic account statements can be delivered electronically. For more information please go to www.eatonvance.com/edelivery.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 29 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

The Eaton Vance funds have established policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings and other information concerning Fund characteristics. A description of these policies and procedures is provided below and additionally in the SAI. Such policies and procedures regarding disclosure of portfolio holdings are designed to prevent the misuse of material, non-public information about the funds.

Each Fund will file information regarding its portfolio holdings with the SEC on its Form N-PORT. Each Fund’s annual and semiannual reports (as filed on Form N-CSR) and certain information filed on Form N-PORT may be viewed on the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). The most recent fiscal quarter-end holdings may also be viewed on the Eaton Vance website (www.eatonvance.com). Portfolio holdings information that is filed with the SEC is posted on the Eaton Vance website approximately 60 days after the end of the quarter to which it relates. Portfolio holdings information as of each month end is posted to the website approximately one month after such month end. Each Fund also posts information about certain portfolio characteristics (such as top ten holdings and asset allocation) at least quarterly on the Eaton Vance website approximately ten business days after the period and each Fund may also post performance attribution as of a month end or more frequently if deemed appropriate.

Withdrawal Plan. You may redeem shares on a regular periodic basis by establishing a systematic withdrawal plan. Withdrawals will not be subject to any applicable CDSC if they are, in the aggregate, less than or equal to 12% annually of the greater of either the initial account balance or the current account balance. Because purchases of Class A shares are generally subject to an initial sales charge, Class A shareholders should not make withdrawals from their accounts while also making purchases.

Exchange Privilege. Each class of Fund shares may be exchanged for shares of the same Class of another Eaton Vance fund. For purposes of exchanges among Eaton Vance funds, Class A and Class I shares are deemed to be the same as Investor Class and Institutional Class shares, respectively, of other Eaton Vance funds. Exchanges are made at net asset value. If your shares are subject to a CDSC, the CDSC will continue to apply to your new shares at the same CDSC rate. For purposes of the CDSC, your shares will continue to age from the date of your original purchase of Fund shares. Except as described below, any class of shares of a fund may be exchanged for any other class of shares of that fund, provided that the shares being exchanged are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conditions for investing in the other class of shares described in the applicable prospectus are satisfied. Class C shares are not permitted to be exchanged to Class A shares unless the CDSC has expired and the exchange is made to facilitate the shareholder's participation in a fee-based advisory program. See also Appendix A to this Prospectus.

Before exchanging, you should read the prospectus of the new fund carefully. Exchanges are subject to the terms applicable to purchases of the new fund’s shares as set forth in its prospectus. If you wish to exchange shares, write to the transfer agent (see back cover for address), log on to your account at www.eatonvance.com or call 1-800-262-1122. Periodic automatic exchanges are also available. The exchange privilege may be changed or discontinued at any time. You will receive at least 60 days’ notice of any material change to the privilege. This privilege may not be used for “market timing” and may be terminated for market timing accounts or for any other reason. For additional information, see “Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing” under “Purchasing Shares.” Ordinarily exchanges between different funds are taxable transactions for federal tax purposes, while permitted exchanges of one class for shares of another class of the same fund are not. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of federal, state, local and other taxes to transactions in Fund shares.

Reinvestment Privilege. If you redeem shares, you may reinvest at net asset value all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in the same account and in the same class of shares of the Fund you redeemed from or another Fund, provided that the reinvestment occurs within 90 days of the redemption, the privilege has not been used more than once in the prior 12 months, the redeemed shares were subject to a front-end sales charge or CDSC and that you are otherwise eligible to invest in that class. Under these circumstances your account will be credited with any CDSC paid in connection with the redemption. Any CDSC period applicable to the shares you acquire upon reinvestment will run from the date of your original share purchase. For requests for reinvestment sent to the Fund's transfer agent, the request must be in writing. At the time of a reinvestment, you or your financial intermediary must notify the Fund or the transfer agent that you are reinvesting redemption proceeds in accordance with this privilege. If you reinvest, your purchase will be at the next determined net asset value following receipt of your request.

Telephone and Electronic Transactions. You can redeem or exchange shares by telephone as described in this Prospectus. In addition, certain transactions may be conducted through the Eaton Vance website. The transfer agent and the principal underwriter have procedures in place to authenticate telephone and electronic instructions (such as using security codes or verifying personal account information). As long as the transfer agent and principal underwriter follow reasonable procedures, they will not be responsible for unauthorized telephone or electronic transactions and you bear the risk of possible loss resulting from these transactions. You may decline the telephone redemption option on the account application. Telephone instructions are recorded. You should verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately upon receipt and notify Eaton Vance Shareholder Services of any inaccuracies.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 30 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

“Street Name” Accounts. If your shares are held in a “street name” account at a financial intermediary, that intermediary (and not the Fund or its transfer agent) will perform all recordkeeping, transaction processing and distribution payments. Because the Fund does not maintain an account for you, you should contact your financial intermediary to make transactions in shares, make changes in your account, or obtain account information. You will not be able to utilize a number of shareholder features, such as telephone or internet transactions, directly with a Fund and certain features may be subject to different requirements. If you transfer shares in a “street name” account to an account with another financial intermediary or to an account directly with a Fund, you should obtain historical information about your shares prior to the transfer. If you fail to provide your full account history to your new financial intermediary following a transfer, you may be ineligible for certain features of a Fund.

Procedures for Opening New Accounts. To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each new customer who opens an account with a Fund and to determine whether such person’s name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations. When you open an account, the transfer agent or your financial intermediary will ask you for your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), residential or business street address (although post office boxes are still permitted for mailing) and social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other government-issued identifying number. You also may be asked to produce a copy of your driver’s license, passport or other identifying documents in order to verify your identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify your identity by cross-referencing your identification information with a consumer report or other electronic databases. Other information or documents may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities. Federal law prohibits a Fund and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information described above. If a person fails to provide the information requested, any application by that person to open a new account will be rejected. Moreover, if the transfer agent or the financial intermediary is unable to verify the identity of a person based on information provided by that person, it may take additional steps including, but not limited to, requesting additional information or documents from the person, closing the person’s account or reporting the matter to the appropriate federal authorities. If your account is closed for this reason, your shares may be automatically redeemed at the net asset value next determined. If a Fund’s net asset value has decreased since your purchase, you will lose money as a result of this redemption. Each Fund has also designated an anti-money laundering compliance officer.

Account Questions. If you have any questions about your account or the services available, please call Eaton Vance Shareholder Services at 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time), or write to the transfer agent (see back cover for address).

Additional Tax Information

Each Fund intends to declare and pay distributions annually. Distributions may not be paid if Fund (and/or Class) expenses exceed Fund income for the period. Different Classes of a Fund will generally distribute different amounts. Each Fund makes distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, annually. It may also be necessary, in order to qualify for favorable tax treatment and to avoid any Fund-level tax, for a Fund to make a special income and/or capital gains distribution at the end of the calendar year.

Distributions of a Fund’s investment income and net realized short-term capital gains generally will be taxed as ordinary income. Distributions of any net long-term capital gains (net gains from investments held for more than one year) generally will be taxed as long-term capital gains. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long a Fund owned (or is treated as having owned) the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares in the Fund. Distributions of investment income properly reported by a Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” (as further described in the SAI) will be taxed in the hands of individuals at rates applicable to long-term capital gains provided the holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and the Fund level. Over time, distributions by each Fund can generally be expected to include ordinary income, qualified dividend income and capital gain distributions taxable as long-term capital gains. A portion of each Fund’s income distributions may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporations. A Fund’s distributions will be taxable as described above whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares.

The net investment income of certain U.S. individuals, estates and trusts is subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax. For individuals, the tax is on the lesser of the “net investment income” and the excess of modified adjusted gross income over $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly). Net investment income includes, among other things, interest, dividends, and gross income and capital gains derived from passive activities and trading in securities or commodities. Net investment income is reduced by deductions “properly allocable” to this income.

Investors who purchase shares at a time when a Fund’s net asset value reflects gains that are either unrealized or realized but not distributed will pay the full price for the shares and then may receive some portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution. A redemption of Fund shares, including an exchange for shares of another fund, is generally a taxable transaction.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 31 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Each Fund’s investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes or other foreign taxes with respect to income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains) which may decrease the Fund’s yield on such securities. These taxes may be reduced or eliminated under the terms of an applicable tax treaty. In addition, investments in foreign securities or foreign currencies may increase or accelerate recognition of ordinary income and may affect the timing or amount of a Fund’s distributions.

Under certain circumstances, shareholders may be able to claim a credit or deduction with respect to foreign taxes paid by a Fund. If eligible, the Fund may make an election which would require Fund shareholders to include in gross income their pro rata share of qualified foreign income taxes paid by the Fund (even though such amounts are not received by the shareholders) and could allow Fund shareholders, provided certain requirements are met, to use their pro rata portion of such foreign income taxes as a foreign tax credit against their federal income taxes or, alternatively, for shareholders who itemize their tax deductions, to deduct their portion of the Fund’s foreign taxes paid in computing their taxable federal income.

A Fund may be required to withhold, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a portion of the dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that they are subject to backup withholding. Certain shareholders are exempt from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

Certain foreign entities may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on ordinary dividend income paid under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions subject to FATCA must agree to disclose to the relevant revenue authorities certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners and other foreign entities must certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners to the Fund. In addition, the IRS and the Department of Treasury have issued proposed regulations providing that these withholding rules will not be applicable to the gross proceeds of share redemptions or capital gain dividends the Fund pays. For more detailed information regarding FATCA withholding and compliance, please refer to the SAI.

Shareholders should consult with their tax advisors concerning the applicability of federal, state, local and other taxes to an investment.

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 32 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Financial Highlights

The financial highlights are intended to help you understand a Fund’s financial performance for the period(s) indicated. Certain information in the tables reflects the financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the tables represent the rate an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all distributions at net asset value). This information has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. The reports of Deloitte & Touche LLP and each Fund’s financial statements are incorporated herein by reference and included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.

  Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund
  Year Ended July 31,
  2019 2018
  Class A Class C Class I Class A Class C Class I
Net asset value - Beginning of year $12.830 $12.730 $12.860 $12.890 $12.810 $12.920
Income (Loss) From Operations            
Net investment income(1) $0.270 $0.182 $0.299 $0.209 $0.115 $0.242
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (0.219) (0.218) (0.224) 0.465 0.450 0.463
Total income (loss) from operations $0.051 $(0.036) $0.075 $0.674 $0.565 $0.705
Less Distributions            
From net investment income $(0.300) $(0.203) $(0.334) $(0.186) $(0.097) $(0.217)
From net realized gain (0.601) (0.601) (0.601) (0.548) (0.548) (0.548)
Total distributions $(0.901) $(0.804) $(0.935) $(0.734) $(0.645) $(0.765)
Net asset value - End of year $11.980 $11.890 $12.000 $12.830 $12.730 $12.860
Total Return(2)(4) 1.17% 0.38% 1.40% 5.16% 4.39% 5.40%
Ratios/Supplemental Data            
Net assets, end of year (000’s omitted) $6,677 $1,088 $48,649 $12,181 $3,040 $71,032
Ratios (as a percentage of average daily net assets):            
Expenses(4) 1.15% 1.90% 0.90% 1.15%(6)(9) 1.90%(6)(9) 0.90%(6)(9)
Net investment income 2.24% 1.52% 2.48% 1.62% 0.91% 1.88%
Portfolio Turnover 92% 92% 92% 95% 95% 95%

(See related footnotes.)

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 33 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Financial Highlights (continued)

  Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund
  Year Ended July 31,
  2017 2016 2015
  Class A Class C(7) Class I Class A Class I Class A Class I
Net asset value - Beginning of period $12.290 $11.920 $12.310 $12.120 $12.150 $12.160 $12.200
Income (Loss) From Operations              
Net investment income(1) $0.148 $0.045 $0.181 $0.163 $0.191 $0.153 $0.188
Net realized and unrealized gain 0.890 1.306 0.891 0.716 0.715 0.361 0.353
Total income from operations $1.038 $1.351 $1.072 $0.879 $0.906 $0.514 $0.541
Less Distributions              
From net investment income $(0.058) $(0.081) $(0.082) $(0.237) $(0.274) $(0.174) $(0.211)
From net realized gain (0.380) (0.380) (0.380) (0.472) (0.472) (0.380) (0.380)
Total distributions $(0.438) $(0.461) $(0.462) $(0.709) $(0.746) $(0.554) $(0.591)
Net asset value - End of period $12.890 $12.810 $12.920 $12.290 $12.310 $12.120 $12.150
Total Return(2)(4) 8.80% 11.61%(3) 9.08% 7.95% 8.21% 4.30% 4.53%
Ratios/Supplemental Data              
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $12,841 $2,713 $86,481 $7,041 $57,147 $8,861 $58,161
Ratios (as a percentage of average daily net assets):              
Expenses(4) 1.17%(6) 1.91%(5)(6) 0.92%(6) 1.20% 0.95% 1.30% 1.02%
Net investment income 1.20% 0.55%(5) 1.47% 1.42% 1.66% 1.26% 1.54%
Portfolio Turnover 109% 109%(8) 109% 83% 83% 87% 87%

(See related footnotes.)

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 34 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Financial Highlights (continued)

  Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund
  Year Ended July 31,
  2019 2018
  Class A Class I Class A Class I
Net asset value - Beginning of year $11.590 $11.640 $11.780 $11.830
Income (Loss) From Operations        
Net investment income(1) $0.245 $0.327 $0.233 $0.257
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (0.656)(10) (0.709)(10) (0.177) (0.173)
Total income (loss) from operations $(0.411) $(0.382) $0.056 $0.084
Less Distributions        
From net investment income $(0.009) $(0.038) $(0.246) $(0.274)
From net realized gain (0.040) (0.040)
Total distributions $(0.049) $(0.078) $(0.246) $(0.274)
Net asset value - End of year $11.130 $11.180 $11.590 $11.640
Total Return(2)(4) (3.52)% (3.22)% 0.46% 0.60%
Ratios/Supplemental Data        
Net assets, end of year (000’s omitted) $737 $48,438 $1,113 $6,507
Ratios (as a percentage of average daily net assets):        
Expenses(4) 1.15% 0.90% 1.15%(6)(9) 0.90%(6)(9)
Net investment income 2.21% 2.94% 1.98% 2.18%
Portfolio Turnover 70% 70% 98% 98%

(See related footnotes.)

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 35 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Financial Highlights (continued)

  Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund
  Year Ended July 31,
  2017 2016 2015
  Class A Class I Class A Class I Class A Class I
Net asset value - Beginning of year $10.640 $10.680 $11.180 $11.230 $11.660 $11.700
Income (Loss) From Operations            
Net investment income(1) $0.156 $0.191 $0.160 $0.177 $0.160 $0.176
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 1.169 1.168 (0.538) (0.538) (0.268) (0.250)
Total income (loss) from operations $1.325 $1.359 $(0.378) $(0.361) $(0.108) $(0.074)
Less Distributions            
From net investment income $(0.185) $(0.209) $(0.054) $(0.081) $(0.219) $(0.243)
From net realized gain (0.108) (0.108) (0.153) (0.153)
Total distributions $(0.185) $(0.209) $(0.162) $(0.189) $(0.372) $(0.396)
Net asset value - End of year $11.780 $11.830 $10.640 $10.680 $11.180 $11.230
Total Return(2)(4) 12.69% 13.09% (3.31)% (3.13)% (0.70)% (0.48)%
Ratios/Supplemental Data            
Net assets, end of year (000’s omitted) $1,057 $7,155 $818 $5,701 $883 $8,832
Ratios (as a percentage of average daily net assets):            
Expenses(4) 1.18%(6) 0.93%(6) 1.20% 0.95% 1.31% 1.08%
Net investment income 1.44% 1.75% 1.55% 1.70% 1.43% 1.57%
Portfolio Turnover 107% 107% 88% 88% 95% 95%
(1) Computed using average shares outstanding.
(2) Returns are historical and are calculated by determining the percentage change in net asset value with all distributions reinvested and do not reflect the effect of sales charges, if applicable.
(3) Not annualized.
(4) For Global Equity Fund Class A shares, the investment adviser and administrator and/or the sub-adviser reimbursed certain operating expenses (equal to 0.23%, 0.19%, 0.20%, 0.19% and 0.13% of average daily net assets for the years ended July 31, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively). For Class C shares, the investment adviser and administrator and/or the sub-adviser reimbursed certain operating expenses (equal to 0.23%, 0.19% and 0.21% of average daily net assets for the years ended July 31, 2019 and 2018 and the period from the start of business, December 1, 2016, to July 31, 2017, respectively). For Class I shares, the investment adviser and administrator and/or the sub-adviser reimbursed certain operating expenses (equal to 0.23%, 0.19%, 0.20%, 0.19% and 0.14% of average daily net assets for the years ended July 31, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively). Absent these reimbursements, total returns would be lower. For International Equity Fund Class A shares, the investment adviser and administrator and/or the sub-adviser reimbursed certain operating expenses (equal to 0.43%, 1.87%, 2.08%, 1.88% and 1.62% of average daily net assets for the years ended July 31, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively). For Class I shares, the investment adviser and administrator and/or the sub-adviser reimbursed certain operating expenses (equal to 0.43%, 1.87%, 2.07%, 1.88% and 1.61% of average daily net assets for the years ended July 31, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively). Absent these reimbursements, total returns would be lower.
(5) Annualized.
(6) Excludes expenses incurred by the Fund as a result of its investments in unaffiliated funds (equal to 0.01% and less than 0.01% of average daily net assets for the years or period ended July 31, 2018 and 2017, as applicable).
(7) For the period from the start of business, December 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017.
(8) For the year ended July 31, 2017.
(9) Includes interest expense of 0.01%.
(10) The per share amount is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments for the period because of the timing of sales of Fund shares and the amount of the per share realized and unrealized gains and losses at such time.

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 36 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Appendix A

Financial Intermediary Sales Charge Variations

As noted under “Purchasing Shares,” a financial intermediary may offer Fund shares subject to variations in or elimination of the Fund sales charges (“variations”), provided such variations are described in this Prospectus. Set forth below are the variations in sales charges applicable to shares purchased through the noted financial intermediary. All variations described below are applied by, and the responsibility of, the identified financial intermediary. Variations may apply to purchases, sales, exchanges and reinvestments of Fund shares and a shareholder transacting in Fund shares through the intermediary identified below should read the terms and conditions of the variations carefully. A variation that is specific to a particular financial intermediary is not applicable to shares held directly with the Fund or through another intermediary.

Fund Purchases through Merrill Lynch

Effective April 10, 2017, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account are eligible only for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or in the SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares

The front-end sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares will be waived for:

· Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan
· Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan
· Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program
· Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch’s platform
· Shares of funds purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform (if applicable)
· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)
· Shares exchanged from Class C shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date
· Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members
· Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement)

CDSC Waivers on Class A and Class C Shares

The CDSC payable on redemptions of Class A and Class C will be waived in connection with:

· Shares sold on the death or disability of the shareholder
· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in “Shareholder Account Features”
· Shares sold to return excess contributions from an IRA Account
· Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½
· Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch
· The sale of Fund shares acquired pursuant to the Rights of Reinstatement privilege as described above
· Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to a fee based account or platform (applicable to Class A and Class C shares only)
· An exchange for shares of another class of the same fund through a fee-based individual retirement account on the Merrill Lynch platform. In such circumstances, Merrill Lynch will remit the portion of the CDSC to be paid to the principal underwriter equal to the number of months remaining on the CDSC period divided by the total number of months of the CDSC period
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 37 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Front-end load Discounts Available: Discounts, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

Front-end sales charges may be subject to discounts, rights of accumulation and letters of intent as follows:

· The front-end sales charge applicable to Class A shares may be subject to breakpoint discounts for purchases in excess of $50,000 for Class A as described under “Sales Charges”
· Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets
· Letters of Intent (LOI) through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time (if applicable)
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 38 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Fund Purchases through Ameriprise Financial (Class A Sales Charge Waivers)

Effective June 1, 2018, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or in the SAI.

Front-end Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares:

· Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
· Shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial investment advisory program (if an Advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available).
· Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Ameriprise Financial’s platform (if an Advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available).
· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same Fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
· Shares exchanged from Class C shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this Prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to such shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this Prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Class C shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges.
· Employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members.
· Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise financial advisor and/or the advisor’s spouse, advisor’s lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), advisor’s lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant.
· Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement).
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 39 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Fund Purchases through Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Effective July 1, 2018, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management transactional brokerage account will be eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers with respect to Class A shares, which may differ from and may be more limited than those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares available at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

· Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans
· Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley’s account linking rules
· Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund
· Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account
· Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s share class conversion program
· Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (i) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (ii) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (iii) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 40 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Fund Purchases through Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and each entity’s affiliates (“Raymond James”)

Effective March 1, 2019, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment adviser for which Raymond James provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

Front-end sales load waivers on Class A shares available at Raymond James

· Shares purchased in an investment advisory program.
· Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions.
· Employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James.
· Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement).
· A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James.

CDSC Waivers on Classes A and C shares available at Raymond James

· Death or disability of the shareholder.
· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
· Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
· Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½ as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
· Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James.
· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

Front-end load discounts available at Raymond James: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent

· Breakpoints as described in this Prospectus.
· Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Raymond James. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
· Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 41 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Fund Purchases through Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”)

Effective May 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Janney account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A shares available at Janney

· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
· Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
· Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
· Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.

Sales charge waivers on Class A and C shares available at Janney

· Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
· Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
· Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and other retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½ as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
· Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

Front-end load discounts available at Janney: breakpoints, and/or rights of accumulation

· Breakpoints as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
· Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 42 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

 

More Information

About the Funds: More information is available in the Statement of Additional Information. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Additional information about each Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semiannual reports (collectively, the “reports”). In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance during the past fiscal year. You may obtain free copies of the Statement of Additional Information and the reports on Eaton Vance’s website at www.eatonvance.com or by contacting the principal underwriter:

Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc.
Two International Place
Boston, MA 02110
1-800-262-1122
website: www.eatonvance.com

Information about each Fund (including the Statement of Additional Information and reports) is available on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

Shareholder Inquiries: You can obtain more information from Eaton Vance Shareholder Services or the Fund transfer agent, BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. If you own shares and would like to add to, redeem from or change your account, please write or call below:

Regular Mailing Address:
Eaton Vance Funds
P.O. Box 9653
Providence, RI  02940-9653
  Overnight Mailing Address:
Eaton Vance Funds
4400 Computer Drive
Westborough, MA  01581
  Phone Number:
1-800-262-1122
Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

 

The Funds' Investment Company Act No. is 811-01241.  
6084 12.1.19 © 2019 Eaton Vance Management

 

Printed on recycled paper.

 

 

Parametric Research Affiliates
Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund

Institutional Class Shares - ESATX

Prospectus Dated
December 1, 2019

Important Note. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund's website (http://www.eatonvance.com/ppafunddocuments), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. If you are a direct investor, you may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically by signing up for e-Delivery at eatonvance.com/edelivery. If you own your shares through a financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank), you must contact your financial intermediary to sign up.

You may elect to receive all future Fund shareholder reports in paper free of charge. If you are a direct investor, you can inform the Fund that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by calling 1-800-260-0761. If you own these shares through a financial intermediary, you must contact your financial intermediary or follow instructions included with this disclosure, if applicable, to elect to continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Eaton Vance funds held directly or to all funds held through your financial intermediary, as applicable.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Information in this Prospectus

 

Page   Page
Fund Summary 2 Investment Objective & Principal Policies and Risks 8
Investment Objective 2 Management and Organization 19
Fees and Expenses of the Fund 2 Related Performance Information 19
Portfolio Turnover 2 Valuing Shares 20
Principal Investment Strategies 2 Purchasing Shares 21
Principal Risks 4 Redeeming Shares 24
Performance 7 Shareholder Account Features 25
Management 7 Additional Tax Information 27
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares 7 Financial Highlights 28
Tax Information 7    
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries 7    

This Prospectus contains important information about the Fund and the services
available to shareholders. Please save it for reference.

 

 
 

Fund Summary

Investment Objective

The Fund's investment objective is total return.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Investors may also pay commissions or other fees to their financial intermediary when they buy and hold shares of the Fund, which are not reflected below.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of net asset value at purchase or redemption) None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of  your investment) Institutional Class
Management Fees of the Fund and Subsidiary 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses (of the Fund and Subsidiary)  
Other Expenses of the Fund 1.19%
Other Expenses of the Subsidiary 0.29%
Total Other Expenses 1.48%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2.28%
Expense Reimbursement(1) (1.29)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses  after Expense Reimbursement 0.99%
(1) The investment adviser and administrator and sub-adviser have agreed to reimburse the Fund’s expenses to the extent that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 0.99% for Institutional Class shares. This expense reimbursement will continue through November 30, 2020. Any amendment to or termination of this reimbursement would require approval of the Board of Trustees. The expense reimbursement relates to ordinary operating expenses only and does not include expenses such as: brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses of unaffiliated funds, borrowing costs (including borrowing costs of any acquired funds), taxes or litigation expenses. Amounts reimbursed may be recouped by the investment adviser and administrator and sub-adviser during the same fiscal year to the extent actual expenses are less than the contractual expense cap during such year.

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the operating expenses remain the same and that any expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

  1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Institutional Class shares $101 $588 $1,102 $2,515

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” the portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 0% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to provide exposure to risk premia by taking long and short positions using derivative instruments to gain market exposure across four asset classes as described below. “Risk premia” are the returns assets are expected to generate in excess of the return of a risk-free investment as compensation for taking risk. The Fund’s strategy focuses on so-called alternative risk premia that are not commonly considered in the management of portfolios investing primarily in securities on a long-only and unlevered basis. In a long position, the Fund generally expects that the position will increase in value as the market rises and decrease in value as the market falls. In a short position, the Fund generally

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 2 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

expects that the position will increase in value as the market falls and decrease in value as the market rises. Various factors are drivers of risk premia. The Fund seeks to generate positive returns from carry, value and trend factor risk premia by taking long and short positions across four asset classes: equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies. Depending on market conditions, the Fund may also seek to generate positive returns from exposure to the equity volatility factor risk premium by entering into long and short futures contracts on the CBOE Volatility Index.

The Fund’s sub-advisers generally have defined the carry, value and trend factor risk premia for equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies as shown below, and have defined the volatility factor for equities only.

· Carry premium is the expected return of an investment assuming prices stay the same. An example of carry premium is going long higher yielding assets and shorting lower yielding assets;
· Value premium is compensation for taking the risk of taking a long position in an asset believed to be underpriced and shorting assets that are believed to be overpriced;
· Trend premium is the return if prices continue to follow recent price trends. An example is buying assets that have recently gone up in price and selling assets that have recently gone down in price; and
· Volatility premium is the historical tendency for the implied volatility of an index option to be greater than the realized volatility of the underlying index securities. Implied volatility refers to an estimate of future index volatility that can be derived from the price of options on the index. Realized volatility refers to the index’s volatility calculated based on actual events.

The derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest include foreign currency exchange contracts; futures on securities, indices, currencies, commodities and other investments; options; interest rate swaps; cross-currency swaps; total return swaps; and credit default swaps. The Fund’s long and short investments may include sovereign exposures, including sovereign debt, currencies, and interest rates, as well as exposures to foreign and domestic credit and equity issuers, volatility indices and commodities-related investments. The Fund will seek investment opportunities around the world. The Fund may also enter into repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, forward commitments and short sales. The Fund may achieve investment exposures through exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund’s derivative positions will be backed by a portfolio of cash equivalent investments, including U.S. Treasury securities, with a maximum remaining maturity of one year or less. The Fund expects to use leverage, which represents a non-cash exposure to the underlying asset, index, rate or instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund. Under normal market conditions, the sub-advisers target Fund performance volatility (defined as the annualized standard deviation of monthly returns over a three-year period) ranging between approximately 8% and 16%.  The Fund’s actual, or realized, volatility for longer or shorter periods may, however, be materially higher or lower than the target range, depending on market conditions.  Actual or realized volatility can and will differ from the target volatility described above.

The Fund will gain exposure to commodities, in whole or in part, through investments in SARP Commodity Subsidiary, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”) with the same investment objective and principal investment strategies as the Fund. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in the Subsidiary, which invests primarily in commodity-related investments, and may also invest in other instruments in which the Fund is permitted to invest.

The Fund employs an “absolute return” investment approach. This means that the Fund benchmarks itself to an index of cash instruments, rather than a stock or bond market index, and seeks to achieve returns that exceed its benchmark and are largely independent of broad movements in stocks and bonds. The Fund’s benchmark is the ICE BofAML 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index.

The Fund’s sub-advisers utilize a systematic investment model and pre-defined trading rules to construct the Fund’s portfolio. The investment model is periodically re-evaluated and adjusted to ensure that the model is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and strategies. The sub-advisers construct the portfolio by using proprietary factor definitions for carry and value per asset class, and by ranking the individual assets within each asset class based on the strength of certain indicators or “signals” that are proprietary. The Fund will go long the assets with the strongest positive signals for value and carry factors and short those with the strongest negative signals. The Fund will either go long or short assets to capture the trend factor, depending on the recent price trend. Portfolio positions may also be adjusted and/or hedged to seek to reduce unintended market exposures. The sub-advisers assign leverage to each factor according to a pre-defined methodology. After leverage is assigned to each factor, the individual factors are combined into a model and portfolio offsetting positions are then netted across the different factors. The final netted portfolio represents the model portfolio for the Fund. Volatility exposure is assigned separately and is binary, with the position either on or off, depending on whether the conditions have been met for the volatility factor premium. The Fund’s asset allocation will be rebalanced periodically. The model portfolio implements a process intended to reduce model changes and turnover, and to minimize transaction costs and trading expense.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 3 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Principal Risks

Market Risk. The value of investments held by the Fund may increase or decrease in response to economic, political and financial events (whether real, expected or perceived) in the U.S. and global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Fund may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in reaction to changing market conditions. Actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, such as decreases or increases in short-term interest rates, could cause high volatility in markets. No active trading market may exist for certain investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the current valuation of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such assets. Fixed-income markets may experience periods of relatively high volatility in an environment where U.S. treasury yields are rising.

Risk Premia Strategy Risks. Investing in or having exposure to investments with positive trend entails investing in assets that have had above-average recent returns. These investments may be more volatile than a broad cross-section of investments. Investing in or having exposure to “value” securities presents the risk that the securities may never reach what the sub-advisers believe are their full market values. Investments based on the carry factor described above are subject to the risk that changes in interest rates, exchange rates, equity yields or their term will affect their value. The Fund may have investments that are volatile and appreciate or decrease significantly in value over short periods of time. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to experience significant increases or declines in value over short periods of time, however, all investments long- or short-term are subject to risk of loss. In addition, there may be periods during which the investment performance of the Fund while using the risk premia strategies may suffer.

Absolute Return Strategy. The Fund employs an “absolute return” investment approach, benchmarking itself to an index of cash instruments and seeking to achieve returns that are largely independent of broad movements in stocks and bonds. Unlike equity funds, the Fund should not be expected to benefit from general equity market returns. Different from fixed income funds, the Fund may not generate current income and should not be expected to experience price appreciation as interest rates decline. Although the investment adviser seeks to maximize absolute return, the Fund may not generate positive returns.

Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s exposure to derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other investments. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event underlying a derivative (“reference instrument”), due to failure of a counterparty or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may create leverage in the Fund, which represents a non-cash exposure to the underlying reference instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund. Derivatives risk may be more significant when derivatives are used to enhance return or as a substitute for a cash investment position, rather than solely to hedge the risk of a position held by the Fund. Use of derivatives involves the exercise of specialized skill and judgment, and a transaction may be unsuccessful in whole or in part because of market behavior or unexpected events. Changes in the value of a derivative (including one used for hedging) may not correlate perfectly with the underlying reference instrument. Derivative instruments traded in over-the-counter markets may be difficult to value, may be illiquid, and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying reference instrument. If a derivative’s counterparty is unable to honor its commitments, the value of Fund shares may decline and the Fund could experience delays in the return of collateral or other assets held by the counterparty. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment, particularly when there is no stated limit on the Fund’s use of derivatives. A derivative investment also involves the risks relating to the reference instrument underlying the investment.

Foreign Investment Risk. Foreign investments can be adversely affected by political, economic and market developments abroad, including the imposition of economic and other sanctions by the United States or another country. Foreign markets may be smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major markets in the United States, and as a result, Fund share values may be more volatile. Trading in foreign markets typically involves higher expense than trading in the United States. The Fund may have difficulties enforcing its legal or contractual rights in a foreign country. Depositary receipts are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign instruments.

Economic data as reported by sovereign entities may be delayed, inaccurate or fraudulent. In the event of a default by a sovereign entity, there are typically no assets to be seized or cash flows to be attached. Furthermore, the willingness or ability of a sovereign entity to restructure defaulted debt may be limited. Therefore, losses on sovereign defaults may far exceed the losses from the default of a similarly rated U.S. debt issuer.

Currency Risk. Exchange rates for currencies fluctuate daily. The value of foreign investments may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates in relation to the U.S. dollar. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets and currency transactions are subject to settlement, custodial and other operational risks.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 4 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Credit Risk. Investments in fixed income and other debt obligations (referred to below as “debt instruments”) are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled principal and interest. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances may reduce the capacity of the party obligated to make principal and interest payments on such instruments and may lead to defaults. Such non-payments and defaults may reduce the value of Fund shares and income distributions. The value of debt instruments also may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s ability to make principal and interest payments. In addition, the credit ratings of debt instruments may be lowered if the financial condition of the party obligated to make payments with respect to such instruments deteriorates. In the event of bankruptcy of the issuer of a debt instrument, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing the instrument. In order to enforce its rights in the event of a default, bankruptcy or similar situation, the Fund may be required to retain legal or similar counsel, which may increase the Fund’s operating expenses and adversely affect net asset value.

Leverage Risk. Certain Fund transactions may give rise to leverage. Leverage can result from a non-cash exposure to an asset, index, rate or instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund. The Fund is required to segregate liquid assets or otherwise cover the Fund’s obligation created by a transaction that may give rise to leverage. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements. Leverage may cause the Fund’s share price to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged, as certain types of leverage may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The loss on leveraged investments may substantially exceed the initial investment.

Equity Securities Risk. The value of equity securities and related instruments may decline in response to adverse changes in the economy or the economic outlook; deterioration in investor sentiment; interest rate, currency, and commodity price fluctuations; adverse geopolitical, social or environmental developments; issuer and sector-specific considerations; or other factors. Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks. If the stock market declines in value, the value of the Fund’s equity securities will also likely decline. Although prices can rebound, there is no assurance that values will return to previous levels.

Commodity-Related Investments Risk. The value of commodity investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include weather, embargoes, tariffs, and health, political, international and regulatory developments. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for commodities, which may reduce market prices and cause the value of the Fund’s commodity investments to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes are unpredictable. Exposure to commodities and commodity markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. No active trading market may exist for certain commodity investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such investments. In addition, adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of actively traded commodity investments. Commodity-linked notes may be structured such that their performance deviates significantly from the underlying index or instrument.

As noted above, the Fund expects to invest in the Subsidiary, which invests in commodity-related investments, as well as other permitted instruments. The Subsidiary is subject to the laws of the Cayman Islands and is not subject to U.S. laws, including securities laws and their protections and provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Because the Subsidiary is not registered under U.S. federal securities laws, it may not be able to negotiate terms with its counterparties that are equivalent to those of a registered fund. As a result, the Subsidiary may have greater exposure to those counterparties than a registered fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Subsidiary to operate as described, and could adversely affect the Fund’s investment approach. In addition, commodity-related investments generally generate income that is not qualifying income for purposes of meeting source of income tests applicable to mutual funds under the Code. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has issued proposed regulations effectively providing that the Subsidiary’s realized annual net profit, if any, will constitute “qualifying income” only to the extent it is timely and currently repatriated to the Fund (notwithstanding any previously issued private letter ruling or advice from counsel). As the Fund intends to satisfy the source of income tests under the Code, its ability to invest in commodity-related investments may become limited, and the Fund may incur transaction and other costs to comply with any new or additional guidance from the IRS. The tax treatment of commodity-related investments and income from the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS that could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Fund.

ETF Risk. ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or other investments. ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and are subject to secondary market trading risks. In addition, the Fund will bear a pro rata portion of the operating expenses of an ETF in which it invests. Other pooled investment vehicles generally are subject to risks similar to those of ETFs.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 5 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Short Sale Risk. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security sold short increases in value between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund purchases the security to replace the borrowed security. In addition, a lender may request, or market conditions may dictate, that securities sold short be returned to the lender on short notice, and the Fund may have to buy the securities sold short at an unfavorable price and/or may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. The Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. The Fund may also be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. The amount of any gain will be decreased and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, the Fund’s losses are potentially unlimited in a short sale transaction. Short sales could be speculative transactions and involve special risks, including greater reliance on the investment adviser’s ability to accurately anticipate the future value of a security.

U.S. Government Securities Risk. Although certain U.S. Government-sponsored agencies (such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and the Federal National Mortgage Association) may be chartered or sponsored by acts of Congress, their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. U.S. Treasury securities generally have a lower return than other obligations because of their higher credit quality and market liquidity.

Money Market Instrument Risk. Money market instruments may be adversely affected by market and economic events, such as a sharp rise in prevailing short-term interest rates; adverse developments in the banking industry, which issues or guarantees many money market instruments; adverse economic, political or other developments affecting issuers of money market instruments; changes in the credit quality of issuers; and default by a counterparty.

Interest Rate Risk. In general, the value of income securities will fluctuate based on changes in interest rates. The value of these securities is likely to increase when interest rates fall and decline when interest rates rise. Duration measures the time-weighted expected cash flows of a fixed-income security, while maturity refers to the amount of time until a fixed-income security matures. Generally, securities with longer durations or maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than securities with shorter durations or maturities, causing them to be more volatile. Conversely, fixed-income securities with shorter durations or maturities will be less volatile but may provide lower returns than fixed-income securities with longer durations or maturities. In a rising interest rate environment, the duration of income securities that have the ability to be prepaid or called by the issuer may be extended. In a declining interest rate environment, the proceeds from prepaid or maturing instruments may have to be reinvested at a lower interest rate. Certain instruments held by the Fund may pay an interest rate based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), which is the average offered rate for various maturities of short-term loans between certain major international banks. LIBOR is expected to be phased out by the end of 2021. While the effect of the phase out cannot yet be determined, it may result in, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments based on LIBOR and changes in the value of such instruments.

Risks of Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements. In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities sold by the Fund, may be delayed. In a repurchase agreement, such insolvency may result in a loss to the extent that the value of the purchased securities decreases during the delay or that value has otherwise not been maintained at an amount equal to the repurchase price. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the counterparty’s insolvency may result in a loss equal to the amount by which the value of the securities sold by the Fund exceeds the repurchase price payable by the Fund; if the value of the purchased securities increases during such a delay, that loss may also be increased. When the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, any fluctuations in the market value of either the securities sold to the counterparty or the securities which the Fund purchases with its proceeds from the agreement would affect the value of the Fund’s assets. As a result, such agreements may increase fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be a form of borrowing by the Fund (and a loan from the counterparty), they constitute leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.

When-Issued and Forward Commitment Risk. Securities purchased on a when-issued or forward commitment basis are subject to the risk that when delivered they will be worth less than the agreed upon payment price.

Liquidity Risk. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or trading partner, large position size, market conditions, or legal restrictions impair its ability to sell particular investments or to sell them at advantageous market prices. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell an investment or continue to hold it or keep the position open, sell other investments to raise cash or abandon an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. These effects may be exacerbated during times of financial or political stress.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 6 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed by the sub-advisers using a proprietary investment model and analysis methods developed by the sub-advisers as well as pre-defined portfolio trading rules. Use of an investment model carries a risk that the model might be based on one or more incorrect assumptions or may not perform as expected. There is no guarantee that the sub-advisers’ investment techniques, development and use of the model, risk analysis, and judgement implemented in making investment decisions for the Fund will be accurate or will produce the desired outcome.

General Fund Investing Risks. The Fund is not a complete investment program and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund is designed to be a long-term investment vehicle and is not suited for short-term trading. Investors in the Fund should have a long-term investment perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). In addition, the redemption by one or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders of their holdings in the Fund could have an adverse impact on the remaining shareholders in the Fund. The Fund relies on various service providers, including the investment adviser, in its operations and is susceptible to operational, information security and related events (such as cyber or hacking attacks) that may affect the service providers or the services that they provide to the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance

Performance history will be available for the Fund after the Fund has been in operation for one full calendar year.

Management

Investment Adviser. Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“Parametric”).

Non-Discretionary Investment Sub-Adviser. Research Affiliates, LLC (“Research Affiliates”).

Portfolio Managers

Christopher Haskamp, Senior Portfolio Manager at Parametric’s Minneapolis Investment Center, has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2018.

Thomas Lee, Managing Director of Investment Strategy & Research at Parametric’s Minneapolis and Westport Centers, has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2018.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares either through your financial intermediary or directly from the Fund either by writing to the Fund, P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, or by calling 1-800-260-0761. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into the Fund is $50,000 (waived in certain circumstances). There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

Tax Information

If your shares are held in a taxable account, the Fund’s distributions will be taxed to you as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are exempt from taxation. If your shares are held in a tax-advantaged account, you will generally be taxed only upon withdrawals from the account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Fund’s shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (collectively, “financial intermediaries”), the Fund, its principal underwriter and its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 7 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Investment Objective & Principal Policies and Risks

The investment objective and principal investment policies and risks of the Fund are described in its Fund Summary. Set forth below is additional information about such policies and risks, as well as information about other types of investments and practices in which the Fund may engage from time to time. See also “Strategies and Risks” in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

Definitions. As used herein, the following terms have the indicated meaning: “1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; “1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; “ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; and “investment adviser” means the Fund’s investment adviser but if the Fund is sub-advised, it refers to the sub-adviser(s) providing day-to-day management with respect to the investments or strategies discussed.

Absolute Return Strategy. The Fund employs an “absolute return” investment approach, benchmarking itself to an index of cash instruments and seeking to achieve returns that are largely independent of broad movements in stocks and bonds. Unlike equity funds, the Fund should not be expected to benefit from general equity market returns. Different from fixed income funds, the Fund may not generate current income and should not be expected to experience price appreciation as interest rates decline. Although the investment adviser seeks to maximize absolute return, the Fund may not generate positive returns.

Commodities-Related Investments. Commodity-related investments include, but are not limited to, commodities contracts, commodity futures or options thereon (investments in contracts for the future purchase or sale of commodities); commodity exchange-traded funds (exchange-traded funds that track the price of a single commodity, such as gold or oil, or a basket of commodities); commodity exchange traded notes (non-interest paying debt instruments whose price fluctuates (by contractual commitment) with an underlying commodities index); total return swaps based on a commodity index (permitting one party to receive/pay the total return on a commodity index against payment/receipt of an agreed upon spread/interest rate); commodity-linked notes (providing a return based on a formula referenced to a commodity index); sovereign issued oil warrants (a sovereign obligation the coupon on which is contingent on the price of oil); precious metals; and any other commodities-related investment permitted by law. Commodities-related investments may be used to gain exposure to a particular type of commodity, basket of commodities, commodity market or commodity index, or to hedge such exposures or a position in a commodity producing country.

The risks associated with investing in commodities include regulatory, health, economic and political developments, weather events and natural disasters, pestilence, market disruptions and the fact that commodity prices may have greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The prices of energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture, and livestock sector commodities may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies. The metals sector can be affected by sharp price volatility over short periods caused by global economic, financial and political factors, resource availability, government regulation, economic cycles, changes in inflation or expectations about inflation, interest rates, currency fluctuations, metal sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation and fluctuation in supply and demand. Commodity-related investments are often offered by companies in the financial services sector, including the banking, brokerage, and insurance sectors. As a result, events affecting issuers in the financial services sector may cause the Fund’s share value to fluctuate. Although investments in commodities typically move in different directions than traditional equity and fixed-income securities, when the value of those traditional securities is declining due to adverse economic conditions, there is no guarantee that these investments will perform differently, and at certain times the price movements of commodity-related investments have been parallel to those of equity and fixed-income securities.

Equity Securities. Equity securities include: common stocks; preferred stocks, including convertible and contingent convertible preferred stocks; equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other unincorporated entities or enterprises; depositary receipts, rights and warrants in underlying equity interests; and other securities that are treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Fund cannot predict the income it might receive from equity securities because issuers generally have discretion as to the payment of any dividends or distributions.

The value of equity securities and related instruments may decline in response to adverse changes in the economy or the economic outlook; deterioration in investor sentiment; interest rate, currency, and commodity price fluctuations; adverse geopolitical, social or environmental developments; issuer- and sector-specific considerations; and other factors. Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks. If the stock market declines, the value of Fund shares will also likely decline. Although stock prices can rebound, there is no assurance that values will return to previous levels.

Fixed-Income Securities and Other Debt Instruments. Fixed-income securities and other debt instruments include all types of fixed and floating-rate bonds and notes, such as convertible securities and other hybrid securities (other than preferred stock); corporate commercial paper; mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities; inflation-indexed bonds issued by both governments and corporations; structured notes, including “indexed” securities; loans; loan participations and assignments; delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities; and bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits, bank deposits (or investments structured to provide the same type of exposure) and bankers’ acceptances of foreign and domestic banks and other debt instruments. Fixed-income securities and other debt

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 8 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

instruments are issued by: foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; sovereign entities; international agencies or supranational entities; the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (or guaranteed thereby); central or quasi-sovereign banks and U.S. and foreign corporations. Fixed-income securities and other debt instruments include deep discount bonds, such as zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds, bonds or securities on which the interest is payable in-kind (“PIK securities”), which are debt obligations that are issued at a significant discount from face value, and securities purchased on a forward commitment or when-issued basis. While zero coupon bonds do not make periodic payments of interest, deferred interest bonds provide for a period of delay before the regular payment of interest begins. PIK securities provide that the issuer thereof may, at its option, pay interest in cash or in the form of additional securities.

Derivatives. Generally, derivatives can be characterized as financial instruments whose performance is derived at least in part from the performance of an underlying reference instrument. Derivative instruments may be acquired in the United States or abroad consistent with the Fund’s investment strategy and may include the various types of exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) instruments described herein and other instruments with substantially similar characteristics and risks. Fund obligations created pursuant to derivative instruments may give rise to leverage, which would subject the Fund to the requirements described under “Asset Coverage” in the Fund’s SAI. The Fund may invest in a derivative transaction if it is permitted to own, invest in, or otherwise have economic exposure to the reference instrument. Depending on the type of derivative instrument and the Fund’s investment strategy, a reference instrument could be a security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event (“reference instruments”). The Fund engages in derivatives transactions as part of its principal investment strategy to provide exposure to risk premia. The Fund may trade in the specific types and/or combinations of derivative transactions listed below.

Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks, including adverse or unexpected movements in the price of the reference instrument, and counterparty, liquidity, market, tax and leverage risks. Certain derivatives may also be subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. In addition, derivatives also involve the risk that changes in their value may not correlate perfectly with the assets, rates, indices or instruments they are designed to hedge or closely track. Use of derivative instruments may cause the realization of higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if such instruments had not been used. Success in using derivative instruments to hedge portfolio assets depends on the degree of price correlation between the derivative instruments and the hedged asset. Imperfect correlation may be caused by several factors, including temporary price disparities among the trading markets for the derivative instrument, the reference instrument and the Fund’s assets. To the extent that a derivative instrument is intended to hedge against an event that does not occur, the Fund may realize losses.

OTC derivative instruments involve an additional risk in that the issuer or counterparty may fail to perform its contractual obligations. Some derivative instruments are not readily marketable or may become illiquid under adverse market conditions. In addition, during periods of market volatility, an option or commodity exchange or swap execution facility or clearinghouse may suspend or limit trading in an exchange-traded derivative instrument, which may make the contract temporarily illiquid and difficult to price. Commodity exchanges may also establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or futures option can vary from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. This may prevent the closing out of positions to limit losses. The staff of the SEC takes the position that certain purchased OTC options, and assets used as cover for written OTC options, are illiquid. The ability to terminate OTC derivative instruments may depend on the cooperation of the counterparties to such contracts. For thinly traded derivative instruments, the only source of price quotations may be the selling dealer or counterparty. In addition, certain provisions of the Code limit the use of derivative instruments. Derivatives permit the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, to which its portfolio is exposed in much the same way as the Fund can increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, of its portfolio by making investments in specific securities. There can be no assurance that the use of derivative instruments will benefit the Fund.

The U.S. and non-U.S. derivatives markets have undergone substantial changes in recent years as a result of changes under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and regulation changes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations require many derivatives to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expand entity registration requirements, impose business conduct requirements on counterparties, and impose other regulatory requirements that will continue to change derivatives markets as regulations are implemented. Additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make the use of derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, and may impose limits or restrictions on the counterparties with which the Fund engages in derivative transactions. Fund management cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented, and future regulation may impair the effectiveness of the Fund’s derivative transactions and its ability to achieve its investment objectives.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 9 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. A forward foreign currency exchange contract (“currency forward”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect against an adverse change in the relationship between currencies or to increase exposure to a particular foreign currency.

Certain currency forwards may be individually negotiated and privately traded, exposing them to credit and counterparty risks. The precise matching of the currency forward amounts and the value of the instruments denominated in the corresponding currencies will not generally be possible. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge against long-term currency changes. Currency forwards are subject to the risk of political and economic factors applicable to the countries issuing the underlying currencies. Furthermore, unlike trading in most other types of instruments, there is no systematic reporting of last sale information with respect to the foreign currencies underlying currency forwards. As a result, available information may not be complete.

Some currency forwards may be classified as non-deliverable forwards (“NDFs”). NDFs are cash-settled, forward contracts that may be thinly traded. NDFs are commonly quoted for time periods of one month up to two years, and are normally quoted and settled in U.S. dollars, but may be settled in other currencies. They are often used to gain exposure to or hedge exposure to foreign currencies that are not internationally traded. NDFs may also be used to gain or hedge exposure to gold.

Cross-hedging may be done by using currency forwards in one currency (or basket of currencies) to hedge against fluctuations in the value of instruments denominated in a different currency (or the basket of currencies and the underlying currency). Use of a different foreign currency (for hedging or non-hedging purposes) magnifies exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.

Credit Linked Notes. A credit linked note (“CLN”) is a type of hybrid instrument in which a special purpose entity issues a structured note (the “Note Issuer”) with respect to which the reference instrument is a single bond, a portfolio of bonds or the unsecured credit of an issuer, in general (each a “Reference Credit”). The purchaser of the CLN (the “Note Purchaser”) invests a par amount and receives a payment during the term of the CLN that equals a fixed or floating rate of interest equivalent to a high rated funded asset (such as a bank certificate of deposit) plus an additional premium that relates to taking on the credit risk of the Reference Credit. Upon maturity of the CLN, the Note Purchaser will receive a payment equal to: (i) the original par amount paid to the Note Issuer, if there is no occurrence of a designated event of default, restructuring or other credit event (each a “Credit Event”) with respect to the issuer of the Reference Credit; or (ii) the market value of the Reference Credit, if a Credit Event has occurred. Depending upon the terms of the CLN, it is also possible that the Note Purchaser may be required to take physical delivery of the Reference Credit in the event of Credit Event. Most CLNs use a corporate bond (or a portfolio of corporate bonds) as the Reference Credit. However, almost any type of fixed-income security (including foreign government securities), index or derivative contract (such as a credit default swap) can be used as the Reference Credit.

Credit Options. Credit options are options whereby the purchaser has the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a transaction involving either an asset with inherent credit risk or a credit derivative at terms specified at the inception of the option.

Commodity-Linked Notes. Leveraged or unleveraged commodity-linked notes, or “structured notes,” are derivative instruments the interest rate or principal of which is linked to the performance of a commodity index or indices, the value of particular commodities or commodity futures contracts, or a subset of commodities and commodities futures contracts. The terms of the instrument may be “structured” by the purchaser and the borrower issuing the note. A portion of the value of these instruments may be derived from the value of the commodity, futures contract, index or other economic variable. Certain issuers of structured notes may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investments in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.

The value of these structured notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the commodity index or indices, the value of particular commodities or commodity futures contracts, or a subset of commodities and commodities futures contracts. These notes expose the Fund to counterparty risk and economic movements in commodity prices. In addition, these notes are often leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note’s market value relative to changes in the commodity index, underlying commodity, or commodity futures contract. The terms of commodity-linked notes may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity. Therefore, at the maturity of the note, the Fund may receive more or less principal than it originally invested. The Fund might receive interest payments on the note that are more or less than the stated coupon interest amounts.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 10 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Options. Options may be traded on an exchange and OTC. By buying a put option on a particular instrument, the Fund acquires a right to sell the underlying instrument at the exercise price. By buying a put option on an index, the Fund acquires a right to receive the cash difference between the strike price of the option and the index price at expiration. A purchased put position also typically can be sold at any time by selling at prevailing market prices. Purchased put options generally are expected to limit the Fund's risk of loss through a decline in the market value of the underlying security or index until the put option expires. When buying a put option, the Fund pays a premium to the seller of the option. If the price of the underlying security or index is above the exercise price of the option as of the option valuation date, the option expires worthless and the Fund will not be able to recover the option premium paid to the seller. The Fund may purchase uncovered put options on securities, meaning it will not own the securities underlying the option.

The Fund may also write (i.e., sell) put options. The Fund will receive a premium for selling a put option, which may increase the Fund's return. In selling a put option on a security, the Fund has the obligation to buy the security at an agreed upon price if the price of such instrument decreases below the exercise price. By selling a put option on an index, the Fund has an obligation to make a payment to the buyer to the extent that the value of the index decreases below the exercise price as of the option valuation date. If the value of the underlying security or index on the option’s expiration date is above the exercise price, the option will generally expire worthless and the Fund, as option seller, will have no obligation to the option holder.

The Fund may purchase call options. By purchasing a call option on a security, the Fund has the right to buy the security at the option’s exercise price. By buying a call option on an index, the Fund acquires the right to receive the cash difference between the market price of the index and strike price at expiration. Call options typically can be exercised any time prior to option maturity or, sold at the prevailing market price.

The Fund may also write (i.e., sell) a call option on a security or index in return for a premium. A call written on a security obligates the Fund to deliver the underlying security at the option exercise price. Written index call options obligate the Fund to make a cash payment to the buyer at expiration if the market price of the index is above the option strike price. Calls typically can also be bought back by the Fund at prevailing market prices and the Fund also may enter into closing purchase transactions with respect to written call options. The Fund may write call options on securities that it owns (so-called covered calls) and also may write uncovered call options. With respect to written covered calls, the Fund may sell the underlying security prior to entering into a closing purchase transaction on up to 5% of its net assets within three days of such transaction. The Fund may also engage in various types of option strategies using put and/or call options.

The Fund’s options positions are marked to market daily. The value of options is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of their underlying instruments, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the relevant index or market and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying instruments are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before markets for the underlying instruments, significant price and rate movements can take place in the markets that would not be reflected concurrently in the options markets.

The Fund's ability to sell the instrument underlying a call option may be limited while the option is in effect unless the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction. Uncovered call options have speculative characteristics and are riskier than covered call options because there is no underlying instrument held by the Fund that can act as a partial hedge. As the seller of a covered call option or an index call option, the Fund may forego, during the option’s life, the opportunity to profit from increases in the market value of the underlying instrument covering the call option above the sum of the premium received by the Fund and the exercise price of the call. The Fund also retains the risk of loss, minus the option premium received, should the price of the underlying instrument decline.

Participants in OTC markets are typically not subject to the same credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as are members of “exchange-based” markets. OTC option contracts generally carry greater liquidity risk than exchange-traded contracts. This risk may be increased in times of financial stress, if the trading market for OTC options becomes restricted. The ability of the Fund to transact business with any one or a number of counterparties may increase the potential for losses to the Fund, due to the lack of any independent evaluation of the counterparties or their financial capabilities, and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement of the options.

Put option spreads involve purchasing put options at a specific strike price while also selling the same number of puts at a lower strike price. By doing so, the Fund can lower the net cost of its market hedging activities, since the premiums received from selling put options will offset, in part, the premiums paid to purchase the put options. Although less expensive than buying a standalone put option, buying a put option spread will expose the Fund to incremental loss if the value of the applicable instrument at contract expiration is below the exercise price of the put option sold.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 11 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Equity-Linked Securities. Equity-linked securities are primarily used as an alternative means to more efficiently and effectively access the securities markets of emerging market countries and may also be known as participation notes, equity swaps, and zero strike calls and warrants. Equity-linked securities are privately issued securities whose investment results are designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified stock index or “basket” of stocks, or sometimes a single stock. The Fund deposits an amount of cash with its custodian (or broker, if legally permitted) in an amount near or equal to the selling price of the underlying security in exchange for an equity-linked security. Upon sale, the Fund receives cash from the broker or custodian equal to the current value of the underlying security.

In addition to the risks of the underlying security, there is the risk that the issuer of an equity-linked security may default on its obligation under the security. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out such a transaction with the other party or obtain an offsetting position with any other party, at any time prior to the end of the term of the underlying agreement. This may impair the Fund’s ability to enter into other transactions at a time when doing so might be advantageous.

Equity Swaps. Equity swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective returns as calculated on a notional amount of an equity index (such as the S&P 500® Index), basket of equity securities, or individual equity security.

Futures Contracts. Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts. Futures contracts on securities obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of the financial instrument called for in the contract at a specified future date at a specified price. An index futures contract obligates the purchaser to take, and a seller to deliver, an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made. It is the practice of holders of futures contracts to close out their positions on or before the expiration date by use of offsetting contract positions, and physical delivery of financial instruments or delivery of cash, as applicable, is thereby avoided. An option on a futures contract gives the holder the right to enter into a specified futures contract.

Forward Rate Agreements.  Under a forward rate agreement, the Fund locks in an interest rate at a future settlement date. If the interest rate on the settlement date exceeds the lock rate, the Fund pays the seller the difference between the two rates. If the lock rate exceeds the interest rate on the settlement date, the seller pays the Fund the difference between the two rates. Any such gain received by the Fund would be taxable. These instruments are traded in the OTC market.

Interest Rate Swaps. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating-rate payments. Cross-currency swaps are interest rate swaps in which the notional amount upon which the fixed interest rate is accrued is denominated in one currency and the notional amount upon which the floating rate is accrued is denominated in another currency. The notional amounts are typically determined based on the spot exchange rate at the inception of the trade.

Credit Default Swaps.  Credit default swap agreements (“CDS”) enable the Fund to buy or sell credit protection on an individual issuer or basket of issuers (i.e., the reference instrument). The Fund may enter into CDS to gain or short exposure to a reference instrument. Long CDS positions are utilized to gain exposure to a reference instrument (similar to buying the instrument) and are akin to selling insurance on the instrument. Short CDS positions are utilized to short exposure to a reference instrument (similar to shorting the instrument) and are akin to buying insurance on the instrument.

Under a CDS, the protection “buyer” in a credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference instrument has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the reference instrument in exchange for an equal face amount of the reference instrument described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. The Fund’s obligations under a CDS will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund).

In response to market events, federal and certain state regulators have proposed regulation of the CDS market. These regulations may limit the Fund’s ability to use CDS and/or the benefits of CDS. CDS may be difficult to value and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty). The Fund may have difficulty, be unable or may incur additional costs to acquire any securities or instruments it is required to deliver under a CDS. The Fund many have limited ability to eliminate its exposure under a CDS either by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement. The Fund also may have limited ability to eliminate its exposure under a CDS if the reference instrument has declined in value.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 12 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Swaptions. Swaptions are options giving the option owner the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a swap agreement as buyer or seller, or to extend, shorten, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement at a future date on specified terms.

Depending on the terms of the particular swaption, the Fund generally will incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When the Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. When the Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option, the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying swap agreement.

Commodities Index-Linked Swaps. Commodity index-linked swap agreements involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of payments dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity index. Commodity index-linked swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a particular commodity or commodity index without owning or taking physical custody of such commodity.

Total Return Swaps.  A total return swap is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of a reference instrument during the specified period, in return for periodic payments from the other party that are based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return of the reference instrument or another reference instrument. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market.

Foreign Investments. Investments in foreign issuers could be affected by factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards, less publicly available financial and other information, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. Because foreign issuers may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standard practices and requirements and regulatory measures comparable to those in the United States, there may be less publicly available information about such foreign issuers. Settlements of securities transactions in foreign countries are subject to risk of loss, may be delayed and are generally less frequent than in the United States, which could affect the liquidity of the Fund’s assets. Evidence of ownership of certain foreign investments may be held outside the United States, and the Fund may be subject to the risks associated with the holding of such property overseas.

Foreign issuers may become subject to sanctions imposed by the United States or another country, which could result in the immediate freeze of the foreign issuers’ assets or securities. The imposition of such sanctions could impair the market value of the securities of such foreign issuers and limit the Fund’s ability to buy, sell, receive or deliver the securities. Trading in certain foreign markets is also subject to liquidity risk.

Political events in foreign countries may cause market disruptions. In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”) (“Brexit”). There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range and potential implications of possible political, regulatory, economic, and market outcomes in the EU and beyond are difficult to predict. If one or more countries leave the EU or the EU dissolves, the world’s securities markets likely will be significantly disrupted.

As an alternative to holding foreign-traded investments, the Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated investments of foreign companies that trade on U.S. exchanges or in the U.S. over-the-counter market including depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), which evidence ownership of shares of a foreign issuer and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, they continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer’s country, as well as in the case of depositary receipts traded on foreign markets, currency risk. Depositary receipts may be sponsored or unsponsored. Unsponsored depositary receipts are established without the participation of the issuer. As a result, available information concerning the issuer of an unsponsored depository receipt may not be as current as for sponsored depositary receipts, and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer. Unsponsored depositary receipts may involve higher expenses, may not pass through voting or other shareholder rights and may be less liquid.

The Fund may invest in securities and other instruments (including loans) issued, guaranteed, or backed by sovereign or government entities. Economic data as reported by sovereign or government entities and other issuers may be delayed, inaccurate or fraudulent. Many sovereign or government debt obligations may be rated below investments grade. Any restructuring of a sovereign or government debt obligations held by the Fund will likely have a significant adverse effect on the value of the obligations. In the event of default of a sovereign or government debt, the Fund may be unable to pursue legal action against the issuer or secure collateral on the debt, as there are typically no assets to be seized or cash flows to be attached. Furthermore, the willingness or ability of a sovereign or government entity to restructure defaulted debt may be limited. Therefore, losses on sovereign or government defaults may far exceed the losses from the default of a similarly rated U.S. corporate debt issuer.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 13 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Foreign Currencies. The value of foreign assets and currencies as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency rates and exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), governmental administration of economic or monetary policies (in this country or abroad), and relations between nations and trading. Foreign currencies also are subject to settlement, custodial and other operational risks. Currency exchange rates can be affected unpredictably by intervention, or the failure to intervene, by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. If the U.S. dollar rises in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth less in U.S. dollars. If the U.S. dollar decreases in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth more in U.S. dollars. A devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency. Costs are incurred in connection with conversions between currencies.

The Fund may engage in spot transactions and forward foreign currency exchange contracts, purchase and sell options on currencies and purchase and sell currency futures contracts and related options thereon (collectively, “Currency Instruments”) to seek to hedge against the decline in the value of currencies in which its portfolio holdings are denominated against the U.S. dollar or to seek to enhance returns.

Subsidiary Investments. The Subsidiary is permitted to invest in commodity-related investments as well as other permitted securities. The Subsidiary is not subject to U.S. laws, including securities laws and their protections. The Subsidiary is subject to the laws of the Cayman Islands, which can be affected by developments in that country. The Subsidiary is operated in accordance with the investment restrictions applicable to the investment companies registered under U.S. federal securities laws, but is not subject to the same provisions of the Code as is the Fund. For tax purposes, all income or net capital gain from the Subsidiary is treated as ordinary income to the Fund.

The Fund will be exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. Because the Subsidiary is not registered under U.S. federal securities laws, it may not be able to negotiate terms with its counterparties that are equivalent to those a registered fund may negotiate. As a result, the Subsidiary may have greater exposure to those counterparties than a registered fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Subsidiary to operate as described in the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI, and could adversely affect the Fund’s investment approach.

In order for the Fund to satisfy tax requirements applicable to regulated investment companies, the Fund must derive at least 90 percent of its gross income each taxable year from certain qualifying sources of income. Commodity-related investments generally generate income that is not from a qualified source for purposes of meeting this 90 percent test. The rules regarding the extent to which income, if any, realized by a wholly-owned non-U.S. subsidiary (such as the Subsidiary) of the Fund and included in the Fund's annual income for U.S. federal income purposes, but that is not timely and currently repatriated to the Fund, will constitute qualifying income are unclear and currently under consideration. Based on advice from tax counsel, the Fund intends to take the position that income from its investments in the Subsidiary will constitute qualifying income for purposes of qualifying as a regulated investment company. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has issued proposed regulations providing that income earned by non-U.S. wholly-owned subsidiaries of a regulated investment company and included in such regulated investment company’s gross income constitutes qualifying income only to the extent such income is timely and currently repatriated to the regulated investment company. If the proposed regulations were finalized in their current form, annual net profit, if any, realized by the Subsidiary and included in the income of the Fund would constitute qualifying income only to the extent it is timely and currently repatriated to the Fund. Should the IRS make a determination, issue guidance, or take other action that adversely affects the tax treatment of investing in the Subsidiary, it could limit the Fund’s ability to invest in commodity-related investments, the Fund may incur transaction and other costs to comply with any new or additional guidance from the IRS, and such action could bear adversely on the Fund’s ability to satisfy the requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company. The tax treatment of commodity-related investments and income from the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS that could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Fund.

Short Sales. The Fund may engage in short sales on securities or a basket or index of securities. A short sale on an individual security typically involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. When making a short sale, the Fund must segregate liquid assets with a broker or the custodian equal to (or otherwise cover) its obligations under the short sale. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. This may limit the Fund’s investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. The seller of a short position generally realizes a profit from the transaction if the proceeds it receives on the short sale exceed the cost of purchasing the securities sold short in the market, but will generally realize a loss if the cost of closing the short position exceeds the proceeds from the short sale. The Fund pays interest or dividend expense with respect to securities sold short.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 14 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

If the Fund does not own the securities sold short, the short sale exposes the Fund to the risk that it will be required to purchase securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss. There is no assurance that a security sold short will decline in value or make a profit for the Fund. In addition, there is no guarantee that any security needed to cover the short position will be available for purchase. Short selling carries a risk that the counterparty to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund. If the Fund invests the proceeds received for selling securities short in other investments, the Fund is employing a form of leverage.

Counterparty Risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the Fund does business (such as trading or as a derivatives counterparty), or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any instruments that the Fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial condition and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause the value of Fund shares to decline or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the Fund. Counterparty risk is increased for contracts with longer maturities.

Credit Risk. Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of certain investments. In evaluating creditworthiness, the investment adviser considers ratings assigned by rating agencies. Credit ratings issued by rating agencies are based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the issuer’s financial condition and the rating agency’s credit analysis, if applicable, at the time of rating. The ratings assigned are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks or necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or the volatility or liquidity of the security. An issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than the current rating indicates. A credit rating may have a modifier (such as plus, minus or a numerical modifier) to denote its relative status within the rating. The presence of a modifier does not change the security credit rating (for example, BBB- and Baa3 are within the investment grade rating) for purposes of the Fund’s investment limitations.

Duration. Duration measures the time-weighted expected cash flows of a fixed-income security, which can determine its sensitivity to changes in the general level of interest rates. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security’s coupon payments in addition to the amount of time until the security matures. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration. Various techniques may be used to shorten or lengthen Fund duration.

Maturity. Average effective maturity is a weighted average of all the maturities of the Fund’s investments in income securities, computed by weighing each effective maturity date (which takes into account all mortgage prepayments, puts, calls and adjustable coupons) by the market value of the income security.

Interest Rate Risk. In general, the value of income securities will fluctuate based on changes in interest rates. The value of these securities is likely to increase when interest rates fall and decline when interest rates rise. Generally, securities with longer durations or maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than securities with shorter durations or maturities, causing them to be more volatile. Conversely, fixed-income securities with shorter durations or maturities will be less volatile but may provide lower returns than fixed-income securities with longer durations or maturities. In a rising interest rate environment, the duration of income securities that have the ability to be prepaid or called by the issuer may be extended. In a declining interest rate environment, the proceeds from prepaid or maturing instruments may have to be reinvested at a lower interest rate.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is the average offered rate for various maturities of short-term loans between major international banks who are members of the British Bankers Association (BBA). LIBOR is the most common benchmark interest rate index used to make adjustments to variable-rate loans. It is used throughout global banking and financial industries to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments (such as debt instruments and derivatives) and borrowing arrangements.

The use of LIBOR started to come under pressure following manipulation allegations in 2012. Despite increased regulation and other corrective actions since that time, concerns have arisen regarding its viability as a benchmark, due largely to reduced activity in the financial markets that it measures. In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), the United Kingdom financial regulatory body, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021.

Although the period from the FCA announcement until the end of 2021 is generally expected to be enough time for market participants to transition to the use of a different benchmark for new securities and transactions, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the specific replacement rate or rates. As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or the financial instruments utilized by the Fund cannot yet be determined. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR. The transition may also result in a change in (i) the value of certain instruments held by the Fund, (ii) the cost of temporary borrowing for the Fund, or (iii) the effectiveness of related Fund transactions such as hedges, as applicable. When LIBOR is discontinued, the LIBOR replacement rate may be lower than market expectations, which could have an adverse impact on the value of preferred and debt-securities with floating or fixed-to-floating rate coupons. Any such effects of the transition away from LIBOR, as well as other unforeseen effects, could result in losses to the Fund. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur prior to the end of 2021.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 15 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Various financial industry groups have begun planning for the transition away from LIBOR, but there are obstacles to converting certain longer term securities and transactions to a new benchmark. In June 2017, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of large U.S. banks working with the Federal Reserve, announced its selection of a new Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to be a broad measure of secured overnight U.S. Treasury repo rates, as an appropriate replacement for LIBOR. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing the SOFR earlier in 2018, with the expectation that it could be used on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. Bank working groups and regulators in other countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (“SONIA”) in England.

Leverage. Certain types of Fund transactions may give rise to economic leverage, which represents a non-cash exposure to the underlying asset, index, rate or instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund.

The Fund is required to segregate liquid assets or otherwise cover the Fund’s obligation created by a transaction that may give rise to leverage. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements. Leverage may cause the Fund’s share price to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged, as certain types of leverage may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The loss on leveraged investments may substantially exceed the initial investment.

Liquidity Risk. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker, or legal restrictions impair the Fund’s ability to sell particular investments or close derivative positions at an advantageous market price. Trading opportunities are also more limited for securities and other instruments that are not widely held or are traded in less developed markets. These factors may make it more difficult to sell or buy a security at a favorable price or time. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell an investment or continue to hold it or keep the position open, sell other investments to raise cash or abandon an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. It also may be more difficult to value less liquid investments. These effects may be exacerbated during times of financial or political stress. Increased Fund redemption activity also may increase liquidity risk due to the need of the Fund to sell portfolio investments and may negatively impact Fund performance.

The Fund will not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund will have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments mean any investments that the Fund’s investment adviser reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in seven calendar days or less under then-current market conditions without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.

Forward Commitments and When-Issued Securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a “forward commitment” or “when-issued” basis (meaning securities are purchased or sold with payment and delivery taking place in the future). In such a transaction, the Fund is securing what is considered to be an advantageous price and yield at the time of entering into the transaction.

The yield on a comparable security when the transaction is consummated may vary from the yield on the security at the time that the forward commitment or when-issued transaction was made. From the time of entering into the transaction until delivery and payment is made at a later date, the securities that are the subject of the transaction are subject to market fluctuations. In forward commitment or when-issued transactions, if the seller or buyer, as the case may be, fails to consummate the transaction, the counterparty may miss the opportunity of obtaining a price or yield considered to be advantageous. Forward commitment or when-issued transactions may be expected to occur a month or more before delivery is due. No payment or delivery is made, however, until payment is received or delivery is made from the other party to the transaction. These transactions may create leverage in the Fund.

Repurchase Agreements.  A repurchase agreement is the purchase by the Fund of securities from a counterparty in exchange for cash that is coupled with an agreement to resell those securities to the counterparty at a specified date and price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days that the investment adviser believes may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities. When a repurchase agreement is entered into, the Fund typically receives securities with a value that equals or exceeds the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the agreement. The value of such securities will be marked to market daily, and cash or additional securities will be exchanged between the parties as needed. Except in the case of a repurchase agreement entered into to settle a short sale, the value of the securities delivered to the Fund will be at least equal to the repurchase price during the term of the repurchase agreement. The terms of a repurchase agreement entered into to settle a short sale may provide that the cash purchase price paid by the Fund is more than the value of purchased securities that effectively collateralize the repurchase price payable by the counterparty. Since in such a transaction the Fund normally will have used the purchased securities to settle the short sale, the Fund will segregate liquid assets equal to the marked to market value of the purchased securities that it is obligated to return to the counterparty under the repurchase agreement.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 16 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund may be delayed. In a repurchase agreement, such an insolvency may result in a loss to the extent that the value of the purchased securities decreases during the delay or that value has otherwise not been maintained at an amount equal to the repurchase price. Repurchase agreements may create leverage in the Fund.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund transfers possession of a security to a counterparty, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash. At the same time, the Fund agrees to repurchase the security at an agreed upon time and price, which reflects an interest payment. The Fund may enter into such agreements when it believes it is able to invest the cash acquired at a rate higher than the cost of the agreement, which would increase the Fund’s earned income. The Fund may also enter into reverse repurchase agreements as a means of raising cash to satisfy redemption requests without the necessity of selling portfolio holdings.

In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the securities sold by the Fund may be delayed. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the counterparty’s insolvency may result in a loss equal to the amount by which the value of the securities sold by the Fund exceeds the repurchase price payable by the Fund. When the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, any fluctuations in the market value of either the securities sold to the counterparty or the securities which the Fund purchases with the proceeds under the agreement would affect the value of the Fund’s assets. As a result, such agreements may increase fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. Because reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be a form of borrowing by the Fund (and a loan from the counterparty), they constitute leverage.

Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may invest in ETFs. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other operating expenses paid by ETFs in which it invests. If such fees exceed 0.01%, the costs associated with such investments will be reflected under Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses in the Fund’s Annual Fund Operating Expenses table(s) in its Fund Summary. Requirements of the federal securities laws may limit the Fund’s ability to invest in other investment companies, including ETFs, unless the investment company has received an exemptive order from the SEC on which the Fund may rely.

ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or other instruments that they own. The market for common shares of ETFs, which are generally traded on an exchange and may be traded at a premium or discount to net asset value, is affected by the demand for those securities, regardless of the value of such ETF’s underlying securities. 

Restricted Securities. The Fund may invest in securities that are legally restricted as to resale (such as those issued in private placements), including commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act and securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A thereunder, and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers initially offered and sold outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S thereunder. The Fund may incur additional expense when disposing of restricted securities, including all or a portion of the cost to register the securities. The Fund also may acquire securities through private placements under which it may agree to contractual restrictions on the resale of such securities that are in addition to applicable legal restrictions.

Restricted securities may be difficult to value properly and may involve greater risks than securities that are not subject to restrictions on resale. It may be difficult to sell restricted securities at a price representing fair value until such time as the securities may be sold publicly. Under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when the investment adviser believes it advisable to do so or may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. Holdings of restricted securities may increase the level of Fund illiquidity if eligible buyers become uninterested in purchasing them. Restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk, which may result in substantial losses.

Cash and Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest in cash or money market instruments, including high quality short-term instruments or an affiliated investment company that invests in such instruments. During unusual market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or money market instruments temporarily, which may be inconsistent with its investment objective(s) and other policies.

Money market instruments may be adversely affected by market and economic events, such as a sharp rise in prevailing short-term interest rates; adverse developments in the banking industry, which issues or guarantees many money market instruments; adverse economic, political or other developments affecting issuers of money market instruments; changes in the credit quality of issuers; and default by a counterparty.

U.S. Treasury and Government Securities. U.S. Treasury securities (“Treasury Securities”) include U.S. Treasury obligations that differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance. U.S. Government agency securities (“Agency Securities”) include obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities and government-sponsored enterprises. Agency Securities may be guaranteed by the U.S. Government or they may be backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the obligations, or the credit of the agency, instrumentality or enterprise.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 17 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

Government-sponsored enterprises, such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), the Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”), the Private Export Funding Corporation (“PEFCO”), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), the Federal Farm Credit Banks (“FFCB”) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (“TVA”), although chartered or sponsored by Congress, are not funded by congressional appropriations and the debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by them are neither guaranteed nor issued by the U.S. Government. Treasury Securities and Agency Securities also include any security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by Treasury Securities or Agency Securities, respectively.

Because of their high credit quality and market liquidity, U.S. Treasury and Agency Securities generally provide a lower current return than obligations of other issuers. While the U.S. Government has provided financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the past, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored enterprises in the future.

Securities Lending. The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to broker-dealers and other institutional borrowers. During the existence of a loan, the Fund will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest paid by the issuer on the securities loaned, or all or a portion of the interest on investment of the collateral, if any. The Fund may pay lending fees to such borrowers. Loans will only be made to firms that have been approved by the investment adviser, and the investment adviser or the securities lending agent will periodically monitor the financial condition of such firms while such loans are outstanding. Securities loans will only be made when the investment adviser believes that the expected returns, net of expenses, justify the attendant risks. Securities loans currently are required to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents (such as money market instruments) or other liquid securities held by the custodian and maintained in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. The Fund may engage in securities lending to generate income. Upon return of the loaned securities, the Fund would be required to return the related collateral to the borrower and may be required to liquidate portfolio securities in order to do so. The Fund may lend up to one-third of the value of its total assets or such other amount as may be permitted by law.

As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the securities loaned if the borrower of the securities fails financially. To the extent that the portfolio securities acquired with such collateral have decreased in value, it may result in the Fund realizing a loss at a time when it would not otherwise do so. As such, securities lending may introduce leverage into the Fund. The Fund also may incur losses if the returns on securities that it acquires with cash collateral are less than the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs.

Converting to Master-Feeder Structure. The Fund may invest all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company (“master fund”) with substantially the same investment objective, policies and restrictions as the Fund. Any such master fund would be advised by the Fund’s investment adviser (or an affiliate) and the Fund would not pay directly any advisory fee with respect to the assets so invested. The Fund may initiate investments in a master fund at any time without shareholder approval.

Borrowing. The Fund is permitted to borrow for temporary purposes (such as to satisfy redemption requests, to remain fully invested in anticipation of expected cash inflows and to settle transactions). Any borrowings by the Fund are subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. Borrowings are also subject to the terms of any credit agreement between the Fund and lender(s). Fund borrowings may be equal to as much as 331/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including such borrowings) less the Fund’s liabilities (other than borrowings). The Fund will not purchase additional investments while outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of the value of its total assets.

In addition, the Fund will be required to maintain a specified level of asset coverage with respect to all borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it may not be advantageous to do so. The rights of the lender to receive payments of interest and repayments of principal of any borrowings made by the Fund under a credit facility are senior to the rights of holders of shares with respect to the payment of dividends or upon liquidation. In the event of a default under a credit arrangement, the lenders may have the right to cause a liquidation of the collateral (i.e., sell Fund assets) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well.

Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies by Fund service providers to conduct business, such as the Internet, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cybersecurity failures by or breaches of the Fund’s investment adviser or administrator and other service providers (including, but not limited to, the custodian or transfer agent), and the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 18 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

operations potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, 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, or additional compliance costs. While various Fund service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems intended to identify and mitigate cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund and issuers in which the Fund invests.

General.  Unless otherwise stated, the Fund's investment objective and certain other policies may be changed without shareholder approval. Shareholders will receive 60 days' advance written notice of any material change in the investment objective. The Fund might not use all of the strategies and techniques or invest in all of the types of securities described in this Prospectus or the SAI. While at times the Fund may use alternative investment strategies in an effort to limit its losses, it may choose not to do so.

The Fund’s annual operating expenses are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets and may change as Fund assets increase and decrease over time. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, the redemption by one or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders of their holdings in the Fund could have an adverse impact on the remaining shareholders in the Fund. Mutual funds, investment advisers, other market participants and many securities markets are subject to rules and regulations and the jurisdiction of one or more regulators.  Changes to applicable rules and regulations or to widely accepted market conventions or standards could have an adverse effect on securities markets and market participants, as well as on the Fund’s ability to execute its investment strategy. With the increased use of technologies by Fund service providers, such as the Internet, to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. See “Additional Information about Investment Strategies and Risks” in the Fund’s SAI.

Management and Organization

Management. The Fund’s investment adviser is Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”), with offices at Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110. Eaton Vance and its predecessor organizations have been managing assets since 1924 and managing mutual funds since 1931. Eaton Vance and its affiliates currently manage over $485 billion on behalf of mutual funds, institutional clients and individuals. Eaton Vance manages the investments of the Fund and provides administrative services and related office facilities.

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement, Eaton Vance has delegated the investment management of the Fund to Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“Parametric”), an indirect, majority-owned subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp., with offices at 800 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2800, Seattle, WA 98104. Eaton Vance pays Parametric a portion of the advisory fee for sub-advisory services provided to the Fund.

Pursuant to a separate investment sub-advisory agreement, Eaton Vance has also engaged Research Affiliates, a limited liability corporation, with offices at 620 Newport Center Drive, Suite 900, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Eaton Vance pays Research Affiliates a portion of the advisory fee for certain non-discretionary sub-advisory services such as research and portfolio modeling provided to the Fund.

The Fund’s semiannual shareholder report covering the fiscal period ended January 31 provides information regarding the basis for the Trustees’ approval of the Fund’s investment advisory and administrative and sub-advisory agreements.

Under its investment advisory and administrative agreement with the Fund, Eaton Vance receives a monthly fee as follows:

Average Daily Net Assets for the Month Annual Fee Rate
(for each level)
Up to $500 million 0.800%
$500 million but less than $1 billion 0.775%
$1 billion but less than $2.5 billion 0.750%
$2.5 billion but less than $5 billion 0.730%
$5 billion and over 0.715%

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the effective annual rate of investment advisory and administrative fee paid to EVM, based on average daily net assets of the Fund, was 0.80%.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 19 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

The Fund is managed by Christopher Haskamp and Thomas Lee from Parametric, who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Messrs. Haskamp and Lee have been portfolio managers of the Fund since its inception in August 2018. Mr. Haskamp is currently a Portfolio Manager at Parametric’s Minneapolis Investment Center and has been at Parametric for more than five years. Mr. Lee is currently Managing Director of Investment & Strategy at Parametric’s Minneapolis and Westport Investment Centers and has been at Parametric for more than five years.

The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager, and each portfolio manager’s ownership of Fund shares.

Eaton Vance provides sub-transfer agency and related services to Eaton Vance mutual funds pursuant to a Sub-Transfer Agency Support Services Agreement. For its services under the agreement, Eaton Vance receives an aggregate fee from such funds equal to its actual expenses incurred in performing such services.

Organization. The Fund is a series of Eaton Vance Growth Trust, a Massachusetts business trust. The Fund does not hold annual shareholder meetings but may hold special meetings for matters that require shareholder approval (such as electing or removing Trustees, approving management or advisory contracts or changing investment policies that may only be changed with shareholder approval).

Related Performance Information

The Fund has substantially the same investment objective, policies and strategies as an existing managed account that is managed by Parametric, using portfolio models provided by Research Affiliates. Shown below is the performance of an account managed by Parametric and Research Affiliates that employs a substantially similar strategy as that of the Fund. The managed account included is not a mutual fund registered under the 1940 Act, and therefore such account is not subject to investment limitations, diversification requirements and other restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act and the Internal Revenue Code. If such requirements were applicable to the managed account, the performance shown may have been lower.

This data is provided to illustrate the past performance of the sub-advisers in managing a systematic alternative risk premia mandate and should not be considered as an indication of future performance of the Fund or the investment adviser or any sub-advisers. The performance figures shown below reflect the deduction of the highest fee on the current standard institutional fee schedule for this investment style. The fees and expenses of the Fund are higher than those of an institutional account. If the similarly managed account had been subject to the same fees and expenses as the Fund, the performance shown would have been lower. The performance figures were calculated in accordance with the industry standards for preparing and presenting investment adviser performance. This methodology differs from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s standardized method that the Fund will use to calculate its own performance.

The performance of the account is shown in the table below for the stated periods ended July 31, 2019. Also shown is the performance of the index used as that account’s benchmark.

Average Annual Total Return One Year Since Inception(1)
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Account(2) -2.00% 6.63%
ICE BofAML 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (reflects net dividends, which reflect the deduction of withholding taxes)(3) 2.34% 1.77%
(1) Account commenced operations on April 28, 2017.
(2) Assets in the Account as of July 31, 2019 were approximately $167,000,000.
(3) ICE® BofAML® indices are not for redistribution or other uses; provided “as is”, without warranties, and with no liability.  Eaton Vance has prepared this report and ICE Data Indices, LLC does not endorse it, or guarantee, review, or endorse Eaton Vance’s products.  BofAML® is a licensed registered trademark of Bank of America Corporation in the United States and other countries. Investors cannot invest directly in an Index.

Valuing Shares

The Fund values its shares once each day only when the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is open for trading (typically Monday through Friday), as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time). If trading on the Exchange is halted for the day before the scheduled close of regular trading, the Fund’s net asset value per share generally will still be calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the Exchange. The purchase price of Fund shares is their net asset value (plus any applicable sales charge), which is derived from the value of Fund holdings, including the Fund’s interest in any Subsidiary, as applicable. When purchasing or redeeming Fund shares through a financial intermediary, your financial intermediary must receive your order by the close of regular trading on the Exchange in order for the purchase price or the redemption price to be based on that day’s net asset value per share. It is the financial intermediary’s responsibility to transmit orders promptly. The Fund may accept purchase and redemption orders as of the time of their receipt by certain financial intermediaries (or their designated intermediaries).

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 20 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

The Board has adopted procedures for valuing investments (the “Procedures”), which have also been adopted by any Subsidiary, and has delegated to the investment adviser(s) the daily valuation of such investments. Pursuant to the Procedures, securities and other investments held by the Fund are generally valued at market value. Exchange-listed investments (including certain derivatives) are normally valued at last sale or closing prices. Exchange-traded options are valued at the mean of the bid and asked prices at valuation time as reported by the Options Price Reporting Authority for U.S. listed options, or by the relevant exchange or board of trade for non-U.S. listed options. Non-exchange traded derivatives are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or independent pricing services. Most loans and other debt obligations are valued using prices supplied by one or more pricing services. Shares of any Subsidiary will be valued at their net asset value.

An instrument’s “fair value” is the amount that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the instrument upon its current sale in the ordinary course of business. Under certain limited circumstances, the Fund may use fair value pricing if, for example, market prices or a pricing service's prices (as applicable) are unavailable or deemed unreliable, or if events occur after the close of a securities market (usually a foreign market) and before portfolio assets are valued that cause or are likely to cause a market quotation to be unavailable or unreliable, such as corporate actions, regulatory news, or natural disasters or governmental actions that may affect investments in a particular sector, country or region. In addition, for foreign equity securities and total return swaps and futures contracts on foreign indices that meet certain criteria, the Board has approved the use of a fair value service that values such investments to reflect market trading that occurs after the close of the applicable foreign markets of comparable securities or other investments that have a strong correlation to the fair valued investments. An investment that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than (i) actual market quotations, (ii) the value determined by other funds using their own fair valuation procedures, or (iii) the price at which the investment could have been sold during the period in which fair valuation was used with respect to such investment to calculate the Fund’s NAV. Because foreign investments held by the Fund, if any, may trade on days when Fund shares are not priced, the value of such investments, and thus the net asset value of the Fund’s shares, can change on days when Fund shares cannot be redeemed or purchased. Eaton Vance has established a Valuation Committee that oversees the valuation of investments.

Purchasing Shares

You may purchase shares through your financial intermediary or by mailing an account application form to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). Purchase orders will be executed at the net asset value next determined after their receipt in proper form (meaning that the order is complete and contains all necessary information) by the Fund’s transfer agent. The Fund’s transfer agent or your financial intermediary must receive your purchase in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time) for your purchase to be effected at that day’s net asset value. If you purchase shares through a financial intermediary, that intermediary may charge you a fee for executing the purchase for you.

The Fund may suspend the sale of its shares at any time and any purchase order may be refused for any reason. The funds sponsored by the Eaton Vance organization (the “Eaton Vance funds”) generally do not accept investments from residents of the European Union or Switzerland.  The funds also do not accept investments from other non-U.S. residents, provided that a fund may accept investments from certain non-U.S. investors at the discretion of the principal underwriter. The Fund does not issue share certificates.

As used throughout this Prospectus, the term “employer sponsored retirement plan” includes the following: an employer sponsored pension or profit sharing plan that qualifies under section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (such as a 401(k) plan, money purchase pension, profit sharing and defined benefit plan); ERISA covered 403(b) plan; Taft-Hartley multi-employer plan; and non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements that operate in a similar manner to a qualified retirement plan (including 457 plans and executive deferred compensation arrangements). Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRAs”) are not employer sponsored retirement plans for purposes of this definition.

Your initial investment must be at least $50,000, except as noted below. Institutional Class shares are offered to clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Institutional Class shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments, foundations and employer sponsored retirement plans. Institutional Class shares may also be available through brokerage platforms of broker-dealer firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter to offer Institutional Class shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor. An investor acquiring Institutional Class shares through such platforms may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker.  Institutional Class shares also are offered to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates and certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 21 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

The Institutional Class minimum initial investment is waived for persons affiliated with Eaton Vance, its affiliates and certain Fund service providers (as described in the SAI). The minimum initial investment also is waived for: (i) permitted exchanges; (ii) employer sponsored retirement plans; (iii) corporations, endowments and foundations with assets of at least $100 million; (iv) Institutional Class shares purchased through the brokerage platforms described above; and (v) accounts of clients of financial intermediaries who (a) charge an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (b) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Institutional Class shares through a no-load network or platform (in each case, as described above).

Institutional Class shares may be purchased through a financial intermediary or by requesting your bank to transmit immediately available funds (Federal Funds) by wire. To make an initial investment by wire, you must complete an account application and telephone Eaton Vance Shareholder Services at 1-800-260-0761 to be assigned an account number. You may request an account application by calling 1-800-260-0761 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time). Shareholder Services must be advised by telephone of each additional investment by wire.

Subsequent Investments. Subsequent investments of any amount may be made at any time, including through automatic investment each month or quarter from your bank account. You may make automatic investments of $50 or more each month or each quarter from your bank account provided such investments equal a minimum of $200 per year. You can establish bank automated investing on the account application or by providing written instructions to the Fund’s transfer agent. Please call 1-800-260-0761 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time) for further information.

You also may make additional investments by accessing your account via the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com. The trade date of purchases made through the Internet from a pre-designated bank account will be the day the purchase is requested through the Eaton Vance website (provided the request is on a business day and submitted no later than the close of regular trading on the Exchange). For more information about purchasing shares through the Internet, please call 1-800-260-0761 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time).

Inactive Accounts. In accordance with state “unclaimed property” (also known as “escheatment”) laws, your Fund shares may legally be considered abandoned and required to be transferred to the relevant state if no account activity or contact with the Fund or your financial intermediary occurs within a specified period of time. Please initiate contact a least once per calendar year and maintain a current and valid mailing address on record for your account. For more information, please see https://funds.eatonvance.com/mutual-funds-and-abandoned-property.php or please contact us at 1-800-260-0761.

Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing. The Fund is not intended for excessive trading or market timing. Market timers seek to profit by rapidly switching money into a fund when they expect the share price of the fund to rise and taking money out of the fund when they expect those prices to fall. By realizing profits through short-term trading, shareholders that engage in rapid purchases and sales (including exchanges, if permitted) of a fund’s shares may dilute the value of shares held by long-term shareholders. Volatility resulting from excessive purchases and sales of fund shares, especially involving large dollar amounts, may disrupt efficient portfolio management. In particular, excessive purchases and sales of a fund’s shares may cause a fund to have difficulty implementing its investment strategies, may force the fund to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times to raise cash or may cause increased expenses (such as increased brokerage costs, realization of taxable capital gains without attaining any investment advantage or increased administrative costs).

A fund that invests all or a portion of its assets in foreign securities may be susceptible to a time zone arbitrage strategy in which shareholders attempt to take advantage of fund share prices that may not reflect developments in a foreign securities market that occur after the close of such market but prior to the pricing of fund shares. In addition, a fund that invests in securities that are, among other things, thinly traded, traded infrequently or illiquid, is susceptible to the risk that the current market price for such securities may not accurately reflect current market values. A shareholder may seek to engage in short-term trading to take advantage of these pricing differences (commonly referred to as “price arbitrage”). The investment adviser(s) and sub-adviser(s) are authorized to use the fair value of a security if prices are unavailable or are deemed unreliable (see “Valuing Shares”). The use of fair value pricing and the restrictions on excessive trading and market timing described below are intended to reduce a shareholder’s ability to engage in price or time zone arbitrage to the detriment of the Fund.

The Boards of the Eaton Vance funds have adopted policies to discourage short-term trading and market timing and to seek to minimize their potentially detrimental effects. Pursuant to these policies, an Eaton Vance fund shareholder who, through one or more accounts, completes two round-trips within 90 days generally will be deemed to be market timing or trading excessively in fund shares.  “Two round-trips within 90 days” means either (1) a purchase of fund shares followed by a redemption of fund shares followed by a purchase followed by a redemption or (2) a redemption of fund shares followed by a purchase of fund shares followed by a redemption followed by a purchase, in either case with the final transaction in the sequence occurring within 90 days of the initial transaction in the sequence.  Purchases and redemptions subject to the limitation include those made by exchanging to or from another fund. Under the policies, the Board may delegate to the Fund, or to its principal underwriter, sub-transfer agent or other service provider (each, a

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 22 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

“delegate”) the responsibility to reject or cancel a purchase order, suspend or terminate an exchange privilege or terminate the ability of an investor to invest in the Eaton Vance funds if the Fund or its delegate determines that a proposed transaction involves market timing or excessive trading that it believes is likely to be detrimental to the Fund. The Fund and its delegate use reasonable efforts to detect market timing and excessive trading activity, but they cannot ensure that they will be able to identify all cases of market timing and excessive trading. The Fund or its delegate may also reject or cancel any purchase order (including an exchange) from an investor or group of investors for any other reason. Decisions to reject or cancel purchase orders (including exchanges) in the Fund are inherently subjective and will be made in a manner believed to be in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders. No Eaton Vance fund has any arrangement to permit market timing.

The following fund share transactions (to the extent permitted by a fund’s prospectus) generally are exempt from the market timing and excessive trading policy described above because they generally do not raise market timing or excessive trading concerns:

· transactions made pursuant to a systematic purchase plan or as the result of automatic reinvestment of dividends or distributions, or initiated by the Fund (e.g., for failure to meet applicable account minimums);
· transactions made by participants in employer sponsored retirement plans involving participant payroll or employer contributions or loan repayments, redemptions as part of plan terminations or at the direction of the plan, mandatory retirement distributions, or rollovers;
· transactions made by model-based discretionary advisory accounts; or
· transactions made by an Eaton Vance fund that is structured as a “fund-of-funds,” provided the transactions are in response to fund inflows and outflows or are part of a reallocation of fund assets in accordance with its investment policies.

It may be difficult for the Fund or its delegate to identify market timing or excessive trading in omnibus accounts traded through financial intermediaries. The Fund and its delegate have provided guidance to financial intermediaries (such as banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and retirement administrators) concerning the application of the Eaton Vance funds’ market timing and excessive trading policies to Fund shares held in omnibus accounts maintained and administered by such intermediaries, including guidance concerning situations where market timing or excessive trading is considered to be detrimental to the Fund. The Fund or its delegate may rely on a financial intermediary’s policy to restrict market timing and excessive trading if it believes that policy is likely to prevent market timing that is likely to be detrimental to the Fund. Such policy may be more or less restrictive than the Fund’s policy. Although the Fund or its delegate reviews trading activity at the omnibus account level for activity that indicates potential market timing or excessive trading activity, the Fund and its delegate typically will not request or receive individual account data unless suspicious trading activity is identified. The Fund and its delegate generally rely on financial intermediaries to monitor trading activity in omnibus accounts in good faith in accordance with their own or Fund policies. The Fund and its delegate cannot ensure that these financial intermediaries will in all cases apply the policies of the Fund or their own policies, as the case may be, to accounts under their control.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries. The principal underwriter, out of its own resources, may make cash payments to certain financial intermediaries who provide marketing support, transaction processing and/or administrative services and, in some cases, include some or all Eaton Vance funds in preferred or specialized selling programs. Payments made by the principal underwriter to a financial intermediary may be significant and are typically in the form of fees based on Fund sales, assets, transactions processed and/or accounts attributable to that financial intermediary. Financial intermediaries also may receive amounts from the principal underwriter in connection with educational or due diligence meetings that include information concerning Eaton Vance funds. The principal underwriter may pay or allow other promotional incentives or payments to financial intermediaries to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations.

Certain financial intermediaries that maintain fund accounts for the benefit of their customers provide sub-accounting, recordkeeping and/or administrative services to the Eaton Vance funds and are compensated for such services by the funds. As used in this Prospectus, the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker, dealer, bank (including bank trust departments), registered investment adviser, financial planner, a retirement plan and/or its administrator, their designated intermediaries and any other firm having a selling, administration or similar agreement with the principal underwriter or its affiliates.

More information is available free of charge on the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com and in the SAI. Please consult the Eaton Vance website before making a purchase of Fund shares.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 23 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Redeeming Shares

You can redeem shares in any of the following ways:

By Mail Send your request to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). The request must be signed exactly as your account is registered (for instance, a joint account must be signed by all registered owners to be accepted) and a Medallion signature guarantee may be required.  Circumstances that may require a Medallion signature guarantee include, but are not limited to, requests to distribute redemption proceeds to a party other than the registered account owner(s); requests to mail redemption proceeds to an address other than the address of record; requests to distribute proceeds to a bank account not on file; requests to re-issue uncashed checks representing redemption proceeds; or transaction requests from an account beneficiary when an account owner is deceased.  You can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee at banks, savings and loan institutions, credit unions, securities dealers, securities exchanges, clearing agencies and registered securities associations that participate in The Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Inc. (STAMP, Inc.).  Only Medallion signature guarantees issued in accordance with STAMP, Inc. will be accepted.  You may be asked to provide additional documents if your shares are registered in the name of a corporation, partnership or fiduciary.
By Telephone Certain shareholders can redeem by calling 1-800-260-0761 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time). Proceeds of a telephone redemption are generally limited to $100,000 per account (which may include shares of one or more Eaton Vance funds) and can be sent only to the account address or to a bank pursuant to prior instructions.
By Internet Certain shareholders can redeem by logging on to the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com. Proceeds of internet redemptions are generally limited to $100,000 per account (which may include shares of one or more Eaton Vance funds) and can be sent only to the account address or to a bank pursuant to prior instructions.  
For Additional Information Please call 1-800-260-0761 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time).
Through a Financial Intermediary Your financial intermediary is responsible for transmitting the order promptly.  A financial intermediary may charge a fee for this service.

A redemption may be requested by sending a Medallion signature guaranteed letter of instruction to the transfer agent (see back cover for address) or, for telephone redemptions as described above, by calling 1-800-260-0761. Certain redemption requests, including those involving shares held by certain corporations, trusts or certain other entities and shares that are subject to certain fiduciary arrangements, may require additional documentation and may be redeemed only by mail. The Fund's transfer agent or your financial intermediary must receive your redemption in proper form (meaning that it is complete and contains all necessary information) no later than the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time) for your redemption to be effected at that day’s net asset value. Redemption proceeds are reduced by the amount of any federal income and state tax required to be withheld.

Redemption proceeds typically are paid to the redeeming shareholder in cash up to two business days after the redemption, but payment could take up to seven days, as permitted by the 1940 Act for the reasons discussed below. The actual number of days following receipt of a redemption request in which the Fund typically expects to pay redemption proceeds generally will depend on how you hold your shares with the Fund.

If your shares are held in a “street name” account with a financial intermediary (see “Shareholder Account Features – ‘Street Name’ Accounts”), your intermediary will elect through National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) to settle redemptions either one business day or two business days after the redemption date and redemption proceeds normally will be wired to your financial intermediary on the settlement date pursuant to that election.

If your shares are held directly with the Fund's transfer agent, redemptions normally will be settled in one business day after the redemption date and redemption proceeds will be sent by regular mail on such date. However, if you have given proper written authorization in advance, you may request that redemption proceeds be wired on the settlement date directly to your bank account in any bank in the United States. While not currently charged by the Fund, you may be

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 24 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

required to pay a wire transfer fee by your bank. If you request expedited mail delivery of your redemption proceeds and the Fund is able to accommodate your request, charges may apply. You may redeem all or a portion of the shares from your account on any day the Fund is open for business. When you purchase by check or with ACH funds transfer, the purchase will be on hold for up to 10 days from the date of receipt. During the hold period, redemption proceeds will not be sent until the transfer agent is reasonably satisfied that the purchase payment has been collected.

The Fund typically expects to meet redemption requests by (i) distributing any cash holdings, (ii) selling portfolio investments and/or (iii) borrowing from a bank under a line of credit. In addition to the foregoing, the Fund also may distribute securities as payment (a so-called “redemption in-kind”), in which case the redeeming shareholder may pay fees and commissions to convert the securities to cash. Unless requested by a shareholder, the Fund generally expects to limit use of redemption in-kind to stressed market conditions, but is permitted to do so in other circumstances. A shareholder who wishes to receive redemption proceeds in-kind must notify the Fund on or before submitting the redemption request by calling 1-800-260-0761. Securities distributed in a redemption in-kind would be valued pursuant to the Fund’s valuation procedures and selected by the investment adviser. If a shareholder receives securities in a redemption in-kind, the shareholder could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash and the value of such securities would be subject to price fluctuations until sold. There can be no assurance that the Fund will manage liquidity successfully in all market environments. As a result, the Fund may not be able to pay redemption proceeds in a timely fashion because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests or other factors. Additional information about redemptions in-kind, including the procedures for submitting such redemption requests, is contained in the Fund’s SAI.

If your account value falls below $750, you may be asked either to add to your account or redeem it within 60 days. If you take no action, your account will be redeemed at net asset value and the proceeds sent to you.

Shareholder Account Features

Distributions. You may have your Fund distributions paid in one of the following ways:

• Full Reinvest Option Distributions are reinvested in additional shares.  This option will be assigned if you do not specify an option.
• Partial Reinvest Option Dividends are paid in cash* and capital gains are reinvested in additional shares.
• Cash Option Distributions are paid in cash.*
• Exchange Option Distributions are reinvested in additional shares of any class of another Eaton Vance fund chosen by you, subject to the terms of that fund’s prospectus.  Before selecting this option, you must obtain a prospectus of the other fund and consider its objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully.
* If any distribution check remains uncashed for six months, Eaton Vance reserves the right to invest the amount represented by the check in Fund shares at the then-current net asset value of the Fund and all future distributions will be reinvested.

Information about the Fund. From time to time, you may receive the following:

· Semiannual and annual reports containing a list of portfolio holdings as of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters, respectively, performance information and financial statements.
· Periodic account statements, showing recent activity and total share balance.
· Tax information needed to prepare your income tax returns.
· Proxy materials, in the event a shareholder vote is required.
· Special notices about significant events affecting your Fund.

Most fund information (including semiannual and annual reports, prospectuses and proxy statements) as well as your periodic account statements can be delivered electronically. For more information please go to www.eatonvance.com/edelivery.

The Eaton Vance funds have established policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings and other information concerning Fund characteristics. A description of these policies and procedures is provided below and additionally in the SAI. Such policies and procedures regarding disclosure of portfolio holdings are designed to prevent the misuse of material, non-public information about the funds.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 25 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

The Fund will file information regarding its portfolio holdings with the SEC on its Form N-PORT. The Fund’s annual and semiannual reports (as filed on Form N-CSR) and certain information filed on Form N-PORT may be viewed on the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). The most recent fiscal quarter-end holdings may also be viewed on the Eaton Vance website (www.eatonvance.com). Portfolio holdings information that is filed with the SEC is posted on the Eaton Vance website approximately 60 days after the end of the quarter to which it relates. Portfolio holdings information as of each month end is posted to the website approximately one month after such month end. The Fund also posts information about certain portfolio characteristics (such as top ten holdings and asset allocation) at least quarterly on the Eaton Vance website approximately ten business days after the period and the Fund may also post performance attribution as of a month end or more frequently if deemed appropriate.

Withdrawal Plan. You may redeem shares on a regular periodic basis by establishing a systematic withdrawal plan.

Exchange Privilege. You may exchange your Fund shares for shares of the same Class of another Eaton Vance fund. For purposes of exchanges among Eaton Vance funds, Class A and Class I shares are deemed to be the same as Investor Class and Institutional Class shares, respectively, of other Eaton Vance funds. Exchanges are made at net asset value. If your shares are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), the CDSC will continue to apply to your new shares at the same CDSC rate. For purposes of the CDSC, your shares will continue to age from the date of your original purchase of Fund shares. Any class of shares of a fund may be exchanged for any other class of shares of that fund, provided that the shares being exchanged are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conditions for investing in the other class of shares described in the applicable prospectus are satisfied.

Before exchanging, you should read the prospectus of the new fund carefully. Exchanges are subject to the terms applicable to purchases of the new fund’s shares as set forth in its prospectus. If you wish to exchange shares, write to the transfer agent (see back cover for address), log on to your account at www.eatonvance.com or call 1-800-260-0761. Periodic automatic exchanges are also available. The exchange privilege may be changed or discontinued at any time. You will receive at least 60 days’ notice of any material change to the privilege. This privilege may not be used for “market timing” and may be terminated for market timing accounts or for any other reason. For additional information, see “Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing” under “Purchasing Shares.” Ordinarily exchanges between different funds are taxable transactions for federal tax purposes, while permitted exchanges of one class for shares of another class of the same fund are not. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of federal, state, local and other taxes to transactions in Fund shares.

Telephone and Electronic Transactions. You can redeem or exchange shares by telephone as described in this Prospectus. In addition, certain transactions may be conducted through the Eaton Vance website. The transfer agent and the principal underwriter have procedures in place to authenticate telephone and electronic instructions (such as using security codes or verifying personal account information). As long as the transfer agent and principal underwriter follow reasonable procedures, they will not be responsible for unauthorized telephone or electronic transactions and you bear the risk of possible loss resulting from these transactions. You may decline the telephone redemption option on the account application. Telephone instructions are recorded. You should verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately upon receipt and notify Eaton Vance Shareholder Services of any inaccuracies.

“Street Name” Accounts. If your shares are held in a “street name” account at a financial intermediary, that intermediary (and not the Fund or its transfer agent) will perform all recordkeeping, transaction processing and distribution payments. Because the Fund does not maintain an account for you, you should contact your financial intermediary to make transactions in shares, make changes in your account, or obtain account information. You will not be able to utilize a number of shareholder features, such as telephone or internet transactions, directly with the Fund and certain features may be subject to different requirements. If you transfer shares in a “street name” account to an account with another financial intermediary or to an account directly with the Fund, you should obtain historical information about your shares prior to the transfer. If you fail to provide your full account history to your new financial intermediary following a transfer, you may be ineligible for certain features of the Fund.

Procedures for Opening New Accounts. To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each new customer who opens an account with the Fund and to determine whether such person’s name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations. When you open an account, the transfer agent or your financial intermediary will ask you for your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), residential or business street address (although post office boxes are still permitted for mailing) and social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other government-issued identifying number. You also may be asked to produce a copy of your driver’s license, passport or other identifying documents in order to verify your identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 26 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

your identity by cross-referencing your identification information with a consumer report or other electronic databases. Other information or documents may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities. Federal law prohibits the Fund and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information described above. If a person fails to provide the information requested, any application by that person to open a new account will be rejected. Moreover, if the transfer agent or the financial intermediary is unable to verify the identity of a person based on information provided by that person, it may take additional steps including, but not limited to, requesting additional information or documents from the person, closing the person’s account or reporting the matter to the appropriate federal authorities. If your account is closed for this reason, your shares may be automatically redeemed at the net asset value next determined. If the Fund’s net asset value has decreased since your purchase, you will lose money as a result of this redemption. The Fund has also designated an anti-money laundering compliance officer.

Account Questions. If you have any questions about your account or the services available, please call Eaton Vance Shareholder Services at 1-800-260-0761 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time), or write to the transfer agent (see back cover for address).

Additional Tax Information

The Fund expects to pay any distributions at least once annually and intends to distribute any net capital gains annually, if any. It may also be necessary, in order to qualify for favorable tax treatment and to avoid any Fund-level tax, for the Fund to make a special income and/or capital gains distribution at the end of the calendar year. Different classes may distribute different amounts. Distributions cannot be assured, and the amount of each distribution may vary. The Fund’s distributions in any year may differ from annual net investment income and net gains.

Distributions of investment income and net gains from investments held for one year or less generally will be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions of any net gains from investments held for more than one year are generally taxable as long-term capital gains. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned (or is treated as having owned) the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares in the Fund. A majority of the Fund’s distributions may be taxed as ordinary income. The Fund’s distributions are taxable whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares.

Investors who purchase shares at a time when the Fund’s net asset value reflects gains that are either unrealized or realized but undistributed will pay the full price for the shares and then may receive some portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution. A redemption of Fund shares, including an exchange for shares of another fund, is generally a taxable transaction.

The net investment income of certain U.S. individuals, estates and trusts is subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax. For individuals, the tax is on the lesser of the “net investment income” and the excess of modified adjusted gross income over $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly). Net investment income includes, among other things, interest, dividends, and gross income and capital gains derived from passive activities and trading in securities or commodities. Net investment income is reduced by deductions “properly allocable” to this income.

One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code is that the Fund derives at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. Commodity-related investments generally generate income that is not from a qualified source for purposes of meeting this 90 percent test. However, under Treasury regulations, any income realized by a wholly-owned non-U.S. subsidiary (such as the Subsidiary) of the Fund and included in the Fund’s annual income for U.S. federal income tax purposes will constitute qualifying income to the extent it is (i) timely and currently repatriated or (ii) derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities or currencies.

Investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes or other foreign taxes with respect to income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains), which may decrease the yield on those securities. These taxes may be reduced or eliminated under the terms of an applicable tax treaty. Shareholders generally will not be entitled to claim a credit or deduction with respect to such foreign taxes paid. In addition, investments in foreign securities or foreign currencies may increase or accelerate the Fund’s recognition of ordinary income and may affect the timing or amount of the Fund’s distributions.

The Fund may be required to withhold, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a portion of the dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Certain shareholders are exempt from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 27 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Certain foreign entities may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on ordinary dividend income paid under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions subject to FATCA must agree to disclose to the relevant revenue authorities certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners and other foreign entities must certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners to the Fund. In addition, the IRS and the Department of Treasury have issued proposed regulations providing that these withholding rules will not be applicable to the gross proceeds of share redemptions or capital gain dividends the Fund pays. For more detailed information regarding FATCA withholding and compliance, please refer to the Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholders should consult with their tax advisors concerning the applicability of federal, state, local and other taxes to an investment.

 

 

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 28 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Financial Highlights

The financial highlights are intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the period(s) indicated. Certain information in the table reflects the financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all distributions at net asset value). This information has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. The report of Deloitte & Touche LLP and the Fund’s financial statements are incorporated herein by reference and included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.

  Institutional Class
 

Year Ended

July 31, 2019(1)

 
Net asset value - Beginning of year $10.000
Income (Loss) From Operations  
Net investment income(2) $0.140
Net realized and unrealized loss (0.345)
Total loss from operations $(0.205)
Less Distributions  
From net investment income $(0.085)
Total distributions $(0.085)
Net asset value - End of year $9.710
Total Return (3)(4) (1.90)%
Ratios/Supplemental Data  
Net assets, end of year (000’s omitted) $24,161
Ratios (as a percentage of average daily net assets):  
Expenses(4) 0.99%
Net investment income 1.50%
Portfolio Turnover 0%
(1) The Fund commenced operations on August 1, 2018.
(2) Computed using average shares outstanding.
(3) Returns are historical and are calculated by determining the percentage change in net asset value with all distributions reinvested.
(4) The investment adviser and administrator and sub-adviser reimbursed certain operating expenses (equal to 1.29% of average daily net assets for the year ended July 31, 2019). Absent this reimbursement, total return would be lower.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 29 Prospectus dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

 

More Information

About the Fund: More information is available in the Statement of Additional Information. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semiannual reports (collectively, the “reports”). In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the past fiscal year. You may obtain free copies of the Statement of Additional Information and the reports on Eaton Vance’s website at www.eatonvance.com or by contacting the principal underwriter:

Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc.
Two International Place
Boston, MA 02110
1-800-260-0761
website: www.eatonvance.com

Information about the Fund (including the Statement of Additional Information and reports) is available on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

Shareholder Inquiries: You can obtain more information from Eaton Vance Shareholder Services or the Fund transfer agent, BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. If you own shares and would like to add to, redeem from or change your account, please write or call below:

Regular Mailing Address:
Eaton Vance Funds
P.O. Box 9653
Providence, RI  02940-9653
  Overnight Mailing Address:
Eaton Vance Funds
4400 Computer Drive
Westborough, MA  01581
  Phone Number:
1-800-260-0761
Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

 

The Fund's Investment Company Act No. is 811-01241.  
29768 12.1.19 © 2019 Eaton Vance Management

 

Printed on recycled paper.

STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
December 1, 2019

 






 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund

Class A Shares - EHGAX Class C Shares - EHGCX Class I Shares - EHGIX

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund

Class A Shares - EHIAX Class I Shares - EHIIX

Two International Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
1-800-262-1122

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about the Funds. The Funds are diversified, open-end management investment companies. Each Fund is a series of Eaton Vance Growth Trust. Capitalized terms used in this SAI and not otherwise defined have the meanings given to them in the Prospectus.

This SAI contains additional information about:

  Page     Page
Strategies and Risks 2   Sales Charges 22
Investment Restrictions 5   Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings and Related Information 24
Management and Organization 6   Taxes 25
Investment Advisory and Administrative Services 15   Portfolio Securities Transactions 34
Other Service Providers 19   Financial Statements 36
Calculation of Net Asset Value 19   Additional Information About Investment Strategies and Risks 36
Purchasing and Redeeming Shares 20      
         
Appendix A: Class A Fees and Ownership 68   Appendix D: Eaton Vance Funds Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures 71
Appendix B: Class C Fees and Ownership 69   Appendix E: Hexavest Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures 73
Appendix C: Class I Ownership 70      

 

Although each Fund offers only its shares of beneficial interest, it is possible that a Fund might become liable for a misstatement or omission in this SAI regarding another Fund because the Funds use this combined SAI.

This SAI is NOT a prospectus and is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only if preceded or accompanied by the Fund Prospectus dated December 1, 2019, as supplemented from time to time, which is incorporated herein by reference. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-800-262-1122.

© 2019 Eaton Vance Management

 
 

  

Definitions

The following terms that may be used in this SAI have the meaning set forth below:

“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

“Board” means Board of Trustees or Board of Directors, as applicable;

“CEA” means Commodity Exchange Act;

“CFTC” means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

“Eaton Vance family of funds” means all registered investment companies advised or administered by Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”) or Boston Management and Research (“BMR”);

“Eaton Vance funds” means the mutual funds advised by Eaton Vance or BMR;

“Exchange” means the New York Stock Exchange;

“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.;

“Fund” means the Fund or Funds listed on the cover of this SAI unless stated otherwise;

“investment adviser” means the investment adviser identified in the prospectus and, with respect to the implementation of the Fund’s investment strategies (including as described under “Taxes”) and portfolio securities transactions, any sub-adviser identified in the prospectus to the extent that the sub-adviser has discretion to perform the particular duties;

“IRS” means the Internal Revenue Service;

“Portfolio” means a registered investment company (other than the Fund) sponsored by the Eaton Vance organization in which one or more Funds and other investors may invest substantially all or any portion of their assets as described in the prospectus, if applicable;

“Subsidiary” means a wholly-owned subsidiary that certain funds may have established to pursue their investment objective. No Fund described in this SAI has established a Subsidiary;

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and

“Trust” means Eaton Vance Growth Trust, of which the Fund is a series.

STRATEGIES AND RISKS

The Fund prospectus identifies the types of investments in which the Fund will principally invest in seeking its investment objective(s) and the principal risks associated therewith. The categories checked in the table below are all of the investments the Fund is permitted to make, including its principal investments and the investment practices the Fund (either directly or through one or more Portfolios as may be described in the prospectus) is permitted to engage in. To the extent that an investment type or practice listed below is not identified in the Fund prospectus as a principal investment strategy, the Fund generally expects to invest less than 5% of its total assets in such investment type. If a particular investment type or practice that is checked and listed below but not referred to in the prospectus becomes a more significant part of the Fund’s strategy, the prospectus may be amended to disclose that investment type or practice. If applicable, “Fund” as used herein and under “Additional Information About Investment Strategies and Risks” refers to each Fund listed in the table below. Information about the various investment types and practices and the associated risks checked below is included in alphabetical order in this SAI under “Additional Information about Investment Strategies and Risks.”

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 2 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

As used in the table below and throughout this SAI:

“HGEF” refers to Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund; and

“HIEF” refers to Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund.

Investment Type Permitted for or Relevant to:
  HGEF HIEF
Asset-Backed Securities (“ABS”)    
Auction Rate Securities    
Build America Bonds    
Call and Put Features on Securities    
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”)    
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (“CMBS”)    
Commodity-Related Investments    
Common Stocks
Contingent Convertible Securities    
Convertible Securities
Credit Linked Securities    
Derivative Instruments and Related Risks
Derivative-Linked and Commodity-Linked Hybrid Instruments    
Direct Investments    
Emerging Market Investments
Equity Investments
Equity-Linked Securities
Event-Linked Instruments    
Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”)
Exchange-Traded Notes (“ETNs”)    
Fixed-Income Securities
Foreign Currency Transactions
Foreign Investments
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts
Forward Rate Agreements    
Futures Contracts
Hybrid Securities
Illiquid Investments
Indexed Securities    
Inflation-Indexed (or Inflation-Linked) Bonds    
Junior Loans    
Liquidity or Protective Put Agreements    
Loans    
Lower Rated Investments
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 3 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

  

Investment Type Permitted for or Relevant to:
  HGEF HIEF
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)
Money Market Instruments
Mortgage-Backed Securities (“MBS”)    
Mortgage Dollar Rolls    
Municipal Lease Obligations (“MLOs”)    
Municipal Obligations    
Option Contracts
Pooled Investment Vehicles
Preferred Stock
Real Estate Investments
Repurchase Agreements    
Residual Interest Bonds    
Restricted Securities
Reverse Repurchase Agreements    
Rights and Warrants
Royalty Bonds    
Senior Loans    
Short Sales
Stripped Securities    
Structured Notes    
Swap Agreements
Swaptions
Trust Certificates    
U.S. Government Securities    
Unlisted Securities
Variable Rate Instruments    
When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitments
Zero Coupon Bonds, Deep Discount Bonds and Payment In-Kind (“PIK”) Securities    

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 4 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

  

Other Disclosure Regarding Investment Practices Permitted for or Relevant to:
  HGEF HIEF
Asset Coverage
Average Effective Maturity    
Borrowing for Investment Purposes    
Borrowing for Temporary Purposes
Cybersecurity Risk
Diversified Status
Dividend Capture Trading    
Duration    
Investing in a Portfolio    
Investments in the Subsidiary    
LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk
Operational Risk
Option Strategy    
Participation in the ReFlow Liquidity Program
Portfolio Turnover
Securities Lending
Short-Term Trading    
Significant Exposure to Health Sciences Companies    
Significant Exposure to Smaller Companies
Significant Exposure to Utilities and Financial Services Sectors    
Tax-Managed Investing    

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The following investment restrictions of each Fund are designated as fundamental policies and as such cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities, which as used in this SAI means the lesser of: (a) 67% of the shares of a Fund present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented at the meeting; or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund. Accordingly, each Fund may not:

(1) Borrow money or issue senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act;
(2) Purchase any securities on margin (but the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities). The deposit or payment by the Fund of initial, maintenance or variation margin in connection with all types of options and futures contract transactions is not considered the purchase of a security on margin;
(3) Underwrite or participate in the marketing of securities of others, except insofar as it may technically be deemed to be an underwriter in selling a portfolio security under circumstances which may require the registration of the same under the Securities Act of 1933;
(4) Purchase or sell real estate, although it may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate;
(5) Make loans to other persons, except by (a) the acquisition of debt securities and making portfolio investments, (b) entering into repurchase agreements (c) lending portfolio securities and (d) lending cash consistent with applicable law;
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 5 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

(6) With respect to 75% of its total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets (taken at current value) in the securities of any one issuer, or invest in more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer, except obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and except securities of other investment companies; or
(7) Invest 25% or more of its assets in any particular industry, but, if deemed appropriate for the Fund’s objective, up to (but less than) 25% of the value of its assets may be invested in securities of companies in any one industry (although more than 25% may be invested in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities).

In addition, each Fund may:

(8) Purchase and sell commodities and commodities contracts of all types and kinds (including without limitation futures contracts, options on futures contracts and other commodities-related investments) to the extent permitted by law.

For purposes of determining industry classifications, the investment adviser considers an issuer to be in a particular industry if a third party has designated the issuer to be in that industry, unless the investment adviser is aware of circumstances that make the third party’s classification inappropriate. In such a case, the investment adviser will assign an industry classification to the issuer.

Each Fund’s borrowing policy is consistent with Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act, which states that it shall be unlawful for any registered open-end company to issue any class of senior security or to sell any senior security of which it is the issuer, except that any such registered company shall be permitted to borrow from any bank; provided, that immediately after any such borrowing there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings of such registered company; and provided further, that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% such registered company shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays) or such longer period as the SEC may prescribe by rules and regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%.

Notwithstanding its investment policies and restrictions, each Fund may, in compliance with the requirements of the 1940 Act, invest: (i) all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objective(s), policies and restrictions as the Fund; or (ii) in more than one open-end management investment company sponsored by Eaton Vance or its affiliates, provided any such company has investment objective(s), policies and restrictions that are consistent with those of the Fund.

In addition, to the extent a registered open-end investment company acquires securities of a fund in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) under the 1940 Act, such acquired fund shall not acquire any securities of a registered open-end investment company in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) under the 1940 Act.

The following nonfundamental investment policy has been adopted by each Fund. A nonfundamental investment policy may be changed by the Board with respect to a Fund without approval by the Fund’s shareholders. Each Fund will not make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, unless at all times when a short position is open (i) it owns an equal amount of such securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable, without payment of any further consideration, for securities of the same issue as, and equal in amount to, the securities sold short or (ii) it holds in a segregated account cash or other liquid securities (to the extent required under the 1940 Act) in an amount equal to the current market value of the securities sold short, and unless not more than 25% of its net assets (taken at current value) is held as collateral for such sales at any one time.

Whenever an investment policy or investment restriction set forth in the Prospectus or this SAI states a requirement with respect to the percentage of assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or describes a policy regarding quality standards, such percentage limitation or standard shall be determined immediately after and as a result of the acquisition by a Fund of such security or asset. Accordingly, unless otherwise noted, any later increase or decrease resulting from a change in values, assets or other circumstances or any subsequent rating change made by a rating service (or as determined by the investment adviser if the security is not rated by a rating agency), will not compel a Fund to dispose of such security or other asset. However, a Fund must always be in compliance with the borrowing policy set forth above.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 6 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION

Fund Management. The Trustees of the Trust are responsible for the overall management and supervision of the affairs of the Trust. The Board members and officers of the Trust are listed below. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the last five years. Board members hold indefinite terms of office. Each Trustee holds office until his or her successor is elected and qualified, subject to a prior death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. Under the terms of each Fund’s current Trustee retirement policy, an Independent Trustee must retire and resign as a Trustee on the earlier of: (i) the first day of July following his or her 74th birthday; or (ii), with limited exception, December 31st of the 20th year in which he or she has served as a Trustee. However, if such retirement and resignation would cause a Fund to be out of compliance with Section 16 of the 1940 Act or any other regulations or guidance of the SEC, then such retirement and resignation will not become effective until such time as action has been taken for each Fund to be in compliance with Section 16 of the 1940 Act. The “noninterested Trustees” consist of those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as that term is defined under the 1940 Act. The business address of each Board member and officer is Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. As used in this SAI, “BMR” refers to Boston Management and Research, “EVC” refers to Eaton Vance Corp., “EV” refers to Eaton Vance, Inc., “Eaton Vance” refers to Eaton Vance Management and “EVD” refers to Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. (see “Principal Underwriter” under “Other Service Providers”). EVC and EV are the corporate parent and trustee, respectively, of Eaton Vance and BMR. Each officer affiliated with Eaton Vance may hold a position with other Eaton Vance affiliates that is comparable to his or her position with Eaton Vance listed below.

Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
and Other Relevant Experience
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee(1)
  Other Directorships Held
During Last Five Years
Interested Trustee                    
THOMAS E. FAUST JR.
1958
  Trustee   Since 2007   Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of EVC, Director and President of EV, Chief Executive Officer and President of Eaton Vance and BMR, and Director of EVD.  Trustee and/or officer of 159 registered investment companies. Mr. Faust is an interested person because of his positions with BMR, Eaton Vance, EVC, EVD and EV, which are affiliates of the Trust.   159   Director of EVC and Hexavest Inc. (investment management firm).
Noninterested Trustees                    
MARK R. FETTING
1954
  Trustee   Since 2016   Private investor.  Formerly held various positions at Legg Mason, Inc. (investment management firm) (2000-2012), including President, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Chairman (2008-2012), Senior Executive Vice President (2004-2008) and Executive Vice President (2001-2004).  Formerly, President of Legg Mason family of funds (2001-2008).  Formerly, Division President and Senior Officer of Prudential Financial Group, Inc. and related companies (investment management firm) (1991-2000).   159   None
CYNTHIA E. FROST
1961
  Trustee   Since 2014   Private investor.  Formerly, Chief Investment Officer of Brown University (university endowment) (2000-2012). Formerly, Portfolio Strategist for Duke Management Company (university endowment manager) (1995-2000). Formerly, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates (investment consulting company) (1989-1995).  Formerly, Consultant, Bain and Company (management consulting firm) (1987-1989).  Formerly, Senior Equity Analyst, BA Investment Management Company (1983-1985).   159   None
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 7 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
and Other Relevant Experience
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee(1)
  Other Directorships Held
During Last Five Years
GEORGE J. GORMAN
1952
  Trustee   Since 2014   Principal at George J. Gorman LLC (consulting firm). Formerly, Senior Partner at Ernst & Young LLP (a registered public accounting firm) (1974-2009).   159   Formerly, Trustee of the BofA Funds Series Trust (11 funds) (2011-2014) and of the Ashmore Funds (9 funds) (2010-2014).
VALERIE A. MOSLEY
1960
  Trustee   Since 2014   Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of Valmo Ventures (a consulting and investment firm).  Former Partner and Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist at Wellington Management Company, LLP (investment management firm) (1992-2012).  Former Chief Investment Officer, PG Corbin Asset Management (1990-1992).  Formerly worked in institutional corporate bond sales at Kidder Peabody (1986-1990).   159   Director of Envestnet, Inc. (provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness) (since 2018).  Director of Dynex Capital, Inc. (mortgage REIT) (since 2013).
WILLIAM H. PARK
1947
  Chairperson of the Board and Trustee   Chairperson of the Board since 2016 and Trustee since 2003   Private investor. Formerly, Consultant (management and transactional) (2012-2014). Formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Aveon Group, L.P. (investment management firm) (2010-2011). Formerly, Vice Chairman, Commercial Industrial Finance Corp. (specialty finance company) (2006-2010). Formerly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Prizm Capital Management, LLC (investment management firm) (2002-2005). Formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, United Asset Management Corporation (investment management firm) (1982-2001). Formerly, Senior Manager, Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) (a registered public accounting firm) (1972-1981).   159   None
HELEN FRAME PETERS
1948

  Trustee   Since 2008   Professor of Finance, Carroll School of Management, Boston College. Formerly, Dean, Carroll School of Management, Boston College (2000-2002). Formerly, Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income, Scudder Kemper Investments (investment management firm) (1998-1999).  Formerly, Chief Investment Officer, Equity and Fixed Income, Colonial Management Associates (investment management firm) (1991-1998).   159   None
KEITH QUINTON
1958
  Trustee   Since 2018   Independent Investment Committee Member at New Hampshire Retirement System (since 2017). Advisory Committee member at Northfield Information Services, Inc. (risk management analytics provider) (since 2016). Formerly, Portfolio Manager and Senior Quantitative Analyst at Fidelity Investments (investment management firm) (2001-2014).   159   Director of New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank (since 2016).
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 8 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
and Other Relevant Experience
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee(1)
  Other Directorships Held
During Last Five Years
MARCUS L. SMITH
1966
  Trustee   Since 2018   Member of Posse Boston Advisory Board (foundation) (since 2015). Trustee at University of Mount Union (since 2008). Formerly, Portfolio Manager at MFS Investment Management (investment management firm) (1994-2017).   159   Director of MSCI Inc. (global provider of investment decision support tools) (since 2017). Formerly, Director of DCT Industrial Trust Inc. (logistics real estate company) (2017-2018).
SUSAN J. SUTHERLAND
1957
  Trustee   Since 2015   Private investor. Formerly, Associate, Counsel and Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (law firm) (1982-2013).   159   Formerly, Director of Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. (global provider of customized insurance and reinsurance products) (2013-2015).
                     
SCOTT E. WENNERHOLM
1959
  Trustee   Since 2016   Formerly, Trustee at Wheelock College (postsecondary institution) (2012-2018). Formerly, Consultant at GF Parish Group (executive recruiting firm) (2016-2017). Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at BNY Mellon Asset Management (investment management firm) (2005-2011).  Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Natixis Global Asset Management (investment management firm) (1997-2004).  Formerly, Vice President at Fidelity Investments Institutional Services (investment management firm) (1994-1997).   159   None
(1) Includes both master and feeder funds in a master-feeder structure.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 9 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

Principal Officers who are not Trustees
Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
PAYSON F. SWAFFIELD
1956
  President   Since 2013   Vice President and Chief Income Investment Officer of Eaton Vance and BMR.  Officer of 136 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Also Vice President of Calvert Research and Management (“CRM”) since 2016.
MAUREEN A. GEMMA
1960
  Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer   Vice President since 2011, Secretary since 2007 and Chief Legal Officer since 2008   Vice President of Eaton Vance and BMR.  Officer of 159 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Also Vice President of CRM and officer of 38 registered investment companies advised or administered by CRM since 2016.
JAMES F. KIRCHNER
1967
  Treasurer   Since 2013   Vice President of Eaton Vance and BMR.  Officer of 159 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Also Vice President of CRM and officer of 38 registered investment companies advised or administered by CRM since 2016.
RICHARD F. FROIO
1968
  Chief Compliance Officer   Since 2017   Vice President of Eaton Vance and BMR since 2017.  Officer of 159 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Formerly, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer (Adviser/Funds) and Chief Compliance Officer (Distribution) at PIMCO (2012-2017) and Managing Director at BlackRock/Barclays Global Investors (2009-2012).

The Board has general oversight responsibility with respect to the business and affairs of the Trust and each Fund. The Board has engaged an investment adviser and (if applicable) a sub-adviser(s) (collectively the “adviser”) to manage each Fund and an administrator to administer each Fund and is responsible for overseeing such adviser and administrator and other service providers to the Trust and each Fund. The Board is currently composed of eleven Trustees, including ten Trustees who are not “interested persons” of a Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (each a “noninterested Trustee”). In addition to six regularly scheduled meetings per year, the Board holds special meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may require action prior to the next regular meeting. As discussed below, the Board has established five committees to assist the Board in performing its oversight responsibilities.

The Board has appointed a noninterested Trustee to serve in the role of Chairperson. The Chairperson’s primary role is to participate in the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Board and the identification of information to be presented to the Board with respect to matters to be acted upon by the Board. The Chairperson also presides at all meetings of the Board and acts as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Board members generally between meetings. The Chairperson may perform such other functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time. In addition, the Board may appoint a noninterested Trustee to serve in the role of Vice-Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson has the power and authority to perform any or all of the duties and responsibilities of the Chairperson in the absence of the Chairperson and/or as requested by the Chairperson. Except for any duties specified herein or pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or By-laws, the designation of Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson does not impose on such noninterested Trustee any duties, obligations or liability that is greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on such person as a member of the Board, generally.

Each Fund and the Trust are subject to a number of risks, including, among others, investment, compliance, operational, and valuation risks. Risk oversight is part of the Board’s general oversight of each Fund and the Trust and is addressed as part of various activities of the Board and its Committees. As part of its oversight of each Fund and the Trust, the Board directly, or through a Committee, relies on and reviews reports from, among others, Fund management, the adviser, the administrator, the principal underwriter, the Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”), and other Fund service providers responsible for day-to-day oversight of Fund investments, operations and compliance to assist the Board in identifying and understanding the nature and extent of risks and determining whether, and to what extent, such risks can or should be mitigated. The Board also interacts with the CCO and with senior personnel of the adviser, administrator, principal underwriter and other Fund service providers and provides input on risk management issues during meetings of the Board and its Committees. Each of the adviser, administrator, principal underwriter and the other Fund service providers has its own, independent interest and responsibilities in risk management, and its policies and methods for carrying out risk management functions will depend, in part, on its individual priorities, resources and controls. It is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect a Fund or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve each Fund’s goals.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 10 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

The Board, with the assistance of management and with input from the Board's various committees, reviews investment policies and risks in connection with its review of Fund performance. The Board has appointed a Fund CCO who oversees the implementation and testing of the Fund compliance program and reports to the Board regarding compliance matters for the Funds and their principal service providers. In addition, as part of the Board’s periodic review of the advisory, subadvisory (if applicable), distribution and other service provider agreements, the Board may consider risk management aspects of their operations and the functions for which they are responsible. With respect to valuation, the Board approves and periodically reviews valuation policies and procedures applicable to valuing each Fund’s shares. The administrator, the investment adviser and the sub-adviser (if applicable) are responsible for the implementation and day-to-day administration of these valuation policies and procedures and provides reports to the Audit Committee of the Board and the Board regarding these and related matters. In addition, the Audit Committee of the Board or the Board receives reports periodically from the independent public accounting firm for the Funds regarding tests performed by such firm on the valuation of all securities, as well as with respect to other risks associated with mutual funds. Reports received from service providers, legal counsel and the independent public accounting firm assist the Board in performing its oversight function.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust does not set forth any specific qualifications to serve as a Trustee. The Charter of the Governance Committee also does not set forth any specific qualifications, but does set forth certain factors that the Committee may take into account in considering noninterested Trustee candidates. In general, no one factor is decisive in the selection of an individual to join the Board. Among the factors the Board considers when concluding that an individual should serve on the Board are the following: (i) knowledge in matters relating to the mutual fund industry; (ii) experience as a director or senior officer of public companies; (iii) educational background; (iv) reputation for high ethical standards and professional integrity; (v) specific financial, technical or other expertise, and the extent to which such expertise would complement the Board members’ existing mix of skills, core competencies and qualifications; (vi) perceived ability to contribute to the ongoing functions of the Board, including the ability and commitment to attend meetings regularly and work collaboratively with other members of the Board; (vii) the ability to qualify as a noninterested Trustee for purposes of the 1940 Act and any other actual or potential conflicts of interest involving the individual and the Fund; and (viii) such other factors as the Board determines to be relevant in light of the existing composition of the Board.

Among the attributes or skills common to all Board members are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the other members of the Board, management, sub-advisers, other service providers, counsel and independent registered public accounting firms, and to exercise effective and independent business judgment in the performance of their duties as members of the Board. Each Board member’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively has been attained through the Board member’s business, consulting, public service and/or academic positions and through experience from service as a member of the Boards of the Eaton Vance family of funds (“Eaton Vance Fund Boards”) (and/or in other capacities, including for any predecessor funds), public companies, or non-profit entities or other organizations as set forth below. Each Board member’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively also has been enhanced by his or her educational background, professional training, and/or other life experiences.

In respect of each current member of the Board, the individual’s substantial professional accomplishments and experience, including in fields related to the operations of registered investment companies, were a significant factor in the determination that the individual should serve as a member of the Board. The following is a summary of each Board member’s particular professional experience and additional considerations that contributed to the Board’s conclusion that he or she should serve as a member of the Board:

Thomas E. Faust Jr. Mr. Faust has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2007. He is currently Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of EVC, Director and President of EV, Chief Executive Officer and President of Eaton Vance and BMR, and Director of EVD. Mr. Faust has served as a Director of Hexavest Inc. since 2012 and of SigFig Wealth Management LLC since 2016. Mr. Faust previously served as an equity analyst, portfolio manager, Director of Equity Research and Management and Chief Investment Officer of Eaton Vance from 1985-2007. He holds B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Faust has been a Chartered Financial Analyst since 1988.

Mark R. Fetting. Mr. Fetting has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2016. He has over 30 years of experience in the investment management industry as an executive and in various leadership roles. From 2000 through 2012, Mr. Fetting served in several capacities at Legg Mason, Inc., including most recently serving as President, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Chairman from 2008 to his retirement in 2012. He also served as a Director/Trustee and Chairman of the Legg Mason family of funds from 2008-2012 and Director/Trustee of the Royce family of funds from 2001-2012. From 2001 through 2008, Mr. Fetting also served as President of the Legg Mason family of funds. From 1991 through 2000, Mr. Fetting served as Division President and Senior Officer of Prudential Financial Group, Inc. and related companies. Early in his professional career, Mr. Fetting was a Vice President at T. Rowe Price and served in leadership roles within the firm’s mutual fund division from 1981-1987.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 11 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Cynthia E. Frost. Ms. Frost has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2014 and is the Chairperson of the Portfolio Management Committee. From 2000 through 2012, Ms. Frost was the Chief Investment Officer of Brown University, where she oversaw the evaluation, selection and monitoring of the third party investment managers who managed the university’s endowment. From 1995 through 2000, Ms. Frost was a Portfolio Strategist for Duke Management Company, which oversaw Duke University’s endowment. Ms. Frost also served in various investment and consulting roles at Cambridge Associates from 1989-1995, Bain and Company from 1987-1989 and BA Investment Management Company from 1983-1985. She serves as a member of the investment committee of The MCNC Endowment.

George J. Gorman. Mr. Gorman has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2014 and is the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. From 1974 through 2009, Mr. Gorman served in various capacities at Ernst & Young LLP, including as a Senior Partner in the Asset Management Group (from 1988) specializing in managing engagement teams responsible for auditing mutual funds registered with the SEC, hedge funds and private equity funds. Mr. Gorman also has experience serving as an independent trustee of other mutual fund complexes, including the Bank of America Money Market Funds Series Trust from 2011-2014 and the Ashmore Funds from 2010-2014.

Valerie A. Mosley. Ms. Mosley has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2014 and is the Chairperson of the Governance Committee. She currently owns and manages a consulting and investment firm, Valmo Ventures and is a Director of Progress Investment Management Company, a manager of emerging managers. From 1992 through 2012, Ms. Mosley served in several capacities at Wellington Management Company, LLP, an investment management firm, including as a Partner, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist. Ms. Mosley also served as Chief Investment Officer at PG Corbin Asset Management from 1990-1992 and worked in institutional corporate bond sales at Kidder Peabody from 1986-1990. Ms. Mosley is a Director of Dynex Capital, Inc., a mortgage REIT, where she serves on the board’s Investment Committee, Compensation Committee and chairs the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. She is a Director of Envestnet, Inc., a provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness. She also serves as a trustee or board member of several major non-profit organizations and endowments, including New Profit, a non-profit venture philanthropy fund. She is a member of the Risk Audit Committee of the United Auto Workers Retiree Medical Benefits Trust and a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of New York State Common Retirement Fund. She is also an advisor to New Technology Ventures, a venture capital firm.

William H. Park. Mr. Park has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2003 and is the Independent Chairperson of the Board. Mr. Park was formerly a consultant from 2012-2014 and formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Aveon Group, L.P. from 2010-2011. Mr. Park also served as Vice Chairman of Commercial Industrial Finance Corp. from 2006-2010, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Prizm Capital Management, LLC from 2002-2005, as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of United Asset Management Corporation from 1982-2001 and as Senior Manager of Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) from 1972-1981.

Helen Frame Peters. Dr. Peters has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2008. Dr. Peters is currently a Professor of Finance at Carroll School of Management, Boston College and was formerly Dean of Carroll School of Management from 2000-2002. Dr. Peters was previously a Director of BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. from 2004-2011. In addition, Dr. Peters was the Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income at Scudder Kemper Investments from 1998-1999 and Chief Investment Officer, Equity and Fixed Income at Colonial Management Associates from 1991-1998. Dr. Peters also served as a Trustee of SPDR Index Shares Funds and SPDR Series Trust from 2000-2009 and as a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston from 2007-2009.

Keith Quinton. Mr. Quinton has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since October 1, 2018. He had over thirty years of experience in the investment industry before retiring from Fidelity Investments in 2014. Prior to joining Fidelity, Mr. Quinton was a vice president and quantitative analyst at MFS Investment Management from 2000-2001. From 1997 through 2000, he was a senior quantitative analyst at Santander Global Advisors and, from 1995 through 1997, Mr. Quinton was senior vice president in the quantitative equity research department at Putnam Investments. Prior to joining Putnam Investments, Mr. Quinton served in various investment roles at Eberstadt Fleming, Falconwood Securities Corporation and Drexel Burnham Lambert, where he began his career in the investment industry as a senior quantitative analyst in 1983. Mr. Quinton currently serves as an Independent Investment Committee Member of the New Hampshire Retirement System, a five member committee that manages investments based on the investment policy and asset allocation approved by the board of trustees, and as a Director of the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 12 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Marcus L. Smith. Mr. Smith has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since October 1, 2018. Since 2017, Mr. Smith has been a Director of MSCI Inc., a leading provider of investment decision support tools worldwide, where he serves on the Audit Committee. From 2017 through 2018, he served as a Director of DCT Industrial Trust Inc., a leading logistics real estate company, where he served as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance and Audit Committees. From 1994 through 2017, Mr. Smith served in several capacities at MFS Investment Management, an investment management firm, where he managed the MFS Institutional International Fund for 17 years and the MFS Concentrated International Fund for 10 years. In addition to his portfolio management duties, Mr. Smith served as Director of Equity, Canada from 2012-2017, Director of Equity, Asia from 2010-2012, and Director of Asian Equity Research from 2005-2010. Prior to joining MFS, Mr. Smith was a senior consultant at Andersen Consulting (now known as Accenture) from 1988-1992. Mr. Smith served as a United States Army Reserve Officer from 1987-1992. He has also been a trustee of the University of Mount Union since 2008 and has served as the chairman of the finance committee since 2015. Mr. Smith currently sits on the Boston advisory board of the Posse Foundation and the Harvard Medical School Advisory Council on Education.

Susan J. Sutherland. Ms. Sutherland has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2015 and is the Chairperson of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee. She is also a Director of Ascot Group Limited and certain of its subsidiaries. Ascot Group Limited, through its related businesses including Syndicate 1414 at Lloyd’s of London, is a leading global underwriter of specialty property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Ms. Sutherland was a Director of Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd., a global provider of customized reinsurance and insurance products, from 2013 until its sale in 2015 and of Hagerty Holding Corp., a leading provider of specialized automobile and marine insurance from 2015-2018. From 1982 through 2013, Ms. Sutherland was an associate, counsel and then a partner in the Financial Institutions Group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she primarily represented U.S. and international insurance and reinsurance companies, investment banks and private equity firms in insurance-related corporate transactions. In addition, Ms. Sutherland is qualified as a Governance Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors and has also served as a board member of prominent non-profit organizations. 

Scott E. Wennerholm. Mr. Wennerholm has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2016 and is the Chairperson of the Contract Review Committee. He has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry in various leadership and executive roles. Mr. Wennerholm served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at BNY Mellon Asset Management from 2005-2011. He also served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Natixis Global Asset Management from 1997-2004 and was a Vice President at Fidelity Investments Institutional Services from 1994-1997. In addition, Mr. Wennerholm served as a Trustee at Wheelock College, a postsecondary institution from 2012-2018.

The Board(s) of the Trust has several standing Committees, including the Governance Committee, the Audit Committee, the Portfolio Management Committee, the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee and the Contract Review Committee. Each of the Committees are comprised of only noninterested Trustees.

Mmes. Mosley (Chairperson), Frost, Peters and Sutherland, and Messrs. Fetting, Gorman, Park, Quinton, Smith and Wennerholm are members of the Governance Committee. The purpose of the Governance Committee is to consider, evaluate and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the structure, membership and operation of the Board and the Committees thereof, including the nomination and selection of noninterested Trustees and a Chairperson of the Board and the compensation of such persons. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Governance Committee convened six times.

The Governance Committee will, when a vacancy exists, consider a nominee for Trustee recommended by a shareholder, provided that such recommendation is submitted in writing to the Trust’s Secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust. Such recommendations must be accompanied by biographical and occupational data on the candidate (including whether the candidate would be an “interested person” of the Trust), a written consent by the candidate to be named as a nominee and to serve as Trustee if elected, record and ownership information for the recommending shareholder with respect to the Trust, and a description of any arrangements or understandings regarding recommendation of the candidate for consideration.

Messrs. Gorman (Chairperson), Park and Wennerholm and Ms. Peters are members of the Audit Committee. The Board has designated Messrs. Gorman and Park, each a noninterested Trustee, as audit committee financial experts. The Audit Committee’s purposes are to (i) oversee each Fund's accounting and financial reporting processes, its internal control over financial reporting, and, as appropriate, the internal control over financial reporting of certain service providers; (ii) oversee or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of the quality and integrity of each Fund's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) oversee, or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of, each Fund's compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to each Fund's accounting and financial reporting, internal control over financial

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 13 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

reporting and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment the engagement and, when appropriate, replacement of the independent registered public accounting firm, and, if applicable, nominate the independent registered public accounting firm to be proposed for shareholder ratification in any proxy statement of a Fund; (v) evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm and the audit partner in charge of leading the audit; and (vi) prepare, as necessary, audit committee reports consistent with the requirements of applicable SEC and stock exchange rules for inclusion in the proxy statement of a Fund. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Audit Committee convened twelve times.

Messrs. Wennerholm (Chairperson), Fetting, Gorman, Park, Quinton and Smith, and Mmes. Frost, Mosley, Peters and Sutherland are members of the Contract Review Committee. The purposes of the Contract Review Committee are to consider, evaluate and make recommendations to the Board concerning the following matters: (i) contractual arrangements with each service provider to the Funds, including advisory, sub-advisory, transfer agency, custodial and fund accounting, distribution services and administrative services; (ii) any and all other matters in which any service provider (including Eaton Vance or any affiliated entity thereof) has an actual or potential conflict of interest with the interests of the Funds or investors therein; and (iii) any other matter appropriate for review by the noninterested Trustees, unless the matter is within the responsibilities of the other Committees of the Board. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Contract Review Committee convened six times.

Mmes. Frost (Chairperson), Mosley and Peters and Messrs. Smith and Wennerholm are members of the Portfolio Management Committee. The purposes of the Portfolio Management Committee are to: (i) assist the Board in its oversight of the portfolio management process employed by the Funds and their investment adviser and sub-adviser(s), if applicable, relative to the Funds’ stated objective(s), strategies and restrictions; (ii) assist the Board in its oversight of the trading policies and procedures and risk management techniques applicable to the Funds; and (iii) assist the Board in its monitoring of the performance results of all funds and portfolios, giving special attention to the performance of certain funds and portfolios that it or the Board identifies from time to time. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Portfolio Management Committee convened nine times.

Ms. Sutherland (Chairperson) and Messrs. Fetting, Gorman and Quinton are members of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee. The purposes of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee are to: (i) assist the Board in its oversight role with respect to compliance issues and certain other regulatory matters affecting the Funds; (ii) serve as a liaison between the Board and the Funds’ CCO; and (iii) serve as a “qualified legal compliance committee” within the rules promulgated by the SEC. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee convened ten times.

Share Ownership. The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in each Fund and in the Eaton Vance family of funds overseen by the Trustee as of December 31, 2018.

  Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned By
Fund Name Thomas E.
Faust Jr.(1)
Mark R.
Fetting(2)
Cynthia E.
Frost(2)
George J.
Gorman(2)
Valerie A.
Mosley(2)
William H.
Park(2)
Helen Frame
Peters(2)
Keith
Quinton(2)(3)
Marcus L.
Smith(2)(3)
Susan J.
Sutherland(2)
Scott E.
Wennerholm(2)
Hexavest Global
Equity Fund
Over
$100,000
None None None None None None None None None None
Hexavest International
Equity Fund
None None None None None None None None None None None
Aggregate Dollar Range
of Equity Securities
Beneficially Owned
in Funds Overseen
by Trustee in the
Eaton Vance
Family of Funds
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000
Over
$100,000(4)
Over
$100,000(4)
(1) Interested Trustee.
(2) Noninterested Trustees.
(3) Messrs. Quinton and Smith began serving as Trustees effective October 1, 2018.
(4) Includes shares which may be deemed to be beneficially owned through the Trustee Deferred Compensation Plan.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 14 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

As of December 31, 2018, no noninterested Trustee or any of their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any class of securities of EVC, EVD, any sub-adviser, if applicable, or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with EVC or EVD or any sub-adviser, if applicable, collectively (“Affiliated Entity”).

During the calendar years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018, no noninterested Trustee (or their immediate family members) had:

(1) Any direct or indirect interest in any Affiliated Entity;
(2) Any direct or indirect material interest in any transaction or series of similar transactions with (i) the Trust or any fund; (ii) another fund managed or distributed by any Affiliated Entity; (iii) any Affiliated Entity; or (iv) an officer of any of the above; or
(3) Any direct or indirect relationship with (i) the Trust or any fund; (ii) another fund managed or distributed by any Affiliated Entity; (iii) any Affiliated Entity; or (iv) an officer of any of the above.

During the calendar years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018, no officer of any Affiliated Entity served on the Board of Directors of a company where a noninterested Trustee of the Trust or any of their immediate family members served as an officer.

Noninterested Trustees may elect to defer receipt of all or a percentage of their annual fees in accordance with the terms of a Trustees Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”). Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, an eligible Board member may elect to have all or a portion of his or her deferred fees invested in the shares of one or more funds in the Eaton Vance family of funds, and the amount paid to the Board members under the Deferred Compensation Plan will be determined based upon the performance of such investments. Deferral of Board members’ fees in accordance with the Deferred Compensation Plan will have a negligible effect on the assets, liabilities, and net income of a participating fund or portfolio, and do not require that a participating Board member be retained. There is no retirement plan for Board members.

The fees and expenses of the Trustees of the Trust are paid by the Funds (and other series of the Trust). A Board member who is a member of the Eaton Vance organization receives no compensation from the Trust. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Trustees of the Trust earned the following compensation in their capacities as Board members from the Trust. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Board members earned the following compensation in their capacities as members of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards(1):

Source of Compensation Mark R.
Fetting
Cynthia E.
Frost
George J.
Gorman
Valerie A.
Mosley
William H.
Park
Helen Frame
Peters
Keith
Quinton
Marcus L.
Smith
Susan J.
Sutherland
Scott E.
Wennerholm
Trust(2) $22,297 $24,552 $25,055 $25,394 $30,647 $22,297 $22,297 $22,297 $24,552 $25,055
Trust and Fund Complex(1) $327,500 $350,000 $357,500 $346,875(3) $452,500 $335,000 $327,500 $327,500 $357,500(4) $357,500(5)
(1) As of December 1, 2019, the Eaton Vance fund complex consists of 159 registered investment companies or series thereof. Messrs. Quinton and Smith began serving as Trustees effective October 1, 2018, and thus the compensation figure listed for the Trust and Fund Complex is estimated based on the amount each would have received if they had been Trustees for the full calendar year ended December 31, 2018. Harriett Tee Taggart retired as a Trustee effective December 31, 2018. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Ms. Taggart received Trustee fees of $5,445 from the Trust. For the calendar year ended December 31, 2018, she received $338,125 from the Trust and Fund Complex.
(2) The Trust consisted of 14 Funds as of July 31, 2019.
(3) Includes $24,000 of deferred compensation.
(4) Includes $352,119 of deferred compensation.
(5) Includes $100,000 of deferred compensation.

Fund Organization

Trust. Each Fund is a series of the Trust, which was organized under Massachusetts law on May 25, 1989 as a trust with transferable shares, commonly referred to as a “Massachusetts business trust” and is operated as an open-end management investment company. The Trust may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest (no par value per share) in one or more series (such as a Fund). The Trustees of the Trust have divided the shares of a Fund into multiple classes. Each class represents an interest in a Fund, but is subject to different expenses, rights and privileges. The Trustees have the authority under the Declaration of Trust to create additional classes of shares with differing rights and privileges. When issued and outstanding, shares are fully paid and nonassessable by the Trust. Shareholders of the Trust are entitled to one vote for each full share held. Fractional shares may be voted proportionately. Shares of all

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 15 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Funds in the Trust will be voted together with respect to the election or removal of Trustees and on other matters affecting all Funds similarly. On matters affecting only a particular Fund, all shareholders of the affected Fund will vote together as a single class, except that only shareholders of a particular class may vote on matters affecting only that class. Shares have no preemptive or conversion rights and are freely transferable. In the event of the liquidation of a Fund, shareholders of each class are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets attributable to that class available for distribution to shareholders.

As permitted by Massachusetts law, there will normally be no meetings of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees unless and until such time as less than a majority of the Trustees of the Trust holding office have been elected by shareholders. In such an event the Trustees then in office will call a shareholders’ meeting for the election of Trustees. Except for the foregoing circumstances and unless removed by action of the shareholders in accordance with the Trust’s By-laws, the Trustees shall continue to hold office and may appoint successor Trustees. The Trust’s By-laws provide that any Trustee may be removed with or without cause, by (i) the affirmative vote of holders of two-thirds of the shares or, (ii) the affirmative vote of, or written instrument, signed by at least two-thirds of the remaining Trustees, provided however, that the removal of any noninterested Trustee shall additionally require the affirmative vote of, or a written instrument executed by, at least two-thirds of the remaining noninterested Trustees. No person shall serve as a Trustee if shareholders holding two-thirds of the outstanding shares have removed him or her from that office either by a written declaration filed with the Trust’s custodian or by votes cast at a meeting called for that purpose. The By-laws further provide that under certain circumstances the shareholders may call a meeting to remove a Trustee and that the Trust is required to provide assistance in communication with shareholders about such a meeting.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust may be amended by the Trustees when authorized by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, the financial interests of which are affected by the amendment. The Trustees may also amend the Declaration of Trust without the vote or consent of shareholders to change the name of the Trust or any series, if they deem it necessary to conform it to applicable federal or state laws or regulations, or to make such other changes (such as reclassifying series or classes of shares or restructuring the Trust) provided such changes do not have a materially adverse effect on the financial interests of shareholders. The Trust’s By-laws provide that the Trust will indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with any litigation or proceeding in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Trust. However, no indemnification is required to be provided to any Trustee or officer for any liability to the Trust or shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that any legal proceeding brought by or on behalf of a shareholder seeking to enforce any provision of, or based upon any matter arising out of, related to or in connection with, the Declaration of Trust, the Trust, any Fund or Class or the shares of any Fund must be brought exclusively in the United States District Court for Massachusetts or, if such court does not have jurisdiction for the matter, then in the Superior Court of Suffolk County for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If a shareholder brings a claim in another venue and the venue is subsequently changed through legal process to the foregoing Federal or state court, then the shareholder will be required to reimburse the Trust and other persons for the expenses incurred in effecting the change in venue.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust also provides that, except to the extent explicitly permitted by Federal law, a shareholder may not bring or maintain a court action on behalf of the Trust or any Fund or class of shares (commonly referred to as a derivative claim) without first making demand on the Trustees requesting the Trustees to bring the action. Within 90 days of receipt of the demand, the Trustees will consider the merits of the claim and determine whether commencing or maintaining an action would be in the best interests of the Trust or the affected Fund or Class. Any decision by the Trustees to bring, maintain or settle, or to not bring, maintain or settle the action, will be final and binding upon shareholders and therefore no action may be brought or maintained after a decision is made to reject a demand. In addition, the Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, each shareholder acknowledges and agrees that any alleged injury to the Trust’s property, any diminution in the value of a shareholder’s shares and any other claim arising out of or relating to an allegation regarding the actions, inaction or omissions of or by the Trustees, the officers of the Trust or the investment adviser of a Fund is a legal claim belonging only to the Trust and not to the shareholders individually and, therefore, that any such claim is subject to the demand requirement for derivative claims referenced above.

The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated by: (1) the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the shares outstanding and entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders of the Trust or the appropriate series or class thereof, or by an instrument or instruments in writing without a meeting, consented to by the holders of two-thirds of the shares of the Trust or a series or class thereof, provided, however, that, if such termination is recommended by the Trustees, the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or a series or class thereof entitled to vote thereon shall be sufficient authorization; or (2) by the approval of a majority of the Trustees then in office, to be followed by a written notice to shareholders.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 16 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Under Massachusetts law, if certain conditions prevail, shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust (such as the Trust) could be deemed to have personal liability for the obligations of the Trust. Numerous investment companies registered under the 1940 Act have been formed as Massachusetts business trusts, and management is not aware of an instance where such liability has been imposed. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of liability on the part of Fund shareholders and the Trust’s By-laws provide that the Trust, upon request by the shareholder, shall assume the defense on behalf of any Fund shareholders. The Declaration of Trust also contains provisions limiting the liability of a series or class to that series or class. Moreover, the Trust’s By-laws also provide for indemnification out of Fund property of any shareholder held personally liable solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder for all loss or expense arising from such liability. The assets of each Fund are readily marketable and will ordinarily substantially exceed its liabilities. In light of the nature of each Fund’s business and the nature of its assets, management believes that the possibility of the Fund’s liability exceeding its assets, and therefore the shareholder’s risk of personal liability, is remote.

Proxy Voting Policy. The Board adopted a proxy voting policy and procedures (the “Fund Policy”), pursuant to which the Board has delegated proxy voting responsibility to the investment sub-adviser and adopted the proxy voting policies and procedures of the investment sub-adviser (the “Adviser Policies”). An independent proxy voting service has been retained to assist in the voting of Fund proxies through the provision of vote analysis, implementation and recordkeeping and disclosure services. The members of the Board will review a fund's proxy voting records from time to time and will annually consider approving the Adviser Policies for the upcoming year. For a copy of the Fund Policy and Adviser Policies, see Appendix D and Appendix E, respectively. Pursuant to certain provisions of the 1940 Act and certain exemptive orders relating to funds investing in other funds, a fund may be required or may elect to vote its interest in another fund in the same proportion as the holders of all other shares of that fund. Information on how a fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-262-1122, and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Investment Advisory and Administrative Services. The investment adviser manages the investments and affairs of the Fund and provides related office facilities and personnel subject to the supervision of the Trust’s Board. The investment the sub-adviser furnishes investment research, advice and supervision, furnishes an investment program and determines what securities will be purchased, held or sold by the Fund and what portion, if any, of the Fund’s assets will be held uninvested. Each Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement requires the investment adviser or sub-adviser, as the case may be, to pay the salaries and fees of all officers and Trustees of the Trust who are members of the investment adviser's or sub-adviser's organization and all personnel of the investment adviser or sub-adviser performing services relating to research and investment activities.

For a description of the compensation each Fund pays to the investment adviser, see the Prospectus. The following table sets forth the net assets of each Fund on July 31, 2019 and the investment advisory and administration fees for the last three fiscal years:

    Investment Advisory and Administrative Fee for
Fiscal Period Ended
Fund Net Assets at 7/31/19 7/31/19 7/31/18 7/31/17
Hexavest Global Equity Fund $56,413,123 $574,358 $805,190 $667,274
Hexavest International Equity Fund $49,174,592 $257,129 $63,155 $56,164

Pursuant to expense reimbursement agreements described in the prospectus, Eaton Vance was allocated $85,030 and $72,799 in total of Fund operating expenses for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017, $93,228 and $73,806 for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018 and $83,535 and $70,027 for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 for Hexavest Global Equity Fund and Hexavest International Equity Fund, respectively.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 17 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Pursuant to investment sub-advisory agreements between Eaton Vance and Hexavest Inc., Eaton Vance pays compensation to Hexavest for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund. The following table sets forth the sub-advisory fees for the last three fiscal years:

  Sub-Advisory Fee for Fiscal Years Ended
Fund 7/31/19 7/31/18 7/31/17
Hexavest Global Equity Fund $287,179 $402,595 $333,637
Hexavest International Equity Fund $107,089 $8,200 $6,549

Pursuant to expense reimbursement agreements described in the prospectus, Hexavest was allocated $85,030 and $72,932 in total of Fund operating expenses for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017, $93,227 and $73,806 for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018 and $83,536 and $70,028 for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 for Hexavest Global Equity Fund and Hexavest International Equity Fund, respectively.

Each Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with the investment adviser or sub-adviser continues in effect from year to year so long as such continuance is approved at least annually (i) by the vote of a majority of the noninterested Trustees of the Trust cast in person at a meeting specifically called for the purpose of voting on such approval and (ii) by the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Each Agreement may be terminated at any time without penalty on sixty (60) days’ written notice by either party, or by vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and each Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. The Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement may also be terminated immediately by the Adviser under certain circumstances. Each Agreement provides that the investment adviser or sub-adviser may render services to others. Each Agreement also provides that the investment adviser or sub-adviser shall not be liable for any loss incurred in connection with the performance of its duties, or action taken or omitted under the Agreement, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder, or for any losses sustained in the acquisition, holding or disposition of any security or other investment. Each Agreement is not intended to, and does not, confer upon any person not a party to it any right, benefit or remedy of any nature.

Information About Eaton Vance. BMR and Eaton Vance are business trusts organized under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. EV serves as trustee of Eaton Vance. EV and Eaton Vance are wholly-owned subsidiaries of EVC, a Maryland corporation and publicly-held holding company. BMR is an indirect subsidiary of EVC. EVC through its subsidiaries and affiliates engages primarily in investment management, administration and marketing activities. The Directors of EVC are Thomas E. Faust Jr., Ann E. Berman, Leo I. Higdon, Jr., Paula A. Johnson, Brian D. Langstraat, Dorothy E. Puhy, Winthrop H. Smith, Jr. and Richard A. Spillane, Jr. All shares of the outstanding Voting Common Stock of EVC are deposited in a Voting Trust, the Voting Trustees of which are Mr. Faust, Craig R. Brandon, Daniel C. Cataldo, Michael A. Cirami, Cynthia J. Clemson, James H. Evans, Maureen A. Gemma, Laurie G. Hylton, Mr. Langstraat, Frederick S. Marius, David C. McCabe, Scott H. Page, Edward J. Perkin, Lewis R. Piantedosi, Charles B. Reed, Craig P. Russ, John L. Shea, Eric A. Stein, Payson F. Swaffield, Michael W. Weilheimer, R. Kelly Williams and Matthew J. Witkos (all of whom are officers of Eaton Vance or its affiliates). The Voting Trustees have unrestricted voting rights for the election of Directors of EVC. All of the outstanding voting trust receipts issued under said Voting Trust are owned by certain of the officers of Eaton Vance who may also be officers, or officers and Directors of EVC and EV. As indicated under “Management and Organization,” all of the officers of the Trust (as well as Mr. Faust who is also a Trustee) hold positions in the Eaton Vance organization.

Code of Ethics. The investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter, and each Fund have adopted Codes of Ethics governing personal securities transactions pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Codes, employees of the investment adviser, sub-adviser and the principal underwriter may purchase and sell securities (including securities held or eligible for purchase by a Fund) subject to the provisions of the Codes and certain employees are also subject to pre-clearance, reporting requirements and/or other procedures.

Information About Hexavest. Hexavest Inc. (“Hexavest”) is a U.S. registered investment adviser based in Montreal.  As of June 30, 2019, Hexavest managed approximately $13.4 billion of client assets invested primarily in global and global ex-U.S. equity mandates. Hexavest was founded in 2004 and utilizes an investment approach that has been consistently applied since 1991. EVC owns a 49% interest in Hexavest.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 18 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Portfolio Managers. The portfolio managers (each referred to as a “portfolio manager”) of each Fund are listed below. The following table shows, as of the Funds’ most recent fiscal year end, the number of accounts each portfolio manager managed in each of the listed categories and the total assets (in millions of dollars) in the accounts managed within each category. The table also shows the number of accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on the performance of the account, if any, and the total assets (in millions of dollars) in those accounts.

  Number of
All Accounts
Total Assets of
All Accounts
Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance Fee
Total Assets of Accounts
Paying a Performance Fee
Jean-François Bérubé        
Registered Investment Companies 2 $109.5 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 10 $4,756.8 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 13 $4,908.8 4 $537.8
Jean-Pierre Couture        
Registered Investment Companies 2 $109.5 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 10 $4,756.8 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 13 $4,908.8 4 $537.8
Christian Crête        
Registered Investment Companies 2 $109.5 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 10 $4,756.8 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 13 $4,908.8 4 $537.8
Vincent Delisle        
Registered Investment Companies 2 $109.5 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 10 $4,756.8 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 13 $4,908.8 4 $537.8
Etienne Durocher-Dumais        
Registered Investment Companies 2 $109.5 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 10 $4,756.8 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 13 $4,908.8 4 $537.8
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 19 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

  

  Number of
All Accounts
Total Assets of
All Accounts
Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance Fee
Total Assets of Accounts
Paying a Performance Fee
Marc Christopher Lavoie        
Registered Investment Companies 2 $109.5 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 10 $4,756.8 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 13 $4,908.8 4 $537.8
Kevin LeBlanc        
Registered Investment Companies 1 $60.2 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 8 $4,461.0 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 10 $4,728.3 2 $427.3
Vital Proulx        
Registered Investment Companies 2 $109.5 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 10 $4,756.8 1 $97.7
Other Accounts 13 $4,908.8 4 $537.8

None of the portfolio managers beneficially owned any equity securities of a Fund as of each Fund’s most recent fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 or, of any of the funds in the Eaton Vance family of funds as of December 31, 2018.

It is possible that conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of a Fund’s investments on the one hand and the investments of other accounts for which a portfolio manager is responsible on the other. For example, a portfolio manager may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time, resources and investment opportunities among a Fund and other accounts he advises. In addition, due to differences in the investment strategies or restrictions between a Fund and the other accounts, the portfolio manager may take action with respect to another account that differs from the action taken with respect to a Fund. In some cases, another account managed by a portfolio manager may compensate the investment adviser based on the performance of the securities held by that account. The existence of such a performance based fee may create additional conflicts of interest for the portfolio manager in the allocation of management time, resources and investment opportunities. Whenever conflicts of interest arise, the portfolio manager will endeavor to exercise his discretion in a manner that he believes is equitable to all interested persons. The investment adviser and sub-adviser have adopted several policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts including a code of ethics and policies that govern the investment adviser's and sub-adviser's trading practices, including among other things the aggregation and allocation of trades among clients, brokerage allocations, cross trades and best execution.

Compensation Structure for Hexavest. Hexavest ensures that key employees are retained and motivated through a competitive compensation package, opportunities for advancement and a collegial environment. The compensation structure of portfolio managers consists of a base salary and a bonus. Portfolio managers also receive certain retirement, insurance and other benefits that are broadly available to Hexavest’s employees. Compensation of portfolio managers is reviewed primarily on an annual basis. Adjustments in base salary and bonuses are typically paid or put into effect at or shortly after calendar year end.

Method to Determine Compensation. Hexavest seeks to compensate its investment professionals commensurate with their responsibilities and performance, and competitive with other firms within the investment management industry. In determining base salaries of portfolio managers, consideration is given to the scale and complexity of the individual’s portfolio responsibilities. The bonus is a function of the performance of the entire investment team (overall strategy) and the performance of an individual’s team (regional strategy). The bonus component is partly influenced by the volume and quality of research performed. Each team member has specific objectives in terms of research papers to deliver on a yearly basis. While the salaries of portfolio managers are comparatively fixed, cash bonuses may fluctuate significantly from year to year, based on changes in relative performance. For a high performing portfolio manager, cash bonuses may represent a substantial portion of total compensation.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 20 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Registration. Effective December 31, 2012, the CFTC adopted certain regulatory changes that subject registered investment companies and advisers to regulation by the CFTC if a fund invests more than a prescribed level of its assets in certain CFTC-regulated instruments (including futures, certain options and swaps agreements) or markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. Each Fund has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act. Accordingly, neither the Funds nor the investment adviser or sub-adviser with respect to the operation of the Funds is subject to CFTC regulation. Because of their management of other strategies, Eaton Vance and BMR are registered with the CFTC as commodity pool operators. Eaton Vance and BMR are also registered as commodity trading advisors. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved each Fund's investment strategies or this SAI.

Administrative Services. Eaton Vance also provides administrative services to each Fund. Under its Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement, Eaton Vance has been engaged to administer each Fund’s affairs, subject to the supervision of the Board, and shall furnish office space and all necessary office facilities, equipment and personnel for administering the affairs of each Fund.

Sub-Transfer Agency Support Services. Eaton Vance provides sub-transfer agency and related services to Eaton Vance mutual funds pursuant to a Sub-Transfer Agency Support Services Agreement. Under the agreement, Eaton Vance provides: (1) specified sub-transfer agency services; (2) compliance monitoring services; and (3) intermediary oversight services. For the services it provides, Eaton Vance receives an aggregate annual fee equal to the actual expenses incurred by Eaton Vance in the performance of such services. Each Fund pays a pro rata share of such fee. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Eaton Vance earned the following pursuant to the agreement:

Hexavest Global Equity Fund Hexavest International Equity Fund
$3,551 $1,316

Expenses. Each Fund is responsible for all expenses not expressly stated to be payable by another party (such as expenses required to be paid pursuant to an agreement with the investment adviser and administrator, the sub-adviser or the principal underwriter). In the case of expenses incurred by the Trust, each Fund is responsible for its pro rata share of those expenses. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Multiple Class Plan for Eaton Vance Funds, Fund expenses are allocated to each class on a pro rata basis, except that distribution and service fees are allocated exclusively to the class that incurs them.

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

Principal Underwriter. Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. (“EVD”), Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110 is the principal underwriter of each Fund. The principal underwriter acts as principal in selling shares under a Distribution Agreement with the Trust. The expenses of printing copies of prospectuses used to offer shares and other selling literature and of advertising are borne by the principal underwriter. The fees and expenses of qualifying and registering and maintaining qualifications and registrations of a Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws are borne by the Fund. The Distribution Agreement is renewable annually by the members of the Board (including a majority of the noninterested Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement or any applicable Distribution Plan), may be terminated on sixty days’ notice either by such Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Fund shares or on six months’ notice by the principal underwriter and is automatically terminated upon assignment. The principal underwriter distributes shares on a “best efforts” basis under which it is required to take and pay for only such shares as may be sold. EVD is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of EVC. Mr. Faust is also a Director of EVD.

Custodian. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, serves as custodian to each Fund. State Street has custody of all cash and securities of a Fund, maintains the general ledger of each Fund and computes the daily net asset value of shares of each Fund. In such capacity it attends to details in connection with the sale, exchange, substitution, transfer or other dealings with each Fund’s investments, receives and disburses all funds and performs various other ministerial duties upon receipt of proper instructions from the Trust. State Street provides services in connection with the preparation of shareholder reports and the electronic filing of such reports with the SEC. EVC and its affiliates and their officers and employees from time to time have transactions with various banks, including State Street. It is Eaton Vance’s opinion that the terms and conditions of such transactions were not and will not be influenced by existing or potential custodial or other relationships between each Fund and such banks.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 21 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Deloitte & Touche LLP, 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116, independent registered public accounting firm, audits each Fund's financial statements and provides other audit, tax and related services.

Transfer Agent. BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, serves as transfer and dividend disbursing agent for each Fund.

CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The net asset value of the Fund is determined by State Street (as agent and custodian) by subtracting the liabilities of the Fund from the value of its total assets. The Fund is closed for business and will not issue a net asset value on the following business holidays and any other business day that the Exchange is closed: 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’s net asset value per share is readily accessible on the Eaton Vance website (www.eatonvance.com).

The Board has approved procedures pursuant to which investments are valued for purposes of determining the Fund’s net asset value. Listed below is a summary of the methods generally used to value investments (some or all of which may be held by the Fund) under the procedures.

· Equity securities (including common stock, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, preferred equity securities, exchange-traded notes and other instruments that trade on recognized stock exchanges) are valued at the last sale, official close or, if there are no reported sales, at the mean between the bid and asked price on the primary exchange on which they are traded.
· Most debt obligations are valued on the basis of market valuations furnished by a pricing service or at the mean of the bid and asked prices provided by recognized broker/dealers of such securities. The pricing service may use a pricing matrix to determine valuation.
· Short-term instruments with remaining maturities of less than 397 days are valued on the basis of market valuations furnished by a pricing service or based on dealer quotations.
· Foreign securities and currencies are valued in U.S. dollars based on foreign currency exchange quotations supplied by a pricing service.
· Senior and Junior Loans (as defined in the “Additional Information About Investment Strategies and Risks” section of this SAI) are valued on the basis of prices furnished by a pricing service. The pricing service uses transactions and market quotations from brokers in determining values.
· Futures contracts are valued at the settlement or closing price on the primary exchange or board of trade on which they are traded.
· Exchange-traded options are valued at the mean of the bid and asked prices. Over-the-counter options are valued based on quotations obtained from a pricing service or from a broker (typically the counterparty to the option).
· Non-exchange traded derivatives (including swap agreements, forward contracts and equity participation notes) are generally valued on the basis of valuations provided by a pricing service or using quotes provided by a broker/dealer (typically the counterparty) or, for total return swaps, based on market index data.
· Precious metals are valued at the New York Composite mean quotation.
· Liabilities with a payment or maturity date of 364 days or less are stated at their principal value and longer dated liabilities generally will be carried at their fair value.
· Valuations of foreign equity securities and total return swaps and exchange-traded futures contracts on non-North American equity indices are generally based on fair valuation provided by a pricing service.

Investments which are unable to be valued in accordance with the foregoing methodologies are valued at fair value using methods determined in good faith by or at the direction of the members of the Board. Such methods may include consideration of relevant factors, including but not limited to (i) the type of security and, the existence of any contractual restrictions on the security’s disposition; (ii) the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or of comparable companies or entities; (iii) quotations or relevant information obtained from broker-dealers or other market participants; (iv) information obtained from the issuer, analysts, and/or the appropriate stock exchange (for exchange-traded securities); (v) an analysis of the company’s or entity’s financial statements; (vi) an evaluation of the forces that influence the issuer and the market(s) in which the security is purchased and sold; (vii) any transaction involving the issuer of such securities; and (viii) any other factors deemed relevant by the investment adviser. For purposes of fair

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 22 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

valuation, the portfolio managers of one Eaton Vance fund that invests in Senior and Junior Loans may not possess the same information about a Senior or Junior Loan as the portfolio managers of another Eaton Vance fund. As such, at times the fair value of a Loan determined by certain Eaton Vance portfolio managers may vary from the fair value of the same Loan determined by other portfolio managers.

PURCHASING AND REDEEMING SHARES

Additional Information About Purchases. Fund shares are offered for sale only in states where they are registered. The Eaton Vance funds generally do not accept investments from residents of the European Union or Switzerland, although may do so to the extent that the Eaton Vance funds may be lawfully offered in a relevant jurisdiction (including at the initiative of the investor). Fund shares are continuously offered through financial intermediaries which have entered into agreements with the principal underwriter. Fund shares are sold at the public offering price, which is the net asset value next computed after receipt of an order plus the initial sales charge, if any. The Fund receives the net asset value. The principal underwriter receives the sales charge, all or a portion of which may be reallowed to the financial intermediaries responsible for selling Fund shares. The sales charge table for Class A shares in the Prospectus is applicable to purchases of Class A shares of a Fund alone or in combination with purchases of certain other funds offered by the principal underwriter, made at a single time by (i) an individual, or an individual, his or her spouse and their children under the age of twenty-one, purchasing shares for his or their own account, and (ii) a trustee or other fiduciary purchasing shares for a single trust estate or a single fiduciary account. The table is also presently applicable to (1) purchases of Class A shares pursuant to a written Statement of Intention; or (2) purchases of Class A shares pursuant to the Right of Accumulation and declared as such at the time of purchase. See “Sales Charges.”

Class I Share Purchases. Class I shares are available for purchase by clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class I shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments, foundations and employer sponsored retirement plans. Class I shares may also be available through brokerage platforms of broker-dealer firms that have agreements with a Fund’s principal underwriter to offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor. An investor acquiring Class I shares through such platforms may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Class I shares also are offered to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates; certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance and its affiliates; current and retired members of Eaton Vance Fund Boards; employees of Eaton Vance and its affiliates and such persons’ spouses, parents, siblings and lineal descendants and their beneficial accounts.

Waiver of Investment Minimums. In addition to waivers described in the Prospectus, minimum investment amounts are waived for individual plan participants in an employer sponsored retirement plan; current and retired members of Eaton Vance Fund Boards; clients (including custodial, agency, advisory and trust accounts) and current and retired officers and employees of Eaton Vance, its affiliates and other investment advisers and sub-advisers to the Eaton Vance family of funds; and for such persons’ spouses, parents, siblings and lineal descendants and their beneficial accounts. The minimum initial investment amount is also waived for officers and employees of a Fund’s custodian and transfer agent and in connection with the merger (or similar transaction) of an investment company (or series or class thereof) or personal holding company with a Fund (or class thereof). Investments in a Fund by ReFlow in connection with the ReFlow liquidity program are also not subject to the minimum investment amount.

Suspension of Sales. The Trust may, in its absolute discretion, suspend, discontinue or limit the offering of one or more of its classes of shares at any time. In determining whether any such action should be taken, the Trust’s management intends to consider all relevant factors, including (without limitation) the size of a Fund or class, the investment climate and market conditions and the volume of sales and redemptions of shares. The Class A and Class C Distribution Plans may continue in effect and payments may be made under the Plans following any such suspension, discontinuance or limitation of the offering of shares; however, there is no obligation to continue any Plan for any particular period of time. Suspension of the offering of shares would not, of course, affect a shareholder’s ability to redeem shares.

Additional Information About Redemptions. The right to redeem shares of a Fund can be suspended and the payment of the redemption price deferred when the Exchange is closed (other than for customary weekend and holiday closings), during periods when trading on the Exchange is restricted as determined by the SEC, or during any emergency as determined by the SEC which makes it impracticable for a Fund to dispose of its securities or value its assets, or during any other period permitted by order of the SEC for the protection of investors.

Due to the high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem accounts with balances of less than $750. Prior to such a redemption, shareholders will be given 60 days’ written notice to make an additional purchase. No CDSC or redemption fees, if applicable, will be imposed with respect to such involuntary redemptions.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 23 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

As disclosed in the Prospectus, each Fund typically expects to meet redemption requests by (i) distributing any cash holdings, (ii) selling portfolio investments and/or (iii) borrowing from a bank under a line of credit. In addition to the foregoing, each Fund also may distribute securities as payment (a so-called “redemption in-kind”), in which case the redeeming shareholder may pay fees and commissions to convert the securities to cash. Unless requested by a shareholder, each Fund expects to limit use of redemption in-kind to stressed market conditions, but is permitted to do so in other circumstances. Any redemption in-kind would be made in accordance with policies adopted by each Fund, which allow the Fund to distribute securities pro rata or as selected by the investment adviser or sub-adviser.

Each Fund participates in a joint credit facility arrangement with other Eaton Vance funds and may borrow amounts available thereunder for temporary purposes, such as meeting redemptions. See “Additional Information about Investment Strategies and Risks - Borrowing for Temporary Purposes” herein. Each Fund also has exemptive relief to participate in an interfund lending program with other Eaton Vance funds. Such program is not operational as of the date of this SAI.

In connection with requests to re-issue uncashed checks representing redemption proceeds, each Fund reserves the right to require the redeeming shareholder to provide Medallion signature guaranteed wire instructions for delivery of redemption proceeds. Redemption proceeds represented by an uncashed check will not earn interest or other return during such time.

As noted above, each Fund may pay the redemption price of shares of a Fund, either totally or partially, by a distribution in-kind of securities. All requests for redemptions in-kind must be in good order. Provided the redemption request is received by the Fund not later than 12:00 p.m. (eastern time) on the day of the redemption, the Fund may in its discretion, if requested by a redeeming shareholder, provide the redeeming shareholders with an estimate of the securities to be distributed. Any difference between the redemption value of the distributed securities and the value of the Fund shares redeemed will be settled in cash. Securities distributed in a redemption in-kind would be valued pursuant to a Fund’s valuation procedures and selected by the investment adviser or sub-adviser. If a shareholder receives securities in a redemption in-kind, the shareholder could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash and the value of such securities would be subject to price fluctuations until sold.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan. The transfer agent will send to the shareholder regular monthly or quarterly payments of any permitted amount designated by the shareholder based upon the value of the shares held. The checks will be drawn from share redemptions and hence, may require the recognition of taxable gain or loss. Income dividends and capital gains distributions in connection with withdrawal plan accounts will be credited at net asset value as of the ex-dividend date for each distribution. Continued withdrawals in excess of current income will eventually use up principal, particularly in a period of declining market prices. A shareholder may not have a withdrawal plan in effect at the same time he or she has authorized Bank Automated Investing or is otherwise making regular purchases of Fund shares. The shareholder, the transfer agent or the principal underwriter may terminate the withdrawal plan at any time without penalty.

Other Information. A Fund’s net asset value per share is normally rounded to two decimal places. In certain situations (such as a merger, share split or a purchase or sale of shares that represents a significant portion of a share class), the administrator may determine to extend the calculation of the net asset value per share to additional decimal places to ensure that neither the value of the Fund nor a shareholder’s shares is diluted materially as the result of a purchase or sale or other transaction.

SALES CHARGES

Dealer Commissions. The principal underwriter may, from time to time, at its own expense, provide additional incentives to financial intermediaries which employ registered representatives who sell Fund shares and/or shares of other funds distributed by the principal underwriter. In some instances, such additional incentives may be offered only to certain financial intermediaries whose representatives sell or are expected to sell significant amounts of shares. In addition, the principal underwriter may from time to time increase or decrease the sales commissions payable to financial intermediaries. The principal underwriter may allow, upon notice to all financial intermediaries with whom it has agreements, discounts up to the full sales charge during the periods specified in the notice. During periods when the discount includes the full sales charge, such financial intermediaries may be deemed to be underwriters as that term is defined in the 1933 Act.

Purchases at Net Asset Value. Class A shares may be sold at net asset value (without a sales charge) to clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class A shares through a no-load network or platform; current and retired members of Eaton Vance Fund Boards; to clients (including custodial, agency, advisory and trust accounts) and current and former Directors, officers and employees of Eaton Vance, its affiliates and other investment advisers and sub-advisers of Eaton Vance sponsored funds; and to such persons’ spouses, parents, siblings and lineal descendants and their beneficial accounts. Such shares may also be issued at net asset value

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 24 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

(1) in connection with the merger (or similar transaction) of an investment company (or series or class thereof) or personal holding company with a Fund (or class thereof), (2) to HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) and to employer sponsored retirement plans and trusts used to fund those plans, (3) to officers and employees of a Fund’s custodian and transfer agent, (4) in connection with the ReFlow liquidity program and (5) direct purchases of shares by accounts where no financial intermediary is specified. Class A shares may also be sold at net asset value to registered representatives and employees of financial intermediaries. Class A shares are also offered at net asset value to shareholders who make a permitted direct transfer or roll-over to an Eaton Vance prototype individual retirement account (“IRA”) from an employer-sponsored retirement plan previously invested in Eaton Vance funds (applicable only to the portion previously invested in Eaton Vance funds), provided that sufficient documentation is provided to the transfer agent of such transfer or roll-over at the time of the account opening. Sales charges generally are waived because either (i) there is no sales effort involved in the sale of shares or (ii) the investor is paying a fee (other than the sales charge) to the financial intermediary involved in the sale. Any new or revised sales charge or CDSC waiver will be prospective only. A financial intermediary may not, in accordance with its policies and procedures, offer one or more of the waiver categories described above and shareholders should consult their financial intermediary for more information.

CDSC Waiver. CDSCs will be waived in connection with redemptions from employer sponsored retirement plans or IRAs to satisfy required minimum distributions by applying the rate required to be withdrawn under the applicable rules and regulations of the IRS to the balance of shares in your account. CDSCs will also be waived in connection with returning excess contributions made to IRAs.

Statement of Intention. If it is anticipated that $50,000 or more of Class A shares and shares of other funds exchangeable for Class A shares of another Eaton Vance fund will be purchased within a 13-month period, the Statement of Intention section of the account application should be completed so that shares may be obtained at the same reduced sales charge as though the total quantity were invested in one lump sum. Shares eligible for the right of accumulation (see below) as of the date of the statement and purchased during the 13-month period will be included toward the completion of the statement. If you make a statement of intention, the transfer agent is authorized to hold in escrow sufficient shares (5% of the dollar amount specified in the statement) which can be redeemed to make up any difference in sales charge on the amount intended to be invested and the amount actually invested. A statement of intention does not obligate the shareholder to purchase or the Fund to sell the full amount indicated in the statement.

If the amount actually purchased during the 13-month period is less than that indicated in the statement, the shareholder will be requested to pay the difference between the sales charge applicable to the shares purchased and the sales charge paid under the statement of intention. If the payment is not received in 20 days, the appropriate number of escrowed shares will be redeemed in order to realize such difference. Shareholders will not receive a lower sales charge if total purchases during the 13-month period are large enough to qualify for a lower sales charge than that applicable to the amount specified in the statement. If the sales charge rate changes during the 13-month period, all shares purchased or charges assessed after the date of such change will be subject to the then applicable sales charge.

Right of Accumulation. Under the right of accumulation, the applicable sales charge level is calculated by aggregating the dollar amount of the current purchase and the value (calculated at the maximum current offering price) of Fund shares owned by the shareholder. The sales charge on the Fund shares being purchased will then be applied at the rate applicable to the aggregate. Share purchases eligible for the right of accumulation are described under “Sales Charges” in the Prospectus. For any such discount to be made available at the time of purchase a purchaser or his or her financial intermediary must provide the principal underwriter (in the case of a purchase made through a financial intermediary) or the transfer agent (in the case of an investment made by mail) with sufficient information to permit verification that the purchase order qualifies for the accumulation privilege. Confirmation of the order is subject to such verification. The right of accumulation privilege may be amended or terminated at any time as to purchases occurring thereafter.

Conversion Feature. Effective January 25, 2019 (the “Effective Date”), Class C shares will automatically convert to Class A shares during the month following the ten year anniversary of the purchase of such Class C shares. If the financial intermediary that maintains a Class C shareholder’s account has not tracked the holding period for Class C shares, Class C shares held as of the Effective Date will automatically convert to Class A shares ten years after the Effective Date. Such conversion shall be effected on the basis of the relative NAVs per share of the two classes without the imposition of any sales charge, fee or other charge. For purposes of this conversion, all distributions paid on such Class C shares which the shareholder elects to reinvest in Class C shares will be considered to be held in a separate sub-account. Upon the conversion of Class C shares not acquired through the reinvestment of distributions, a pro rata portion of the Class C shares held in the sub-account will also convert to such Class A shares. This portion will be determined by the ratio that such Class C shares being converted bears to the total of Class C shares (excluding shares acquired through reinvestment) in the account.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 25 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Distribution Plans

The Trust has in effect a compensation-type Distribution Plan for Class A shares (the “Class A Plan”) adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The Class A Plan is designed to (i) finance activities which are primarily intended to result in the distribution and sales of Class A shares and to make payments in connection with the distribution of such shares and (ii) pay service fees for personal services and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts to the principal underwriter, financial intermediaries and other persons. The distribution and service fees payable under the Class A Plan shall not exceed 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to Class A shares for any fiscal year. Class A distribution and service fees are paid monthly in arrears. For the distribution and service fees paid by Class A shares, see Appendix A.

The Trust also has in effect a compensation-type Distribution Plan for Class C shares (the “Class C Plan”) adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Pursuant to the Class C Plan, Class C pays the principal underwriter a distribution fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate not exceeding 0.75% of its average daily net assets to finance the distribution of its shares. Such fees compensate the principal underwriter for the sales commissions paid by it to financial intermediaries on the sale of shares, for other distribution expenses (such as personnel, overhead, travel, printing and postage) and for interest expense. The principal underwriter is entitled to receive all distribution fees and CDSCs paid or payable with respect to Class C shares, provided that no such payments will be made that would cause the Class to exceed the maximum sales charge permitted by FINRA Rule 2341(d).

The Class C Plan also authorizes the payment of service fees to the principal underwriter, financial intermediaries and other persons in amounts not exceeding an annual rate of 0.25% of its average daily net assets for personal services, and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. For Class C, financial intermediaries currently generally receive (a) a service fee (except on exchange transactions and reinvestments) at the time of sale equal to 0.25% of the purchase price of Class C shares sold by such intermediaries, and (b) monthly service fees approximately equivalent to 1/12 of 0.25% of the value of Class C shares sold by such intermediaries. During the first year after a purchase of Class C shares, the principal underwriter will retain the service fee as reimbursement for the service fee payment made to financial intermediaries at the time of sale (if applicable). For the service fees paid, see Appendix B.

The Board believes that each Plan will be a significant factor in the expected growth of each Fund’s assets, and will result in increased investment flexibility and advantages which have benefitted and will continue to benefit the Fund and its shareholders. The Eaton Vance organization may profit by reason of the operation of a Plan through an increase in Fund assets and if at any point in time the aggregate amounts received by the principal underwriter pursuant to a Plan exceeds the total expenses incurred in distributing Fund shares. For sales commissions and CDSCs, if applicable, see Appendix A and Appendix B.

A Plan continues in effect from year to year so long as such continuance is approved at least annually by the vote of both a majority of (i) the noninterested Trustees of the Trust who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or any agreements related to the Plan (the “Plan Trustees”) and (ii) all of the Trustees then in office. A Plan may be terminated at any time by vote of a majority of the Plan Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the applicable Class. Quarterly Board member review of a written report of the amount expended under the Plan and the purposes for which such expenditures were made is required. A Plan may not be amended to increase materially the payments described therein without approval of the shareholders of the affected Class and the Board. So long as a Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of the noninterested Trustees shall be committed to the discretion of such Trustees. The Trustees, including the Plan Trustees, initially approved the current Plan(s) on April 22, 2013 for Class A shares of each Fund and on October 18, 2016 for Class C shares of the Hexavest Global Equity Fund. Any Board member who is an “interested” person of the Trust has an indirect financial interest in a Plan because his or her employer (or affiliates thereof) receives distribution and/or service fees under the Plan or agreements related thereto.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 26 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS AND RELATED INFORMATION

The Board has adopted policies and procedures (the “Policies”) with respect to the disclosure of information about portfolio holdings of each Fund. See the Funds' Prospectus for information on disclosure made in filings with the SEC and/or posted on the Eaton Vance website (www.eatonvance.com) and disclosure of certain portfolio characteristics. Pursuant to the Policies, information about portfolio holdings of a Fund may also be disclosed as follows:

· Confidential disclosure for a legitimate Fund purpose: Portfolio holdings may be disclosed, from time to time as necessary, for a legitimate business purpose of a Fund, believed to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, provided there is a duty or an agreement that the information be kept confidential. Any such confidentiality agreement includes provisions intended to impose a duty not to trade on the non-public information. The Policies permit disclosure of portfolio holdings information to the following: 1) affiliated and unaffiliated service providers that have a legal or contractual duty to keep such information confidential, such as employees of the investment adviser (including portfolio managers and, in the case of a Portfolio, the portfolio manager of any account that invests in the Portfolio), the administrator, custodian, transfer agent, principal underwriter, etc. described herein and in the Prospectus; 2) other persons who owe a fiduciary or other duty of trust or confidence to the Fund (such as Fund legal counsel and independent registered public accounting firm); or 3) persons to whom the disclosure is made in advancement of a legitimate business purpose of a Fund and who have expressly agreed in writing to maintain the disclosed information in confidence and to use it only in connection with the legitimate business purpose underlying the arrangement. To the extent applicable to an Eaton Vance fund, such persons may include securities lending agents which may receive information from time to time regarding selected holdings which may be loaned by a Fund, in the event a Fund is rated, credit rating agencies (Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and S&P Global Ratings), analytical service providers engaged by the investment adviser (SS&C Advent, Bloomberg L.P., Evare, FactSet, McMunn Associates, Inc., MSCI/Barra and The Yield Book, Inc.), proxy evaluation vendors (Institutional Shareholder Servicing, Inc.), pricing services (The Thomas Reuters Pricing Service Mark-to-Market Pricing Service, WM/Reuters Information Services and Non-Deliverable Forward Rates Service, IHS Markit, FT Interactive Data Corp., Securities Evaluations, Inc., SuperDerivatives and StatPro.), which receive information as needed to price a particular holding, translation services, third-party reconciliation services, lenders under Fund credit facilities (Citibank, N.A. and its affiliates), consultants and other product evaluators (Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC) and, for purposes of facilitating portfolio transactions, financial intermediaries and other intermediaries (national and regional municipal bond dealers and mortgage-backed securities dealers). These entities receive portfolio information on an as needed basis in order to perform the service for which they are being engaged. If required in order to perform their duties, this information will be provided in real time or as soon as practical thereafter. Additional categories of disclosure involving a legitimate business purpose may be added to this list upon the authorization of a Fund’s Board. In addition to the foregoing, disclosure of portfolio holdings may be made to a Fund’s investment adviser as a seed investor in a fund, in order for the adviser or its parent to satisfy certain reporting obligations and reduce its exposure to market risk factors associated with any such seed investment. Also, in connection with a redemption in-kind, the redeeming shareholders may be required to agree to keep the information about the securities to be so distributed confidential, except to the extent necessary to dispose of the securities.
· Historical portfolio holdings information: From time to time, each Fund may be requested to provide historic portfolio holdings information or certain characteristics of portfolio holdings that have not been made public previously. In such case, the requested information may be provided if: the information is requested for due diligence or another legitimate purpose; the requested portfolio holdings or portfolio characteristics are for a period that is no more recent than the date of the portfolio holdings or portfolio characteristics posted to the Eaton Vance website; and the dissemination of the requested information is reviewed and approved in accordance with the Policies.

The Funds, the investment adviser, sub-adviser and principal underwriter will not receive any monetary or other consideration in connection with the disclosure of information concerning a Fund’s portfolio holdings.

The Policies may not be waived, or exception made, without the consent of the CCO of the Funds. The CCO may not waive or make exception to the Policies unless such waiver or exception is consistent with the intent of the Policies, which is to ensure that disclosure of portfolio information is in the best interest of Fund shareholders. In determining whether to permit a waiver of or exception to the Policies, the CCO will consider whether the proposed disclosure serves a legitimate purpose of a Fund, whether it could provide the recipient with an advantage over Fund shareholders or whether the proposed disclosure gives rise to a conflict of interest between a Fund’s shareholders and its investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter or other affiliated person. The CCO will report all waivers of or exceptions to the Policies to the Board at their next meeting. The Board may impose additional restrictions on the disclosure of portfolio holdings information at any time.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 27 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

The Policies are designed to provide useful information concerning a Fund to existing and prospective Fund shareholders while at the same time inhibiting the improper use of portfolio holdings information in trading Fund shares and/or portfolio securities held by a Fund. However, there can be no assurance that the provision of any portfolio holdings information is not susceptible to inappropriate uses (such as the development of “market timing” models), particularly in the hands of highly sophisticated investors, or that it will not in fact be used in such ways beyond the control of the Funds.

TAXES

The following is a summary of some of the tax consequences affecting a Fund and its shareholders. As used below, “the Fund” refers to the Fund(s) listed on the cover of this SAI, except as otherwise noted. The summary does not address all of the special tax rules applicable to certain classes of investors, such as individual retirement accounts and employer sponsored retirement plans, tax-exempt entities, foreign investors, insurance companies and financial institutions. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors with respect to special tax rules that may apply in their particular situations, as well as the federal, state, local, and, where applicable, foreign tax consequences of investing in the Fund.

Taxation of the Fund. The Fund, as a series of the Trust, is treated as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes. The Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. Accordingly, the Fund intends to satisfy certain requirements relating to sources of its income and diversification of its assets and to distribute substantially all of its net investment income (including tax-exempt income, if any) and net short-term and long-term capital gains (after reduction by any available capital loss carryforwards) in accordance with the timing requirements imposed by the Code, so as to maintain its RIC status and to avoid paying any federal income tax. Based on advice of counsel, the Fund generally will not recognize gain or loss on its distribution of appreciated securities in shareholder-initiated redemptions of its shares. If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC and satisfies the above-mentioned distribution requirements, it will not be subject to federal income tax on income paid to its shareholders in the form of dividends or capital gain distributions. The Fund qualified as a RIC for its most recent taxable year.

The Fund also seeks to avoid the imposition of a federal excise tax on its ordinary income and capital gain net income. However, if the Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year substantially all of its ordinary income for such year and substantially all of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 (or later if the Fund is permitted to so elect and so elects), plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. In order to avoid incurring a federal excise tax obligation, the Code requires that the Fund distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year (i) at least 98% of its ordinary income (excluding tax-exempt income, if any) for such year, (ii) at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income (which is the excess of its realized capital gains over its realized capital losses), generally computed on the basis of the one-year period ending on October 31 of such year, after reduction by any available capital loss carryforwards, and (iii) 100% of any income and capital gains from the prior year (as previously computed) that were not distributed out during such year and on which the Fund paid no federal income tax. If the Fund fails to meet these requirements it will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. Under current law, provided that the Fund qualifies as a RIC (and, where applicable, the Portfolio is treated as a partnership for Massachusetts and federal tax purposes), the Fund should not be liable for any applicable state income, corporate excise or franchise tax.

If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to corporate income taxes, and all distributions from earnings and profits, including distributions of tax-exempt income and net capital gain (if any), will be taxable to the shareholder as dividend income. However, such distributions may be eligible (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. In addition, in order to re-qualify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund may be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions.

In certain situations, the Fund may, for a taxable year, elect to defer all or a portion of its net capital losses (or if there is no net capital loss, then any net long-term or short-term capital loss) realized after October and its late-year ordinary losses (which includes the sum of the excess of post-October foreign currency and passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains plus the excess of post-December ordinary losses over post-December ordinary income) realized after December until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.

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Taxation of the Portfolio. If the Fund invests its assets in the Portfolio, the Portfolio normally must satisfy the applicable source of income and asset diversification requirements under Subchapter M of the Code in order for the Fund to also satisfy these requirements. For federal income tax purposes, the Portfolio intends to be treated as a partnership that is not a “publicly traded partnership” and, as a result, will not be subject to federal income tax. The Fund, as an investor in the Portfolio, will be required to take into account in determining its federal income tax liability its allocable share of such Portfolio’s income, gains, losses, deductions and credits, without regard to whether it has received any distributions from such Portfolio. The Portfolio will allocate at least annually among its investors, including the Fund, the Portfolio’s net investment income, net realized capital gains and losses, and any other items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit. For purposes of applying the requirements of the Code regarding qualification as a RIC, the Fund (i) will be deemed to own its proportionate share of each of the assets of the Portfolio and (ii) will be entitled to the gross income of the Portfolio attributable to such share. Under current law, provided that the Portfolio is treated as a partnership for Massachusetts and federal tax purposes, the Portfolio should not be liable for any income, corporate excise or franchise tax in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Taxation of the Subsidiary. See the definition of “Subsidiary” under “Definitions” at the front of this SAI for information about whether any Fund and/or Portfolio (if applicable) described herein has established a Subsidiary. The Subsidiary is classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Fund intends to take the position that income from its investments in the Subsidiary will constitute qualifying income for purposes of qualifying as a regulated investment company. Under Treasury regulations, “subpart F income” (as defined below) included in the Fund’s annual income for U.S. federal income purposes will constitute qualifying income to the extent it is either (i) timely and currently repatriated or (ii) derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities or currencies. If the Fund were to earn non-qualifying income from any source including the Subsidiary in excess of 10% of its gross income for any taxable year, it would fail to qualify as a RIC for that year, unless the Fund were eligible to cure and cured such failure by paying a Fund-level tax equal to the full amount of such excess.

Foreign corporations, such as the Subsidiary, will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless they are deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business. It is expected that the Subsidiary will conduct it activities in a manner so as to meet the requirements of a safe harbor under Section 864(b)(2) of the Code under which the Subsidiary may engage in trading in stocks or securities or certain commodities without being deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business. However, if certain of the Subsidiary's activities were determined not to be of the type described in the safe harbor (which is not expected), then the activities of the Subsidiary may constitute a U.S. trade or business, and would be taxed as such.

The Subsidiary is treated as a controlled foreign corporation (“CFC”) for tax purposes and the Fund is treated as a “U.S. shareholder” of the Subsidiary. As a result, the Fund is required to include in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes all of the Subsidiary's “subpart F income,” whether or not such income is distributed by the Subsidiary. It is expected that all of the Subsidiary's income will be “subpart F income.” The Fund’s recognition of the Subsidiary's “subpart F income” will increase the Fund’s tax basis in the Subsidiary. Distributions by the Subsidiary to the Fund will be tax-free to the extent of its previously undistributed “subpart F income,” and will correspondingly reduce the Fund's tax basis in the Subsidiary. “Subpart F income” is generally treated as ordinary income, regardless of the character of the Subsidiary's underlying income. If a net loss is realized by the Subsidiary, such loss is not generally available to offset the income earned by the Fund.

Tax Consequences of Certain Investments. The following summary of the tax consequences of certain types of investments applies to the Fund and the Portfolio, as appropriate. References below to “the Fund” are to any Fund or Portfolio that can engage in the particular practice as described in the prospectus or SAI.

Securities Acquired at Market Discount or with Original Issue Discount. Investment in securities acquired in zero coupon, deferred interest, payment-in-kind and certain other securities with original issue discount, generally may cause the Fund to realize income prior to the receipt of cash payments with respect to these securities. Such income will be accrued daily by the Fund and, in order to avoid a tax payable by the Fund, the Fund may be required to liquidate securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold in order to generate cash so that the Fund may make required distributions to its shareholders. Subject to the discussion below regarding Section 451 of the Code, (i) generally any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security, (ii) alternatively, the Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in the Fund's income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security, and (iii) the rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in the Fund's income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects. Notwithstanding the

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foregoing, effective for taxable years beginning after 2017, Section 451 of the Code generally requires any accrual method taxpayer to take into account items of gross income no later than the time at which such items are taken into account as revenue in the taxpayer's financial statements. The application of Section 451 to the accrual of market discount is currently unclear; however, the Treasury Department has issued a notice stating that it intends to issue proposed regulations providing that Section 451 does not apply to accrued market discount. Subject to the issuance of any such regulations, if Section 451 were to apply to the accrual of market discount, the Fund would be required to include in income any market discount as it takes the same into account on its financial statements.

Lower Rated or Defaulted Securities. Investments in securities that are at risk of, or are in, default present special tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income.

Municipal Obligations. Any recognized gain or income attributable to market discount on long-term tax-exempt municipal obligations (i.e., obligations with a term of more than one year) purchased after April 30, 1993 (except to the extent of a portion of the discount attributable to original issue discount) is taxable as ordinary income. A long-term debt obligation is generally treated as acquired at a market discount if purchased after its original issue at a price less than (i) the stated principal amount payable at maturity, in the case of an obligation that does not have original issue discount or (ii) in the case of an obligation that does have original issue discount, the sum of the issue price and any original issue discount that accrued before the obligation was purchased, subject to a de minimis exclusion.

From time to time proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating the federal income tax exemption for interest on certain types of municipal obligations, and it can be expected that similar proposals may be introduced in the future. As a result of any such future legislation, the availability of municipal obligations for investment by the Fund and the value of the securities held by it may be affected. It is possible that events occurring after the date of issuance of municipal obligations, or after the Fund’s acquisition of such an obligation, may result in a determination that the interest paid on that obligation is taxable, even retroactively.

If the Fund seeks income exempt from state and/or local taxes, information about such taxes is contained in an appendix to this SAI (see the table of contents on the cover page of this SAI).

Tax Credit Bonds. If the Fund holds, directly or indirectly, one or more tax credit bonds issued on or before December 31, 2017 (including Build America Bonds, clean renewable energy bonds and other qualified tax credit bonds) on one or more applicable dates during a taxable year and the Fund satisfies the minimum distribution requirement, the Fund may elect to permit its shareholders to claim a tax credit on their income tax returns equal to each shareholder’s proportionate share of tax credits from the applicable bonds that otherwise would be allowed to the Fund. In such a case, shareholders must include in gross income (as interest) their proportionate share of the income attributable to their proportionate share of those offsetting tax credits. A shareholder’s ability to claim a tax credit associated with one or more tax credit bonds may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code. Even if the Fund is eligible to pass through tax credits to shareholders, the Fund may choose not to do so.

Derivatives. The Fund’s investments in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts (to the extent permitted) and certain other transactions may be subject to special tax rules (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale, short sale and other rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer Fund losses, cause adjustments in the holding periods of Fund securities, convert capital gain into ordinary income and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of Fund distributions.

Investments in so-called “section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most foreign currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most stock indices, are subject to special tax rules. All “section 1256 contracts” held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in “section 1256 contracts” closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund. Unless an election is made, net section 1256 gain or loss on forward currency contracts will be treated as ordinary income or loss.

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Fund positions in index options that do not qualify as “section 1256 contracts” under the Code generally will be treated as equity options governed by Code Section 1234. Pursuant to Code Section 1234, if a written option expires unexercised, the premium received by the Fund is short-term capital gain to the Fund. If the Fund enters into a closing transaction with respect to a written option, the difference between the premium received and the amount paid to close out its position is short-term capital gain or loss. If an option written by the Fund that is not a “section 1256 contract” is cash settled, any resulting gain or loss will be short-term capital gain. For an option purchased by the Fund that is not a “section 1256 contract”, any gain or loss resulting from sale of the option will be a capital gain or loss, and will be short-term or long-term, depending upon the holding period for the option. If the option expires, the resulting loss is a capital loss and is short-term or long-term, depending upon the holding period for the option. If a put option written by the Fund is exercised and physically settled, the premium received is treated as a reduction in the amount paid to acquire the underlying securities, increasing the gain or decreasing the loss to be realized by the Fund upon sale of the securities. If a call option written by the Fund is exercised and physically settled, the premium received is included in the sale proceeds, increasing the gain or decreasing the loss realized by the Fund at the time of option exercise.

As a result of entering into swap contracts, the Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. The Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to a swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, the Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.

Short Sales. In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when the Fund closes the sale by delivering the borrowed property to the lender, not when the borrowed property is sold. Gain or loss from a short sale is generally considered to be capital gain or loss to the extent that the property used to close the short sale constitutes a capital asset in the Fund’s hands. Except with respect to certain situations where the property used to close a short sale has a long-term holding period on the date of the short sale, special rules generally treat the gains on short sales as short-term capital gains. These rules may also terminate the running of the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by the Fund. Moreover, a loss on a short sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by the Fund for more than one year. In general, the Fund will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse the lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed stock if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the short sale is entered.

Constructive Sales. The Fund may recognize gain (but not loss) from a constructive sale of certain “appreciated financial positions” if the Fund enters into a short sale, offsetting notional principal contract, or forward contract transaction with respect to the appreciated position or substantially identical property. Appreciated financial positions subject to this constructive sale treatment include interests (including options and forward contracts and short sales) in stock and certain other instruments. Constructive sale treatment does not apply if the transaction is closed out not later than thirty days after the end of the taxable year in which the transaction was initiated, and the underlying appreciated securities position is held unhedged for at least the next sixty days after the hedging transaction is closed.

Gain or loss on a short sale will generally not be realized until such time as the short sale is closed. However, as described above in the discussion of constructive sales, if the Fund holds a short sale position with respect to securities that have appreciated in value, and it then acquires property that is the same as or substantially identical to the property sold short, the Fund generally will recognize gain on the date it acquires such property as if the short sale were closed on such date with such property. Similarly, if the Fund holds an appreciated financial position with respect to securities and then enters into a short sale with respect to the same or substantially identical property, the Fund generally will recognize gain as if the appreciated financial position were sold at its fair market value on the date it enters into the short sale. The subsequent holding period for any appreciated financial position that is subject to these constructive sale rules will be determined as if such position were acquired on the date of the constructive sale.

Foreign Investments and Currencies. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes or other foreign taxes with respect to income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains), which would decrease the Fund’s income on such securities. These taxes may be reduced or eliminated under the terms of an applicable U.S. income tax treaty. If more than 50% of Fund assets at year end consists of the debt and equity securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on their income tax returns for their pro rata portion of qualified taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries. If the election is made, shareholders will include in gross income from foreign sources their pro rata share of such taxes. A shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by the Fund may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code (including a holding period requirement applied at the Fund level, shareholder level and, if

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applicable, Portfolio level), as a result of which a shareholder may not get a full credit or deduction for the amount of such taxes. In particular, the Fund or Portfolio, if applicable, must own a dividend-paying stock for more than 15 days during the 31-day period beginning 15 days prior to the ex-dividend date in order to pass through to shareholders a credit or deduction for any foreign withholding tax on a dividend paid with respect to such stock. Likewise, shareholders must hold their Fund shares (without protection from risk or loss) on the ex-dividend date and for at least 15 additional days during the 31-day period beginning 15 days prior to the ex-dividend date to be eligible to claim the foreign tax with respect to a given dividend. Shareholders who do not itemize deductions on their federal income tax returns may claim a credit (but no deduction) for such taxes. Individual shareholders subject to the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) may not deduct such taxes for AMT purposes.

Transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts, forward contracts and similar instruments (to the extent permitted) 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. Under Section 988 of the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss.

Investments in PFICs could subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax or other charges on certain distributions from such companies and on disposition of investments in such companies; however, the tax effects of such investments may be mitigated by making an election to mark such investments to market annually or treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund”. If the Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain. Alternatively, if the Fund were to make a mark-to-market election with respect to a PFIC, the Fund would be treated as if it had sold and repurchased the PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. This election must be made separately for each PFIC, and once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. The Fund may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock in any particular year. As a result, the Fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.

U.S. Government Securities. Distributions paid by the Fund that are derived from interest on obligations of the U.S. Government and certain of its agencies and instrumentalities (but generally not distributions of capital gains realized upon the disposition of such obligations) may be exempt from state and local income taxes. The Fund generally intends to advise shareholders of the extent, if any, to which its distributions consist of such interest. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the possible exclusion of such portion of their dividends for state and local income tax purposes.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”). Any investment by the Fund in equity securities of a REIT qualifying as such under Subchapter M of the Code may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction and generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

Pursuant to proposed regulations on which the Fund may rely, distributions by the Fund to its shareholders that the Fund properly reports as “section 199A dividends,” as defined and subject to certain conditions described below, are treated as qualified REIT dividends in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. Non-corporate shareholders are permitted a federal income tax deduction equal to 20% of qualified REIT dividends received by them, subject to certain limitations. Very generally, a “section 199A dividend” is any dividend or portion thereof that is attributable to certain dividends received by a RIC from REITs, to the extent such dividends are properly reported as such by the regulated investment company in a written notice to its shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholders receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying regulated investment company shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. The Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.

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Subject to any future regulatory guidance to the contrary, any distribution of income attributable to qualified publicly traded partnership income from a Fund’s investment in a qualified publicly traded partnership will not qualify for the deduction that would be available to a non-corporate shareholder were the shareholder to own such qualified publicly traded partnership interest directly.

Inflation-Indexed Bonds.  Periodic adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond may give rise to original issue discount, which will be includable in the Fund’s gross income (see “Securities Acquired at Market Discount or with Original Issue Discount” above).  Also, if the principal value of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted downward due to inflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital (see “Taxation of Fund Shareholders” below).

Taxation of Fund Shareholders. Subject to the discussion of distributions of tax-exempt income below, Fund distributions of investment income and net gains from investments held for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income. Fund distributions of any net gains from investments held for more than one year are generally taxable as long-term capital gains. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund or, if applicable, the Portfolio owned (or is treated as having owned) the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares in the Fund. Dividends and distributions on the Fund’s shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they are made out of the Fund’s earnings and profits, even though such dividends and distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Fund’s net asset value reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Such realized gains may be required to be distributed even when the Fund’s net asset value also reflects unrealized losses.

Distributions paid by the Fund during any period may be more or less than the amount of net investment income and capital gains actually earned during the period. If the Fund makes a distribution to a shareholder in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution will be treated as a return of capital. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its shares. A shareholder’s tax basis cannot go below zero and any return of capital distributions in excess of a shareholder’s tax basis will be treated as capital gain.

Ordinarily, shareholders are required to take taxable distributions by the Fund into account in the year in which the distributions are made. However, for federal income tax purposes, dividends that are declared by the Fund in October, November or December as of a record date in such month and actually paid in January of the following year will be treated as if they were paid on December 31 of the year declared. Therefore, such dividends will generally be taxable to a shareholder in the year declared rather than in the year paid.

The amount of distributions payable by the Fund may vary depending on general economic and market conditions, the composition of investments, current management strategy and Fund operating expenses. The Fund will inform shareholders of the tax character of distributions annually to facilitate shareholder tax reporting.

The Fund may elect to retain its net capital gain, in which case the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at regular corporate tax rates. In such a case, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders of record on the last day of its taxable year 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.

Any Fund distribution, other than dividends that are declared by the Fund on a daily basis, will have the effect of reducing the per share net asset value of Fund shares by the amount of the distribution. If a shareholder buys shares when the Fund has unrealized or realized but not yet distributed ordinary income or capital gains, the shareholder will pay full price for the shares and then may receive a portion back as a taxable distribution even though such distribution may economically represent a return of the shareholder’s investment.

Tax-Exempt Income. Distributions by the Fund of net tax-exempt interest income that are properly reported as “exempt-interest dividends” may be treated by shareholders as interest excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes under Section 103(a) of the Code. In order for the Fund to be entitled to pay the tax-exempt interest income as exempt-interest dividends to its shareholders, the Fund must satisfy certain requirements, including the requirement that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, at least 50% of the value of its total assets consists of obligations the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax under Code Section 103(a). Interest on certain municipal obligations may be taxable for purposes of the federal AMT for non-corporate taxpayers and for state and local purposes. Fund shareholders are required to report tax-exempt interest on their federal income tax returns.

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Tax-exempt distributions received from the Fund are taken into account in determining, and may increase, the portion of social security and certain railroad retirement benefits that may be subject to federal income tax. Interest on indebtedness incurred by a shareholder to purchase or carry Fund shares that distributes exempt-interest dividends will not be deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes in proportion to the percentage that the Fund’s distributions of exempt interest dividends bears to all of the Fund’s distributions, excluding properly reported capital gain dividends. If a shareholder receives exempt interest dividends with respect to any Fund share and if the share is held by the shareholder for six months or less, then any loss on the sale or exchange of the share may, to the extent of the exempt-interest dividends, be disallowed. Furthermore, a portion of any exempt-interest dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from certain revenue or private activity bonds held by the Fund may not retain its tax-exempt status in the hands of a shareholder who is a “substantial user” of a facility financed by such bonds, or a “related person” thereof. In addition, the receipt of dividends and distributions from the Fund may affect a foreign corporate shareholder’s federal “branch profits” tax liability and the federal “excess net passive income” tax liability of a shareholder of a Subchapter S corporation. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors as to whether they are (i) “substantial users” with respect to a facility or “related” to such users within the meaning of the Code or (ii) subject to a federal AMT, the federal “branch profits” tax, or the federal “excess net passive income” tax.

Qualified Dividend Income. “Qualified dividend income” received by an individual is generally taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain. In order for a dividend received by Fund shareholders to be qualified dividend income, the Fund or, if applicable, the Portfolio must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the dividend-paying stock in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the U.S. (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S.) or (b) treated as a PFIC. Payments in lieu of dividends, such as payments pursuant to securities lending arrangements, also do not qualify to be treated as qualified dividend income. In general, distributions of investment income properly reported by the Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder taxed as an individual provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Fund’s shares. In any event, if the aggregate qualified dividends received by the Fund during any taxable year are 95% or more of its gross income, then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than properly reported capital gain dividends) will be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. For this purpose, the only gain with respect to the sale of stocks and securities included in the term “gross income” is the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss.

Dividends Received Deduction for Corporations. A portion of distributions made by the Fund which are derived from dividends from U.S. corporations may qualify for the dividends-received deduction (“DRD”) for corporations. The DRD is reduced to the extent the Fund shares with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as debt-financed under the Code and is eliminated if the shares are deemed to have been held for less than a minimum period, generally more than 45 days (more than 90 days in the case of certain preferred stock) during the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the ex-dividend date (during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date in the case of certain preferred stock) or if the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Receipt of certain distributions qualifying for the DRD may result in reduction of the tax basis of the corporate shareholder’s shares. Payments in lieu of dividends, such as payments pursuant to securities lending arrangements, also do not qualify for the DRD.

Recognition of Unrelated Business Taxable Income by Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Under current law, tax-exempt investors generally will not recognize unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) from distributions from the Fund. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could recognize UBTI if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of a tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code section 514(b). In addition, certain types of income received by the Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”), taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to designate some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund shareholders such excess inclusion income may: (1) constitute income taxable as UBTI for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, employer sponsored retirement plans and certain charitable entities; (2) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (3) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (4) cause the Fund to be subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations” as defined by the Code are Fund shareholders.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 34 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Sale, Redemption or Exchange of Fund Shares. Generally, upon the sale, redemption or (if permitted) exchange of Fund shares, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in the shares. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year, and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less.

Any loss realized upon the sale or other disposition of Fund shares with a tax holding period of six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any Fund distributions treated as long-term capital gain with respect to such shares. In addition, all or a portion of a loss realized on a sale or other disposition of Fund shares may be disallowed under “wash sale” rules to the extent the shareholder acquired other shares of the same Fund (whether through the reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within the period beginning 30 days before the date of sale or other disposition of the loss shares and ending 30 days after such date. Any disallowed loss will result in an adjustment to the shareholder’s tax basis in some or all of the other shares acquired. See the prospectus for information regarding any permitted exchange of Fund shares.

Sales charges paid upon a purchase of shares subject to a front-end sales charge cannot be taken into account for purposes of determining gain or loss on a redemption or exchange of the shares before the 91st day after their purchase to the extent a sales charge is reduced or eliminated in a subsequent acquisition of Fund shares (or shares of another fund) on or before January 31 of the following calendar year pursuant to the reinvestment or exchange privilege. Any disregarded amounts will result in an adjustment to the shareholder’s tax basis in some or all of any other shares acquired.

Applicability of Medicare Contribution Tax. The Code imposes a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on net investment income of certain U.S. individuals, estates and trusts. For individuals, the tax is on the lesser of the “net investment income” and the excess of modified adjusted gross income over $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly). Net investment income includes, among other things, interest, dividends, and gross income and capital gains derived from passive activities and trading in securities or commodities. Net investment income is reduced by deductions “properly allocable” to this income.

Back-Up Withholding for U.S. Shareholders. Amounts paid by the Fund to individuals and certain other shareholders who have not provided the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number (“TIN”) and certain certifications required by the IRS as well as shareholders with respect to whom the Fund has received certain information from the IRS or a broker, may be subject to “backup” withholding of federal income tax arising from the Fund’s taxable dividends and other distributions as well as the proceeds of redemption transactions (including repurchases and exchanges). An individual’s TIN is generally his or her social security number. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

Taxation of Foreign Shareholders. In general, dividends (other than capital gain dividends and exempt-interest dividends) paid to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code (a “foreign person” or “foreign shareholder”) are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate). The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a foreign person who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the foreign person’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the foreign person were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A foreign person who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate. A foreign shareholder would generally be exempt from U.S. federal income tax, including withholding tax, on gains realized on the sale of shares of the Fund, net capital gain dividends, exempt interest dividends, and amounts retained by the Fund that are reported as undistributed capital gains.

Properly reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, the Fund’s U.S. source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital gain over the Fund’s long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on its circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains and/or treat such dividends,

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 35 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder would need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary could withhold even if the Fund designates the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.

Distributions that the Fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient foreign shareholder if the distribution is attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation and the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property exceeded certain levels. Instead, if the foreign shareholder has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding by the Fund and will be treated as ordinary dividends to the foreign shareholder; if the foreign shareholder owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the distribution, such distribution will be treated as real property gain subject to 21% withholding tax and could subject the foreign shareholder to U.S. filing requirements. The rules described in this paragraph, other than the withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund’s participation or a foreign shareholder’s participation in a wash sale transaction or the payment of a substitute dividend.

Additionally, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels, a foreign shareholder realizing gains upon redemption from the Fund could be subject to the 21% withholding tax and U.S. filing requirements unless the foreign person had not held more than 5% of the Fund’s outstanding shares at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the redemption.

The same rules apply with respect to distributions to a foreign shareholder from the Fund and redemptions of a foreign shareholder’s interest in the Fund attributable to a REIT’s distribution to the Fund of gain from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels.

Provided that 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s stock is held by U.S. shareholders, distributions of U.S. real property interests (including securities in a U.S. real property holding corporation, unless such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market and the Fund has held 5% or less of the outstanding shares of the corporation during the five-year period ending on the date of distribution), in redemption of a foreign shareholder’s shares of the Fund will cause the Fund to recognize gain. If the Fund is required to recognize gain, the amount of gain recognized will be equal to the fair market value of such interests over the Fund’s adjusted basis to the extent of the greatest foreign ownership percentage of the Fund during the five-year period ending on the date of redemption.

In the case of foreign non-corporate shareholders, the Fund may be required to backup withhold U.S. federal income tax on distributions that are otherwise exempt from withholding tax unless such shareholders furnish the Fund with proper notification of their foreign status.

Shares of the Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death will be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.

Compliance with FATCA. A 30% withholding tax is imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items, including those paid by the Fund, paid to (i) foreign financial institutions including non-U.S. investment funds unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. If a payment by the Fund is subject to withholding under FATCA, the Fund is required to withhold even if such payment would otherwise be exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to foreign shareholders described above (e.g., dividends attributable to qualified net interest income and dividends attributable to tax-exempt interest income). The IRS and the Department of Treasury have issued proposed regulations providing that these withholding rules will not be applicable to the gross proceeds of share redemptions or capital gain dividends the Funds pays. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to either enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 36 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information as to their account holders or, in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, agree to provide certain information to other revenue authorities for transmittal to the IRS. Other foreign entities will need to either provide the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply or agree to provide certain information to other revenue authorities for transmittal to the IRS. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible implications of these requirements on their investment in the Fund.

Requirements of Form 8886. Under Treasury Regulations, if a shareholder realizes a loss on disposition of the Fund’s shares of at least $2 million in any single taxable year or $4 million in any combination of taxable years for an individual shareholder or at least $10 million in any single taxable year or $20 million in any combination of taxable years for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. 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. Under certain circumstances, certain tax-exempt entities and their managers may be subject to excise tax if they are parties to certain reportable transactions.

Other Taxes. Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

Changes in Taxation. The taxation of the Fund, the Portfolio, the Subsidiary and shareholders may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations, IRS revenue procedures and/or guidance issued by the IRS.

PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS

Decisions concerning the execution of portfolio security transactions, including the selection of the market and the broker-dealer firm, are made by the investment adviser. Each Fund is responsible for the expenses associated with its portfolio transactions. The investment adviser is also responsible for the execution of transactions for all other accounts managed by it. The investment adviser places the portfolio security transactions for execution with one or more broker-dealer firms. The investment adviser uses its best efforts to obtain execution of portfolio security transactions at prices which in the investment adviser’s judgment are advantageous to the client and at a reasonably competitive spread or (when a disclosed commission is being charged) at reasonably competitive commission rates. In seeking such execution, the investment adviser will use its best judgment in evaluating the terms of a transaction, and will give consideration to various relevant factors, which may include, without limitation, the full range and quality of the broker-dealer firm’s services, responsiveness of the firm to the investment adviser, the size and type of the transaction, the nature and character of the market for the security, the confidentiality, speed and certainty of effective execution required for the transaction, the general execution and operational capabilities of the broker-dealer firm, the reputation, reliability, experience and financial condition of the firm, the value and quality of the services rendered by the firm in this and other transactions, and the amount of the spread or commission, if any. In addition, the investment adviser may consider the receipt of Research Services (as defined below), provided it does not compromise the investment adviser’s obligation to seek best overall execution for a Fund and is otherwise in compliance with applicable law. The investment adviser may engage in portfolio brokerage transactions with a broker-dealer firm that sells shares of Eaton Vance funds, provided such transactions are not directed to that firm as compensation for the promotion or sale of such shares.

Transactions on stock exchanges and other agency transactions involve the payment of negotiated brokerage commissions. Such commissions vary among different broker-dealer firms, and a particular broker-dealer may charge different commissions according to such factors as the difficulty and size of the transaction and the volume of business done with such broker-dealer. Transactions in foreign securities often involve the payment of brokerage commissions, which may be higher than those in the United States. There is generally no stated commission in the case of securities traded in the over-the-counter markets including transactions in fixed-income securities which are generally purchased and sold on a net basis (i.e., without commission) through broker-dealers and banks acting for their own account rather than as brokers. Such firms attempt to profit from such transactions by buying at the bid price and selling at the higher asked price of the market for such obligations, and the difference between the bid and asked price is customarily referred to as the spread. Fixed-income transactions may also be transacted directly with the issuer of the obligations. In an underwritten offering the price paid often includes a disclosed fixed commission or discount retained by the underwriter or dealer. Although spreads or commissions paid on portfolio security transactions will, in the judgment of the investment adviser, be reasonable in relation to the value of the services provided, commissions exceeding those which another firm might charge may be paid to broker-dealers who were selected to execute transactions on behalf of the investment adviser’s clients in part for providing brokerage and research services to the investment adviser as permitted by applicable law.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 37 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Pursuant to the safe harbor provided in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Section 28(e)”) and to the extent permitted by other applicable law, a broker or dealer who executes a portfolio transaction on behalf of the investment adviser client may receive a commission that is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if the investment adviser determines in good faith that such compensation was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided. This determination may be made on the basis of either that particular transaction or on the basis of the overall responsibility which the investment adviser and its affiliates have for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. “Research Services” as used herein includes any and all brokerage and research services to the extent permitted by Section 28(e) and other applicable law. Generally, Research Services may include, but are not limited to, such matters as research, analytical and quotation services, data, information and other services products and materials which assist the investment adviser in the performance of its investment responsibilities. More specifically, Research Services may include general economic, political, business and market information, industry and company reviews, evaluations of securities and portfolio strategies and transactions, technical analysis of various aspects of the securities markets, recommendations as to the purchase and sale of securities and other portfolio transactions, certain financial, industry and trade publications, certain news and information services, and certain research oriented computer software, data bases and services. Any particular Research Service obtained through a broker-dealer may be used by the investment adviser in connection with client accounts other than those accounts which pay commissions to such broker-dealer, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Any such Research Service may be broadly useful and of value to the investment adviser in rendering investment advisory services to all or a significant portion of its clients, or may be relevant and useful for the management of only one client’s account or of a few clients’ accounts, or may be useful for the management of merely a segment of certain clients’ accounts, regardless of whether any such account or accounts paid commissions to the broker-dealer through which such Research Service was obtained. The investment adviser evaluates the nature and quality of the various Research Services obtained through broker-dealer firms and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may attempt to allocate sufficient portfolio security transactions to such firms to ensure the continued receipt of Research Services which the investment adviser believes are useful or of value to it in rendering investment advisory services to its clients. The investment adviser may also receive brokerage and Research Services from underwriters and dealers in fixed-price offerings, when permitted under applicable law.

Research Services provided by (and produced by) broker-dealers that execute portfolio transactions or from affiliates of executing broker-dealers are referred to as “Proprietary Research.” Except for trades executed in jurisdictions where such consideration is not permissible, the investment adviser may and does consider the receipt of Proprietary Research Services as a factor in selecting broker dealers to execute client portfolio transactions, provided it does not compromise the investment adviser’s obligation to seek best overall execution. In jurisdictions where permissible, the investment adviser also may consider the receipt of Research Services under so called “client commission arrangements” or “commission sharing arrangements” (both referred to as “CCAs”) as a factor in selecting broker dealers to execute transactions, provided it does not compromise the investment adviser’s obligation to seek best overall execution. Under a CCA arrangement, the investment adviser may cause client accounts to effect transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions paid on those transactions to a pool of commission credits that are paid to other firms that provide Research Services to the investment adviser. Under a CCA, the broker-dealer that provides the Research Services need not execute the trade. Participating in CCAs may enable the investment adviser to consolidate payments for research using accumulated client commission credits from transactions executed through a particular broker-dealer to periodically pay for Research Services obtained from and provided by other firms, including other broker-dealers that supply Research Services. The investment adviser believes that CCAs offer the potential to optimize the execution of trades and the acquisition of a variety of high quality Research Services that the investment adviser might not be provided access to absent CCAs. The investment adviser will only enter into and utilize CCAs to the extent permitted by Section 28(e) and other applicable law.

The investment companies sponsored by the investment adviser or its affiliates also may allocate brokerage commissions to acquire information relating to the performance, fees and expenses of such companies and other investment companies, which information is used by the members of the Board of such companies to fulfill their responsibility to oversee the quality of the services provided to various entities, including the investment adviser, to such companies. Such companies may also pay cash for such information.

Securities considered as investments for a Fund may also be appropriate for other investment accounts managed by the investment adviser or its affiliates. Whenever decisions are made to buy or sell securities by a Fund and one or more of such other accounts simultaneously, the investment adviser will allocate the security transactions (including “new” issues) in a manner which it believes to be equitable under the circumstances. As a result of such allocations, there may be instances where a Fund will not participate in a transaction that is allocated among other accounts. If an aggregated

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 38 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

order cannot be filled completely, allocations will generally be made on a pro rata basis. An order may not be allocated on a pro rata basis where, for example: (i) consideration is given to portfolio managers who have been instrumental in developing or negotiating a particular investment; (ii) consideration is given to an account with specialized investment policies that coincide with the particulars of a specific investment; (iii) pro rata allocation would result in odd-lot or de minimis amounts being allocated to a portfolio or other client; or (iv) where the investment adviser reasonably determines that departure from a pro rata allocation is advisable. While these aggregation and allocation policies could have a detrimental effect on the price or amount of the securities available to a Fund from time to time, it is the opinion of the members of the Board that the benefits from the investment adviser organization outweigh any disadvantage that may arise from exposure to simultaneous transactions.

The following table shows brokerage commissions paid during the three fiscal years ended July 31, 2019, July 31, 2018 and July 31, 2017, as well as the amount of Fund security transactions for the most recent fiscal year (if any) that were directed to firms that provided some Research Services to the investment adviser or its affiliates (see above), and the commissions paid in connection therewith. Each Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions to affiliated brokers during the past three fiscal years.

  Brokerage Commissions Paid for the Fiscal Year Ended Amount of Transactions
Directed to Firms
Providing Research
Commissions Paid on
Transactions Directed to
Firms Providing Research
Fund 7/31/19 7/31/18 7/31/17 7/31/19 7/31/19
Hexavest Global Equity Fund $73,636(1) $113,437 $166,799 $80,746,168 $37,152
Hexavest International Equity Fund $53,270(2) $10,245 $14,608 $36,258,932 $25,337

(1)       The decrease in brokerage commissions paid from 2018 to 2019 was due to a decrease in the Fund’s net assets.

(2)       The increase in brokerage commissions paid from 2018 to 2019 was due to an increase in the Fund’s net assets.

During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, each Fund held securities of its “regular brokers or dealers,” as that term is defined in Rule 10b-1 of the 1940 Act, and the value of such securities as of the Fund’s fiscal year end was as follows:

Fund Regular Broker or Dealer (or Parent) Aggregate Value
Hexavest Global Equity Fund Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation $426,631
  Citigroup Global Markets $361,137
  Societe Generale $48,818
Hexavest International Equity Fund Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation $524,547
  Societe Generale $93,741
  Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc. $11,868

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited financial statements of, and the report of the independent registered public accounting firm for each Fund appear in its annual report to shareholders and are incorporated by reference into this SAI. A copy of each annual report accompanies this SAI.

Householding. Consistent with applicable law, duplicate mailings of shareholder reports and certain other Fund information to shareholders residing at the same address may be eliminated.

The Trust(s) incorporates by reference the audited financial information and the reports of the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds listed below for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, as previously filed electronically with the SEC:

Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund
Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund
(Accession No. 0001193125-19-254675)

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 39 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

Asset Coverage To the extent required by SEC guidance, if a transaction creates a future obligation of the Fund to another party the Fund will: (1) cover the obligation by entering into an offsetting position or transaction; and/or (2) segregate cash and/or liquid securities with a value (together with any collateral posted with respect to the obligation) at least equal to the marked-to-market value of the obligation. Assets used as cover or segregated cannot be sold while the position(s) requiring coverage is open unless replaced with other appropriate assets. The types of transactions that may require asset coverage include (but are not limited to) reverse repurchase agreements, repurchase agreements, short sales, securities lending, forward contracts, certain options, forward commitments, futures contracts, when-issued securities, swap agreements and residual interest bonds.
Asset-Backed Securities (“ABS”)

ABS are collateralized by pools of automobile loans, educational loans, home equity loans, credit card receivables, equipment or automobile leases, commercial mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), utilities receivables, secured or unsecured bonds issued by corporate or sovereign obligors, unsecured loans made to a variety of corporate commercial and industrial loan customers of one or more lending banks, or a combination of these bonds and loans. ABS are “pass through” securities, meaning that principal and interest payments made by the borrower on the underlying assets are passed through to the ABS holder. ABS are issued through special purpose vehicles that are bankruptcy remote from the issuer of the collateral. ABS are subject to interest rate risk and prepayment risk. Some ABS may receive prepayments that can change their effective maturities. Issuers of ABS may have limited ability to enforce the security interest in the underlying assets or may have no security in the underlying assets, and credit enhancements provided to support the securities, if any, may be inadequate to protect investors in the event of default. In addition, ABS may experience losses on the underlying assets as a result of certain rights provided to consumer debtors under federal and state law. The value of ABS may be affected by the factors described above and other factors, such as the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the underlying assets or the entities providing credit enhancements and the ability of the servicer to service the underlying collateral. The value of ABS representing interests in a pool of utilities receivables may be adversely affected by changes in government regulations. While certain ABS may be insured as to the payment of principal and interest, this insurance does not protect the market value of such obligations or the Fund’s net asset value. The value of an insured security will be affected by the credit standing of its insurer.

Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) are types of ABS that are backed solely by a pool of other debt securities. CDOs and CLOs are typically issued in various classes with varying priorities. The risks of an investment in a CDO or CLO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO or CLO in which the Fund invests. In addition to interest rate, prepayment, default and other risks of ABS and fixed income securities, in general, CDOs and CLOs are subject to additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund may invest in CDOs or CLOs that are subordinate to other classes, and the complex structure may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 40 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Auction Rate Securities Auction rate securities, such as auction preferred shares of closed-end investment companies, are preferred securities and debt securities with dividends/coupons based on a rate set at auction. The auction is usually held weekly for each series of a security, but may be held less frequently. The auction sets the rate, and securities may be bought and sold at the auction.  Provided that the auction mechanism is successful, auction rate securities normally permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by a “Dutch” auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is the risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities. Security holders that submit sell orders in a failed auction may not be able to sell any or all of the shares for which they have submitted sell orders. Security holders may sell their shares at the next scheduled auction, subject to the same risk that the subsequent auction will not attract sufficient demand for a successful auction to occur. Broker-dealers may also try to facilitate secondary trading in the auction rate securities, although such secondary trading may be limited and may only be available for shareholders willing to sell at a discount.  Since mid-February 2008, existing markets for certain auction rate securities have become generally illiquid and investors have not been able to sell their securities through the regular auction process. It is uncertain when or whether there will be a revival of investor interest in purchasing securities sold through auctions. There may be limited or no active secondary markets for many auction rate securities. Auction rate securities that do trade in a secondary market may trade at a significant discount from their liquidation preference. There have been a number of governmental investigations and regulatory settlements involving certain broker-dealers with respect to their prior activities involving auction rate securities.
  Valuations of such securities is highly speculative, however, dividends on auction rate preferred securities issued by a closed-end fund may be reported, generally on Form 1099, as exempt from federal income tax to the extent they are attributable to tax-exempt interest income earned by the Fund on the securities and distributed to holders of the preferred securities, provided that the preferred securities are treated as equity securities for federal income tax purposes, and the closed-end fund complies with certain requirements under the Code. Investments in auction rate preferred securities of closed-end funds are subject to limitations on investments in other U.S. registered investment companies, which limitations are prescribed by the 1940 Act.
Average Effective Maturity Average effective maturity is a weighted average of all the maturities of bonds owned by the Fund. Average effective maturity takes into consideration all mortgage payments, puts and adjustable coupons.  In the event the Fund invests in multiple Portfolios, its average weighted maturity is the sum of its allocable share of the average weighted maturity of each of the Portfolios in which it invests, which is determined by multiplying the Portfolio’s average weighted maturity by the Fund’s percentage ownership of that Portfolio.
Borrowing for Investment Purposes Successful use of a borrowing strategy depends on the investment adviser’s ability to predict correctly interest rates and market movements. There is no assurance that a borrowing strategy will be successful. Upon the expiration of the term of the Fund’s existing credit arrangement, the lender may not be willing to extend further credit to the Fund or may be willing to do so at an increased cost to the Fund. If the Fund is not able to extend its credit arrangement, it may be required to liquidate holdings to repay amounts borrowed from the lender. Borrowing to increase investments generally will magnify the effect on the Fund’s net asset value of any increase or decrease in the value of the security purchased with the borrowings. Successful use of a borrowing strategy depends on the investment adviser’s ability to predict correctly interest rates and market movements. There can be no assurance that the use of borrowings will be successful. In connection with its borrowings, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage with respect to such borrowings by both the 1940 Act and the terms of its credit facility with the lender.  The Fund may be required to dispose of portfolio investments on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the required asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount. Borrowings involve additional expense to the Fund.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 41 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Borrowing for Temporary Purposes The Fund may borrow for temporary purposes (such as to satisfy redemption requests, to remain fully invested in advance of the settlement of share purchases, and to settle transactions).  The Fund’s ability to borrow is subject to its terms and conditions of its credit arrangements, which in some cases may limit the Fund’s ability to borrow under the arrangement.  The Fund will be required to maintain a specified level of asset coverage with respect to all borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it may not be advantageous to do so.  The rights of the lender to receive payments of interest and repayments of principal of any borrowings made by the Fund under a credit arrangement are senior to the rights of holders of shares, with respect to the payment of dividends or upon liquidation. In the event of a default under a credit arrangement, the lenders may have the right to cause a liquidation of the collateral (i.e., sell Fund assets) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well.  Credit arrangements are subject to annual renewal, which cannot be assured.  If the Fund does not have the ability to borrow for temporary purposes, it may be required to sell securities at inopportune times to meet short-term liquidity needs.  Because the Fund is a party to a joint credit arrangement, it may be unable to borrow some or all of its requested amounts at any particular time.  Borrowings involve additional expense to the Fund.
Build America Bonds Build America Bonds are taxable municipal obligations issued pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Act”) or other legislation providing for the issuance of taxable municipal debt on which the issuer receives federal support. Enacted in February 2009, the Act authorizes state and local governments to issue taxable bonds on which, assuming certain specified conditions are satisfied, issuers may either (i) receive reimbursement from the U.S. Treasury with respect to its interest payments on the bonds (“direct pay” Build America Bonds); or (ii) provide tax credits to investors in the bonds (“tax credit” Build America Bonds). Unlike most other municipal obligations, interest received on Build America Bonds is subject to federal income tax and may be subject to state income tax. Under the terms of the Act, issuers of direct pay Build America Bonds are entitled to receive reimbursement from the U.S. Treasury currently equal to 35% (or 45% in the case of Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds) of the interest paid. Holders of tax credit Build America Bonds can receive a federal tax credit currently equal to 35% of the coupon interest received. The Fund may invest in “principal only” strips of tax credit Build America Bonds, which entitle the holder to receive par value of such bonds if held to maturity. The Fund does not expect to receive (or pass through to shareholders) tax credits as a result of its investments.  The federal interest subsidy or tax credit continues for the life of the bonds. Build America Bonds are an alternative form of financing to state and local governments whose primary means for accessing the capital markets has been through issuance of tax-free municipal bonds. Build America Bonds can appeal to a broader array of investors than the high income U.S. taxpayers that have traditionally provided the market for municipal bonds. Build America Bonds may provide a lower net cost of funds to issuers. Pursuant to the terms of the Act, the issuance of Build America Bonds ceased on December 31, 2010.  As a result, the availability of such bonds is limited and the market for the bonds and/or their liquidity may be affected.
Call and Put Features on Securities Issuers of securities may reserve the right to call (redeem) the securities. If an issuer redeems a security with a call right during a time of declining interest rates, the holder of the security may not be able to reinvest the proceeds in securities providing the same investment return as provided by the securities redeemed. Some securities may have “put” or “demand” features that allow early redemption by the holder. Longer term fixed-rate securities may give the holder a right to request redemption at certain times (often annually after the lapse of an intermediate term). This “put” or “demand” feature enhances a security’s liquidity by shortening its effective maturity and enables the security to trade at a price equal to or very close to par. If a demand feature terminates prior to being exercised, the holder of the security would be subject to the longer maturity of the security, which could experience substantially more volatility.  Securities with a “put” or “demand” feature are more defensive than conventional long term securities (protecting to some degree against a rise in interest rates) while providing greater opportunity than comparable intermediate term securities, because they can be retained if interest rates decline.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 42 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”)   CMOs are backed by a pool of mortgages or mortgage loans.  The key feature of the CMO structure is the prioritization of the cash flows from the pool of mortgages among the several classes, or tranches, of the CMO, thereby creating a series of obligations with varying rates and maturities.  Senior CMO classes will typically have priority over residual CMOs as to the receipt of principal and or interest payments on the underlying mortgages.  CMOs also issue sequential and parallel pay classes, including planned amortization and target amortization classes, and fixed and floating rate CMO tranches.  CMOs issued by U.S. government agencies are backed by agency mortgages, while privately issued CMOs may be backed by either government agency mortgages or private mortgages.  Payments of principal and interest are passed through to each CMO tranche at varying schedules resulting in bonds with different coupons, effective maturities and sensitivities to interest rates. Parallel pay CMOs are structured to provide payments of principal on each payment date to more than one class, concurrently on a proportionate or disproportionate basis.  Sequential pay CMOs generally pay principal to only one class at a time while paying interest to several classes.  CMOs generally are secured by an assignment to a trustee under the indenture pursuant to which the bonds are issued as collateral consisting of a pool of mortgages. Payments with respect to the underlying mortgages generally are made to the trustee under the indenture. CMOs are designed to be retired as the underlying mortgages are repaid. In the event of sufficient early prepayments on such mortgages, the class or series of CMO first to mature generally will be retired prior to maturity. Therefore, although in most cases the issuer of CMOs will not supply additional collateral in the event of such prepayments, there will be sufficient collateral to secure CMOs that remain outstanding. Floating rate CMO tranches carry interest rates that are tied in a fixed relationship to an index subject to an upper limit, or “cap,” and sometimes to a lower limit, or “floor.” CMOs may be less liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (“CMBS”) CMBS include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property, such as hotels, office buildings, retail stores, hospitals and other commercial buildings. CMBS may have a lower repayment uncertainty than other mortgage-related securities because commercial mortgage loans generally prohibit or impose penalties on prepayment of principal.  The risks of investing in CMBS reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans, including the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payment, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. CMBS may be less liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.
Commodity-Related Investments The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include weather, embargoes, tariffs, and health, political, international and regulatory developments. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for commodities, which may reduce market prices and cause the value of Fund shares to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. Exposure to commodities and commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. No active trading market may exist for certain commodities investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such investments. In addition, adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of actively traded commodities investments. Certain types of commodities instruments (such as total return swaps and commodity-linked notes) are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or will be unable to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument. To the extent commodity-related investments are held through the Subsidiary, the Subsidiary is not subject to U.S. laws (including securities laws) and their protections. The Subsidiary is subject to the laws of the Cayman Islands, a foreign jurisdiction, and can be affected by developments in that jurisdiction.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 43 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Certain commodities are subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks and result in greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.  The commodities that underlie commodity futures contracts and commodity swaps may be subject to additional economic and non-economic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments.  Unlike the financial futures markets, in the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while the Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately.
  In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for the Fund. If the nature of hedgers and speculators in futures markets has shifted when it is time for the Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments.
Common Stocks Common stock represents an equity ownership interest in the issuing corporation. Holders of common stock generally have voting rights in the issuer and are entitled to receive common stock dividends when, as and if declared by the corporation’s board of directors. Common stock normally occupies the most subordinated position in an issuer’s capital structure. Returns on common stock investments consist of any dividends received plus the amount of appreciation or depreciation in the value of the stock.
  Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term and particularly during periods of high or rising concerns about inflation, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in returns and may not maintain their real value during inflationary periods. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock. Also, the prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks. Common stock prices fluctuate for many reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuer occur. In addition, common stock prices may be sensitive to rising interest rates as the costs of capital rise and borrowing costs increase.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 44 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Contingent Convertible Securities Contingent convertible securities (sometimes referred to as “CoCos”) are convertible securities with loss absorption characteristics. These securities provide for mandatory conversion into common stock of the issuer under certain circumstances. The mandatory conversion may be automatically triggered, for instance, if a company fails to meet the capital minimum with respect to the security, the company’s regulator makes a determination that the security should convert or the company receives specified levels of extraordinary public support. Since the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, investors in these instruments could experience a reduced income rate, potentially to zero; and conversion would deepen the subordination of the investor, hence worsening standing in a bankruptcy. In addition, some such instruments have a set stock conversion rate that would cause an automatic write-down of capital if the price of the stock is below the conversion price on the conversion date. Under similar circumstances, the liquidation value of certain types of contingent convertible securities may be adjusted downward to below the original par value. The write down of the par value would occur automatically and would not entitle the holders to seek bankruptcy of the company. In certain circumstances, contingent convertible securities may write down to zero and investors could lose the entire value of the investment, even as the issuer remains in business.  CoCos may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price.  See also “Hybrid Securities.”
Convertible Securities A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred security, or other security that entitles the holder to acquire common stock or other equity securities of the same or a different issuer.   A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued or the dividend paid on such security until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. A convertible security ranks senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but is usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities.  Convertible securities may be purchased for their appreciation potential when they yield more than the underlying securities at the time of purchase or when they are considered to present less risk of principal loss than the underlying securities. Generally speaking, the interest or dividend yield of a convertible security is somewhat less than that of a non-convertible security of similar quality issued by the same company.  A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument.
  Convertible securities are issued and traded in a number of securities markets. Even in cases where a substantial portion of the convertible securities held by the Fund are denominated in U.S. dollars, the underlying equity securities may be quoted in the currency of the country where the issuer is domiciled. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the currency in which the debt security is denominated and the currency in which the share price is quoted will affect the value of the convertible security.  With respect to convertible securities denominated in a currency different from that of the underlying equity securities, the conversion price may be based on a fixed exchange rate established at the time the securities are issued, which may increase the effects of currency risk.
  Holders of convertible securities generally have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the common stockholders but may be subordinated to other debt securities of the same issuer. Certain convertible debt securities may provide a put option to the holder, which entitles the holder to cause the securities to be redeemed by the issuer at a premium over the stated principal amount of the debt securities under certain circumstances.  Certain convertible securities may include loss absorption characteristics that make the securities more equity-like.  This is particularly true of convertible securities issued by companies in the financial services sector.  See “Contingent Convertible Securities.”
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 45 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Synthetic convertible securities may include either cash-settled convertibles or manufactured convertibles.  Cash-settled convertibles are instruments that are created by the issuer and have the economic characteristics of traditional convertible securities but may not actually permit conversion into the underlying equity securities in all circumstances. As an example, a private company may issue a cash-settled convertible that is convertible into common stock only if the company successfully completes a public offering of its common stock prior to maturity and otherwise pays a cash amount to reflect any equity appreciation. Manufactured convertibles are created by the investment adviser or another party by combining separate securities that possess one of the two principal characteristics of a convertible security, i.e., fixed-income (“fixed-income component”) or a right to acquire equity securities (“convertibility component”). The fixed-income component is achieved by investing in nonconvertible fixed-income securities, such as nonconvertible bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments. The convertibility component is achieved by investing in call options, warrants, or other securities with equity conversion features (“equity features”) granting the holder the right to purchase a specified quantity of the underlying stocks within a specified period of time at a specified price or, in the case of a stock index option, the right to receive a cash payment based on the value of the underlying stock index. A manufactured convertible differs from traditional convertible securities in several respects. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security that has a unitary market value, a manufactured convertible is comprised of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the total “market value” of such a manufactured convertible is the sum of the values of its fixed-income component and its convertibility component. More flexibility is possible in the creation of a manufactured convertible than in the purchase of a traditional convertible security. Because many corporations have not issued convertible securities, the investment adviser may combine a fixed-income instrument and an equity feature with respect to the stock of the issuer of the fixed-income instrument to create a synthetic convertible security otherwise unavailable in the market. The investment adviser may also combine a fixed-income instrument of an issuer with an equity feature with respect to the stock of a different issuer when the investment adviser believes such a manufactured convertible would better promote the Fund’s objective than alternative investments. For example, the investment adviser may combine an equity feature with respect to an issuer’s stock with a fixed-income security of a different issuer in the same industry to diversify the Fund’s credit exposure, or with a U.S. Treasury instrument to create a manufactured convertible with a higher credit profile than a traditional convertible security issued by that issuer. A manufactured convertible also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately and, upon purchasing the separate securities, “combined” to create a manufactured convertible. For example, the Fund may purchase a warrant for eventual inclusion in a manufactured convertible while postponing the purchase of a suitable bond to pair with the warrant pending development of more favorable market conditions.  The value of a manufactured convertible may respond to certain market fluctuations differently from a traditional convertible security with similar characteristics. For example, in the event the Fund created a manufactured convertible by combining a short-term U.S. Treasury instrument and a call option on a stock, the manufactured convertible would be expected to outperform a traditional convertible of similar maturity that is convertible into that stock during periods when Treasury instruments outperform corporate fixed-income securities and underperform during periods when corporate fixed-income securities outperform Treasury instruments.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 46 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Credit Linked Securities See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Credit linked securities are issued by a limited purpose trust or other vehicle that, in turn, invests in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps, and other securities in order to provide exposure to certain fixed-income markets. Credit linked securities may be used as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.  Like an investment in a bond, investments in credit linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on the issuer’s receipt of payments from, and the issuer’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. An issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the reference instrument (in this case a debt obligation) upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the reference instrument. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and principal that the holder of the credit linked security would receive. Credit linked securities generally will be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.
Cybersecurity Risk With the increased use of technologies by Fund service providers to conduct business, such as the Internet, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events by insiders or third parties, including cybercriminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” among others. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, phishing, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or infection from or spread of malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, structured query language attacks, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cybersecurity failures or breaches by the Fund’s investment adviser or administrator and other service providers (including, but not limited to, the custodian or transfer agent), and the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, may disrupt and otherwise adversely affect their business operations potentially resulting in financial losses, impede Fund trading, interfere with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, limit a shareholder’s ability to purchase or redeem shares of the Fund or cause violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While various Fund service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems intended to identify and mitigate cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund and issuers in which the Fund invests. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Derivative Instruments and Related Risks Generally, derivatives can be characterized as financial instruments whose performance is derived at least in part from the performance of an underlying reference instrument.  Derivative instruments may be acquired in the United States or abroad and include the various types of exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) instruments described herein and other instruments with substantially similar characteristics and risks.  Depending on the type of derivative instrument and the Fund’s investment strategy, a derivative instrument may be based on a security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event (referred to as “reference instruments”).  Fund obligations created pursuant to derivative instruments may be subject to the requirements described under “Asset Coverage” herein.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 47 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks, including adverse or unexpected movements in the price of the reference instrument, and counterparty, credit, interest rate, leverage, liquidity, market and tax risks.  Use of derivative instruments may cause the realization of higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if such instruments had not been used. Success in using derivative instruments to hedge portfolio assets depends on the degree of price correlation between the derivative instruments and the hedged asset.  Derivatives also involve the risk that changes in their value may not correlate perfectly with the assets, rates or indices they are designed to hedge or closely track.  Imperfect correlation may be caused by several factors, including temporary price disparities among the trading markets for the derivative instrument, the reference instrument and the Fund’s assets.  To the extent that a derivative instrument is intended to hedge against an event that does not occur, the Fund may realize losses.
  OTC derivative instruments involve an additional risk in that the issuer or counterparty may fail to perform its contractual obligations. Some derivative instruments are not readily marketable or may become illiquid under adverse market conditions. In addition, during periods of market volatility, an option or commodity exchange or swap execution facility or clearinghouse may suspend or limit trading in an exchange-traded derivative instrument, which may make the contract temporarily illiquid and difficult to price. Commodity exchanges may also establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or futures option can vary from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. This may prevent the closing out of positions to limit losses.  The staff of the SEC takes the position that certain purchased OTC options, and assets used as cover for written OTC options, are illiquid. The ability to terminate OTC derivative instruments may depend on the cooperation of the counterparties to such contracts. For thinly traded derivative instruments, the only source of price quotations may be the selling dealer or counterparty. In addition, certain provisions of the Code limit the use of derivative instruments.   Derivatives permit the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, to which its portfolio is exposed in much the same way as the Fund can increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, of its portfolio by making investments in specific securities.  There can be no assurance that the use of derivative instruments will benefit the Fund.
  The regulation of derivatives has undergone substantial change in recent years and such change may continue. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), and regulations proposed to be promulgated thereunder require many derivatives to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expand entity registration requirements, impose business conduct requirements on dealers that enter into swaps with a pension plan, endowment, retirement plan or government entity, and require banks to move some derivatives trading units to a non-guaranteed affiliate separate from the deposit-taking bank or divest them altogether. Although the CFTC has released final rules relating to clearing, reporting, recordkeeping, required margin and registration requirements under the legislation, many of the provisions are subject to further final rule making, and thus its ultimate impact remains unclear. See also “Swap Agreements” herein. New regulations and the implementation of existing regulations could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in derivatives transactions (for example, by making certain types of derivatives transactions no longer available to the Fund) and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions (for example, by increasing margin or capital requirements), and the Fund may be unable to fully execute its investment strategies as a result.
  The SEC may propose regulations that, if adopted, could significantly change the manner in which a Fund must segregate assets to cover its future obligations. A proposed regulation may restrict a Fund’s ability to enter into derivative transactions for speculative or hedging purposes and may require the Fund’s Board to adopt a derivative risk management and governance framework. These regulations could also limit the ability of a Fund to use these instruments as part of its investment management strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which a Fund engages in derivative transactions also could prevent the Fund from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change the availability of certain investments.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 48 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Legislation may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. The effects of any new governmental regulation cannot be predicted and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective(s).
Derivative-Linked and Commodity-Linked Hybrid Instruments A derivative-linked or commodity-linked hybrid instrument (referred to herein as a “hybrid instrument”) is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid instrument is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed-income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid instrument may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of a hybrid instrument is a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest with additional interest that accrues in correlation to the extent to which oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.
  The risks of investing in hybrid instruments reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies. An investment in a hybrid instrument may entail significant risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional debt instrument that has a fixed principal amount, is denominated in U.S. dollars or bears interest either at a fixed rate or a floating rate determined by reference to a common, nationally published benchmark. The risks of a particular hybrid instrument will depend upon the terms of the instrument, but may include the possibility of significant changes in the benchmark(s) or the prices of the underlying assets to which the instrument is linked. Such risks generally depend upon factors unrelated to the operations or credit quality of the issuer of the hybrid instrument, which may not be foreseen by the purchaser, such as economic and political events, the supply and demand of the underlying assets and interest rate movements. Hybrid instruments may be highly volatile and their use by the Fund may not be successful.  Hybrid instruments may also carry liquidity risk since the instruments are often “customized” to meet the portfolio needs of a particular investor, and therefore, the number of investors that are willing and able to buy such instruments in the secondary market may be smaller than that for more traditional debt securities.  
  Hybrid instruments may bear interest or pay preferred dividends at below market (or even relatively nominal) rates. Alternatively, hybrid instruments may bear interest at above market rates but bear an increased risk of principal loss (or gain). The latter scenario may result if “leverage” is used to structure the hybrid instrument. Leverage risk occurs when the hybrid instrument is structured so that a given change in a benchmark or underlying asset is multiplied to produce a greater value change in the hybrid instrument, thereby magnifying the risk of loss as well as the potential for gain.
  Hybrid instruments are potentially more volatile and carry greater market risks than traditional debt instruments. Depending on the structure of the particular hybrid instrument, changes in a benchmark may be magnified by the terms of the hybrid instrument and have an even more dramatic and substantial effect upon the value of the hybrid instrument. Also, the prices of the hybrid instrument and the benchmark or underlying asset may not move in the same direction or at the same time.
  Hybrid instruments can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, duration management, and increased total return and creating exposure to a particular market or segment of that market. The value of a hybrid instrument or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid instrument. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid instrument could be zero. The purchase of hybrid instruments also exposes the Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 49 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Certain hybrid instruments may provide exposure to the commodities markets. These are derivative securities with one or more commodity-linked components that have payment features similar to commodity futures contracts, commodity options, or similar instruments. Commodity-linked hybrid instruments may be either equity or debt securities, leveraged or unleveraged, and are considered hybrid instruments because they have both security and commodity-like characteristics. A portion of the value of these instruments may be derived from the value of a commodity, futures contract, index or other economic variable. The Fund will invest only in commodity-linked hybrid instruments that qualify under applicable rules of the CFTC for an exemption from the provisions of the CEA.  Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investments in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.
Direct Investments Direct investments include (i) the private purchase from an enterprise of an equity interest in the enterprise in the form of shares of common stock or equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures or similar enterprises, and (ii) the purchase of such an equity interest in an enterprise from a principal investor in the enterprise. At the time of making a direct investment, the Fund will enter into a shareholder or similar agreement with the enterprise and one or more other holders of equity interests in the enterprise. These agreements may, in appropriate circumstances, provide the ability to appoint a representative to the board of directors or similar body of the enterprise and for eventual disposition of the investment in the enterprise. Such a representative would be expected to monitor the investment and protect the Fund’s rights in the investment and would not be appointed for the purpose of exercising management or control of the enterprise.
Diversified Status With respect to 75% of its total assets, an investment company that is registered with the SEC as a “diversified” fund: (1) may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer (except obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and securities of other investment companies); and (2) may not own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer.
Dividend Capture Trading In a typical dividend capture trade, the Fund would buy a stock prior to its ex-dividend date and sell the stock at a point either on or after the ex-dividend date.  The use of a dividend capture trading strategy exposes the Fund to higher portfolio turnover, increased trading costs and potential for capital loss or gain, particularly in the event of significant short-term price movements of stocks subject to dividend capture trading.
Duration Duration measures the time-weighted expected cash flows of a fixed-income security, which can determine its sensitivity to changes in the general level of interest rates. Securities with longer durations generally tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations. A mutual fund with a longer dollar-weighted average duration generally can be expected to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than a fund with a shorter dollar-weighted average duration. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security’s coupon payments in addition to the amount of time until the security matures. Various techniques may be used to shorten or lengthen Fund duration. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration.  The duration of a Fund that invests in underlying funds is the sum of its allocable share of the duration of each of the underlying funds in which it invests, which is determined by multiplying the underlying fund’s duration by the Fund’s percentage ownership of that underlying fund.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 50 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Emerging Market Investments The risks described under “Foreign Investments” herein generally are heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.  Also, investments in securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets may involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments; (iv) national policies that may limit investment opportunities, such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. Trading practices in emerging markets also may be less developed, resulting in inefficiencies relative to trading in more developed markets, which may result in increased transaction costs.  
  Repatriation of investment income, capital and proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval in emerging market countries.  There can be no assurance that repatriation of income, gain or initial capital from these countries will occur.  In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors.  
  Political and economic structures in emerging market countries may undergo significant evolution and rapid development, and these countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that any or all of these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the entire value of an investment in the affected market could be lost. In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may affect the value of investments in these countries and the availability of additional investments. The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain of these countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in these countries may make investments in the countries illiquid and more volatile than investments in developed markets.
  Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the United States, such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Certain emerging market securities may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the acquisition or disposal of securities.  The prices at which investments may be acquired may be affected by trading by persons with material non-public information and by securities transactions by brokers in anticipation of transactions in particular securities.
  Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because brokers and counterparties in such markets may be less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets.  As an alternative to investing directly in emerging markets, exposure may be obtained through derivative investments.
  The foregoing risks may be even greater in frontier markets. Frontier markets are countries with investable stock markets that are less established than those in the emerging markets. The economies of frontier market countries generally are smaller than those of traditional emerging market countries, and frontier capital markets and legal systems are typically less developed.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 51 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Equity Investments Equity investments include common stocks; preferred stocks; depositary receipts; equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other unincorporated entities or enterprises; convertible and contingent convertible preferred stocks; rights and warrants and other securities that are treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (see “Preferred Stock” and “Hybrid Securities”).  Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks.
Equity-Linked Securities See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Equity-linked securities are privately issued securities whose investment results are designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified stock index or “basket” of securities, or sometimes a single stock.  These securities are used for many of the same purposes as derivative instruments and share many of the same risks.  Equity-linked securities may be considered illiquid and thus subject to the Fund’s restrictions on investments in illiquid securities.
Event-Linked Instruments The Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in “event-linked bonds”, “event-linked swaps” or other “event-linked instruments”.  Event-linked instruments are obligations for which the return of capital and dividend/interest payments are contingent on, or formulaically related to, the non-occurrence of a pre-defined “trigger” event. For some event-linked instruments, the trigger event’s magnitude may be based on losses to a company or industry, industry indexes or readings of scientific instruments rather than specified actual losses.  Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics relating to such events.
  Some event-linked instruments are referred to as “catastrophe bonds.” Catastrophe bonds entitle a Fund to receive principal and interest payments so long as no trigger event occurs of the description and magnitude specified by the instrument. If a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose a portion of its entire principal invested in the bond.
  Event-linked instruments may be sponsored by government agencies, insurance companies or reinsurers and issued by special purpose corporations or other off-shore or on-shore entities (such special purpose entities are created to accomplish a narrow and well-defined objective, such as the issuance of a note in connection with a specific reinsurance transaction). Typically, event-linked instruments are issued by off-shore entities and may be non-dollar denominated.  As a result, the Fund may be subject to currency risk.
  Often, event-linked instruments provide for extensions of maturity that are mandatory or optional at the discretion of the issuer or sponsor, in order to process and audit loss claims in those cases where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase the instrument’s volatility and potentially make it more difficult to value.  In addition, pricing of event-linked instruments is subject to the added uncertainty caused by the inability to generally predict whether, when or where a natural disaster or other triggering event will occur.  If a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose all or a portion of its investment in an event-linked instrument or the notional amount of an event-linked swap. Such losses may be substantial.  Event-linked instruments carry large uncertainties and major risk exposures to adverse conditions. In addition to the specified trigger events, event-linked instruments also may expose the Fund to issuer, credit, counterparty, restricted securities, liquidity, and valuation risks as well as exposures to specific geographic areas, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences.  Event-linked instruments are generally rated below investment grade or the unrated equivalent and have the same or similar risks as high yield debt securities (also known as junk bonds) and are subject to the risk that the Fund may lose some or all of its investment in such instruments if the particular trigger occurs.  Event-linked instruments may be rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating agency, but are often unrated. Frequently, the issuer of an event-linked instrument will use an independent risk model to calculate the probability and economic consequences of a trigger event.
  The Fund may invest in event-linked instruments in one or more of three ways: may purchase event-linked instruments when initially offered; may purchase event-linked instruments in the secondary, over-the-counter market; or may gain indirect exposure to event-linked instruments using derivatives. As the market for event-linked instruments evolves, the Fund may invest in new types of event-linked instruments.  However, there can be no assurance that a liquid market in these instruments will develop. Lack of a liquid market may impose the risk of higher transaction costs and the possibility that the Fund may be forced to liquidate positions when it would not be advantageous to do so.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 52 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Event-linked instruments typically are restricted to qualified institutional buyers and, therefore, are not subject to registration with the SEC or any state securities commission and are not always listed on any national securities exchange. The amount of public information available with respect to event-linked instruments is generally less extensive than that which is available for issuers of registered or exchange listed securities. There can be no assurance that future regulatory determinations will not adversely affect the overall market for event-linked instruments.
Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”) ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that are typically designed to provide investment results corresponding to an index. These indexes may be either broad-based, sector or international.  ETFs usually are units of beneficial interest in an investment trust or represent undivided ownership interests in a portfolio of securities (or commodities), in each case with respect to a portfolio of all or substantially all of the component securities of, and in substantially the same weighting as, the relevant benchmark index.  ETFs are designed to provide investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the component securities (or commodities) of the benchmark index. An ETF generally reflects the risks of the underlying securities of the index it is designed to track.  ETFs are listed on an exchange and trade in the secondary market on a per-share basis.  The values of ETFs are subject to change as the values of their respective component securities (or commodities) fluctuate according to market volatility.  Investments in ETFs may not exactly match the performance of a direct investment in the respective indices to which they are intended to correspond due to the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or other extraordinary circumstances, such as discrepancies with respect to the weighting of securities.  Typically, the ETF bears its own operational expenses, which are deducted from its assets. To the extent that the Fund invests in ETFs, the Fund must bear these expenses in addition to the expenses of its own operation.
Exchange-Traded Notes (“ETNs”) ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day’s market benchmark or strategy factor.
  ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When the Fund invests in ETNs it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.
  ETNs are subject to tax risk. No assurance can be given that the IRS will accept, or a court will uphold, how the Fund characterizes and treats ETNs for tax purposes. Further, the IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs.
  An ETN that is tied to a specific market benchmark or strategy may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities, commodities or other components in the applicable market benchmark or strategy. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form.
  The market value of ETN shares may differ from that of their market benchmark or strategy. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETN shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the securities, commodities or other components underlying the market benchmark or strategy that the ETN seeks to track. As a result, there may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 53 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Fixed-Income Securities Fixed-income securities include bonds, preferred, preference and convertible securities, notes, debentures, asset-backed securities (including those backed by mortgages), loan participations and assignments, equipment lease certificates, equipment trust certificates and conditional sales contracts. Generally, issuers of fixed-income securities pay investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the security and/or at maturity.  Some fixed-income securities, such as zero coupon bonds, do not pay current interest, but are purchased at a discount from their face values, and values accumulate over time to face value at maturity.  The market prices of fixed-income securities fluctuate depending on such factors as interest rates, credit quality and maturity.  In general, market prices of fixed-income securities decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall. Fixed-income securities are subject to risk factors such as sensitivity to interest rate and real or perceived changes in economic conditions, payment expectations, liquidity and valuation.  Fixed-income securities with longer maturities (for example, over ten years) are more affected by changes in interest rates and provide less price stability than securities with short-term maturities (for example, one to ten years). Fixed-income securities bear the risk of principal and interest default by the issuer, which will be greater with higher yielding, lower grade securities. During an economic downturn, the ability of issuers to service their debt may be impaired.  The rating assigned to a fixed-income security by a rating agency does not reflect assessment of the volatility of the security’s market value or of the liquidity of an investment in the securities. Credit ratings are based largely on the issuer’s historical financial condition and a rating agency’s investment analysis at the time of rating, and the rating assigned to any particular security is not necessarily a reflection of the issuer’s current financial condition. Credit quality can change from time to time, and recently issued credit ratings may not fully reflect the actual risks posed by a particular high yield security. If relevant to the Fund(s) in this SAI, corporate bond ratings are described in an appendix to the SAI (see the table of contents).  Preferred stock and certain other hybrid securities may pay a fixed-dividend rate, but may be considered equity securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment restrictions (see “Preferred Stock” and “Hybrid Securities”).   
Foreign Currency Transactions As measured in U.S. dollars, the value of assets denominated in foreign currencies may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency rates and exchange control regulations. Currency exchange rates can also be affected unpredictably by intervention by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad.  If the U.S. dollar rises in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth less in U.S. dollars. If the U.S. dollar decreases in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth more in U.S. dollars. A devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency.  Foreign currency exchange transactions may be conducted on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market or through entering into derivative currency transactions (see “Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts,” “Option Contracts,” “Futures Contracts” and “Swap Agreements – Currency Swaps” herein).  Currency transactions are subject to the risk of a number of complex political and economic factors applicable to the countries issuing the underlying currencies. Furthermore, unlike trading in most other types of instruments, there is no systematic reporting of last sale information with respect to the foreign currencies underlying the derivative currency transactions. As a result, available information may not be complete. In an over-the-counter trading environment, there are no daily price fluctuation limits.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 54 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Foreign Investments Investing in securities issued by companies whose principal business activities are outside the United States may involve significant risks not present in domestic investments. For example, because foreign companies may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements and regulatory measures comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a domestic company. Volume and liquidity in most foreign debt markets is less than in the United States and securities of some foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, broker-dealers and listed companies than in the United States. In addition, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political or social instability, or diplomatic developments, which could affect investments in those countries. Any of these actions could adversely affect securities prices, impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities, or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back to the United States, or otherwise adversely affect Fund operations.  In the event of nationalization, expropriation or confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment in that country.  
  Other potential foreign market risks include exchange controls, difficulties in valuing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, and difficulties of enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts.  Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and balance of payments position. Certain 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.  Foreign securities markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as those in the United States.  Foreign countries may not have the infrastructure or resources to respond to natural and other disasters that interfere with economic activities, which may adversely affect issuers located in such countries.
  Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Payment for securities before delivery may be required and in some countries delayed settlements are customary, which increases the Fund’s risk of loss. The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and related cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security or any of their agents goes bankrupt.  Certain countries may require withholding on dividends paid on portfolio securities and on realized capital gains.
  In addition, it is often more expensive to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. Foreign brokerage commissions are generally higher than commissions on securities traded in the United States and may be non-negotiable.  The fees paid to foreign banks and securities depositories generally are higher than those charged by U.S. banks and depositories.  The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount earned on investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund as compared to investment companies that invest only in the United States.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 55 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts “GDRs”)) are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, they continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer’s country, as well as in the case of depositary receipts traded on foreign markets, exchange risk.  Depositary receipts may be sponsored or unsponsored. Unsponsored depositary receipts are established without the participation of the issuer. As a result, available information concerning the issuer of an unsponsored depository receipt may not be as current as for sponsored depositary receipts, and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer. Unsponsored depositary receipts may involve higher expenses, may not pass through voting or other shareholder rights and they may be less liquid.
  Unless otherwise provided in the Prospectus, in determining the domicile of an issuer, the investment adviser may consider the domicile determination of the Fund’s benchmark index or a leading provider of global indexes and may take into account such factors as where the company’s securities are listed, and where the company is legally organized, maintains principal corporate offices and/or conducts its principal operations.
  In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“Brexit”).  There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range and potential implications of possible political, regulatory, economic, and market outcomes are difficult to predict.  Political events, including nationalist unrest in Europe, uncertainties surrounding the sovereign debt of a number of European Union (“EU”) countries and the viability of the EU itself, also may cause market disruptions.  If one or more countries leave the EU or the EU dissolves, the world’s securities markets likely will be significantly disrupted.  Moreover, the uncertainty about the ramifications of Brexit may cause significant volatility and/or declines in the value of the Euro and the British pound.  Brexit may cause greater market volatility and illiquidity, currency fluctuations, deterioration in economic activity, a decrease in business confidence, and increased likelihood of a recession in the United Kingdom.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  A forward foreign currency exchange contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect against an adverse change in the relationship between currencies or to increase exposure to a particular foreign currency. Cross-hedging may be done by using forward contracts in one currency (or basket of currencies) to hedge against fluctuations in the value of instruments denominated in a different currency (or the basket of currencies and the underlying currency). Use of a different foreign currency (for hedging or non-hedging purposes) magnifies exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are individually negotiated and privately traded so they are dependent upon the creditworthiness of the counterparty. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the instruments denominated in the corresponding currencies will not generally be possible. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge against long-term currency changes.
  When a currency is difficult to hedge or to hedge against the U.S. dollar, the Fund may enter into a forward contract to sell a currency whose changes in value are generally considered to be linked to such currency. Currency transactions can result in losses if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction that is not anticipated. In addition, there is the risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present or may not be present during the particular time the hedge is in place. If the Fund purchases a bond denominated in a foreign currency with a higher interest rate than is available on U.S. bonds of a similar maturity, the additional yield on the foreign bond could be substantially reduced or lost if the Fund were to enter into a direct hedge by selling the foreign currency and purchasing the U.S. dollar.  
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 56 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Some of the forward foreign currency exchange contracts may be classified as non-deliverable forwards (“NDFs”). NDFs are cash-settled, forward contracts that may be thinly traded. NDFs are commonly quoted for time periods of one month up to two years, and are normally quoted and settled in U.S. dollars, but may be settled in other currencies. They are often used to gain exposure to or hedge exposure to foreign currencies that are not internationally traded.  NDFs may also be used to gain or hedge exposure to gold.
Forward Rate Agreements See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Under a forward rate agreement, the buyer locks in an interest rate at a future settlement date. If the interest rate on the settlement date exceeds the lock rate, the buyer pays the seller the difference between the two rates. If the lock rate exceeds the interest rate on the settlement date, the seller pays the buyer the difference between the two rates. Any such gain received by the Fund would be taxable.  These instruments are traded in the OTC market.
Futures Contracts See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Futures contracts are standardized contracts that obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of the underlying reference instrument at a specified future date at a specified price.  These contracts are traded on exchanges, so that, in most cases, either party can close out its position on the exchange for cash, without delivering the underlying asset.  Upon purchasing or selling a futures contract, a purchaser or seller is required to deposit collateral (initial margin).  Each day thereafter until the futures position is closed, the purchaser or seller will pay additional margin (variation margin) representing any loss experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day or be entitled to a payment representing any profit experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day.  A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes as well as financial instruments and foreign currencies. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future.  In computing daily net asset value, the Fund will mark to market its open futures positions. The Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Futures contracts are traded on exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed by the CFTC and must be executed through a futures commission merchant or brokerage firm that is a member of the relevant exchange or board.
  Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying reference instrument, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (same exchange, underlying security or index, and delivery month). Closing a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing a futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument or commodity with the same delivery date. If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 57 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Hybrid Securities Hybrid securities generally possess certain characteristics of both equity and debt securities. These securities may at times behave more like equity than debt, or vice versa. Preferred stocks, convertible securities, trust preferred securities and certain debt obligations are types of hybrid securities.  The investment adviser has sole discretion to determine whether an investment has hybrid characteristics and generally will consider the instrument’s preference over the issuer’s common shares, the term of the instrument at the time of issuance and/or the tax character of the instrument’s distributions.  Debt instruments with a preference over common shares and a perpetual term or a term at issuance of thirty years or more generally are considered by the investment adviser to be hybrid securities. Hybrid securities generally do not have voting rights or have limited voting rights.  Because hybrid securities have both debt and equity characteristics, their values vary in response to many factors, including general market and economic conditions, issuer-specific events, changes in interest rates, credit spreads and the credit quality of the issuer, and, for convertible securities, factors affecting the securities into which they convert.  Hybrid securities may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price. Hybrid securities may pay a fixed or variable rate of interest or dividends. The prices and yields of nonconvertible hybrid securities generally move with changes in interest rates and the issuer’s credit quality, similar to the factors affecting debt securities. If the issuer of a hybrid security experiences financial difficulties, the value of such security may be adversely affected similar to the issuer’s outstanding common stock or subordinated debt instruments.  Trust preferred securities are issued by a special purpose trust that holds the subordinated debt of a company and, as such, are subject to the risks associated with such debt obligation.  See also “Preferred Stock,” “Convertible Securities” and “Contingent Convertible Securities.”  
Illiquid Investments Certain investments are considered illiquid or restricted due to a limited trading market, legal or contractual restrictions on resale or transfer, or are otherwise illiquid because they cannot be sold or disposed of in seven calendar days or less under then-current market conditions without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.  Such illiquid securities include commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act and securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A thereunder. Section 4(a)(2) and Rule 144A securities may, however, be treated as liquid by the investment adviser pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board, which require consideration of factors such as trading activity, availability of market quotations and number of dealers willing to purchase the security. Even if determined to be liquid, Rule 144A securities may increase the level of portfolio illiquidity if eligible buyers become uninterested in purchasing such securities.
  It may be difficult to sell illiquid investments at a price representing fair value until such time as the investments may be sold publicly. It also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such investments for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value.  Where registration is required, a considerable period of time may elapse between a decision to sell the investments and the time when the Fund would be permitted to sell. Thus, the Fund may not be able to obtain as favorable a price as that prevailing at the time of the decision to sell. The Fund may incur additional expense when disposing of illiquid investments, including all or a portion of the cost to register the investments.  The Fund also may acquire investments through private placements under which it may agree to contractual restrictions on the resale of such investments that are in addition to applicable legal restrictions. Such restrictions might prevent the sale of such investments at a time when such sale would otherwise be desirable.
  At times, a portion of the Fund’s assets may be invested in investments as to which the Fund, by itself or together with other accounts managed by the investment adviser and its affiliates, holds a major portion or all of such investments. Under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such investments when the investment adviser believes it advisable to do so or may be able to sell such investments only at prices lower than if such investments were more widely held.  It may also be more difficult to determine the fair value of such investments for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value.  See also “Restricted Securities.”
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 58 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Indexed Securities See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Indexed securities are securities that fluctuate in value with an index. The interest rate or, in some cases, the principal payable at the maturity of an indexed security may change positively or inversely in relation to one or more interest rates, financial indices, securities prices or other financial indicators (“reference prices”). An indexed security may be leveraged to the extent that the magnitude of any change in the interest rate or principal payable on an indexed security is a multiple of the change in the reference price. Thus, indexed securities may decline in value due to adverse market changes in reference prices. Because indexed securities derive their value from another instrument, security or index, they are considered derivative debt securities, and are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest rate and/or other market risks. Indexed securities may include interest only (“IO”) and principal only (“PO”) securities, floating rate securities linked to the Cost of Funds Index (“COFI floaters”), other “lagging rate” floating securities, floating rate securities that are subject to a maximum interest rate (“capped floaters”), leveraged floating rate securities (“super floaters”), leveraged inverse floating rate securities (“inverse floaters”), dual index floaters, range floaters, index amortizing notes and various currency indexed notes.  Indexed securities may be issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities or, if privately issued, collateralized by mortgages that are insured, guaranteed or otherwise backed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
Inflation-Indexed (or Inflation-Linked) Bonds Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed-income securities the principal value of which is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Inflation-indexed bonds are issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities and corporations. Two structures are common: The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers use a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Most other issuers pay out the inflation accruals as part of a semiannual coupon.  The principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted in response to changes in the level of inflation.  Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds, and therefore, the principal amount of such bonds cannot be reduced below par even during a period of deflation.  However, the current market value of these bonds is not guaranteed and will fluctuate, reflecting the risk of changes in their yields.  In certain jurisdictions outside the United States, the repayment of the original bond principal upon the maturity of an inflation-indexed bond is not guaranteed, allowing for the amount of the bond repaid at maturity to be less than par.  The interest rate for inflation-indexed bonds is fixed at issuance as a percentage of this adjustable principal.  Accordingly, the actual interest income may both rise and fall as the principal amount of the bonds adjusts in response to movements in the Consumer Price Index.  
  The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.
Investing in a Portfolio The Board may discontinue the Fund’s investment in one or more Portfolios if it determines that it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders to do so. In such an event, the Board would consider what action might be taken, including investing Fund assets in another pooled investment entity or retaining an investment adviser to manage Fund assets in accordance with its investment objective(s). The Fund’s investment performance and expense ratio may be affected if its investment structure is changed or if another Portfolio investor withdraws all or a portion of its investment in the Portfolio.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 59 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Investments in the Subsidiary The Subsidiary is organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and is overseen by a sole director affiliated with Eaton Vance. The Fund is the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors. The Subsidiary expects to invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other fixed-income securities and is also permitted to invest in any other investments permitted by the Fund. To the extent that the Fund invests in the Subsidiary, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in the Prospectus and this SAI.
  While the Subsidiary may be operated similarly to the Fund, it is not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the Prospectus and this SAI, is not subject to the investor protections of the 1940 Act and other U.S. regulations. Changes in the laws of the U.S. and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in the Prospectus and this SAI and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders.
Junior Loans Due to their lower place in the borrower’s capital structure and possible unsecured status, certain loans (“Junior Loans”) involve a higher degree of overall risk than Senior Loans (described below) of the same borrower.  Junior Loans may be direct loans or purchased either in the form of an assignment or a loan participation.  Junior Loans are subject to the same general risks inherent in any loan investment (see “Loans” below). Junior Loans include secured and unsecured subordinated loans, as well as second lien loans and subordinated bridge loans. A second lien loan is generally second in line in terms of repayment priority and may have a claim on the same collateral pool as the first lien, or it may be secured by a separate set of assets. Second lien loans generally give investors priority over general unsecured creditors in the event of an asset sale.
  Bridge loans or bridge facilities are short-term loan arrangements (e.g., 12 to 18 months) typically made by a borrower in anticipation of intermediate-term or long-term permanent financing. Most bridge loans are structured as floating-rate debt with step-up provisions under which the interest rate on the bridge loan rises the longer the loan remains outstanding and may be converted into senior exchange notes if the loan has not been prepaid in full on or prior to its maturity date. Bridge loans may be subordinate to other debt and may be secured or unsecured. Bridge loans are generally made with the expectation that the borrower will be able to obtain permanent financing in the near future. Any delay in obtaining permanent financing subjects the bridge loan investor to increased risk. A borrower with an outstanding bridge loan may be unable to locate permanent financing to replace the bridge loan, which may impair the borrower’s perceived creditworthiness. From time to time, the Fund may make a commitment to participate in a bridge loan facility, obligating itself to participate in the facility if it funds. In return for this commitment, the Fund receives a fee.
  For additional disclosure relating to investing in loans (including Junior Loans), see “Loans” below.  
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 60 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk

The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is the average offered rate for various maturities of short-term loans between major international banks who are members of the British Bankers Association (BBA). LIBOR is the most common benchmark interest rate index used to make adjustments to variable-rate loans. It is used throughout global banking and financial industries to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments (such as debt instruments and derivatives) and borrowing arrangements. However, the use of LIBOR started to come under pressure following manipulation allegations in 2012. Despite increased regulation and other corrective actions since that time, concerns have arisen regarding its viability as a benchmark, due largely to reduced activity in the financial markets that it measures.

In June 2017, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of large U.S. banks working with the Federal Reserve, announced its selection of a new Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to be a broad measure of secured overnight U.S. Treasury repo rates, as an appropriate replacement for LIBOR. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing the SOFR earlier in 2018, with the expectation that it could be used on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. Bank working groups and regulators in other countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (“SONIA”) in England.

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), the United Kingdom financial regulatory body, announced that after 2021 it will cease its active encouragement of UK banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR. That announcement suggests that LIBOR may cease to be published after that time.

Various financial industry groups have begun planning for that transition, but there are obstacles to converting certain longer term securities and transactions to a new benchmark. Transition planning is at an early stage, and neither the effect of the transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that currently rely on the LIBOR to determine interest rates. Although the period from the FCA announcement until the end of 2021 is generally expected to be enough time for market participants to transition to the use of a different benchmark for new securities and transactions, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the specific replacement rate or rates. As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or the financial instruments utilized by the Fund cannot yet be determined. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR. The transition may also result in a change in (i) the value of certain instruments held by the Fund, (ii) the cost of temporary or other borrowing for the Fund (if applicable), or (iii) the effectiveness of related Fund transactions such as hedges, as applicable. When LIBOR is discontinued, the LIBOR replacement rate may be lower than market expectations, which could have an adverse impact on the value of preferred and debt-securities with floating or fixed-to-floating rate coupons. Any such effects of the transition away from LIBOR, as well as other unforeseen effects, could result in losses to the Fund. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur prior to the end of 2021.

Liquidity or Protective Put Agreements See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  The Fund may enter into a separate agreement with the seller of an instrument or some other person granting the Fund the right to put the instrument to the seller thereof or the other person at an agreed upon price.  Interest income generated by certain municipal bonds with put or demand features may be taxable.
   
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 61 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Loans Loans may be primary, direct investments or investments in loan assignments or participation interests.  A loan assignment represents a portion or the entirety of a loan and a portion of the entirety of a position previously attributable to a different lender. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement and has the same rights and obligations as the assigning investor.  However, assignments through private negotiations may cause the purchaser of an assignment to have different and more limited rights than those held by the assigning investor.  Loan participation interests are interests issued by a lender or other entity and represent a fractional interest in a loan. The Fund typically will have a contractual relationship only with the financial institution that issued the participation interest. As a result, the Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the financial institution and only upon receipt by such entity of such payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing a participation interest, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, nor any rights with respect to any funds acquired by other investors through set-off against the borrower and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation interest. As a result, the Fund may assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the financial institution issuing the participation interest. In the event of the insolvency of the entity issuing a participation interest, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of such entity.
  Loans may be originated by a lending agent, such as a financial institution or other entity, on behalf of a group or “syndicate” of loan investors (the “Loan Investors”).  In such a case, the agent administers the terms of the loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal, and interest payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the Loan Investors. Failure by the agent to fulfill its obligations may delay or adversely affect receipt of payment by the Fund. Furthermore, unless under the terms of a loan agreement or participation (as applicable) the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, the Fund must rely on the Agent and the other Loan Investors to pursue appropriate remedies against the borrower.
  Loan investments may be made at par or at a discount or premium to par.  The interest payable on a loan may be fixed or floating rate, and paid in cash or in-kind.  In connection with transactions in loans, the Fund may be subject to facility or other fees.  Loans may be secured by specific collateral or other assets of the borrower, guaranteed by a third party, unsecured or subordinated.  During the term of a loan, the value of any collateral securing the loan may decline in value, causing the loan to be under collateralized. Collateral may consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated, and there is no assurance that the liquidation of such assets would satisfy fully a borrower’s obligations under the loan. In addition, if a loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of the collateral and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of such collateral.
  A lender’s repayment and other rights primarily are determined by governing loan, assignment or participation documents, which (among other things) typically establish the priority of payment on the loan relative to other indebtedness and obligations of the borrower.  A borrower typically is required to comply with certain covenants contained in a loan agreement between the borrower and the holders of the loan.  The types of covenants included in loan agreements generally vary depending on market conditions, the creditworthiness of the issuer, and the nature of the collateral securing the loan.  Loans with fewer covenants that restrict activities of the borrower may provide the borrower with more flexibility to take actions that may be detrimental to the loan holders and provide fewer investor protections in the event covenants are breached.  The Fund may experience relatively greater realized or unrealized losses or delays and expense in enforcing its rights with respect to loans with fewer restrictive covenants.  Loans to entities located outside of the U.S. (including to sovereign entities) may have substantially different lender protections and covenants as compared to loans to U.S. entities and may involve greater risks.  In the event of bankruptcy, applicable law may impact a lender’s ability to enforce its rights.  The Fund may have difficulties and incur expense enforcing its rights with respect to non-U.S. loans and such loans could be subject to bankruptcy laws that are materially different than in the U.S.  Sovereign entities may be unable or unwilling to meet their obligations under a loan due to budgetary limitations or economic or political changes within the country.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 62 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Investing in loans involves the risk of default by the borrower or other party obligated to repay the loan.  In the event of insolvency of the borrower or other obligated party, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of such entity unless it has rights that are senior to that of other creditors or secured by specific collateral or assets of the borrower.  Fixed-rate loans are also subject to the risk that their value will decline in a rising interest rate environment.  This risk is mitigated for floating-rate loans, where the interest rate payable on the loan resets periodically by reference to a base lending rate.  The base lending rate usually is the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), the Federal Reserve federal funds rate, the prime rate or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders. LIBOR usually is an average of the interest rates quoted by several designated banks as the rates at which they pay interest to major depositors in the London interbank market on U.S. dollar-denominated deposits.
  Many financial instruments use or may use a floating rate based on LIBOR, which is the offered rate for short-term Eurodollar deposits between major international banks.  On July 27, 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021.  Due to this announcement, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate.  As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or the financial instruments in which the Fund invests cannot yet be determined.  See “LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk” herein.
  The Fund will take whatever action it considers appropriate in the event of anticipated financial difficulties, default or bankruptcy of the borrower or other entity obligated to repay a loan. Such action may include: (i) retaining the services of various persons or firms (including affiliates of the investment adviser) to evaluate or protect any collateral or other assets securing the loan or acquired as a result of any such event; (ii) managing (or engaging other persons to manage) or otherwise dealing with any collateral or other assets so acquired; and (iii) taking such other actions (including, but not limited to, payment of operating or similar expenses relating to the collateral) as the investment adviser may deem appropriate to reduce the likelihood or severity of loss on the Fund’s investment and/or maximize the return on such investment.  The Fund will incur additional expenditures in taking protective action with respect to loans in (or anticipated to be in) default and assets securing such loans.  In certain circumstances, the Fund may receive equity or equity-like securities from a borrower to settle the loan or may acquire an equity interest in the borrower.  Representatives of the Fund also may join creditor or similar committees relating to loans.
  Lenders can be sued by other creditors and the debtor and its shareholders. Losses could be greater than the original loan amount and occur years after the loan’s recovery. If a borrower becomes involved in bankruptcy proceedings, a court may invalidate the Fund’s security interest in any loan collateral or subordinate the Fund’s rights under the loan agreement to the interests of the borrower’s unsecured creditors or cause interest previously paid to be refunded to the borrower. There are also other events, such as the failure to perfect a security interest due to faulty documentation or faulty official filings, which could lead to the invalidation of the Fund’s security interest in loan collateral. If any of these events occur, the Fund’s performance could be negatively affected.
  Interests in loans generally are not listed on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system and no active market may exist for many loans, making them illiquid. As described below, a secondary market exists for many Senior Loans, but it may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.
  From time to time the investment adviser and its affiliates may borrow money from various banks in connection with their business activities. Such banks may also sell interests in loans to or acquire them from the Fund or may be intermediate participants with respect to loans in which the Fund owns interests. Such banks may also act as agents for loans held by the Fund.
  To the extent that legislation or state or federal regulators that regulate certain financial institutions impose additional requirements or restrictions with respect to the ability of such institutions to make loans, particularly in connection with highly leveraged transactions, the availability of loans for investment may be adversely affected. Further, such legislation or regulation could depress the market value of loans.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 63 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  For additional disclosures relating to Junior and Senior Loans, see “Junior Loans” and “Senior Loans” herein.
Lower Rated Investments Lower rated investments (commonly referred to as “junk”) are of below investment grade quality and generally provide greater income potential and/or increased opportunity for capital appreciation than higher quality investments but they also typically entail greater potential price volatility and principal and income risk.  Lower rated investments are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the entity’s continuing ability to make timely principal and interest payments.  Also, their yields and market values may fluctuate more than higher rated investments.  Fluctuations in value do not affect the cash income from lower rated investments, but are reflected in the Fund’s net asset value.  The greater risks and fluctuations in yield and value occur, in part, because investors generally perceive issuers of lower rated and unrated investments to be less creditworthy. The secondary market for lower rated investments may be less liquid than the market for higher grade investments.
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”) MLPs are publicly-traded limited partnership interests or units. An MLP that invests in a particular industry (e.g., oil and gas) will be harmed by detrimental economic events within that industry. As partnerships, MLPs may be subject to less regulation (and less protection for investors) under state laws than corporations. In addition, MLPs may be subject to state taxation in certain jurisdictions, which may reduce the amount of income paid by an MLP to its investors. Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act generally allows individuals and certain other non-corporate entities, such as partnerships, a deduction for 20% of “qualified publicly traded partnership income” such as income from MLPs.  However, the law does not include any provision for a regulated investment company to pass the character of its qualified publicly traded partnership income through to its shareholders.  As a result, an investor who invests directly in MLPs will be able to receive the benefit of that deduction, while a shareholder of the Fund will not.
Money Market Instruments Money market instruments include short term, high quality, U.S. dollar denominated instruments such as commercial paper, certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances issued by U.S. or foreign banks, and Treasury bills and other obligations with a maturity of one year or less, including those issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities.  See “U.S. Government Securities” below. Certificates of deposit or time deposits are certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank, are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return, and are normally negotiable. Bankers’ acceptances are short-term credit instruments used to finance the import, export, transfer or storage of goods. They are termed “accepted” when a bank guarantees their payment at maturity.
  The obligations of foreign branches of U.S. banks may be general obligations of the parent bank in addition to the issuing branch, or may be limited by the terms of a specific obligation and by governmental regulation.  Payment of interest and principal upon these obligations may also be affected by governmental action in the country of domicile of the branch (generally referred to as sovereign risk). In addition, evidence of ownership of portfolio securities may be held outside of the U.S. and generally will be subject to the risks associated with the holding of such property overseas. Various provisions of U.S. law governing the establishment and operation of domestic branches do not apply to foreign branches of domestic banks. The obligations of U.S. branches of foreign banks may be general obligations of the parent bank in addition to the issuing branch, or may be limited by the terms of a specific obligation and by federal and state regulation as well as by governmental action in the country in which the foreign bank has its head office.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 64 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Money market instruments are often acquired directly from the issuers thereof or otherwise are normally traded on a net basis (without commission) through broker-dealers and banks acting for their own account. Such firms attempt to profit from such transactions by buying at the bid price and selling at the higher asked price of the market, and the difference is customarily referred to as the spread. Money market instruments may be adversely affected by market and economic events, such as a sharp rise in prevailing short-term interest rates; adverse developments in the banking industry, which issues or guarantees many money market securities; adverse economic, political or other developments affecting domestic issuers of money market securities; changes in the credit quality of issuers; and default by a counterparty.  These securities may be subject to federal income, state income and/or other taxes.  Instead of investing in money market instruments directly, the Fund may invest in an affiliated money market fund (such as Eaton Vance Cash Reserves Fund, LLC, which is managed by Eaton Vance) or an unaffiliated money market fund.  During unusual market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents temporarily, which may be inconsistent with its investment objective(s) and other policies.
Mortgage-Backed Securities (“MBS”) MBS are “pass through” securities, meaning that a pro rata share of regular interest and principal payments, as well as unscheduled early prepayments, on the underlying mortgage pool is passed through monthly to the holder.  MBS may include conventional mortgage pass through securities, participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed rate mortgage loans, stripped securities (described herein), floating rate mortgage-backed securities and certain classes of multiple class CMOs. MBS pay principal to the holder over their term, which differs from other forms of debt securities that normally provide for principal payment at maturity or specified call dates. MBS are subject to the general risks associated with investing in real estate securities; that is, they may lose value if the value of the underlying real estate to which a pool of mortgages relates declines.  In addition, investments in MBS involve certain specific risks, including the failure of a party to meet its commitments under the related operative documents, adverse interest rate changes, and the effects of prepayments on mortgage cash flows and that any guarantee or other structural feature, if present, is insufficient to enable the timely payment of interest and principal on the MBS. Although certain MBS are guaranteed as to timely payment of interest and principal by a government-sponsored enterprise, the market price for such securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.  Certain MBS may be purchased on a when-issued basis subject to certain limitations and requirements.
  There are currently four types of MBS: (1) those issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”); (2) those issued by private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by pass through securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities; (3) those issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities without a government guarantee, such as credit risk transfer bonds; and (4) those issued by private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by whole mortgage loans or pass through securities without a government guarantee but that usually have some form of private credit enhancement.  Privately issued MBS are structured similar to GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC MBS, and are issued by originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including depositary institutions, mortgage banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 65 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  GNMA Certificates and FNMA Mortgage-Backed Certificates are MBS representing part ownership of a pool of mortgage loans. GNMA loans (issued by lenders such as mortgage bankers, commercial banks and savings and loan associations) are either insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration. A pool of such mortgages is assembled and, after being approved by GNMA, is offered to investors through securities dealers. Once such pool is approved by GNMA, the timely payment of interest and principal on the Certificates issued representing such pool is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. GNMA is a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  FNMA, a federally chartered corporation owned entirely by private stockholders, purchases both conventional and federally insured or guaranteed residential mortgages from various entities, including savings and loan associations, savings banks, commercial banks, credit unions and mortgage bankers, and packages pools of such mortgages in the form of pass-through securities generally called FNMA Mortgage-Backed Certificates, which are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government; however, they are supported by the right of FNMA to borrow from the U.S. Treasury Department.
   FHLMC, a corporate instrumentality of the U.S. Government created by Congress for the purposes of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing, issues participation certificates (“PCs”) representing undivided interest in FHLMC’S mortgage portfolio. While FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of the principal of its PCs, its PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC PCs differ from GNMA Certificates in that the mortgages underlying the PCs are monthly “conventional” mortgages rather than mortgages insured or guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality. However, in several other respects, such as the monthly pass-through of interest and principal (including unscheduled prepayments) and the unpredictability of future unscheduled prepayments on the underlying mortgage pools, FHLMC PCs are similar to GNMA Certificates.  
  While it is not possible to accurately predict the life of a particular issue of MBS, the actual life of any such security is likely to be substantially less than the final maturities of the mortgage loans underlying the security. This is because unscheduled early prepayments of principal on MBS will result from the prepayment, refinancings or foreclosure of the underlying mortgage loans in the mortgage pool. Prepayments of MBS may not be able to be reinvested at the same interest rate.  Because of the regular scheduled payments of principal and the early unscheduled prepayments of principal, MBS are less effective than other types of obligations as a means of “locking-in” attractive long-term interest rates. As a result, this type of security may have less potential for capital appreciation during periods of declining interest rates than other U.S. Government securities of comparable maturities, although many issues of MBS may have a comparable risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. If MBS are purchased at a premium above their par value, a scheduled payment of principal and an unscheduled prepayment of principal, which would be made at par, will accelerate the realization of a loss equal to that portion of the premium applicable to the payment or prepayment. If MBS have been purchased at a discount from their par value, both a scheduled payment of principal and an unscheduled prepayment of principal will increase current returns and will accelerate the recognition of income, which, when distributed to Fund shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls In a mortgage dollar roll, the Fund sells MBS for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) MBS on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the MBS.  The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the “drop”) as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sales. Cash proceeds may be invested in instruments that are permissible investments for the Fund.  The use of mortgage dollar rolls is a speculative technique involving leverage.  A “covered roll” is a specific type of dollar roll for which there is an offsetting cash position or permissible liquid assets earmarked or in a segregated account to secure the obligation for the forward commitment to buy MBS, or a cash equivalent security position that matures on or before the forward settlement date of the dollar roll transaction. The Fund will only enter into covered rolls. Covered rolls are not treated as a borrowing or other senior security and will be excluded from the calculation of the Fund’s borrowings and other senior securities.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 66 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Municipal Lease Obligations (“MLOs”) A MLO is a bond that is secured by lease payments made by the party, typically a state or municipality, leasing the facilities (e.g., schools or office buildings) that were financed by the bond.  Such lease payments may be subject to annual appropriation or may be made only from revenues associated with the facility financed.  In other cases, the leasing state or municipality is obligated to appropriate funds from its general tax revenues to make lease payments as long as it utilizes the leased property.  MLOs, like other municipal debt obligations, are subject to the risk of non-payment. Although MLOs do not constitute general obligations of the issuer for which the issuer’s unlimited taxing power is pledged, a lease obligation is frequently backed by the issuer’s covenant to budget for, appropriate and make the payments due under the lease obligation.  However, certain lease obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses, which provide that the issuer has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose on a yearly basis. Although “non-appropriation” lease obligations may be secured by the leased property, disposition of the property in the event of foreclosure might prove difficult. A certificate of participation (also referred to as a “participation”) in a municipal lease is an instrument evidencing a pro rata share in a specific pledged revenue stream, usually lease payments by the issuer that are typically subject to annual appropriation.  The certificate generally entitles the holder to receive a share, or participation, in the payments from a particular project.
  MLOs and participations therein represent a type of financing that may not have the depth of marketability associated with more conventional securities and, as such, they may be less liquid than conventional securities.  Certain MLOs may be deemed illiquid for the purpose of the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities, unless determined by the investment adviser, pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board, to be liquid securities. The investment adviser will consider an MLO to be liquid if it is rated investment grade (being an MLO rated BBB or Baa or higher) by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization or is insured by an insurer rated investment grade.  If an MLO or participation does not meet the foregoing criteria, then the investment adviser will consider the MLO to be illiquid unless it conducts an analysis of relevant factors and concludes that the MLO is liquid.  In conducting such an analysis, the investment adviser will consider the factors it believes are relevant to the marketability of the obligation, to the extent that information regarding such factor is available to the investment adviser and pertinent to the liquidity determination, which may include: (1) the willingness of dealers to bid for the obligation; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the obligation and the number of other potential buyers; (3) the frequency of trades and quotes for the obligation; (4) the nature of the marketplace trades, including the time needed to dispose of the obligation, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer; (5) the willingness of the governmental issuer to continue to appropriate funds for the payment of the obligation; (6) how likely or remote an event of non-appropriation may be, which depends in varying degrees on a variety of factors, including those relating to the general creditworthiness of the governmental issuer, its dependence on its continuing access to the credit markets, and the importance to the issuer of the equipment, property or facility covered by the lease or contract; (7) an assessment of the likelihood that the lease may or may not be cancelled; and (8) other factors and information unique to the obligation in determining its liquidity.
  The ability of issuers of MLOs to make timely lease payments may be adversely impacted in general economic downturns and as relative governmental cost burdens are allocated and reallocated among federal, state and local governmental units. Such non-payment would result in a reduction of income from and value of the obligation. Issuers of MLOs might seek protection under the bankruptcy laws. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, holders of MLOs could experience delays and limitations with respect to the collection of principal and interest on such MLOs and may not, in all circumstances, be able to collect all principal and interest to which it is entitled. To enforce its rights in the event of a default in lease payments, the Fund might take possession of and manage the assets securing the issuer’s obligations on such securities or otherwise incur costs to protect its rights, which may increase the Fund’s operating expenses and adversely affect the net asset value of the Fund. When the lease contains a non-appropriation clause, however, the failure to pay would not be a default and the Fund would not have the right to take possession of the assets. Any income derived from the Fund’s ownership or operation of such assets may not be tax-exempt.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 67 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Municipal Obligations Municipal obligations include debt obligations issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities, refunding of outstanding obligations and obtaining funds for general operating expenses and loans to other public institutions and facilities.  Certain types of bonds are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to finance various privately owned or operated facilities, including certain facilities for the local furnishing of electric energy or gas, sewage facilities, solid waste disposal facilities and other specialized facilities. Municipal obligations include bonds as well as tax-exempt commercial paper, project notes and municipal notes such as tax, revenue and bond anticipation notes of short maturity, generally less than three years. While most municipal bonds pay a fixed rate of interest semiannually in cash, there are exceptions. Some bonds pay no periodic cash interest, but rather make a single payment at maturity representing both principal and interest. Some bonds may pay interest at a variable or floating rate.  Bonds may be issued or subsequently offered with interest coupons materially greater or less than those then prevailing, with price adjustments reflecting such deviation.  Municipal obligations also include trust certificates representing interests in municipal securities held by a trustee. The trust certificates may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities.
  In general, there are three categories of municipal obligations, the interest on which is exempt from federal income tax and is not a tax preference item for purposes of the AMT: (i) certain “public purpose” obligations (whenever issued), which include obligations issued directly by state and local governments or their agencies to fulfill essential governmental functions; (ii) certain obligations issued before August 8, 1986 for the benefit of non-governmental persons or entities; and (iii) certain “private activity bonds” issued after August 7, 1986, which include “qualified Section 501(c)(3) bonds” or refundings of certain obligations included in the second category. Opinions relating to the validity of municipal bonds, exclusion of municipal bond interest from an investor’s gross income for federal income tax purposes and, where applicable, state and local income tax, are rendered by bond counsel to the issuing authorities at the time of issuance.
  Interest on certain “private activity bonds” issued after August 7, 1986 is exempt from regular federal income tax, but such interest (including a distribution by the Fund derived from such interest) is treated as a tax preference item that could subject the recipient to or increase the recipient’s liability for the AMT.
  The two principal classifications of municipal bonds are “general obligation” and “revenue” bonds. Issuers of general obligation bonds include states, counties, cities, towns and regional districts. The proceeds of these obligations are used to fund a wide range of public projects, including the construction or improvement of schools, highways and roads, water and sewer systems and a variety of other public purposes. The basic security of general obligation bonds is the issuer’s pledge of its faith, credit, and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. The taxes that can be levied for the payment of debt service may be limited or unlimited as to rate and amount.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 68 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Typically, the only security for a limited obligation or revenue bond is the net revenue derived from a particular facility or class of facilities financed thereby or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special tax or other special revenues. Revenue bonds have been issued to fund a wide variety of revenue-producing public capital projects including: electric, gas, water and sewer systems; highways, bridges and tunnels; port and airport facilities; colleges and universities; hospitals; and convention, recreational, tribal gaming and housing facilities. Although the security behind these bonds varies widely, many lower rated bonds provide additional security in the form of a debt service reserve fund that may also be used to make principal and interest payments on the issuer's obligations. In addition, some revenue obligations (as well as general obligations) are insured by a bond insurance company or backed by a letter of credit issued by a banking institution.  Revenue bonds also include, for example, pollution control, health care and housing bonds, which, although nominally issued by municipal authorities, are generally not secured by the taxing power of the municipality but by the revenues of the authority derived from payments by the private entity that owns or operates the facility financed with the proceeds of the bonds. Obligations of housing finance authorities have a wide range of security features, including reserve funds and insured or subsidized mortgages, as well as the net revenues from housing or other public projects. Many of these bonds do not generally constitute the pledge of the credit of the issuer of such bonds. The credit quality of such revenue bonds is usually directly related to the credit standing of the user of the facility being financed or of an institution which provides a guarantee, letter of credit or other credit enhancement for the bond issue.  The Fund may on occasion acquire revenue bonds that carry warrants or similar rights covering equity securities. Such warrants or rights may be held indefinitely, but if exercised, the Fund anticipates that it would, under normal circumstances, dispose of any equity securities so acquired within a reasonable period of time.  Investing in revenue bonds may involve (without limitation) the following risks.
  Hospital bond ratings are often based on feasibility studies that contain projections of expenses, revenues and occupancy levels.   A hospital’s income available to service its debt may be influenced by demand for hospital services, management capabilities, the service area economy, efforts by insurers and government agencies to limit rates and expenses, competition, availability and expense of malpractice insurance, and Medicaid and Medicare funding.
  Education-related bonds are comprised of two types: (i) those issued to finance projects for public and private colleges and universities, charter schools and private schools, and (ii) those representing pooled interests in student loans. Bonds issued to supply educational institutions with funding are subject to many risks, including the risks of unanticipated revenue decline, primarily the result of decreasing student enrollment, decreasing state and federal funding, or changes in general economic conditions. Additionally, higher than anticipated costs associated with salaries, utilities, insurance or other general expenses could impair the ability of a borrower to make annual debt service payments. Student loan revenue bonds are generally offered by state (or sub-state) authorities or commissions and are backed by pools of student loans. Underlying student loans may be guaranteed by state guarantee agencies and may be subject to reimbursement by the United States Department of Education through its guaranteed student loan program. Others may be private, uninsured loans made to parents or students that may be supported by reserves or other forms of credit enhancement. Cash flows supporting student loan revenue bonds are impacted by numerous factors, including the rate of student loan defaults, seasoning of the loan portfolio, and student repayment deferral periods of forbearance. Other risks associated with student loan revenue bonds include potential changes in federal legislation regarding student loan revenue bonds, state guarantee agency reimbursement and continued federal interest and other program subsidies currently in effect.
  Transportation debt may be issued to finance the construction of airports, toll roads, highways, or other transit facilities. Airport bonds are dependent on the economic conditions of the airport’s service area and may be affected by the business strategies and fortunes of specific airlines. They may also be subject to competition from other airports and modes of transportation. Air traffic generally follows broader economic trends and is also affected by the price and availability of fuel. Toll road bonds are also affected by the cost and availability of fuel as well as toll levels, the presence of competing roads and the general economic health of an area. Fuel costs, transportation taxes and fees, and availability of fuel also affect other transportation-related securities, as do the presence of alternate forms of transportation, such as public transportation.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 69 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

Industrial development bonds (“IDBs”) are normally secured only by the revenues from the project and not by state or local government tax payments, they are subject to a wide variety of risks, many of which relate to the nature of the specific project. Generally, IDBs are sensitive to the risk of a slowdown in the economy.

Electric utilities face problems in financing large construction programs in an inflationary period, cost increases and delay occasioned by safety and environmental considerations (particularly with respect to nuclear facilities), difficulty in obtaining fuel at reasonable prices, and in achieving timely and adequate rate relief from regulatory commissions, effects of energy conservation and limitations on the capacity of the capital market to absorb utility debt.

Water and sewer revenue bonds are generally secured by the fees charged to each user of the service. The issuers of water and sewer revenue bonds generally enjoy a monopoly status and latitude in their ability to raise rates. However, lack of water supply due to insufficient rain, run-off, or snow pack can be a concern and has led to past defaults. Further, public resistance to rate increases, declining numbers of customers in a particular locale, costly environmental litigation, and federal environmental mandates are challenges faced by issuers of water and sewer bonds.

  The obligations of any person or entity to pay the principal of and interest on a municipal obligation are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. Certain bond structures may be subject to the risk that a taxing authority may issue an adverse ruling regarding tax-exempt status.  There is also the possibility that as a result of adverse economic conditions (including unforeseen financial events, natural disasters and other conditions that may affect an issuer’s ability to pay its obligations), litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of any person or entity to pay when due principal of and interest on a municipal obligation may be materially affected or interest and principal previously paid may be required to be refunded. There have been instances of defaults and bankruptcies involving municipal obligations that were not foreseen by the financial and investment communities. The Fund will take whatever action it considers appropriate in the event of anticipated financial difficulties, default or bankruptcy of either the issuer of any municipal obligation or of the underlying source of funds for debt service. Such action may include: (i) retaining the services of various persons or firms (including affiliates of the investment adviser) to evaluate or protect any real estate, facilities or other assets securing any such obligation or acquired by the Fund as a result of any such event; (ii) managing (or engaging other persons to manage) or otherwise dealing with any real estate, facilities or other assets so acquired; and (iii) taking such other actions as the adviser (including, but not limited to, payment of operating or similar expenses of the underlying project) may deem appropriate to reduce the likelihood or severity of loss on the fund’s investment.  The Fund will incur additional expenditures in taking protective action with respect to portfolio obligations in (or anticipated to be in) default and assets securing such obligations.
 

Historically, municipal bankruptcies have been rare and certain provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code governing such bankruptcy are unclear. Further, the application of state law to municipal obligation issuers could produce varying results among the states or among municipal obligation issuers within a state. These uncertainties could have a significant impact on the prices of the municipal obligations in which the Fund invests. There could be economic, business or political developments or court decisions that adversely affect all municipal obligations in the same sector. Developments such as changes in healthcare regulations, environmental considerations related to construction, construction cost increases and labor problems, failure of healthcare facilities to maintain adequate occupancy levels, and inflation can affect municipal obligations in the same sector. As the similarity in issuers of municipal obligations held by the Fund increases, the potential for fluctuations in the Fund’s share price also may increase.

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its related issuers continue to experience financial difficulties and rating agency downgrades, and numerous issuers have entered Title III of the Puerto Rico Oversite, Management and Economic Stability Act, which is similar to bankruptcy protection, through which the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico can restructure its debt. Puerto Rico’s short-term financial difficulties continue to be further impacted by the 2017 hurricane.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 70 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

The secondary market for some municipal obligations issued within a state (including issues that are privately placed with the Fund) is less liquid than that for taxable debt obligations or other more widely traded municipal obligations. No established resale market exists for certain of the municipal obligations in which the Fund may invest. The market for obligations rated below investment grade is also likely to be less liquid than the market for higher rated obligations. As a result, the Fund may be unable to dispose of these municipal obligations at times when it would otherwise wish to do so at the prices at which they are valued.

Municipal obligations that are rated below investment grade but that, subsequent to the assignment of such rating, are backed by escrow accounts containing U.S. Government obligations may be determined by the investment adviser to be of investment grade quality for purposes of the Fund’s investment policies. In the case of a defaulted obligation, the Fund may incur additional expense seeking recovery of its investment. Defaulted obligations are denoted in the “Portfolio of Investments” in the “Financial Statements” included in the Fund’s reports to shareholders.

The yields on municipal obligations depend on a variety of factors, including purposes of the issue and source of funds for repayment, general money market conditions, general conditions of the municipal bond market, size of a particular offering, maturity of the obligation and rating of the issue. The ratings of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch represent their opinions as to the quality of the municipal obligations which they undertake to rate, and in the case of insurers, other factors including the claims-paying ability of such insurer. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are based on judgment and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, municipal obligations with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while obligations of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield. In addition, the market price of such obligations will normally fluctuate with changes in interest rates, and therefore the net asset value of the Fund will be affected by such changes.

Operational Risk The Fund’s service providers, including the investment adviser, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. While service providers are expected to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods of operational risk management may differ from the Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. It also is not possible for Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 71 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Option Contracts See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  An option contract is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the reference instrument underlying the option (or the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the reference instrument (or the cash) upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the reference instrument (or the cash). Upon exercise of an index option, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. Options may be “covered,” meaning that the party required to deliver the reference instrument if the option is exercised owns that instrument (or has set aside sufficient assets to meet its obligation to deliver the instrument).  Options may be listed on an exchange or traded in the OTC market.  In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and may require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties' obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller, but generally do not require the parties to post margin and are subject to counterparty risk.  The ability of the Fund to transact business with any one or any number of counterparties, the lack of any independent evaluation of the counterparties or their financial capabilities, and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement, may increase the potential for losses to the Fund.  OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk.  This risk may be increased in times of financial stress, if the trading market for OTC derivative contracts becomes limited.  The staff of the SEC takes the position that certain purchased OTC options, and assets used as cover for written OTC options, are illiquid.  Derivatives on economic indicators generally are offered in an auction format and are booked and settled as OTC options.  Options on futures contracts are discussed herein under “Futures Contracts.”
  If a written option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. If a purchased option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital loss equal to the premium paid. Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, an exchange traded option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series (type, exchange, reference instrument, exercise price, and expiration). A capital gain will be realized from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the closing option is less than the premium received from writing the option, or, if it is more, a capital loss will be realized. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, the Fund will realize a capital gain or, if it is less, the Fund will realize a capital loss. The principal factors affecting the market value of a put or a call option include supply and demand, the current market price of the reference instrument in relation to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the reference instrument, and the time remaining until the expiration date.  There can be no assurance that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be consummated when desired.
  Straddles are a combination of a call and a put written on the same reference instrument. A straddle is deemed to be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Fund’s immediate obligations. The same liquid assets may be used to cover both the call and put options where the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put.  The Fund may also buy and write call options on the same reference instrument to cover its obligations.  Because such combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open or close.  In an equity collar, the Fund simultaneously writes a call option and purchases a put option on the same instrument.
  To the extent that the Fund writes a call option on an instrument it holds and intends to use such instrument as the sole means of “covering” its obligation under the call option, the Fund has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the instrument above the exercise price during the option period, but, as long as its obligation under such call option continues, has retained the risk of loss should the value of the reference instrument decline. If the Fund were unable to close out such a call option, it would not be able to sell the instrument unless the option expired without exercise.  Uncovered calls have speculative characteristics and are riskier than covered calls because there is no instrument or cover held by the Fund that can act as a partial hedge.    
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 72 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  The writer of an option has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation under the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying reference instrument at the exercise price. If a put or call option purchased by the Fund is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security remains equal to or greater than the exercise price (in the case of a put), or remains less than or equal to the exercise price (in the case of a call), the Fund will lose the premium it paid for the option.  Furthermore, if trading restrictions or suspensions are imposed on options markets, the Fund may be unable to close out a position.
  Options positions are marked to market daily. The value of options is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the securities underlying the option or represented in the index underlying the option, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the relevant index or market and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that would not be reflected concurrently in the options markets.
Option Strategy The Fund implements the Option Strategy or Enhancement Strategy, as further described under “Investment Objective & Principal Policies and Risks” in the Prospectus, whereby it writes a series of call and put option spread combinations on the S&P 500® Composite Stock Price Index (S&P 500® Index) and/or a proxy for the S&P 500® Index (such as SPDR Trust Series I units (SPDRs)).
Participation in the ReFlow Liquidity Program The Fund may participate in the ReFlow liquidity program, which is designed to provide an alternative liquidity source for mutual funds experiencing net redemptions of their shares. Pursuant to the program, ReFlow Fund, LLC (“ReFlow”) provides participating mutual funds with a source of cash to meet net shareholder redemptions by standing ready each business day to purchase fund shares up to the value of the net shares redeemed by other shareholders that are to settle the next business day. Following purchases of fund shares, ReFlow then generally redeems those shares when the fund experiences net sales, at the end of a maximum holding period determined by ReFlow (currently 14 days) or at other times at ReFlow’s discretion.  While ReFlow holds fund shares, it will have the same rights and privileges with respect to those shares as any other shareholder.  For use of the ReFlow service, a fund pays a fee to ReFlow each time it purchases fund shares, calculated by applying to the purchase amount a fee rate determined through an automated daily auction among participating mutual funds. Such fee is allocated among a fund’s share classes based on relative net assets.  ReFlow’s purchases of fund shares through the liquidity program are made on an investment-blind basis without regard to the fund’s investment objective, policies or anticipated performance.  In accordance with federal securities laws, ReFlow is prohibited from acquiring more than 3% of the outstanding voting securities of a fund. ReFlow will purchase Class I or Institutional Class shares (or, if applicable Class A or Investor Class shares) at net asset value and will not be subject to any sales charge (in the case of Class A shares), investment minimum or redemption fee applicable to such shares. ReFlow will periodically redeem its entire share position in the Fund and request that such redemption be met in kind in accordance with the Fund’s redemption-in-kind policies described under “Redeeming Shares” in the Prospectus.  Investments in a fund by ReFlow in connection with the ReFlow liquidity program are not subject to the two round-trips within 90 days limitation described in “Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing” under “Purchasing Shares” in the Prospectus. The investment adviser believes that the program assists in stabilizing the Fund’s net assets to the benefit of the Fund and its shareholders.  To the extent the Fund’s net assets do not decline, the investment adviser may also benefit.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 73 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Pooled Investment Vehicles The Fund may invest in pooled investment vehicles including other open-end or closed-end investment companies affiliated or unaffiliated with the investment adviser, exchange-traded funds (described herein) and other collective investment pools in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. Closed-end investment company securities are usually traded on an exchange.  The demand for a closed-end fund’s securities is independent of the demand for the underlying portfolio assets, and accordingly, such securities can trade at a discount from, or a premium over, their net asset value.  The Fund generally will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees paid by a pooled investment vehicle in which it invests in addition to the investment advisory fee paid by the Fund.
Portfolio Turnover A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as “portfolio turnover” and generally involves expense to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on both the sale of securities and the reinvestment of the proceeds in other securities. If sales of portfolio securities cause the Fund to realize net short-term capital gains, such gains will be taxable as ordinary income to taxable shareholders.  The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for a fiscal year is the ratio of the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities to the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities − excluding securities whose maturities at acquisition were one year or less. The Fund's portfolio turnover rate is not a limiting factor when the investment adviser considers a change in the Fund's portfolio holdings.  The portfolio turnover rate(s) of the Fund for recent fiscal periods is included in the Financial Highlights in the Prospectus.
Preferred Stock Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a corporation, company or trust that has a higher claim on the assets and earnings than common stock. Preferred stock usually has limited voting rights. Preferred stock involves credit risk, which is the risk that a preferred stock will decline in price, or fail to pay dividends when expected, because the issuer experiences a decline in its financial status. A company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends after the company makes the required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt instruments but before dividend payments are made to common stockholders.  However, preferred stock may not pay scheduled dividends or dividends payments may be in arrears.  The value of preferred stock may react more strongly than bonds and other debt instruments to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Certain preferred stocks may be convertible to common stock.  See “Convertible Securities” and “Contingent Convertible Securities.”  Preferred stock may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price.  Because they may make regular income payments, preferred stocks may be considered fixed-income securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment restrictions.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 74 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Real Estate Investments

Real estate investments, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), are sensitive to factors, such as changes in: real estate values, property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, occupancy rates, government regulations affecting zoning, land use, and rents, and the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Companies in the real estate industry may also be subject to liabilities under environmental and hazardous waste laws, among others. Changes in underlying real estate values may have a magnified effect to the extent that investments concentrate in particular geographic regions or property types. Investments in REITs may also be adversely affected by rising interest rates. By investing in REITs, the Fund indirectly will bear REIT expenses in addition to its own expenses.

Private REITs are unlisted, which may make them difficult to value and less liquid. Moreover, private REITs are generally exempt from 1933 Act registration and, as such, the amount of public information available with respect to private REITs may be less extensive than that available for publicly traded REITs. Shares of REITs may trade less frequently and, therefore, are subject to more erratic price movements than securities of larger issuers. REITs are also subject to credit, market, liquidity and interest rate risks.

Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act generally allows individuals and certain other non-corporate entities, such as partnerships, a deduction for 20% of qualified REIT dividends. Proposed regulations on which the Fund may rely allow a regulated investment company to pass the character of its qualified REIT dividends through to its shareholders provided certain holding period requirements are met. See “Taxes” for additional information.

REITs may issue debt securities to fund their activities. The value of these debt securities may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REIT, the creditworthiness of the REIT, interest rates, and tax and regulatory requirements, among other things.

Repurchase Agreements Repurchase agreements involve the purchase of a security coupled with an agreement to resell at a specified date and price.  In the event of the bankruptcy of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement, recovery of cash may be delayed. To the extent that, in the meantime, the value of the purchased securities may have decreased, a loss could result. Repurchase agreements that mature in more than seven days will be treated as illiquid. Unless the Prospectus states otherwise, the terms of a repurchase agreement will provide that the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will always be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the agreement, and will be marked to market daily.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 75 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Residual Interest Bonds

The Fund may invest in residual interest bonds in a trust that holds municipal securities. The interest rate payable on a residual interest bond bears an inverse relationship to the interest rate on another security issued by the trust. Because changes in the interest rate on the other security inversely affect the interest paid on the residual interest bond, the value and income of a residual interest bond is generally more volatile than that of a fixed rate bond. Residual interest bonds have interest rate adjustment formulas that generally reduce or, in the extreme, eliminate the interest paid to the Fund when short-term interest rates rise, and increase the interest paid to the Fund when short-term interest rates fall. Residual interest bonds have varying degrees of liquidity, and the market for these securities is relatively volatile. These securities tend to underperform the market for fixed rate bonds in a rising long-term interest rate environment, but tend to outperform the market for fixed rate bonds when long-term interest rates decline. Although volatile, residual interest bonds typically offer the potential for yields exceeding the yields available on fixed rate bonds with comparable credit quality and maturity. These securities usually permit the investor to convert the floating rate to a fixed rate (normally adjusted downward), and this optional conversion feature may provide a partial hedge against rising rates if exercised at an opportune time. While residual interest bonds expose the Fund to leverage risk because they provide two or more dollars of bond market exposure for every dollar invested, they are not subject to the Fund’s restrictions on borrowings.

Under certain circumstances, the Fund may enter into a so-called shortfall and forbearance agreement relating to a residual interest bond held by the Fund. Such agreements commit the Fund to reimburse the difference between the liquidation value of the underlying security (which is the basis of the residual interest bond) and the principal amount due to the holders of the floating rate security issued in conjunction with the residual interest bond upon the termination of the trust issuing the residual interest bond. Absent a shortfall and forbearance agreement, the Fund would not be required to make such a reimbursement. If the Fund chooses not to enter into such an agreement, the residual interest bond could be terminated and the Fund could incur a loss. The Fund’s investments in residual interest bonds and similar securities described in the Prospectus and this SAI will not be considered borrowing for purposes of the Fund’s restrictions on borrowing described herein and in the Prospectus.

On December 10, 2013, five U.S. federal agencies published final rules implementing section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Volcker Rule”). The Volcker Rule prohibits banking entities from engaging in proprietary trading of certain instruments and limits such entities’ investments in, and relationships with, covered funds, as defined in the rules. The Volcker Rule precludes banking entities and their affiliates from (i) sponsoring residual interest bond programs as presently structured and (ii) continuing relationships with or services for existing residual interest bond programs. The effects of the Volcker Rule may make it more difficult for the Fund to maintain current or desired levels of income.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 76 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Restricted Securities

Restricted securities cannot be sold to the public without registration under the 1933 Act. Unless registered for sale, restricted securities can be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or pursuant to an exemption from registration. Restricted securities may be considered illiquid and subject to the Fund’s limitation on illiquid securities.

Restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk which may result in substantial losses. The securities may be less liquid than publicly traded securities. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid by the Fund. The Fund may invest in restricted securities, including securities initially offered and sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144A (“Rule 144A Securities”) and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers initially offered and sold outside the United States without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S (“Regulation S Securities”) under the 1933 Act. Rule 144A Securities and Regulation S Securities generally may be traded freely among certain qualified institutional investors, such as the Fund, and non-U.S. persons, but resale to a broader base of investors in the United States may be permitted only in much more limited circumstances. 

The Fund also may purchase restricted securities that are not eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S. The Fund may acquire such securities through private placement transactions, directly from the issuer or from security holders, generally at higher yields or on terms more favorable to investors than comparable publicly traded securities. However, the restrictions on resale of such securities may make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at the time considered most advantageous and/or may involve expenses that would not be incurred in the sale of securities that were freely marketable. Risks associated with restricted securities include the potential obligation to pay all or part of the registration expenses in order to sell certain restricted securities. A considerable period of time may elapse between the time of the decision to sell a security and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell it under an effective registration statement and/or after an applicable waiting period. If adverse conditions were to develop during this period, the Fund might obtain a price that is less favorable than the price that was prevailing at the time it decided to sell.  See also “Illiquid Securities.”

Reverse Repurchase Agreements Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund temporarily transfers possession of a portfolio instrument to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash. At the same time, the Fund agrees to repurchase the instrument at an agreed upon time (normally within seven days) and price, which reflects an interest payment. The Fund may enter into a reverse repurchase agreement for various purposes, including, but not limited to, when it is able to invest the cash acquired at a rate higher than the cost of the agreement or as a means of raising cash to satisfy redemption requests without the necessity of selling portfolio assets.  In a reverse repurchase agreement, any fluctuations in the market value of either the securities transferred to another party or the securities in which the proceeds may be invested would affect the market value of the Fund’s assets. As a result, such transactions may increase fluctuations in the value of the Fund.  Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage.  Such agreements will be treated as subject to investment restrictions regarding “borrowings.” If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 77 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Rights and Warrants

See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe for shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life, usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price. Warrants are securities that are typically issued together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to buy a proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are often traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that is measured in years and entitle the holder to buy common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to make the accompanying debt security more attractive.

Warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. If the market price of the underlying stock does not exceed the exercise price during the life of the warrant or right, the warrant or right will expire worthless.  (Canadian special warrants issued in private placements prior to a public offering are not considered warrants.) 

Royalty Bonds

Royalty bonds include debt securities collateralized by pharmaceutical royalty interests (“Royalty Bonds”). Pharmaceutical royalty streams are created when the owner of a patent on a pharmaceutical product licenses the discovery to a larger commercial entity for further development, while maintaining a royalty interest on future sales of the product. Royalty Bonds are created when the royalty owner borrows against the royalty stream by issuing debt collateralized by the royalty. Royalty Bond investors receive interest and principal payments collateralized and funded by the stream of royalty payments. Royalty Bonds are typically offered in a private placement pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act and are restricted as to resale.

Because Royalty Bonds are restricted securities and because of the proprietary nature of the underlying pharmaceutical product licenses, it may take longer to liquidate Royalty Bond positions than would be the case for other securities. Royalty Bonds are also subject to the industry risks associated with health sciences companies.

Securities Lending The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to major banks, broker-dealers and other financial institutions in compliance with the 1940 Act. No lending may be made with any companies affiliated with the investment adviser.  These loans earn income and are collateralized by cash, securities or letters of credit.  The Fund may realize a loss if it is not able to invest cash collateral at rates higher than the costs to enter into the loan.    The Fund invests cash collateral in an unaffiliated money market fund that operates in compliance with the requirements of Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act and seeks to maintain a stable $1.00 net asset value per share.  When the loan is closed, the lender is obligated to return the collateral to the borrower.  The lender could suffer a loss if the value of the collateral is below the market value of the borrowed securities or if the borrower defaults on the loan.  The lender may pay reasonable finder’s, lending agent, administrative and custodial fees in connection with its loans. The investment adviser will use its reasonable efforts to instruct the securities lending agent to terminate loans and recall securities with voting rights so that the securities may be voted in accordance with the Fund’s proxy voting policy and procedures.  See “Taxes” for information on the tax treatment of payments in lieu of dividends received pursuant to securities lending arrangements.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 78 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Senior Loans Senior Loans are loans that are senior in repayment priority to other debt of the borrower.  Senior Loans generally pay interest that floats, adjusts or varies periodically based on benchmark indicators, specified adjustment schedules or prevailing interest rates.  Senior Loans are often secured by specific assets or “collateral,” although they may not be secured by collateral.  A Senior Loan is typically originated, negotiated and structured by a U.S. or foreign commercial bank, insurance company, finance company or other financial institution (the “Agent”) for a group of loan investors (“Loan Investors”), generally referred to as a “syndicate.” The Agent typically administers and enforces the Senior Loan on behalf of the Loan Investors in the syndicate. In addition, an institution, typically but not always the Agent, holds any collateral on behalf of the Loan Investors.  Loan interests primarily take the form of assignments purchased in the primary or secondary market. Loan interests may also take the form of participation interests in, or novations of, a Senior Loan.  Senior Loans primarily include senior floating rate loans and secondarily senior floating rate debt obligations (including those issued by an asset-backed pool), and interests therein.
  Loan Collateral. Borrowers generally will, for the term of the Senior Loan, pledge collateral to secure their obligation. In addition, Senior Loans may be guaranteed by or secured by assets of the borrower’s owners or affiliates. During the term of the Senior Loan, the value of collateral securing the Loan may decline in value, causing the Loan to be under-collateralized. Collateral may consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated, and there is no assurance that the liquidation of such assets would satisfy fully a borrower’s obligations under a Senior Loan. In addition, if a Senior Loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of the collateral and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of such collateral.
  Fees. The Fund may receive a facility fee when it buys a Senior Loan, and pay a facility fee when it sells a Senior Loan. On an ongoing basis, the Fund may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit portion of a Senior Loan. In certain circumstances, the Fund may receive a prepayment penalty fee upon the prepayment of a Senior Loan by a borrower or an amendment fee.
  Loan Administration.  In a typical Senior Loan, the Agent administers the terms of the loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal, and interest payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the Loan Investors. Failure by the Agent to fulfill its obligations may delay or adversely affect receipt of payment by the Fund. Furthermore, unless under the terms of a loan agreement or participation (as applicable) the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, the Fund must rely on the Agent and the other Loan Investors to use appropriate remedies against the borrower. The Agent is typically responsible for monitoring compliance with covenants contained in the loan agreement based upon reports prepared by the borrower.  The typical practice of an Agent or a Loan Investor in relying exclusively or primarily on reports from the borrower may involve the risk of fraud by the borrower.  It is unclear whether an investment in a Senior Loan offers the securities law protections against fraud and misrepresentation.
  A financial institution’s appointment as Agent may usually be terminated in the event that it fails to observe the requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent.  A successor Agent would generally be appointed to replace the terminated Agent, and assets held by the Agent under the Loan Agreement should remain available to holders of Senior Loans. However, if assets held by the Agent for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the Agent’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a Senior Loan, or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other Interposed Persons (as defined below), similar risks may arise.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 79 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Additional Information. The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio a Senior Loan where the borrower has experienced, or may be perceived to be likely to experience, credit problems, including involvement in or recent emergence from bankruptcy reorganization proceedings or other forms of debt restructuring. While such investments may provide opportunities for enhanced income as well as capital appreciation, they generally involve greater risk and may be considered speculative.  The Fund may from time to time participate in ad-hoc committees formed by creditors to negotiate with the management of financially troubled borrowers. The Fund may incur legal fees as a result of such participation.  In addition, such participation may restrict the Fund’s ability to trade in or acquire additional positions in a particular security when it might otherwise desire to do so. Participation by the Fund also may expose the Fund to potential liabilities under bankruptcy or other laws governing the rights of creditors and debtors. The Fund will participate in such committees only when the investment adviser believes that such participation is necessary or desirable to enforce the Fund’s rights as a creditor or to protect the value of a Senior Loan held by the Fund.
  In some instances, other accounts managed by the investment adviser may hold other securities issued by borrowers the Senior Loans of which may be held by the Fund. These other securities may include, for example, debt securities that are subordinate to the Senior Loans held by the Fund, convertible debt or common or preferred equity securities.  In certain circumstances, such as if the credit quality of the borrower deteriorates, the interests of holders of these other securities may conflict with the interests of the holders of the borrower’s Senior Loans. In such cases, the investment adviser may owe conflicting fiduciary duties to the Fund and other client accounts. The investment adviser will endeavor to carry out its obligations to all of its clients to the fullest extent possible, recognizing that in some cases, certain clients may achieve a lower economic return, as a result of these conflicting client interests, than if the investment adviser’s client accounts collectively held only a single category of the issuer’s securities.
  The Fund may acquire warrants and other equity securities as part of a unit combining a Senior Loan and equity securities of a borrower or its affiliates. The Fund may also acquire equity securities or debt securities (including non-dollar denominated debt securities) issued in exchange for a Senior Loan or issued in connection with the debt restructuring or reorganization of a borrower, or if such acquisition, in the judgment of the investment adviser, may enhance the value of a Senior Loan or would otherwise be consistent with the Fund’s investment policies.
  For Eaton Vance Floating Rate Portfolio, Senior Debt Portfolio and Eaton Vance VT Floating-Rate Income Fund only: The Fund will acquire participations only if the Loan Investor selling the participation, and any other persons interpositioned between the Fund and the Loan Investor (an “Interposed Person”), at the time of investment, has outstanding debt or deposit obligations rated investment grade (BBB or A-3 or higher by S&P or Baa or P- 3 or higher by Moody’s or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical ratings organization) or determined by the investment adviser to be of comparable quality.
  For additional disclosure relating to investing in loans (including Senior Loans), see “Loans” above.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 80 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Short Sales Short sales are transactions in which a party sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the party must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. When the party is required to return the borrowed security, it typically will purchase the security in the open market. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the party sold the security. Until the security is replaced, the party is required to repay the lender any dividends or interest, which accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, it also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The net proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. Transaction costs are incurred in effecting short sales. A short seller will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which it replaces the borrowed security. A gain will be realized if the price of the security declines in price between those dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends or interest the short seller may be required to pay, if any, in connection with a short sale. Short sales may be “against the box” or uncovered.  In a short sale “against the box,” at the time of the sale, the short seller owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost.  In an uncovered short sale, the short seller does not own the underlying security and, as such, losses from uncovered short sales may be significant.  The Fund may sell short securities representing an index or basket of securities whose constituents the Fund holds in whole or in part. A short sale of an index or basket of securities will be a covered short sale if the underlying index or basket of securities is the same or substantially identical to securities held by the Fund.  Use of short sales is limited by the Fund’s non-fundamental restriction relating thereto.
Short-Term Trading Fixed-income securities may be sold in anticipation of market decline (a rise in interest rates) or purchased in anticipation of a market rise (a decline in interest rates) and later sold. In addition, such a security may be sold and another purchased at approximately the same time to take advantage of what is believed to be a temporary disparity in the normal yield relationship between the two securities. Yield disparities may occur for reasons not directly related to the investment quality of particular issues or the general movement of interest rates, such as changes in the overall demand for or supply of various types of fixed-income securities or changes in the investment objectives of investors.  
Significant Exposure to Health Sciences Companies Because the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, and health care equipment and services companies, the value of Fund shares may be affected by developments that adversely affect such companies and may fluctuate more than that of a fund that invests more broadly. Many health sciences companies are subject to substantial governmental regulations that can affect their prospects. Changes in governmental policies, such as reductions in the funding of third-party payment programs, may have a material effect on the demand for particular health care products and services. Regulatory approvals (often entailing lengthy application and testing procedures) are also generally required before new drugs and certain medical devices and procedures may be introduced. Many of the products and services of companies engaged in medical research and health care are also subject to relatively high risks of rapid obsolescence caused by progressive scientific and technological advances. Additionally, such products are subject to risks such as the appearance of toxic effects following commercial introduction and manufacturing difficulties. The enforcement of patent, trademark and other intellectual property laws will affect the value of many such companies. Health sciences companies include companies that offer limited products or services or that are at the research and developmental stage with no marketable or approved products or technologies.
Significant Exposure to Smaller Companies The investment risk associated with smaller companies is higher than that normally associated with larger, more established companies due to the greater business risks associated with small size, the relative age of the company, limited product lines, distribution channels and financial and managerial resources. Further, there is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller companies than for larger companies. The securities of small companies are often traded only over-the-counter and may not be traded in the volumes typical of trading on a national securities exchange. As a result, stocks of smaller companies are often more volatile than those of larger companies, which are often traded on a national securities exchange, may be more difficult and may take longer to liquidate at fair value than would be the case for the publicly traded securities of a large company.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 81 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Significant Exposure to Utilities and Financial Services Sectors Because the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in the utilities and financial services sectors, the value of Fund shares may be affected by events that adversely affect those sectors and may fluctuate more than that of a fund with broader exposure. The utilities sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture, production, generation, transmission, sale and distribution of water, gas and electric energy. Companies in the financial services sector include, for example, commercial banks, savings and loan associations, brokerage and investment companies, insurance companies, and consumer and industrial finance companies. Companies in the utilities sector may be sensitive to changes in interest rates and other economic conditions, governmental regulation, uncertainties created by deregulation, power shortages and surpluses, the price and availability of fuel, environmental protection or energy conservation practices, the level and demand for services, and the cost and potential business disruption of technological developments. Companies in the financial services sector are also subject to extensive government regulation and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Stripped Securities Stripped Securities (“Strips”) may be issued by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, and may also be issued by private originators or investors, including depository institutions, banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of these entities.  Strips are usually structured with classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from an underlying asset or pool of underlying assets. Strips are particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, which may impact the frequency of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying assets or pool of underlying assets.  Some structures may have a class that receives only interest from the underlying assets, an interest-only (“IO”) class, while another class may receive only principal, a principal-only (“PO”) class.  IO and PO Strips may be purchased for their return and/or hedging characteristics.  Because of their structure, IO Strips may move differently than typical fixed-income securities in relation to changes in interest rates. IO Strips tend to decrease in value if prepayments are greater than anticipated and increase in value if prepayments are less than anticipated. Conversely, PO Strips tend to increase in value if prepayments are greater than anticipated and decline if prepayments are less than anticipated. While the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities may guarantee the full repayment of principal on Strips they issue, repayment of interest is guaranteed only while the underlying assets or pools of assets are outstanding. To the extent the Fund invests in Strips, rapid changes in the rate of prepayments may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s performance.  In addition, the secondary market for Strips may be less liquid than that for other securities.  Certain Strips may also present certain operational and/or valuation risks.
Structured Notes See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Structured notes are derivative debt instruments, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator (for example, a currency, security, commodity or index thereof). The terms of the instrument may be “structured” by the purchaser and the borrower issuing the note. Indexed securities may include structured notes as well as securities other than debt securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. Indexed securities may include a multiplier that multiplies the indexed element by a specified factor and, therefore, the value of such securities may be very volatile. The terms of structured notes and indexed securities may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity, which may result in a loss of invested capital. Structured notes and indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the unrelated indicator may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or the value of the structured note or indexed security at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the unrelated indicator. Structured notes and indexed securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of investments because the investor bears the risk of the unrelated indicator. Structured notes or indexed securities also may be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities and instruments or more traditional debt securities.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 82 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Swap Agreements See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on a particular predetermined reference instrument or instruments, which can be adjusted for an interest rate factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount” (i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index).  Other types of swap agreements may calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.”  Consequently, a party’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”).  
  Whether the use of swap agreements will be successful will depend on the investment adviser's ability to predict correctly whether certain types of reference instruments are likely to produce greater returns than other instruments.  Swap agreements may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and they may have terms of greater than seven days.  The Fund’s obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund under the swap).  Developments in the swaps market, including government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements, as well as to participate in swap agreements in the future.  If there is a default by the counterparty to a swap, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the swap agreement, but any recovery may be delayed depending on the circumstances of the default.  To limit the counterparty risk involved in swap agreements, the Fund will only enter into swap agreements with counterparties that meet certain criteria. Although there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so, the Fund may be able to reduce or eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or another creditworthy party. The Fund may have limited ability to eliminate its exposure under a credit default swap if the credit of the reference instrument has declined.
  The swaps market was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, which was enacted in 2010 in response to turmoil in the financial markets and other market events. Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act sets forth a new regulatory framework for certain OTC derivatives, such as swaps, in which the Fund may invest. The Dodd-Frank Act requires many swap transactions to be executed on registered exchanges or through swap execution facilities, cleared through a regulated clearinghouse, and publicly reported. In addition, many market participants are now regulated as swap dealers or major swap participants and are subject to certain minimum capital and margin requirements and business conduct standards. The statutory requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act are being implemented primarily through rules and regulations adopted by the SEC and/or the CFTC. There is a prescribed phase-in period during which most of the mandated rulemaking and regulations are being implemented, and temporary exemptions from certain rules and regulations have been granted so that current trading practices will not be unduly disrupted during the transition period.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 83 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Currently, central clearing is only required for certain market participants trading certain instruments, although central clearing for additional instruments is expected to be implemented by the CFTC until the majority of the swaps market is ultimately subject to central clearing. In addition, uncleared OTC swaps are subject to regulatory collateral requirements that may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market. These developments may cause the Fund to terminate new or existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such instruments at an inopportune time. Until the mandated rulemaking and regulations are implemented completely, it will not be possible to determine the complete impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations on the Fund, and the establishment of a centralized exchange or market for swap transactions may not result in swaps being easier to value or trade. However, it is expected that swap dealers, major market participants, and swap counterparties will experience other new and/or additional regulations, requirements, compliance burdens, and associated costs. The legislation and rules yet to be promulgated and/or implemented may exert a negative effect on the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective, either through limits or requirements imposed on the Fund or its counterparties. The swap market could be disrupted or limited as a result of the implementation of this legislation, and the new requirements may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and of doing business, which could adversely affect the ability of the Fund to buy or sell OTC derivatives.
  Regulatory bodies outside the U.S. have also passed, proposed, or may propose in the future, legislation similar to Dodd-Frank Act or other legislation that could increase the costs of participating in, or otherwise adversely impact the liquidity of, participating in the commodities markets.  In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain prudentially regulated entities and certain of their affiliates and subsidiaries (including swap dealers) to include in their derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties (such as the Fund) to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the prudentially regulated entity and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. Similar regulations and laws have been adopted in non-U.S. jurisdictions that may apply to the Fund’s counterparties located in those jurisdictions. It is possible that these requirements, as well as potential additional related government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing derivatives contracts, exercise default rights or satisfy obligations owed to it with collateral received under such contracts.
  Swap agreements include (but are not limited to):
  Currency Swaps. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the rights of the parties to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Because currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal value of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency, the entire principal value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. If the investment adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market value and currency exchange rates, performance may be adversely affected.
  Equity Swaps. An equity swap is an agreement in which at least one party’s payments are based on the rate of return of an equity security or equity index, such as the S&P 500®. The other party’s payments can be based on a fixed rate, a non-equity variable rate, or even a different equity index. The Fund may enter into equity index swaps on a net basis pursuant to which the future cash flows from two reference instruments are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two.      
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 84 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Credit Default Swaps.  Under a credit default swap agreement, the protection “buyer” in a credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference instrument has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the reference instrument in exchange for an equal face amount of the reference instrument described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.  The determination of a credit event under the swap agreement will depend on the terms of the agreement and may rely on the decision of persons that are not a party to the agreement.  The Fund’s obligations under a credit default swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund).
  Inflation Swaps.  Inflation swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments or an exchange of floating rate payments based on two different reference indices. By design, one of the reference indices is an inflation index, such as the Consumer Price Index. Inflation swaps can be designated as zero coupon, where both sides of the swap compound interest over the life of the swap and then the accrued interest is paid out only at the swap’s maturity.
  Total Return Swaps. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Generally, the Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis.  If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be segregated by the Fund in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap or the amount it would have cost the Fund initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount the Fund is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.
  Interest Rate Swaps, Caps and Floors. Interest rate swaps are OTC contracts in which each party agrees to make a periodic interest payment based on an index or the value of an asset in return for a periodic payment from the other party based on a different index or asset. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index rises above a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap.  The Fund usually will enter into interest rate swap transactions on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap will be accrued on a daily basis. If the interest rate swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis.  Certain federal income tax requirements may limit the Fund’s ability to engage in certain interest rate transactions.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 85 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Commodity Index-Linked Swaps. Commodity index-linked swap agreements involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of payments dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity index.  Commodity index-linked swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a particular commodity or commodity index without owning or taking physical custody of such commodity.
Swaptions See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) in return for payment of a premium, to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When the Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.
Tax-Managed Investing Taxes are a major influence on the net returns that investors receive on their taxable investments. There are four components of the returns of a mutual fund that invests in equities that are treated differently for federal income tax purposes: price appreciation, distributions of qualified dividend income, distributions of other investment income, and distributions of realized short-term and long-term capital gains. Distributions of income other than qualified dividend income and distributions of net realized short-term gains (on stocks held for one year or less) are taxed as ordinary income.  Distributions of qualified dividend income and net realized long-term gains (on stocks held for more than one year) are currently taxed at rates up to 20%. The Fund’s investment program and the tax treatment of Fund distributions may be affected by IRS interpretations of the Code and future changes in tax laws and regulations. Returns derived from price appreciation are untaxed until the shareholder disposes of his or her shares. Upon disposition, a capital gain (short-term, if the shareholder has held his or her shares for one year or less, otherwise long-term) equal to the difference between the net proceeds of the disposition and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis is realized.
Trust Certificates Trust certificates are investments in a limited purpose trust or other vehicle formed under state law. Trust certificates in turn invest in instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps, preferred securities and other securities, in order to customize the risk/return profile of a particular security. Like an investment in a bond, investments in trust certificates represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the certificate. However, these payments are conditioned on the trust’s receipt of payments from, and the trust’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the trust invests. Investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. It is expected that the trusts that issue credit-linked trust certificates will constitute “private” investment companies, exempt from registration under the 1940 Act. Although the trusts are typically private investment companies, they are generally not actively managed. It is also expected that the certificates will be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the certificates and they may constitute illiquid investments.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 86 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

U.S. Government Securities U.S. Government securities include: (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance, including: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less); U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years); and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years); and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities, which are supported by any of the following: (a) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; (b) the right of the issuer to borrow an amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury; (c) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality; or (d) the credit of the agency or instrumentality. U.S. Government securities also include any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities.  Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Federal Housing Administration, Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Bank, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Bank System, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal National Mortgage Association, General Services Administration, Government National Mortgage Association, Student Loan Marketing Association, United States Postal Service, Maritime Administration, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, Washington D.C. Armory Board and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government generally is not obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities.  The principal of and/or interest on certain U.S. Government securities could be: (a) payable in foreign currencies rather than U.S. dollars; or (b) increased or diminished as a result of changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the value of foreign currencies. The value of such portfolio securities denominated in foreign currencies may be affected favorably by changes in the exchange rate between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar.  
Unlisted Securities Unlisted securities are neither listed on a stock exchange nor traded over-the-counter. Unlisted securities may include investments in new and early stage companies, which may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses and may be considered speculative. Such securities will generally be deemed to be illiquid. Because of the absence of any public trading market for these investments, it may take longer to liquidate these positions than would be the case for publicly traded securities. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid or less than what may be considered the fair value of such securities. Furthermore, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to public disclosure and other investor protection requirements applicable to publicly traded securities. If such securities are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration. In addition, in foreign jurisdictions any capital gains realized on the sale of such securities may be subject to higher rates of foreign taxation than taxes payable on the sale of listed securities.
Variable Rate Instruments Variable rate instruments provide for adjustments in the interest or dividend rate payable on the instrument at specified intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, semiannually, etc.) based on market conditions, credit ratings or interest rates and the investor may have the right to “put” the security back to the issuer or its agent. Variable rate instruments normally provide that the holder can demand payment of the instrument on short notice at par with accrued interest.  These instruments may be secured by letters of credit or other support arrangements provided by banks. To the extent that such letters of credit or other arrangements constitute an unconditional guarantee of the issuer’s obligations, a bank may be treated as the issuer of a security for the purposes of complying with the diversification requirements set forth in Section 5(b) of the 1940 Act and Rule 5b-2 thereunder. The Fund may use these instruments as cash equivalents pending longer term investment of its funds.  The rate adjustment features may limit the extent to which the market value of the instruments will fluctuate.
When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitments Securities may be purchased on a “forward commitment,” “when-issued” or “delayed delivery” basis (meaning securities are purchased or sold with payment and delivery taking place in the future beyond normal settlement times) in order to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price and yield at the time of entering into the transaction.  When the Fund agrees to purchase such securities, it assumes the risk of any decline in value of the security from the date of the agreement to purchase.  The Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 87 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  From the time of entering into the transaction until delivery and payment is made at a later date, the securities that are the subject of the transaction are subject to market fluctuations. In forward commitment, when-issued or delayed delivery transactions, if the seller or buyer, as the case may be, fails to consummate the transaction, the counterparty may miss the opportunity of obtaining a price or yield considered to be advantageous. However, no payment or delivery is made until payment is received or delivery is made from the other party to the transaction.
Zero Coupon Bonds, Deep Discount Bonds and Payment-In-Kind (“PIK”) Securities Zero coupon bonds are debt obligations that do not require the periodic payment of interest and are issued at a significant discount from face value. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the bonds will accrue and compound over the period until maturity at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of purchase. The effect of owning debt obligations that do not make current interest payments is that a fixed yield is earned not only on the original investment but also, in effect, on all discount accretion during the life of the debt obligation. This implicit reinvestment of earnings at a fixed rate eliminates the risk of being unable to invest distributions at a rate as high as the implicit yield on the zero coupon bond, but at the same time eliminates the holder’s ability to reinvest at higher rates in the future. The Fund is required to accrue income from zero coupon bonds on a current basis, even though it does not receive that income currently in cash, and the Fund is required to distribute that income for each taxable year. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions.
  Bonds and preferred stocks that make “in-kind” payments and other securities that do not pay regular income distributions may experience greater volatility in response to interest rate changes and issuer developments. PIK securities generally carry higher interest rates compared to bonds that make cash payments of interest to reflect their payment deferral and increased credit risk. PIK securities generally involve significantly greater credit risk than coupon loans because the Fund receives no cash payments until the maturity date or a specified cash payment date. Even if accounting conditions are met for accruing income payable at a future date under a PIK bond, the issuer could still default when the collection date occurs at the maturity of or payment date for the PIK bond.  PIK bonds may be difficult to value accurately because they involve ongoing judgments as to the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral.  If the issuer of a PIK security defaults, the Fund may lose its entire investment. PIK interest has the effect of generating investment income and increasing the incentive fees, if any, payable at a compounding rate.  Generally, the deferral of PIK interest increases the loan to value ratio.

 

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 88 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

APPENDIX A

Class A Fees and Ownership

Sales Charges and Distribution and Service Fees. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the following table shows (1) total sales charges paid by Class A, (2) sales charges paid to financial intermediaries, (3) sales charges paid to the principal underwriter, (4) approximate CDSC payments to the principal underwriter, (5) total distribution and service fees paid by Class A, and (6) distribution and service fees paid to financial intermediaries. Distribution and service fees that were not paid to financial intermediaries were retained by the principal underwriter.

Fund Total Sales
Charges Paid
Sales Charges to
Financial
Intermediaries
Sales Charges to
Principal
 Underwriter
CDSC to
Principal
Underwriter
Total Distribution
and Service
Fees Paid
Distribution and
Service Fees Paid to
Financial Intermediaries
Hexavest Global Equity Fund $17,916 $14,710 $3,206 $0 $24,446 $19,527
Hexavest International Equity Fund $633 $539 $94 $0 $2,261 $1,861

For the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018 and July 31, 2017, the following total sales charges were paid on sales of Class A, of which the principal underwriter received the following amounts. The balance of such amounts was paid to financial intermediaries.

Fund July 31 ,2018
Total Sales
Charges Paid
July 31, 2018
Sales Charges to
Principal Underwriter
July 31 ,2017
Total Sales
Charges Paid
July 31, 2017
Sales Charges to
Principal Underwriter
Hexavest Global Equity Fund $48,607 $7,813 $76,207 $11,884
Hexavest International Equity Fund $6,329 $1,106 $6,299 $1,065

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. At November 1, 2019, the Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, owned in the aggregate less than 1% of the outstanding shares of this Class of any Fund. In addition, as of the same date, the following person(s) held the share percentage indicated below, which was owned either (i) beneficially by such person(s) or (ii) of record by such person(s) on behalf of customers who are the beneficial owners of such shares and as to which such record owner(s) may exercise voting rights under certain limited circumstances:

Hexavest Global Equity Fund National Financial Services LLC Jersey City, NJ 53.59%
  LPL Financial San Diego, CA 10.82%
  Pershing LLC Jersey City, NJ 8.37%
  American Enterprise Investment Service Minneapolis, MN 5.58%
Hexavest International Equity Fund Pershing LLC Jersey City, NJ 28.10%
  American Enterprise Investment Service Minneapolis, MN 15.86%
  National Financial Services LLC Jersey City, NJ 15.55%
  LPL Financial San Diego, CA 9.92%
  Edward D. Jones and Co. St. Louis, MO 7.75%

Beneficial owners of 25% or more of this Class are presumed to be in control of this Class of a Fund for purposes of voting on certain matters submitted to shareholders.

To the knowledge of the Trust, no other person owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of this Class of any Fund as of such date.

  

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 89 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

APPENDIX B

Class C Fees and Ownership

Distribution and Service Fees. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the following table shows (1) distribution fees paid to the principal underwriter under the Distribution Plan, (2) distribution fees paid by the principal underwriter to financial intermediaries on sales of Class C shares, (3) approximate CDSC payments to the principal underwriter, (4) service fees paid under the Distribution Plan, and (5) service fees paid to financial intermediaries. The distribution fees and service fees paid by the Funds that were not paid to financial intermediaries were retained by the principal underwriter.

Fund Distribution Fee Paid
to Principal
Underwriter
Distribution Fee Paid by Principal
Underwriter to Financial
Intermediaries
CDSC Paid
to Principal
Underwriter
Service
Fees
Service Fees Paid
to Financial
Intermediaries
Hexavest Global Equity Fund $16,733 $14,632 $0 $5,578 $4,877

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. At November 1, 2019, the Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, owned in the aggregate less than 1% of the outstanding shares of this Class of any Fund. In addition, as of the same date, the following person(s) held the share percentage indicated below, which was owned either (i) beneficially by such person(s) or (ii) of record by such person(s) on behalf of customers who are the beneficial owners of such shares and as to which such record owner(s) may exercise voting rights under certain limited circumstances:

Hexavest Global Equity Fund Raymond James St. Petersburg, FL 73.75%
  Pershing LLC Jersey City, NJ 8.50%
  American Enterprise Investment Services Minneapolis, MN 8.08%

Beneficial owners of 25% or more of this Class are presumed to be in control of this Class of a Fund for purposes of voting on certain matters submitted to shareholders.

To the knowledge of the Trust, no other person owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of this Class of any Fund as of such date.

 

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 90 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

APPENDIX C

Class I Ownership

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. At November 1, 2019, the Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, owned in the aggregate less than 1% of the outstanding shares of this Class of any Fund. In addition, as of the same date, the following person(s) held the share percentage indicated below, which was owned either (i) beneficially by such person(s) or (ii) of record by such person(s) on behalf of customers who are the beneficial owners of such shares and as to which such record owner(s) may exercise voting rights under certain limited circumstances:

Hexavest Global Equity Fund USCGT DAF Growth Fund Boston, MA 26.01%
  Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC Saint Louis, MO 20.42%
  Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. San Francisco, CA 19.25%
  LPL Financial San Diego, CA 9.26%
  American Enterprise Investment Services Minneapolis, MN 7.77%
Hexavest International Equity Fund National Financial Services LLC Jersey City, NJ 86.86%
  Eaton Vance Management Boston, MA 11.42%

Beneficial owners of 25% or more of this Class are presumed to be in control of this Class of a Fund for purposes of voting on certain matters submitted to shareholders.

To the knowledge of the Trust, no other person owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of this Class of any Fund as of such date.

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 91 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

APPENDIX D

Eaton Vance Funds

Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures

I.   Overview

The Boards of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Eaton Vance Funds1 have determined that it is in the interests of the Funds’ shareholders to adopt these written proxy voting policy and procedures (the “Policy”). For purposes of this Policy:

· “Fund” means each registered investment company sponsored by the Eaton Vance organization; and
· “Adviser” means the adviser or sub-adviser responsible for the day-to-day management of all or a portion of the Fund’s assets.

II.   Delegation of Proxy Voting Responsibilities

The Board hereby delegates to the Adviser responsibility for voting the Fund’s proxies as described in this Policy. In this connection, the Adviser is required to provide the Board with a copy of its proxy voting policies and procedures (“Adviser Procedures”) and all Fund proxies will be voted in accordance with the Adviser Procedures, provided that in the event a material conflict of interest arises with respect to a proxy to be voted for the Fund (as described in Section IV below) the Adviser shall follow the process for voting such proxy as described in Section IV below.

The Adviser is required to report any material change to the Adviser Procedures to the Board in the manner set forth in Section V below. In addition, the Board will review the Adviser Procedures annually.

III.   Delegation of Proxy Voting Disclosure Responsibilities

Pursuant to Rule 30b1-4 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the Fund is required to file Form N-PX no later than August 31st of each year. On Form N-PX, the Fund is required to disclose, among other things, information concerning proxies relating to the Fund’s portfolio investments, whether or not the Fund (or its Adviser) voted the proxies relating to securities held by the Fund and how it voted on the matter and whether it voted for or against management.

To facilitate the filing of Form N-PX for the Fund:

· The Adviser is required to record, compile and transmit in a timely manner all data required to be filed on Form N-PX for the Fund that it manages. Such data shall be transmitted to Eaton Vance Management, which acts as administrator to the Fund (the “Administrator”) or the third party service provider designated by the Administrator; and
· the Administrator is required to file Form N-PX on behalf of the Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) as required by the 1940 Act. The Administrator may delegate the filing to a third party service party provided each such filing is reviewed and approved by the Administrator.

IV.   Conflicts of Interest

The Board expects the Adviser, as a fiduciary to the Fund it manages, to put the interests of the Fund and its shareholders above those of the Adviser. When required to vote a proxy for the Fund, the Adviser may have material business relationships with the issuer soliciting the proxy that could give rise to a potential material conflict of interest for the Adviser.2 In the event such a material conflict of interest arises, the Adviser, to the extent it is aware or reasonably should have been aware of the material conflict, will refrain from voting any proxies related to companies giving rise to such material conflict until it notifies and consults with the appropriate Board, or any committee, sub-committee or group of Independent Trustees identified by the Board (as long as such committee, sub-committee or group contains at least two or more Independent Trustees) (the “Board Members”), concerning the material conflict.3 For ease of communicating with the Board Members, the Adviser is required to provide the foregoing notice to the Fund’s Chief Legal Officer who will then notify and facilitate a consultation with the Board Members.

Once the Board Members have been notified of the material conflict:

· They shall convene a meeting to review and consider all relevant materials related to the proxies involved. This meeting shall be convened within 3 business days, provided that it an effort will be made to convene the meeting sooner if the proxy must be voted in less than 3 business days;
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 92 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 
· In considering such proxies, the Adviser shall make available all materials requested by the Board Members and make reasonably available appropriate personnel to discuss the matter upon request.
· The Board Members will then instruct the Adviser on the appropriate course of action with respect to the proxy at issue.

If the Board Members are unable to meet and the failure to vote a proxy would have a material adverse impact on the Fund(s) involved, the Adviser will have the right to vote such proxy, provided that it discloses the existence of the material conflict to the Chairperson of the Board as soon as practicable and to the Board at its next meeting. Any determination regarding the voting of proxies of the Fund that is made by the Board Members shall be deemed to be a good faith determination regarding the voting of proxies by the full Board.

V.    Reports and Review

The Administrator shall make copies of each Form N-PX filed on behalf of the Fund available for the Boards’ review upon the Boards’ request. The Administrator (with input from the Adviser for the Fund) shall also provide any reports reasonably requested by the Board regarding the proxy voting records of the Fund.

The Adviser shall report any material changes to the Adviser Procedures to the Board as soon as practicable and the Boards will review the Adviser Procedures annually.

The Adviser also shall report any changes to the Adviser Procedures to the Fund Chief Legal Officer prior to implementing such changes in order to enable the Administrator to effectively coordinate the Fund’s disclosure relating to the Adviser Procedures.

To the extent requested by the Commission, the Policy and the Adviser Procedures shall be appended to the Fund’s statement of additional information included in its registration statement.

_____________________
1 The Eaton Vance Funds may be organized as trusts or corporations. For ease of reference, the Funds may be referred to herein as Trusts and the Funds’ Board of Trustees or Board of Directors may be referred to collectively herein as the Board.
2 An Adviser is expected to maintain a process for identifying a potential material conflict of interest. As an example only, such potential conflicts may arise when the issuer is a client of the Adviser and generates a significant amount of fees to the Adviser or the issuer is a distributor of the Adviser’s products.
3 If a material conflict of interest exists with respect to a particular proxy and the proxy voting procedures of the relevant Adviser require that proxies are to be voted in accordance with the recommendation of a third party proxy voting vendor, the requirements of this Section IV shall only apply if the Adviser intends to vote such proxy in a manner inconsistent with such third party recommendation.

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 93 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

APPENDIX E

HEXAVEST

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Hexavest Inc. (“Hexavest”), as a matter of policy and as a fiduciary to our clients, has the responsibility, except for clients that have retained the right to exercise their voting right, for voting proxies for portfolio securities consistent with the best economic interests of the clients. Hexavest has developed proxy voting policy that set out how Hexavest intends to vote on commonly raised, or potentially contentious issues. Hexavest has mandated a third party proxy voting service provider (the “third party service provider”) to analyse the proposals and vote in accordance with Hexavest’s proxy voting policy. Hexavest maintains written policies and procedures as to the handling, research, voting, and reporting of proxy voting, and makes appropriate disclosures about the firm’s proxy policies and practices. The firm’s policy and practice includes the responsibility, to monitor and oversee the activities of the third party service provider, to monitor the firm’s proxy voting policy, as well as making information available to clients about the voting of proxies for their portfolio securities and maintaining relevant and required records.

Background

As per securities legislation, proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be taken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised.

Most specifically, investment advisers, which exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, are usually required by securities legislation (a) to adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that client securities are voted in the best interests of clients, which must include how an adviser addresses material conflicts that may arise between an adviser's interests and those of its clients; (b) to disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the adviser with respect to the voting of proxies for their securities; (c) to describe to clients a summary of its proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy to its clients; and (d) to maintain certain records relating to the adviser's proxy voting activities when the adviser does have proxy voting authority.

Responsibility

The Compliance Department has the responsibility for implementing and monitoring the firm’s proxy voting policy, practices, disclosures, and record keeping.

Procedure

Hexavest has adopted procedures to implement the firm’s policy and reviews to monitor and ensure that the firm’s policy is observed, implemented properly and amended or updated, as appropriate, which include the following:

Voting Procedures

· The Compliance Department will ensure that the Investment Management Agreement clearly indicates who has the voting responsibility and the Operations Team will update the internal system accordingly.
· If a client has retained the right to exercise its voting right, the client is responsible for authorizing the Trustee/Custodian to send all shareholder communication and proxy voting material to the client or the client’s designee.
· If a client has assigned the voting responsibility to Hexavest, the client must authorize the Trustee/Custodian to forward all proxy voting material to the third-party service provider selected by Hexavest. The Operations Team is responsible to ensure that new accounts are added to the voting platform with the firm’s third-party service provider.
· The proxies are voted by the third party service provider and proxy items pertaining to financial matters such as but not limited to mergers and acquisitions are referred back to Hexavest and its relevant portfolio manager.
· Hexavest does not usually vote on proxies in blocked markets.
· No information will be provided to the media or other public disclosure made in advance of a meeting as to how votes will be exercised.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 94 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Disclosure

· Hexavest shall provide to all its clients conspicuously displayed information in a disclosure document (the “Disclosure Document”) summarizing the firm’s voting policy and procedures, including the opportunity for clients to request a copy of these policies and procedures as well as request information regarding how Hexavest voted a client’s proxies.
· The Disclosure document shall consist of the firm’s Form ADV for U.S. and Australian clients and the firm’s Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Statement for Canadian and clients in other jurisdictions.

Client Requests for Information

· All client requests for information regarding proxy votes, or policies and procedures, should be forwarded to the designated Client Servicing Manager. When responding to a client request, the Client Servicing Manager shall prepare a written response to the client with the information requested, and as applicable will include the name of the issuer, the proposal voted upon, and how each client’s proxy is voted with respect to each proposal for which the client inquired about.

Voting Policy

· Hexavest has developed proxy voting policy based on ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) principles that set out how Hexavest intends to vote on commonly raised or potentially contentious issues. The voting policy covers various topics such as Governance (Board of Directors, Shareholder Rights, and Compensation), Transparency and Social Responsibility. A summary of this policy are included in Schedule A attached to this policy.
· All client requests that place restrictions on Hexavest’s voting authority must be forwarded to the Client Servicing Manager, Operations Team and to the Chief Compliance Officer. All requests will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

Conflicts of Interest

· Hexavest will seek to identify conflicts that may arise between the interests of the firm and the client by reviewing the relationship of Hexavest with the issuer of each security in order to determine if whether or not Hexavest or any of its employees has any financial, business, or personal relationship with the issuer.
· Hexavest has also established and implemented measures reasonably designed to identify and address the third party service provider’s conflicts that may arise on an ongoing basis, such as requiring the third party service provider to update Hexavest of any material changes with respect to its capacity and competence to provide proxy voting services or with respect to its policies and procedures regarding conflict of interest.
· If a material conflict of interest arises, the Chief Compliance Officer will determine whether it is appropriate or not to disclose the conflict to the clients involved and to give these clients an opportunity to vote the proxies themselves, or to address the voting issue through other objective means such as voting in a manner consistent with a predetermined voting policy or receiving an independent third-party voting recommendation.
· The Compliance Department will maintain a record of the voting resolution pertaining to all conflict of interest.

Recordkeeping

The following records shall be kept by Hexavest or by the third party service provider when it has been outsourced, in accordance with Hexavest’s recordkeeping requirements and this for a period of seven years:

· Each proxy statement that the third party service provider receives.
· A record of each vote that the third party service provider casts.
· Any document that Hexavest has created which was material in the decision making process on how to vote a proxy, or that records such decision including periodic reports to the Chief Compliance Officer or Investment Committee, if applicable.
· A copy of each written request from a client for information on how Hexavest voted such client’s proxies, and a copy of any written response.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 95 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Monitoring

The Compliance Department shall perform periodic sampling of proxy votes to review whether they complied with Hexavest’s proxy voting policy. Furthermore, as part of Hexavest’s ongoing compliance program, it shall review at least annually, the adequacy of its proxy voting policies and procedures to make sure they have been implemented effectively, including whether these policies and procedures continue to be reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of its clients.

The Compliance Department has also adopted and implemented a third party relationships policy and procedure that is designed to provide ongoing oversight of the third party service provider in order to ensure that Hexavest, acting through the third party service provider, continues to vote proxies in the best interest of its clients.

Effective as of October 30, 2008

Revised as of August 26, 2016

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 96 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Schedule A

Governance

Board of Directors

1) Independence of Directors

· Hexavest will vote for proposals that require that at least two thirds of the directors be independent.
· Hexavest will abstain from voting or will vote against directors who are related, if less than two thirds of the board directors are independent.
· Hexavest will vote for proposals that require an increase in the number of independent directors, unless at least two thirds of the board directors are independent.

2) Quality and Diversity of the Directors

· Indicators such as, but not limited to, attendance rate, personal involvement in scandals or a lack of ethics, refusal to provide information requested by shareholders, etc. will lead to a vote against a director, or an abstention, if voting against it not allowed.
· Hexavest will vote for proposals that seek to improve the representation of women, minorities, or other stakeholders, or improve the diversity of director skills.

3) Size of the Board

· Hexavest will vote against proposals that require that the number of directors be less than 5 or more than 15.

4) Independence of the Chairman of the Board

· Hexavest will abstain from voting or will vote against a non-independent candidate who is chairman of the board, or who will become chairman of the board after the election.
· Hexavest will vote for proposals that require that the chairman of the board be independent.

5) Board Committees

· Hexavest will abstain from voting or will vote against a related director who sits on the compensation committee, the governance and nomination committee, or the audit committee.
· Hexavest will abstain from voting or will vote against a director or candidate who sits on the compensation committee if he or she is also CEO of another company.
· Hexavest will vote for proposals that require the implementation of audit, compensation, or governance and nomination committees.
· Hexavest will vote on a case-by-case basis with regards to proposals that require the implementation of a special committee on ESG risks, taking into account the significance of the risks for the company, its ability to manage these risks, and the lack of such mandate in an existing committee.

6) Annual Election and Staggering Terms

· Hexavest will vote for proposals that require the annual election of all directors and will vote against proposals that implement staggering terms.

7) Individual Election

· Hexavest will abstain from voting or will vote against all directors if individual votes are not allowed or if the election is focused on a closed list of candidates and will vote for proposals that require individual election of directors.
· Hexavest will vote for proposals that require that a greater number of candidates versus the number of available positions be voted on by shareholders.
Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 97 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

8) Majority Vote

· Hexavest will vote for proposals that stipulate that shareholders can voice their opposition to board candidates when the nomination process is not open to shareholders. Hexavest will vote for proposals that request the resignation of directors who have not received a majority of votes.

9) Cumulative Voting

· Hexavest will vote on a case-by-case basis with regards to proposals that support cumulative voting, taking into account the interests of all shareholders. The existence of a controlling shareholder and obvious board inability to defend the interests of shareholders are factors that can lead to cumulative voting when the nomination process is not open to shareholders.

10) Ability to Nominate

· Hexavest will vote for proposals that allow shareholders to nominate candidates under certain conditions. These conditions are assessed on a case-by-case basis, but a minimum of at least 3% of common shares, held for at least 6 months, is considered reasonable.
· Hexavest will abstain from voting or will vote against directors collectively if they have modified the statutes and regulations, without first consulting the shareholders, by imposing measures aimed at obstructing the rights of the shareholders in nominating board candidates.

Shareholder Rights

1) Nomination of Auditors - certain conditions will need to be met.

2) Multiples Voting Shares - voted against if conditions are not defined or if the proposal is aimed to increase the multiple voting shares outstanding.

3) Takeover Bids - examined on a case-by-case basis.

4) Qualified Majority - voted against if the qualified majority represents more than two-thirds of the votes.

5) Statutes and Regulations - voted on a case-by-case basis.

6) Quorum – minimum of 25% of voting shares must be met.

7) Related Proposals - voted against when their respective objectives are unrelated.

8) Shareholder Right to Call a Special Meeting – voted against if right to call a special meeting is abolished or limited but voted in favor if minimum and reasonable shareholder participation is required.

9) (The) Taking into Account of Shareholder Proposals - voted in favour

10) Share Issuances and Buybacks - several criteria will need to be met.

Compensation

1) Director Compensation - cash compensation and granting programmes voted in favor but stock option plans for directors voted against.

2) Senior Management Compensation – voted against if deemed excessive (on many metrics) or not tied to clear objectives; voted for when salary spread disclosures, ESG objectives, or other forms of compensation (bonuses) are required.

3) Compensation Consulting Firm - voted in favor when disclosure of fees paid to consulting firm are required; voted against when fees are not disclosed or represent more than 10% of annual revenues.

4) Incentive Compensation for Management long-term, share-based incentive plans (under certain conditions) are given preference to the detriment of stock option-based plans.

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 98 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

5) Incentive Compensation for Non-Management Employees – share purchase plans are voted in favor if said plans meet same criteria as ones offered to management.

6) Severance Packages – voted against if they represent over twice their annual salary and bonus or if valid for more than two years.

7) Lending Programs – voted in favor if used to purchase stocks as part of a compensation policy.

Transparency

Should data sought be unavailable to shareholders, it must be produced at reasonable cost, within a realistic amount of time, and be of a clear and concise so that the shareholders may evaluate material risks at first glance.

· Hexavest will vote for proposals that require:
· The disclosure of risks, performances, and ESG risk management strategies, in accordance with recognized standards or guidelines.
· The production of risk/opportunity reports linked to projects, facilities, practices or products/services, insofar as said risks/benefits seem significant.
· An independent third-party audit of ESG data produced by a company.
· The disclosure of data related to a company’s involvement in public debate, including its contributions to political parties or lobbies.

Social Responsibility

Generally, Hexavest will vote for resolutions proposing measures to increase a company’s ability to meet its social responsibility requirements, as detailed in the Guideline principles. Inversely, Hexavest will vote against proposals that may impede initiatives put forth by a company to improve its social responsibility.

· Hexavest will vote for proposals which raise and/or uphold the following issues:
· Compliance to National and International Law
· Adoption of Best Practice Standards (e.g. Animal, Human, and Workers’ Rights, Access to Medical Care, etc.)
· Sustainable Development Strategy
· Dialogue with Internal and External Stakeholders

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest Funds 99 SAI dated December 1, 2019

 

STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
December 1, 2019

 






 

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund

Institutional Class Shares - ESATX

Two International Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
1-800-260-0761

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about the Fund. The Fund is a diversified, open-end management investment company. The Fund is a series of Eaton Vance Growth Trust. Capitalized terms used in this SAI and not otherwise defined have the meanings given to them in the Prospectus.

This SAI contains additional information about:

  Page     Page
Strategies and Risks 2   Purchasing and Redeeming Shares 19
Investment Restrictions 4   Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings and Related Information 20
Management and Organization 5   Taxes 21
Investment Advisory and Administrative Services 15   Portfolio Securities Transactions 30
Other Service Providers 18   Financial Statements 32
Calculation of Net Asset Value 18   Additional Information About Investment Strategies and Risks 32

 

Appendix A: Institutional Class Ownership 65   Appendix C: Eaton Vance Funds Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures 75
Appendix B: Ratings 66   Appendix D: Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures 77

This SAI is NOT a prospectus and is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only if preceded or accompanied by the Fund Prospectus dated December 1, 2019, as supplemented from time to time, which is incorporated herein by reference. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-800-260-0761.

© 2019 Eaton Vance Management

 

 
 

 

Definitions

The following terms that may be used in this SAI have the meaning set forth below:

“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

“Board” means Board of Trustees or Board of Directors, as applicable;

“CEA” means Commodity Exchange Act;

“CFTC” means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

“Eaton Vance family of funds” means all registered investment companies advised or administered by Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”) or Boston Management and Research (“BMR”);

“Eaton Vance funds” means the mutual funds advised by Eaton Vance or BMR;

“Exchange” means the New York Stock Exchange;

“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.;

“Fund” means the Fund or Funds listed on the cover of this SAI unless stated otherwise;

“investment adviser” means the investment adviser identified in the prospectus and, with respect to the implementation of the Fund’s investment strategies (including as described under “Taxes”) and portfolio securities transactions, any sub-adviser identified in the prospectus to the extent that the sub-adviser has discretion to perform the particular duties;

“IRS” means the Internal Revenue Service;

“Portfolio” means a registered investment company (other than the Fund) sponsored by the Eaton Vance organization in which one or more Funds and other investors may invest substantially all or any portion of their assets as described in the prospectus, if applicable;

“Subsidiary” means a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund as described in the prospectus;

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and

“Trust” means Eaton Vance Growth Trust, of which the Fund is a series.

STRATEGIES AND RISKS

The Fund prospectus identifies the types of investments in which the Fund will principally invest in seeking its investment objective(s) and the principal risks associated therewith. The categories checked in the table below are all of the investments the Fund is permitted to make, including its principal investments and the investment practices the Fund (either directly or through one or more Portfolios as may be described in the prospectus) is permitted to engage in. To the extent that an investment type or practice listed below is not identified in the Fund prospectus as a principal investment strategy, the Fund generally expects to invest less than 5% of its total assets in such investment type. If a particular investment type or practice that is checked and listed below but not referred to in the prospectus becomes a more significant part of the Fund’s strategy, the prospectus may be amended to disclose that investment type or practice. Information about the various investment types and practices and the associated risks checked below is included in alphabetical order in this SAI under “Additional Information about Investment Strategies and Risks.”

 

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 2 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

  

Investment Type Permitted for or Relevant to the Fund
Asset-Backed Securities (“ABS”)  
Auction Rate Securities  
Build America Bonds  
Call and Put Features on Securities  
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”)    
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (“CMBS”)  
Commodity-Related Investments
Common Stocks
Contingent Convertible Securities  
Convertible Securities  
Credit Linked Securities
Derivative Instruments and Related Risks
Derivative-Linked and Commodity-Linked Hybrid Instruments
Direct Investments
Emerging Market Investments  
Equity Investments
Equity-Linked Securities
Event-Linked Instruments  
Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”)
Exchange-Traded Notes (“ETNs”)
Fixed-Income Securities
Foreign Currency Transactions
Foreign Investments
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts
Forward Rate Agreements
Futures Contracts
Hybrid Securities  
Illiquid Investments
Indexed Securities
Inflation-Indexed (or Inflation-Linked) Bonds
Junior Loans  
Liquidity or Protective Put Agreements  
Loans  
Lower Rated Investments
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)  
Money Market Instruments
Mortgage-Backed Securities (“MBS”)  
Mortgage Dollar Rolls  
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 3 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

  

Investment Type Permitted for or Relevant to the Fund
Municipal Lease Obligations (“MLOs”)  
Municipal Obligations  
Option Contracts
Pooled Investment Vehicles
Preferred Stock
Real Estate Investments
Repurchase Agreements
Residual Interest Bonds  
Restricted Securities
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Rights and Warrants  
Royalty Bonds  
Senior Loans  
Short Sales
Stripped Securities
Structured Notes
Swap Agreements
Swaptions
Trust Certificates  
U.S. Government Securities
Unlisted Securities  
Variable Rate Instruments
When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitments
Zero Coupon Bonds, Deep Discount Bonds and Payment In-Kind (“PIK”) Securities  

 

Other Disclosures Regarding Investment Practices Permitted for or Relevant to the Fund
Asset Coverage
Average Effective Maturity  
Borrowing for Investment Purposes  
Borrowing for Temporary Purposes
Cybersecurity Risk
Diversified Status
Dividend Capture Trading  
Duration
Investing in a Portfolio  
Investments in the Subsidiary
LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 4 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

  

Other Disclosures Regarding Investment Practices Permitted for or Relevant to the Fund
Operational Risk
Option Strategy  
Participation in the ReFlow Liquidity Program
Portfolio Turnover
Securities Lending
Short-Term Trading
Significant Exposure to Health Sciences Companies  
Significant Exposure to Smaller Companies  
Significant Exposure to Utilities and Financial Services Sectors  
Tax-Managed Investing  

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The following investment restrictions of the Fund are designated as fundamental policies and as such cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, which as used in this SAI means the lesser of: (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented at the meeting; or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Accordingly, the Fund may not:

(1) Borrow money or issue senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act;
(2) Purchase securities on margin (but the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities). The deposit or payment by the Fund of initial or maintenance margin in connection with futures contracts or related options transactions is not considered the purchase of a security on margin;
(3) Underwrite or participate in the marketing of securities of others, except insofar as it may technically be deemed to be an underwriter in selling a portfolio security under circumstances which may require the registration of the same under the 1933 Act;
(4) Purchase or sell real estate (including limited partnership interests in real estate but excluding readily marketable interests in real estate investment trusts or readily marketable securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate or securities which are secured by real estate);
(5) Make loans to any person except by (a) the acquisition of debt instruments and making portfolio investments, (b) entering into repurchase agreements and (c) lending portfolio securities;
(6) Concentrate its investments in any particular industry, but, if deemed appropriate for the Fund’s objective, up to (but less than) 25% of the value of its assets may be invested in securities of companies in any one industry (although more than 25% may be invested in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities).

In addition, the Fund may:

(7) Purchase and sell commodities and commodities contracts of all types and kinds (including without limitation futures contracts, options on futures contracts and other commodities-related investments) to the extent permitted by law.

For purposes of the Fund’s investment restrictions and diversification status, the determination of the “issuer” of any obligation will be made by the Fund’s investment adviser or sub-adviser on the basis of the characteristics of the obligation and other relevant factors, the most significant of which is the source of funds committed to meeting interest and principal payments of such obligations.

The Fund’s borrowing policy is consistent with Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act, which states that it shall be unlawful for any registered open-end company to issue any class of senior security or to sell any senior security of which it is the issuer, except that any such registered company shall be permitted to borrow from any bank; provided, that immediately after any such borrowing there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings of such registered company; and provided further, that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% such registered company shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays) or such longer period as the SEC may prescribe by rules and regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. Reverse repurchase agreements are included in borrowings for purposes of complying with the foregoing.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 5 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Notwithstanding its investment policies and restrictions, the Fund may, in compliance with the requirements of the 1940 Act, invest: (i) all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objective(s), policies and restrictions as the Fund; or (ii) in more than one open-end management investment company sponsored by Eaton Vance or its affiliates, provided any such company has investment objective(s), policies and restrictions that are consistent with those of the Fund.

In addition, to the extent a registered open-end investment company acquires securities of a fund in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) under the 1940 Act, such acquired fund shall not acquire any securities of a registered open-end investment company in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) under the 1940 Act.

The following nonfundamental investment policy has been adopted by the Fund. A nonfundamental investment policy may be changed by the Board with respect to the Fund without approval by the Fund’s shareholders. The Fund will not make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, unless at all times when a short position is open (i) it owns an equal amount of such securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable, without payment of any further consideration, for securities of the same issue as, and equal in amount to, the securities sold short or (ii) it holds in a segregated account cash or other liquid securities (to the extent required under the 1940 Act) in an amount equal to the current market value of the securities sold short.

Whenever an investment policy or investment restriction set forth in the Prospectus or this SAI states a requirement with respect to the percentage of assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or describes a policy regarding quality standards, such percentage limitation or standard shall be determined immediately after and as a result of the acquisition by the Fund of such security or asset. Accordingly, unless otherwise noted, any later increase or decrease resulting from a change in values, assets or other circumstances or any subsequent rating change made by a rating service (or as determined by the investment adviser if the security is not rated by a rating agency), will not compel the Fund to dispose of such security or other asset. However, the Fund must always be in compliance with the borrowing policy set forth above.

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION

Fund Management. The Trustees of the Trust are responsible for the overall management and supervision of the affairs of the Trust. The Board members and officers of the Trust are listed below. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the last five years. Board members hold indefinite terms of office. Each Trustee holds office until his or her successor is elected and qualified, subject to a prior death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. Under the terms of the Fund’s current Trustee retirement policy, an Independent Trustee must retire and resign as a Trustee on the earlier of: (i) the first day of July following his or her 74th birthday; or (ii), with limited exception, December 31st of the 20th year in which he or she has served as a Trustee. However, if such retirement and resignation would cause the Fund to be out of compliance with Section 16 of the 1940 Act or any other regulations or guidance of the SEC, then such retirement and resignation will not become effective until such time as action has been taken for the Fund to be in compliance with Section 16 of the 1940 Act. The “noninterested Trustees” consist of those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as that term is defined under the 1940 Act. The business address of each Board member and officer is Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. As used in this SAI, “BMR” refers to Boston Management and Research, “EVC” refers to Eaton Vance Corp., “EV” refers to Eaton Vance, Inc., “Eaton Vance” refers to Eaton Vance Management and “EVD” refers to Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. (see “Principal Underwriter” under “Other Service Providers”). EVC and EV are the corporate parent and trustee, respectively, of Eaton Vance and BMR. Each officer affiliated with Eaton Vance may hold a position with other Eaton Vance affiliates that is comparable to his or her position with Eaton Vance listed below.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 6 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
and Other Relevant Experience
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee(1)
  Other Directorships Held
During Last Five Years
Interested Trustee                    
THOMAS E. FAUST JR.
1958
  Trustee   Since 2007   Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of EVC, Director and President of EV, Chief Executive Officer and President of Eaton Vance and BMR, and Director of EVD.  Trustee and/or officer of 159 registered investment companies. Mr. Faust is an interested person because of his positions with BMR, Eaton Vance, EVC, EVD and EV, which are affiliates of the Trust.   159   Director of EVC and Hexavest Inc. (investment management firm).
Noninterested Trustees                    
MARK R. FETTING
1954
  Trustee   Since 2016   Private investor.  Formerly held various positions at Legg Mason, Inc. (investment management firm) (2000-2012), including President, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Chairman (2008-2012), Senior Executive Vice President (2004-2008) and Executive Vice President (2001-2004).  Formerly, President of Legg Mason family of funds (2001-2008).  Formerly, Division President and Senior Officer of Prudential Financial Group, Inc. and related companies (investment management firm) (1991-2000).   159   None
CYNTHIA E. FROST
1961
  Trustee   Since 2014   Private investor.  Formerly, Chief Investment Officer of Brown University (university endowment) (2000-2012). Formerly, Portfolio Strategist for Duke Management Company (university endowment manager) (1995-2000). Formerly, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates (investment consulting company) (1989-1995).  Formerly, Consultant, Bain and Company (management consulting firm) (1987-1989).  Formerly, Senior Equity Analyst, BA Investment Management Company (1983-1985).   159   None
GEORGE J. GORMAN
1952
  Trustee   Since 2014   Principal at George J. Gorman LLC (consulting firm). Formerly, Senior Partner at Ernst & Young LLP (a registered public accounting firm) (1974-2009).   159   Formerly, Trustee of the BofA Funds Series Trust (11 funds) (2011-2014) and of the Ashmore Funds (9 funds) (2010-2014).
VALERIE A. MOSLEY
1960
  Trustee   Since 2014   Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of Valmo Ventures (a consulting and investment firm).  Former Partner and Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist at Wellington Management Company, LLP (investment management firm) (1992-2012).  Former Chief Investment Officer, PG Corbin Asset Management (1990-1992).  Formerly worked in institutional corporate bond sales at Kidder Peabody (1986-1990).   159   Director of Envestnet, Inc. (provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness) (since 2018).  Director of Dynex Capital, Inc. (mortgage REIT) (since 2013).
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 7 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
and Other Relevant Experience
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee(1)
  Other Directorships Held
During Last Five Years
WILLIAM H. PARK
1947
  Chairperson of the Board and Trustee   Chairperson of the Board since 2016 and Trustee since 2003   Private investor. Formerly, Consultant (management and transactional) (2012-2014). Formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Aveon Group, L.P. (investment management firm) (2010-2011). Formerly, Vice Chairman, Commercial Industrial Finance Corp. (specialty finance company) (2006-2010). Formerly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Prizm Capital Management, LLC (investment management firm) (2002-2005). Formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, United Asset Management Corporation (investment management firm) (1982-2001). Formerly, Senior Manager, Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) (a registered public accounting firm) (1972-1981).   159   None
HELEN FRAME PETERS
1948
  Trustee   Since 2008   Professor of Finance, Carroll School of Management, Boston College. Formerly, Dean, Carroll School of Management, Boston College (2000-2002). Formerly, Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income, Scudder Kemper Investments (investment management firm) (1998-1999).  Formerly, Chief Investment Officer, Equity and Fixed Income, Colonial Management Associates (investment management firm) (1991-1998).   159   None
KEITH QUINTON
1958
  Trustee   Since 2018   Independent Investment Committee Member at New Hampshire Retirement System (since 2017). Advisory Committee member at Northfield Information Services, Inc. (risk management analytics provider) (since 2016). Formerly, Portfolio Manager and Senior Quantitative Analyst at Fidelity Investments (investment management firm) (2001-2014).   159   Director of New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank (since 2016).
MARCUS L. SMITH
1966
  Trustee   Since 2018   Member of Posse Boston Advisory Board (foundation) (since 2015). Trustee at University of Mount Union (since 2008). Formerly, Portfolio Manager at MFS Investment Management (investment management firm) (1994-2017).   159   Director of MSCI Inc. (global provider of investment decision support tools) (since 2017). Formerly, Director of DCT Industrial Trust Inc. (logistics real estate company) (2017-2018).
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 8 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
and Other Relevant Experience
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee(1)
  Other Directorships Held
During Last Five Years
SUSAN J. SUTHERLAND
1957
  Trustee   Since 2015   Private investor. Formerly, Associate, Counsel and Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (law firm) (1982-2013).   159   Formerly, Director of Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. (global provider of customized insurance and reinsurance products) (2013-2015).
SCOTT E. WENNERHOLM
1959
  Trustee   Since 2016   Formerly, Trustee at Wheelock College (postsecondary institution) (2012-2018). Formerly, Consultant at GF Parish Group (executive recruiting firm) (2016-2017). Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at BNY Mellon Asset Management (investment management firm) (2005-2011).  Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Natixis Global Asset Management (investment management firm) (1997-2004).  Formerly, Vice President at Fidelity Investments Institutional Services (investment management firm) (1994-1997).   159   None
(1) Includes both master and feeder funds in a master-feeder structure.
Principal Officers who are not Trustees
Name and Year of Birth   Trust Position(s)   Length of Service   Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
PAYSON F. SWAFFIELD
1956
  President   Since 2013   Vice President and Chief Income Investment Officer of Eaton Vance and BMR.  Officer of 136 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Also Vice President of Calvert Research and Management (“CRM”) since 2016.
MAUREEN A. GEMMA
1960
  Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer   Vice President since 2011, Secretary since 2007 and Chief Legal Officer since 2008   Vice President of Eaton Vance and BMR.  Officer of 159 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Also Vice President of CRM and officer of 38 registered investment companies advised or administered by CRM since 2016.
JAMES F. KIRCHNER
1967
  Treasurer   Since 2013   Vice President of Eaton Vance and BMR.  Officer of 159 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Also Vice President of CRM and officer of 38 registered investment companies advised or administered by CRM since 2016.
RICHARD F. FROIO
1968
  Chief Compliance Officer   Since 2017   Vice President of Eaton Vance and BMR since 2017.  Officer of 159 registered investment companies managed by Eaton Vance or BMR.  Formerly, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer (Adviser/Funds) and Chief Compliance Officer (Distribution) at PIMCO (2012-2017) and Managing Director at BlackRock/Barclays Global Investors (2009-2012).

The Board has general oversight responsibility with respect to the business and affairs of the Trust and the Fund. The Board has engaged an investment adviser and (if applicable) a sub-adviser(s) (collectively the “adviser”) to manage the Fund and an administrator to administer the Fund and is responsible for overseeing such adviser and administrator and other service providers to the Trust and the Fund. The Board is currently composed of eleven Trustees, including ten Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (each a “noninterested Trustee”). In addition to six regularly scheduled meetings per year, the Board holds special meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may require action prior to the next regular meeting. As discussed below, the Board has established five committees to assist the Board in performing its oversight responsibilities.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 9 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

The Board has appointed a noninterested Trustee to serve in the role of Chairperson. The Chairperson’s primary role is to participate in the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Board and the identification of information to be presented to the Board with respect to matters to be acted upon by the Board. The Chairperson also presides at all meetings of the Board and acts as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Board members generally between meetings. The Chairperson may perform such other functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time. In addition, the Board may appoint a noninterested Trustee to serve in the role of Vice-Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson has the power and authority to perform any or all of the duties and responsibilities of the Chairperson in the absence of the Chairperson and/or as requested by the Chairperson. Except for any duties specified herein or pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or By-laws, the designation of Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson does not impose on such noninterested Trustee any duties, obligations or liability that is greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on such person as a member of the Board, generally.

The Fund and the Trust are subject to a number of risks, including, among others, investment, compliance, operational, and valuation risks. Risk oversight is part of the Board’s general oversight of the Fund and the Trust and is addressed as part of various activities of the Board and its Committees. As part of its oversight of the Fund and the Trust, the Board directly, or through a Committee, relies on and reviews reports from, among others, Fund management, the adviser, the administrator, the principal underwriter, the Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”), and other Fund service providers responsible for day-to-day oversight of Fund investments, operations and compliance to assist the Board in identifying and understanding the nature and extent of risks and determining whether, and to what extent, such risks can or should be mitigated. The Board also interacts with the CCO and with senior personnel of the adviser, administrator, principal underwriter and other Fund service providers and provides input on risk management issues during meetings of the Board and its Committees. Each of the adviser, administrator, principal underwriter and the other Fund service providers has its own, independent interest and responsibilities in risk management, and its policies and methods for carrying out risk management functions will depend, in part, on its individual priorities, resources and controls. It is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals.

The Board, with the assistance of management and with input from the Board's various committees, reviews investment policies and risks in connection with its review of Fund performance. The Board has appointed a Fund CCO who oversees the implementation and testing of the Fund compliance program and reports to the Board regarding compliance matters for the Fund and its principal service providers. In addition, as part of the Board’s periodic review of the advisory, subadvisory (if applicable), distribution and other service provider agreements, the Board may consider risk management aspects of their operations and the functions for which they are responsible. With respect to valuation, the Board approves and periodically reviews valuation policies and procedures applicable to valuing the Fund’s shares. The administrator, the investment adviser and the sub-adviser (if applicable) are responsible for the implementation and day-to-day administration of these valuation policies and procedures and provides reports to the Audit Committee of the Board and the Board regarding these and related matters. In addition, the Audit Committee of the Board or the Board receives reports periodically from the independent public accounting firm for the Fund regarding tests performed by such firm on the valuation of all securities, as well as with respect to other risks associated with mutual funds. Reports received from service providers, legal counsel and the independent public accounting firm assist the Board in performing its oversight function.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust does not set forth any specific qualifications to serve as a Trustee. The Charter of the Governance Committee also does not set forth any specific qualifications, but does set forth certain factors that the Committee may take into account in considering noninterested Trustee candidates. In general, no one factor is decisive in the selection of an individual to join the Board. Among the factors the Board considers when concluding that an individual should serve on the Board are the following: (i) knowledge in matters relating to the mutual fund industry; (ii) experience as a director or senior officer of public companies; (iii) educational background; (iv) reputation for high ethical standards and professional integrity; (v) specific financial, technical or other expertise, and the extent to which such expertise would complement the Board members’ existing mix of skills, core competencies and qualifications; (vi) perceived ability to contribute to the ongoing functions of the Board, including the ability and commitment to attend meetings regularly and work collaboratively with other members of the Board; (vii) the ability to qualify as a noninterested Trustee for purposes of the 1940 Act and any other actual or potential conflicts of interest involving the individual and the Fund; and (viii) such other factors as the Board determines to be relevant in light of the existing composition of the Board.

Among the attributes or skills common to all Board members are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the other members of the Board, management, sub-advisers, other service providers, counsel and independent registered public accounting firms, and to exercise effective and independent business judgment in the performance of their duties as members of the Board. Each Board member’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively has been attained through the Board member’s business, consulting, public service and/or academic positions and through experience from service as a member of the Boards of the Eaton Vance family of funds (“Eaton Vance Fund Boards”) (and/or in other capacities, including for any predecessor funds), public companies, or non-profit entities or other organizations as set forth below. Each Board member’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively also has been enhanced by his or her educational background, professional training, and/or other life experiences.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 10 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

In respect of each current member of the Board, the individual’s substantial professional accomplishments and experience, including in fields related to the operations of registered investment companies, were a significant factor in the determination that the individual should serve as a member of the Board. The following is a summary of each Board member’s particular professional experience and additional considerations that contributed to the Board’s conclusion that he or she should serve as a member of the Board:

Thomas E. Faust Jr. Mr. Faust has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2007. He is currently Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of EVC, Director and President of EV, Chief Executive Officer and President of Eaton Vance and BMR, and Director of EVD. Mr. Faust has served as a Director of Hexavest Inc. since 2012 and of SigFig Wealth Management LLC since 2016. Mr. Faust previously served as an equity analyst, portfolio manager, Director of Equity Research and Management and Chief Investment Officer of Eaton Vance from 1985-2007. He holds B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Faust has been a Chartered Financial Analyst since 1988.

Mark R. Fetting. Mr. Fetting has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2016. He has over 30 years of experience in the investment management industry as an executive and in various leadership roles. From 2000 through 2012, Mr. Fetting served in several capacities at Legg Mason, Inc., including most recently serving as President, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Chairman from 2008 to his retirement in 2012. He also served as a Director/Trustee and Chairman of the Legg Mason family of funds from 2008-2012 and Director/Trustee of the Royce family of funds from 2001-2012. From 2001 through 2008, Mr. Fetting also served as President of the Legg Mason family of funds. From 1991 through 2000, Mr. Fetting served as Division President and Senior Officer of Prudential Financial Group, Inc. and related companies. Early in his professional career, Mr. Fetting was a Vice President at T. Rowe Price and served in leadership roles within the firm’s mutual fund division from 1981-1987.

Cynthia E. Frost. Ms. Frost has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2014 and is the Chairperson of the Portfolio Management Committee. From 2000 through 2012, Ms. Frost was the Chief Investment Officer of Brown University, where she oversaw the evaluation, selection and monitoring of the third party investment managers who managed the university’s endowment. From 1995 through 2000, Ms. Frost was a Portfolio Strategist for Duke Management Company, which oversaw Duke University’s endowment. Ms. Frost also served in various investment and consulting roles at Cambridge Associates from 1989-1995, Bain and Company from 1987-1989 and BA Investment Management Company from 1983-1985. She serves as a member of the investment committee of The MCNC Endowment.

George J. Gorman. Mr. Gorman has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2014 and is the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. From 1974 through 2009, Mr. Gorman served in various capacities at Ernst & Young LLP, including as a Senior Partner in the Asset Management Group (from 1988) specializing in managing engagement teams responsible for auditing mutual funds registered with the SEC, hedge funds and private equity funds. Mr. Gorman also has experience serving as an independent trustee of other mutual fund complexes, including the Bank of America Money Market Funds Series Trust from 2011-2014 and the Ashmore Funds from 2010-2014.

Valerie A. Mosley. Ms. Mosley has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2014 and is the Chairperson of the Governance Committee. She currently owns and manages a consulting and investment firm, Valmo Ventures and is a Director of Progress Investment Management Company, a manager of emerging managers. From 1992 through 2012, Ms. Mosley served in several capacities at Wellington Management Company, LLP, an investment management firm, including as a Partner, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist. Ms. Mosley also served as Chief Investment Officer at PG Corbin Asset Management from 1990-1992 and worked in institutional corporate bond sales at Kidder Peabody from 1986-1990. Ms. Mosley is a Director of Dynex Capital, Inc., a mortgage REIT, where she serves on the board’s Investment Committee, Compensation Committee and chairs the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. She is a Director of Envestnet, Inc., a provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness. She also serves as a trustee or board member of several major non-profit organizations and endowments, including New Profit, a non-profit venture philanthropy fund. She is a member of the Risk Audit Committee of the United Auto Workers Retiree Medical Benefits Trust and a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of New York State Common Retirement Fund. She is also an advisor to New Technology Ventures, a venture capital firm.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 11 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

William H. Park. Mr. Park has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2003 and is the Independent Chairperson of the Board. Mr. Park was formerly a consultant from 2012-2014 and formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Aveon Group, L.P. from 2010-2011. Mr. Park also served as Vice Chairman of Commercial Industrial Finance Corp. from 2006-2010, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Prizm Capital Management, LLC from 2002-2005, as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of United Asset Management Corporation from 1982-2001 and as Senior Manager of Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) from 1972-1981.

Helen Frame Peters. Dr. Peters has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2008. Dr. Peters is currently a Professor of Finance at Carroll School of Management, Boston College and was formerly Dean of Carroll School of Management from 2000-2002. Dr. Peters was previously a Director of BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. from 2004-2011. In addition, Dr. Peters was the Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income at Scudder Kemper Investments from 1998-1999 and Chief Investment Officer, Equity and Fixed Income at Colonial Management Associates from 1991-1998. Dr. Peters also served as a Trustee of SPDR Index Shares Funds and SPDR Series Trust from 2000-2009 and as a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston from 2007-2009.

Keith Quinton. Mr. Quinton has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since October 1, 2018. He had over thirty years of experience in the investment industry before retiring from Fidelity Investments in 2014. Prior to joining Fidelity, Mr. Quinton was a vice president and quantitative analyst at MFS Investment Management from 2000-2001. From 1997 through 2000, he was a senior quantitative analyst at Santander Global Advisors and, from 1995 through 1997, Mr. Quinton was senior vice president in the quantitative equity research department at Putnam Investments. Prior to joining Putnam Investments, Mr. Quinton served in various investment roles at Eberstadt Fleming, Falconwood Securities Corporation and Drexel Burnham Lambert, where he began his career in the investment industry as a senior quantitative analyst in 1983. Mr. Quinton currently serves as an Independent Investment Committee Member of the New Hampshire Retirement System, a five member committee that manages investments based on the investment policy and asset allocation approved by the board of trustees, and as a Director of the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank.

Marcus L. Smith. Mr. Smith has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since October 1, 2018. Since 2017, Mr. Smith has been a Director of MSCI Inc., a leading provider of investment decision support tools worldwide, where he serves on the Audit Committee. From 2017 through 2018, he served as a Director of DCT Industrial Trust Inc., a leading logistics real estate company, where he served as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance and Audit Committees. From 1994 through 2017, Mr. Smith served in several capacities at MFS Investment Management, an investment management firm, where he managed the MFS Institutional International Fund for 17 years and the MFS Concentrated International Fund for 10 years. In addition to his portfolio management duties, Mr. Smith served as Director of Equity, Canada from 2012-2017, Director of Equity, Asia from 2010-2012, and Director of Asian Equity Research from 2005-2010. Prior to joining MFS, Mr. Smith was a senior consultant at Andersen Consulting (now known as Accenture) from 1988-1992. Mr. Smith served as a United States Army Reserve Officer from 1987-1992. He has also been a trustee of the University of Mount Union since 2008 and has served as the chairman of the finance committee since 2015. Mr. Smith currently sits on the Boston advisory board of the Posse Foundation and the Harvard Medical School Advisory Council on Education.

Susan J. Sutherland. Ms. Sutherland has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2015 and is the Chairperson of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee. She is also a Director of Ascot Group Limited and certain of its subsidiaries. Ascot Group Limited, through its related businesses including Syndicate 1414 at Lloyd’s of London, is a leading global underwriter of specialty property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Ms. Sutherland was a Director of Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd., a global provider of customized reinsurance and insurance products, from 2013 until its sale in 2015 and of Hagerty Holding Corp., a leading provider of specialized automobile and marine insurance from 2015-2018. From 1982 through 2013, Ms. Sutherland was an associate, counsel and then a partner in the Financial Institutions Group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she primarily represented U.S. and international insurance and reinsurance companies, investment banks and private equity firms in insurance-related corporate transactions. In addition, Ms. Sutherland is qualified as a Governance Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors and has also served as a board member of prominent non-profit organizations.

Scott E. Wennerholm. Mr. Wennerholm has served as a member of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards since 2016 and is the Chairperson of the Contract Review Committee. He has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry in various leadership and executive roles. Mr. Wennerholm served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at BNY Mellon Asset Management from 2005-2011. He also served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Natixis Global Asset Management from 1997-2004 and was a Vice President at Fidelity Investments Institutional Services from 1994-1997. In addition, Mr. Wennerholm served as a Trustee at Wheelock College, a postsecondary institution from 2012-2018.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 12 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

The Board(s) of the Trust has several standing Committees, including the Governance Committee, the Audit Committee, the Portfolio Management Committee, the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee and the Contract Review Committee. Each of the Committees are comprised of only noninterested Trustees.

Mmes. Mosley (Chairperson), Frost, Peters and Sutherland, and Messrs. Fetting, Gorman, Park, Quinton, Smith and Wennerholm are members of the Governance Committee. The purpose of the Governance Committee is to consider, evaluate and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the structure, membership and operation of the Board and the Committees thereof, including the nomination and selection of noninterested Trustees and a Chairperson of the Board and the compensation of such persons. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Governance Committee convened six times.

The Governance Committee will, when a vacancy exists, consider a nominee for Trustee recommended by a shareholder, provided that such recommendation is submitted in writing to the Trust’s Secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust. Such recommendations must be accompanied by biographical and occupational data on the candidate (including whether the candidate would be an “interested person” of the Trust), a written consent by the candidate to be named as a nominee and to serve as Trustee if elected, record and ownership information for the recommending shareholder with respect to the Trust, and a description of any arrangements or understandings regarding recommendation of the candidate for consideration.

Messrs. Gorman (Chairperson), Park and Wennerholm and Ms. Peters are members of the Audit Committee. The Board has designated Messrs. Gorman and Park, each a noninterested Trustee, as audit committee financial experts. The Audit Committee’s purposes are to (i) oversee the Fund's accounting and financial reporting processes, its internal control over financial reporting, and, as appropriate, the internal control over financial reporting of certain service providers; (ii) oversee or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of the quality and integrity of the Fund's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) oversee, or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of, the Fund's compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Fund's accounting and financial reporting, internal control over financial reporting and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment the engagement and, when appropriate, replacement of the independent registered public accounting firm, and, if applicable, nominate the independent registered public accounting firm to be proposed for shareholder ratification in any proxy statement of the Fund; (v) evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm and the audit partner in charge of leading the audit; and (vi) prepare, as necessary, audit committee reports consistent with the requirements of applicable SEC and stock exchange rules for inclusion in the proxy statement of the Fund. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Audit Committee convened twelve times.

Messrs. Wennerholm (Chairperson), Fetting, Gorman, Park, Quinton and Smith, and Mmes. Frost, Mosley, Peters and Sutherland are members of the Contract Review Committee. The purposes of the Contract Review Committee are to consider, evaluate and make recommendations to the Board concerning the following matters: (i) contractual arrangements with each service provider to the Fund, including advisory, sub-advisory, transfer agency, custodial and fund accounting, distribution services and administrative services; (ii) any and all other matters in which any service provider (including Eaton Vance or any affiliated entity thereof) has an actual or potential conflict of interest with the interests of the Fund or investors therein; and (iii) any other matter appropriate for review by the noninterested Trustees, unless the matter is within the responsibilities of the other Committees of the Board. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Contract Review Committee convened six times.

Mmes. Frost (Chairperson), Mosley and Peters and Messrs. Smith and Wennerholm are members of the Portfolio Management Committee. The purposes of the Portfolio Management Committee are to: (i) assist the Board in its oversight of the portfolio management process employed by the Fund and its investment adviser and sub-adviser(s), if applicable, relative to the Fund’s stated objective(s), strategies and restrictions; (ii) assist the Board in its oversight of the trading policies and procedures and risk management techniques applicable to the Fund; and (iii) assist the Board in its monitoring of the performance results of all funds and portfolios, giving special attention to the performance of certain funds and portfolios that it or the Board identifies from time to time. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Portfolio Management Committee convened nine times.

Ms. Sutherland (Chairperson) and Messrs. Fetting, Gorman and Quinton are members of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee. The purposes of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee are to: (i) assist the Board in its oversight role with respect to compliance issues and certain other regulatory matters affecting the Fund; (ii) serve as a liaison between the Board and the Fund’s CCO; and (iii) serve as a “qualified legal compliance committee” within the rules promulgated by the SEC. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee convened ten times.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 13 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Share Ownership. The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Fund and in the Eaton Vance family of funds overseen by the Trustee as of December 31, 2018.

Name of Trustee Dollar Range of Equity Securities
Beneficially Owned in the Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity
Securities Beneficially Owned in
Funds Overseen by Trustee in the
Eaton Vance Family of Funds
Interested Trustee    
Thomas E. Faust Jr. None Over $100,000
Noninterested Trustees    
Mark R. Fetting None Over $100,000
Cynthia E. Frost None Over $100,000
George J. Gorman None Over $100,000
Valerie A. Mosley None Over $100,000
William H. Park None Over $100,000
Helen Frame Peters None Over $100,000
Keith Quinton(1) None Over $100,000
Marcus L. Smith(1) None Over $100,000
Susan J. Sutherland None Over $100,000(2)
     
Scott E. Wennerholm None Over $100,000(2)
(1) Messrs. Quinton and Smith began serving as Trustees effective October 1, 2018.
(2) Includes shares which may be deemed to be beneficially owned through the Trustee Deferred Compensation Plan.

As of December 31, 2018, no noninterested Trustee or any of their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any class of securities of EVC, EVD, any sub-adviser, if applicable, or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with EVC or EVD or any sub-adviser, if applicable, collectively (“Affiliated Entity”).

During the calendar years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018, no noninterested Trustee (or their immediate family members) had:

(1) Any direct or indirect interest in any Affiliated Entity;
(2) Any direct or indirect material interest in any transaction or series of similar transactions with (i) the Trust or any fund; (ii) another fund managed or distributed by any Affiliated Entity; (iii) any Affiliated Entity; or (iv) an officer of any of the above; or
(3) Any direct or indirect relationship with (i) the Trust or any fund; (ii) another fund managed or distributed by any Affiliated Entity; (iii) any Affiliated Entity; or (iv) an officer of any of the above.

During the calendar years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018, no officer of any Affiliated Entity served on the Board of Directors of a company where a noninterested Trustee of the Trust or any of their immediate family members served as an officer.

Noninterested Trustees may elect to defer receipt of all or a percentage of their annual fees in accordance with the terms of a Trustees Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”). Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, an eligible Board member may elect to have all or a portion of his or her deferred fees invested in the shares of one or more funds in the Eaton Vance family of funds, and the amount paid to the Board members under the Deferred Compensation Plan will be determined based upon the performance of such investments. Deferral of Board members’ fees in accordance with the Deferred Compensation Plan will have a negligible effect on the assets, liabilities, and net income of a participating fund or portfolio, and do not require that a participating Board member be retained. There is no retirement plan for Board members.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 14 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

The fees and expenses of the Trustees of the Trust are paid by the Fund (and other series of the Trust). A Board member who is a member of the Eaton Vance organization receives no compensation from the Trust. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Trustees of the Trust earned the following compensation in their capacities as Board members from the Trust. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Board members earned the following compensation in their capacities as members of the Eaton Vance Fund Boards(1):

Source of Compensation Mark R.
Fetting
Cynthia E.
Frost
George J.
Gorman
Valerie A.
Mosley
William H.
Park
Helen Frame
Peters
Keith
Quinton
Marcus L.
Smith
Susan J. Sutherland   Scott E.
Wennerholm
Trust(2) $22,297 $24,552 $25,055 $25,394 $30,647 $22,297 $22,297 $22,297 $24,552   $25,055
Trust and Fund Complex(1) $327,500 $350,000 $357,500 $346,875(3) $452,500 $335,000 $327,500 $327,500 $357,500(4)   $357,500(5)
(1) As of December 1, 2019, the Eaton Vance fund complex consists of 159 registered investment companies or series thereof. Messrs. Quinton and Smith began serving as Trustees effective October 1, 2018, and thus the compensation figure listed for the Trust and Fund Complex is estimated based on the amount each would have received if they had been Trustees for the full calendar year ended December 31, 2018. Harriett Tee Taggart retired as a Trustee effective December 31, 2018. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Ms. Taggart received $5,445 from the Trust. For the calendar year ended December 31, 2018, she received $338,125 from the Trust and Fund Complex.
(2) The Trust consisted of 14 Funds as of July 31, 2019.
(3) Includes $24,000 of deferred compensation.
(4) Includes $352,119 of deferred compensation.
(5) Includes $100,000 of deferred compensation.

Organization and Management of Wholly-Owned Subsidiary. The Subsidiary invests in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments, but may also invest in the securities and other instruments in which the Fund is permitted to invest. The Subsidiary is an exempted company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, whose registered office is located at the offices of Intertrust Corporate Services (Cayman) Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, KY1-9005, Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary’s custodian is State Street Bank and Trust Company. The Subsidiary’s affairs are overseen by a board currently consisting of one Director, Maureen A. Gemma. Ms. Gemma is an employee of Eaton Vance and her biographical information appears above in “Management and Organization.” The Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with the Fund’s adviser whereby the adviser provides investment advisory services to the Subsidiary. The investment adviser to the Subsidiary will comply with provisions of the 1940 Act relating to investment advisory contracts. The agreement continues in effect from year to year so long as such continuance is approved at least annually (i) by the vote of a majority of the noninterested Trustees of the Fund cast in person at a meeting specifically called for the purposes of voting on such approval and (ii) by the Board of Trustees of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding securities of the Fund. The agreement may be terminated at any time without penalty upon sixty (60) days’ written notice by the Board of Trustees of either party, or by vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. The Subsidiary will bear the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the custody, transfer agency, and audit services that it receives. The Fund expects that the expenses borne by the Subsidiary will not be material in relation to the value of its assets.

The Subsidiary has adopted compliance policies and procedures that are substantially similar to the policies and procedures adopted by the Fund. The Subsidiary is operated in accordance with the 1940 Act investment restrictions that apply to the Fund, (including provisions related to affiliated transactions and custody), but is not subject to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. The Fund will comply with provisions of the 1940 Act governing investment policies and capital structure and leverage on an aggregate basis with the Subsidiary. The Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer oversees implementation of the Subsidiary's policies and procedures, and makes periodic reports to its Board of Trustees regarding the Subsidiary's compliance with its policies and procedures. In testing compliance of the Fund and the Subsidiary with applicable investment restrictions, the assets of the Fund are aggregated with those of the Subsidiary, except with respect to borrowings. The Subsidiary is subject to asset segregation requirements to the same extent as the Fund, which are tested for compliance on a consolidated basis as noted in the preceding sentence.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 15 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Fund Organization

Trust. The Fund is a series of the Trust, which was organized under Massachusetts law on May 25, 1989 as a trust with transferable shares, commonly referred to as a “Massachusetts business trust” and is operated as an open-end management investment company. The Trust may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest (no par value per share) in one or more series (such as the Fund). The Trustees of the Trust may divide the shares of the Fund into multiple classes. Each class represents an interest in the Fund, but is subject to different expenses, rights and privileges. The Trustees have the authority under the Declaration of Trust to create additional classes of shares with differing rights and privileges. When issued and outstanding, shares are fully paid and nonassessable by the Trust. Shareholders of the Trust are entitled to one vote for each full share held. Fractional shares may be voted proportionately. Shares of all Funds in the Trust will be voted together with respect to the election or removal of Trustees and on other matters affecting all Funds similarly. On matters affecting only a particular Fund, all shareholders of the affected Fund will vote together as a single class, except that only shareholders of a particular class may vote on matters affecting only that class. Shares have no preemptive or conversion rights and are freely transferable. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, shareholders of each class are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets attributable to that class available for distribution to shareholders.

As permitted by Massachusetts law, there will normally be no meetings of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees unless and until such time as less than a majority of the Trustees of the Trust holding office have been elected by shareholders. In such an event the Trustees then in office will call a shareholders’ meeting for the election of Trustees. Except for the foregoing circumstances and unless removed by action of the shareholders in accordance with the Trust’s By-laws, the Trustees shall continue to hold office and may appoint successor Trustees. The Trust’s By-laws provide that any Trustee may be removed with or without cause, by (i) the affirmative vote of holders of two-thirds of the shares or, (ii) the affirmative vote of, or written instrument, signed by at least two-thirds of the remaining Trustees, provided however, that the removal of any noninterested Trustee shall additionally require the affirmative vote of, or a written instrument executed by, at least two-thirds of the remaining noninterested Trustees. No person shall serve as a Trustee if shareholders holding two-thirds of the outstanding shares have removed him or her from that office either by a written declaration filed with the Trust’s custodian or by votes cast at a meeting called for that purpose. The By-laws further provide that under certain circumstances the shareholders may call a meeting to remove a Trustee and that the Trust is required to provide assistance in communication with shareholders about such a meeting.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust may be amended by the Trustees when authorized by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, the financial interests of which are affected by the amendment. The Trustees may also amend the Declaration of Trust without the vote or consent of shareholders to change the name of the Trust or any series, if they deem it necessary to conform it to applicable federal or state laws or regulations, or to make such other changes (such as reclassifying series or classes of shares or restructuring the Trust) provided such changes do not have a materially adverse effect on the financial interests of shareholders. The Trust’s By-laws provide that the Trust will indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with any litigation or proceeding in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Trust. However, no indemnification is required to be provided to any Trustee or officer for any liability to the Trust or shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that any legal proceeding brought by or on behalf of a shareholder seeking to enforce any provision of, or based upon any matter arising out of, related to or in connection with, the Declaration of Trust, the Trust, any Fund or Class or the shares of any Fund must be brought exclusively in the United States District Court for Massachusetts or, if such court does not have jurisdiction for the matter, then in the Superior Court of Suffolk County for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If a shareholder brings a claim in another venue and the venue is subsequently changed through legal process to the foregoing Federal or state court, then the shareholder will be required to reimburse the Trust and other persons for the expenses incurred in effecting the change in venue.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust also provides that, except to the extent explicitly permitted by Federal law, a shareholder may not bring or maintain a court action on behalf of the Trust or any Fund or class of shares (commonly referred to as a derivative claim) without first making demand on the Trustees requesting the Trustees to bring the action. Within 90 days of receipt of the demand, the Trustees will consider the merits of the claim and determine whether commencing or maintaining an action would be in the best interests of the Trust or the affected Fund or Class. Any decision by the Trustees to bring, maintain or settle, or to not bring, maintain or settle the action, will be final and binding upon shareholders and therefore no action may be brought or maintained after a decision is made to reject a demand. In addition, the Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, each shareholder acknowledges and agrees that any alleged injury to the Trust’s property, any diminution in the value of a shareholder’s shares and any other claim arising out of or relating to an allegation regarding the actions, inaction or omissions of or by the Trustees, the officers of the Trust or the investment adviser of the Fund is a legal claim belonging only to the Trust and not to the shareholders individually and, therefore, that any such claim is subject to the demand requirement for derivative claims referenced above.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 16 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated by: (1) the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the shares outstanding and entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders of the Trust or the appropriate series or class thereof, or by an instrument or instruments in writing without a meeting, consented to by the holders of two-thirds of the shares of the Trust or a series or class thereof, provided, however, that, if such termination is recommended by the Trustees, the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or a series or class thereof entitled to vote thereon shall be sufficient authorization; or (2) by the approval of a majority of the Trustees then in office, to be followed by a written notice to shareholders.

Under Massachusetts law, if certain conditions prevail, shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust (such as the Trust) could be deemed to have personal liability for the obligations of the Trust. Numerous investment companies registered under the 1940 Act have been formed as Massachusetts business trusts, and management is not aware of an instance where such liability has been imposed. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of liability on the part of Fund shareholders and the Trust’s By-laws provide that the Trust, upon request by the shareholder, shall assume the defense on behalf of any Fund shareholders. The Declaration of Trust also contains provisions limiting the liability of a series or class to that series or class. Moreover, the Trust’s By-laws also provide for indemnification out of Fund property of any shareholder held personally liable solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder for all loss or expense arising from such liability. The assets of the Fund are readily marketable and will ordinarily substantially exceed its liabilities. In light of the nature of the Fund’s business and the nature of its assets, management believes that the possibility of the Fund’s liability exceeding its assets, and therefore the shareholder’s risk of personal liability, is remote.

Proxy Voting Policy. The Board adopted a proxy voting policy and procedures (the “Fund Policy”), pursuant to which the Board has delegated proxy voting responsibility to the investment sub-adviser and adopted the proxy voting policies and procedures of the investment sub-adviser (the “Adviser Policies”). An independent proxy voting service has been retained to assist in the voting of Fund proxies through the provision of vote analysis, implementation and recordkeeping and disclosure services. The members of the Board will review a fund's proxy voting records from time to time and will annually consider approving the Adviser Policies for the upcoming year. For a copy of the Fund Policy and Adviser Policies, see Appendix C and Appendix D, respectively. Pursuant to certain provisions of the 1940 Act and certain exemptive orders relating to funds investing in other funds, a fund may be required or may elect to vote its interest in another fund in the same proportion as the holders of all other shares of that fund. Information on how a fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-260-0761, and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Investment Advisory and Administrative Services. The investment adviser manages the investments and affairs of the Fund and provides related office facilities and personnel subject to the supervision of the Trust’s Board. The investment sub-adviser (Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“Parametric”)) furnishes investment research, advice and supervision, furnishes an investment program and determines what securities will be purchased, held or sold by the Fund and what portion, if any, of the Fund’s assets will be held uninvested. Research Affiliates, LLC (“Research Associates”), as non-discretionary sub-adviser, provides research, advice and portfolio modeling services to Parametric and the Fund. The Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement require the investment adviser or sub-adviser, as the case may be, to pay the salaries and fees of all officers and Trustees of the Trust who are members of the investment adviser's or sub-adviser's organization and all personnel of the investment adviser or sub-adviser performing services relating to research and investment activities.

For a description of the compensation that the Fund pays the investment adviser, see the Prospectus. At July 31, 2019, the Fund had net assets of $24,160,678. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the investment advisory and administration fee earned by Eaton Vance amounted to $163,371 of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Pursuant to an expense reimbursement agreement, for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Eaton Vance was allocated $131,989 in total of the Fund’s operating expenses.

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between Eaton Vance and Parametric, Eaton Vance pays compensation to Parametric for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Eaton Vance paid Parametric $15,912 in sub-advisory fees. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Parametric was allocated $131,989 of the Fund’s operating expenses.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 17 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between Eaton Vance and Research Affiliates, Eaton Vance pays compensation to Research Affiliates for providing certain non-discretionary sub-advisory services such as research and portfolio modeling to the Fund. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Eaton Vance paid Research Affiliates $51,053 in sub-advisory fees.

The Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with the investment adviser or sub-adviser continues in effect from year to year so long as such continuance is approved at least annually (i) by the vote of a majority of the noninterested Trustees of the Trust cast in person at a meeting specifically called for the purpose of voting on such approval and (ii) by the Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Each Agreement may be terminated at any time without penalty on sixty (60) days’ written notice by either party, or by vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and each Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. Each Agreement provides that the investment adviser or sub-adviser may render services to others. Each Agreement also provides that the investment adviser or sub-adviser shall not be liable for any loss incurred in connection with the performance of its duties, or action taken or omitted under the Agreement, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder, or for any losses sustained in the acquisition, holding or disposition of any security or other investment. Each Agreement is not intended to, and does not, confer upon any person not a party to it any right, benefit or remedy of any nature.

Information About Eaton Vance. Eaton Vance is a business trust organized under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. EV serves as trustee of Eaton Vance. EV and Eaton Vance are wholly-owned subsidiaries of EVC, a Maryland corporation and publicly-held holding company. BMR is an indirect subsidiary of EVC. EVC through its subsidiaries and affiliates engages primarily in investment management, administration and marketing activities. The Directors of EVC are Thomas E. Faust Jr., Ann E. Berman, Leo I. Higdon, Jr., Paula A. Johnson, Brian D. Langstraat, Dorothy E. Puhy, Winthrop H. Smith, Jr. and Richard A. Spillane, Jr. All shares of the outstanding Voting Common Stock of EVC are deposited in a Voting Trust, the Voting Trustees of which are Mr. Faust, Craig R. Brandon, Daniel C. Cataldo, Michael A. Cirami, Cynthia J. Clemson, James H. Evans, Maureen A. Gemma, Laurie G. Hylton, Mr. Langstraat, Frederick S. Marius, David C. McCabe, Scott H. Page, Edward J. Perkin, Lewis R. Piantedosi, Charles B. Reed, Craig P. Russ, John L. Shea, Eric A. Stein, Payson F. Swaffield, Michael W. Weilheimer, R. Kelly Williams and Matthew J. Witkos (all of whom are officers of Eaton Vance or its affiliates). The Voting Trustees have unrestricted voting rights for the election of Directors of EVC. All of the outstanding voting trust receipts issued under said Voting Trust are owned by certain of the officers of Eaton Vance who may also be officers, or officers and Directors of EVC and EV. As indicated under “Management and Organization,” all of the officers of the Trust (as well as Mr. Faust who is also a Trustee) hold positions in the Eaton Vance organization.

Information About Parametric. Parametric is a Seattle, Washington based investment manager that has been providing investment advisory services since its formation in 1987. Parametric serves its clients through Investment Centers located in Seattle, WA, Minneapolis, MN and Westport, CT. In addition, in order to meet the needs of its clients, Parametric has offices in Boston, MA and Sydney, Australia. As of June 30, 2019, Parametric’s assets under management totaled approximately $246.1 billion. Parametric is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EVC.

Information About Research Affiliates. Research Affiliates is a Newport Beach, California based limited liability company formed in 2002 and registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. As of June 30, 2019, approximately $184 billion in assets are managed worldwide using investment strategies developed by Research Affiliates. Research Affiliates will serve as a sub-adviser for the Fund on a non-discretionary basis, will design, monitor and deliver a model portfolio for the Fund’s investments and provide investment advice and related data.

Code of Ethics. The investment adviser, sub-adviser(s), principal underwriter, and the Fund have adopted Codes of Ethics governing personal securities transactions pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Codes, employees of the investment adviser, the sub-adviser(s) and the principal underwriter may purchase and sell securities (including securities held or eligible for purchase by the Fund) subject to the provisions of the Codes and certain employees are also subject to pre-clearance, reporting requirements and/or other procedures.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 18 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Portfolio Managers. The portfolio managers (each referred to as a “portfolio manager”) of the Fund are listed below. The following table shows, as of the Fund’s most recent fiscal year end, the number of accounts each portfolio manager managed in each of the listed categories and the total assets (in millions of dollars) in the accounts managed within each category. The table also shows the number of accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on the performance of the account, if any, and the total assets (in millions of dollars) in those accounts.

  Number of
All Accounts
Total Assets of
All Accounts
Number of Accounts
Paying a Performance Fee
Total Assets of Accounts
Paying a Performance Fee
Thomas Lee        
Registered Investment Companies 17 $906.1 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 6 $7,897.6 0 $0
Other Accounts 760 $34,964.2 6 $969.3
Christopher Haskamp        
Registered Investment Companies 1 $22.3 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 1 $167.5 0 $0
Other Accounts 39 $18,243.7 6 $969.3

The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned in the Fund by its portfolio manager(s) as of the Fund’s most recent fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 and in the Eaton Vance family of funds as of December 31, 2018.

Portfolio Managers Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned in the Fund Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity
Securities Beneficially Owned in
the Eaton Vance Family of Funds
Thomas Lee $100,001 - $500,000 $500,001 - $1,000,000
Christopher Haskamp None None

It is possible that conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of the Fund’s investments on the one hand and the investments of other accounts for which a portfolio manager is responsible on the other. For example, a portfolio manager may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time, resources and investment opportunities among the Fund and other accounts he advises. In addition, due to differences in the investment strategies or restrictions between the Fund and the other accounts, the portfolio manager may take action with respect to another account that differs from the action taken with respect to the Fund. In some cases, another account managed by a portfolio manager may compensate the investment adviser based on the performance of the securities held by that account. The existence of such a performance based fee may create additional conflicts of interest for the portfolio manager in the allocation of management time, resources and investment opportunities. Whenever conflicts of interest arise, the portfolio manager will endeavor to exercise his discretion in a manner that he believes is equitable to all interested persons. The investment adviser and sub-advisers(s) have adopted several policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts including a code of ethics and policies that govern the investment adviser's and sub-adviser's trading practices, including among other things the aggregation and allocation of trades among clients, brokerage allocations, cross trades and best execution.

Compensation Structure for Parametric. Compensation of Parametric portfolio managers and other investment professionals has three primary components: (1) a base salary, (2) an annual cash bonus, and (3) annual equity-based compensation awards that generally are subject to a vesting schedule. Stock-based compensation awards and adjustments in base salary and bonuses are typically paid and/or put into effect at or shortly after, the firm’s fiscal year-end, October 31.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 19 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Method to Determine Compensation. Parametric seeks to compensate portfolio managers commensurate with their responsibilities and performance while remaining competitive with other firms within the investment management industry.

Salaries, bonuses and stock-based compensation are also influenced by the operating performance of Parametric and its parent company, EVC. While the salaries of Parametric portfolio managers are comparatively fixed, cash bonuses and stock-based compensation may fluctuate from year to year, based on changes in financial performance and other factors.

Parametric participates in compensation surveys that benchmark salaries, total cash and total compensation against other firms in the industry. This data is reviewed, along with a number of other factors, to ensure that compensation remains competitive with other firms in the industry.

Compensation Structure and Method to Determine Compensation for Research Affiliates. Investment professionals receive a base salary and participate in the success of the company through an incentive bonus plan. Incentive bonus amounts for individuals are discretionary and determined by Research Affiliates’ Management Committee in consultation with the employees’ respective managers, and are intended to reflect the individual’s contribution, the success of the firm, and adherence to the firm’s culture and values. Further, select employees at the discretion of Research Affiliates’ parent company’s Board of Directors are offered the opportunity to purchase equity in Research Affiliates based on their ability to provide substantial long-term contributions to the success of the company.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Registration. Effective December 31, 2012, the CFTC adopted certain regulatory changes that subject registered investment companies and advisers to regulation by the CFTC if a fund invests more than a prescribed level of its assets in certain CFTC-regulated instruments (including futures, certain options and swaps agreements) or markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The Fund is considered to be a commodity pool operator under the CFTC regulations. Eaton Vance, BMR and Parametric are registered with the CFTC as commodity pool operators. Eaton Vance, BMR and Parametric are also registered as commodity trading advisors. Research Affiliates is not registered with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor, and as such, is not required to deliver a disclosure document and a certified annual report to investors in the Fund. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the Fund's investment strategies or this SAI.

Administrative Services. Eaton Vance also provides administrative services to the Fund. Under its Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement, Eaton Vance has been engaged to administer the Fund’s affairs, subject to the supervision of the Board, and shall furnish office space and all necessary office facilities, equipment and personnel for administering the affairs of the Fund.

Sub-Transfer Agency Support Services. Eaton Vance provides sub-transfer agency and related services to Eaton Vance mutual funds pursuant to a Sub-Transfer Agency Support Services Agreement. Under the agreement, Eaton Vance provides: (1) specified sub-transfer agency services; (2) compliance monitoring services; and (3) intermediary oversight services. For the services it provides, Eaton Vance receives an aggregate annual fee equal to the actual expenses incurred by Eaton Vance in the performance of such services. The Fund pays a pro rata share of such fee. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, Eaton Vance earned $94 from the Fund pursuant to the agreement.

Expenses. The Fund is responsible for all expenses not expressly stated to be payable by another party (such as expenses required to be paid pursuant to an agreement with the investment adviser and administrator, the sub-adviser(s) or the principal underwriter). In the case of expenses incurred by the Trust, the Fund is responsible for its pro rata share of those expenses.

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

Principal Underwriter. Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. (“EVD”), Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110 is the principal underwriter of the Fund. The principal underwriter acts as principal in selling shares under a Distribution Agreement with the Trust. The expenses of printing copies of prospectuses used to offer shares and other selling literature and of advertising are borne by the principal underwriter. The fees and expenses of qualifying and registering and maintaining qualifications and registrations of the Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws are borne by the Fund. The Distribution Agreement is renewable annually by the members of the Board (including a majority of the noninterested Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement or any applicable Distribution Plan), may be terminated on sixty days’ notice either by such Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Fund shares or on six months’ notice by the principal underwriter and is automatically terminated upon assignment. The principal underwriter distributes shares on a “best efforts” basis under which it is required to take and pay for only such shares as may be sold. EVD is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of EVC. Mr. Faust is also a Director of EVD.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 20 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Custodian. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, serves as custodian to the Fund. State Street has custody of all cash and securities of the Fund, maintains the general ledger of the Fund and computes the daily net asset value of shares of the Fund. In such capacity it attends to details in connection with the sale, exchange, substitution, transfer or other dealings with the Fund’s investments, receives and disburses all funds and performs various other ministerial duties upon receipt of proper instructions from the Trust. State Street provides services in connection with the preparation of shareholder reports and the electronic filing of such reports with the SEC. EVC and its affiliates and their officers and employees from time to time have transactions with various banks, including State Street. It is Eaton Vance’s opinion that the terms and conditions of such transactions were not and will not be influenced by existing or potential custodial or other relationships between the Fund and such banks.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Deloitte & Touche LLP, 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116, independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Fund's financial statements and provides other audit, tax and related services.

Transfer Agent. BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, serves as transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund.

CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The net asset value of the Fund is determined by State Street (as agent and custodian) by subtracting the liabilities of the Fund from the value of its total assets. The Fund is closed for business and will not issue a net asset value on the following business holidays and any other business day that the Exchange is closed: 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’s net asset value per share is readily accessible on the Eaton Vance website (www.eatonvance.com).

The Board has approved procedures pursuant to which investments are valued for purposes of determining the Fund’s net asset value. Listed below is a summary of the methods generally used to value investments (some or all of which may be held by the Fund) under the procedures.

· Equity securities (including common stock, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, preferred equity securities, exchange-traded notes and other instruments that trade on recognized stock exchanges) are valued at the last sale, official close or, if there are no reported sales, at the mean between the bid and asked price on the primary exchange on which they are traded.
· Most debt obligations are valued on the basis of market valuations furnished by a pricing service or at the mean of the bid and asked prices provided by recognized broker/dealers of such securities. The pricing service may use a pricing matrix to determine valuation.
· Short-term instruments with remaining maturities of less than 397 days are valued on the basis of market valuations furnished by a pricing service or based on dealer quotations.
· Foreign securities and currencies are valued in U.S. dollars based on foreign currency exchange quotations supplied by a pricing service.
· Senior and Junior Loans (as defined in the “Additional Information About Investment Strategies and Risks” section of this SAI) are valued on the basis of prices furnished by a pricing service. The pricing service uses transactions and market quotations from brokers in determining values.
· Futures contracts are valued at the settlement or closing price on the primary exchange or board of trade on which they are traded.
· Exchange-traded options are valued at the mean of the bid and asked prices. Over-the-counter options are valued based on quotations obtained from a pricing service or from a broker (typically the counterparty to the option).
· Non-exchange traded derivatives (including swap agreements, forward contracts and equity participation notes) are generally valued on the basis of valuations provided by a pricing service or using quotes provided by a broker/dealer (typically the counterparty) or, for total return swaps, based on market index data.
· Precious metals are valued at the New York Composite mean quotation.
· Liabilities with a payment or maturity date of 364 days or less are stated at their principal value and longer dated liabilities generally will be carried at their fair value.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 21 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 
· Valuations of foreign equity securities and total return swaps and exchange-traded futures contracts on non-North American equity indices are generally based on fair valuation provided by a pricing service.

Investments which are unable to be valued in accordance with the foregoing methodologies are valued at fair value using methods determined in good faith by or at the direction of the members of the Board. Such methods may include consideration of relevant factors, including but not limited to (i) the type of security and, the existence of any contractual restrictions on the security’s disposition; (ii) the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or of comparable companies or entities; (iii) quotations or relevant information obtained from broker-dealers or other market participants; (iv) information obtained from the issuer, analysts, and/or the appropriate stock exchange (for exchange-traded securities); (v) an analysis of the company’s or entity’s financial statements; (vi) an evaluation of the forces that influence the issuer and the market(s) in which the security is purchased and sold; (vii) any transaction involving the issuer of such securities; and (viii) any other factors deemed relevant by the investment adviser. For purposes of fair valuation, the portfolio managers of one Eaton Vance fund that invests in Senior and Junior Loans may not possess the same information about a Senior or Junior Loan as the portfolio managers of another Eaton Vance fund. As such, at times the fair value of a Loan determined by certain Eaton Vance portfolio managers may vary from the fair value of the same Loan determined by other portfolio managers.

PURCHASING AND REDEEMING SHARES

Additional Information About Purchases. Fund shares are offered for sale only in states where they are registered. The Eaton Vance funds generally do not accept investments from residents of the European Union or Switzerland, although may do so to the extent that the Eaton Vance funds may be lawfully offered in a relevant jurisdiction (including at the initiative of the investor). Fund shares are continuously offered through financial intermediaries which have entered into agreements with the principal underwriter. Fund shares are sold at the public offering price, which is the net asset value next computed after receipt of an order.

Institutional Class Share Purchases. Institutional Class shares are available for purchase by clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Institutional Class shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments, foundations and employer sponsored retirement plans. Institutional Class shares may also be available through brokerage platforms of broker-dealer firms that have agreements with a Fund’s principal underwriter to offer Institutional Class shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor. An investor acquiring Institutional Class shares through such platforms may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Institutional Class shares also are offered to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates; certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance and its affiliates; current and retired members of Eaton Vance Fund Boards; employees of Eaton Vance and its affiliates and such persons’ spouses, parents, siblings and lineal descendants and their beneficial accounts.

Waiver of Investment Minimums. In addition to waivers described in the Prospectus, minimum investment amounts are waived for individual plan participants in an employer sponsored retirement plan; current and retired members of Eaton Vance Fund Boards; clients (including custodial, agency, advisory and trust accounts) and current and retired officers and employees of Eaton Vance, its affiliates and other investment advisers and sub-advisers to the Eaton Vance family of funds; and for such persons’ spouses, parents, siblings and lineal descendants and their beneficial accounts. The minimum initial investment amount is also waived for officers and employees of the Fund’s custodian and transfer agent and in connection with the merger (or similar transaction) of an investment company (or series or class thereof) or personal holding company with the Fund (or class thereof). Investments in a Fund by ReFlow in connection with the ReFlow liquidity program are also not subject to the minimum investment amount.

Suspension of Sales. The Trust may, in its absolute discretion, suspend, discontinue or limit the offering of one or more of its shares at any time. In determining whether any such action should be taken, the Trust’s management intends to consider all relevant factors, including (without limitation) the size of the Fund, the investment climate and market conditions and the volume of sales and redemptions of shares. Suspension of the offering of shares would not, of course, affect a shareholder’s ability to redeem shares.

Additional Information About Redemptions. The right to redeem shares of the Fund can be suspended and the payment of the redemption price deferred when the Exchange is closed (other than for customary weekend and holiday closings), during periods when trading on the Exchange is restricted as determined by the SEC, or during any emergency as determined by the SEC which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or value its assets, or during any other period permitted by order of the SEC for the protection of investors.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 22 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Due to the high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem accounts with balances of less than $750. Prior to such a redemption, shareholders will be given 60 days’ written notice to make an additional purchase. No CDSC or redemption fees, if applicable, will be imposed with respect to such involuntary redemptions.

As disclosed in the Prospectus, the Fund typically expects to meet redemption requests by (i) distributing any cash holdings, (ii) selling portfolio investments and/or (iii) borrowing from a bank under a line of credit. In addition to the foregoing, the Fund also may distribute securities as payment (a so-called “redemption in-kind”), in which case the redeeming shareholder may pay fees and commissions to convert the securities to cash. Unless requested by a shareholder, the Fund expects to limit use of redemption in-kind to stressed market conditions, but is permitted to do so in other circumstances. Any redemption in-kind would be made in accordance with policies adopted by the Fund, which allow the Fund to distribute securities pro rata or as selected by the investment adviser or sub-adviser.

The Fund participates in a joint credit facility arrangement with other Eaton Vance funds and may borrow amounts available thereunder for temporary purposes, such as meeting redemptions. See “Additional Information about Investment Strategies and Risks - Borrowing for Temporary Purposes” herein. The Fund also has exemptive relief to participate in an interfund lending program with other Eaton Vance funds. Such program is not operational as of the date of this SAI.

In connection with requests to re-issue uncashed checks representing redemption proceeds, the Fund reserves the right to require the redeeming shareholder to provide Medallion signature guaranteed wire instructions for delivery of redemption proceeds. Redemption proceeds represented by an uncashed check will not earn interest or other return during such time.

As noted above, the Fund may pay the redemption price of shares of the Fund, either totally or partially, by a distribution in-kind of securities. All requests for redemptions in-kind must be in good order. Provided the redemption request is received by the Fund not later than 12:00 p.m. (eastern time) on the day of the redemption, the Fund may in its discretion, if requested by a redeeming shareholder, provide the redeeming shareholders with an estimate of the securities to be distributed. Any difference between the redemption value of the distributed securities and the value of the Fund shares redeemed will be settled in cash. Securities distributed in a redemption in-kind would be valued pursuant to the Fund’s valuation procedures and selected by the investment adviser or sub-adviser. If a shareholder receives securities in a redemption in-kind, the shareholder could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash and the value of such securities would be subject to price fluctuations until sold.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan. The transfer agent will send to the shareholder regular monthly or quarterly payments of any permitted amount designated by the shareholder based upon the value of the shares held. The checks will be drawn from share redemptions and hence, may require the recognition of taxable gain or loss. Income dividends and capital gains distributions in connection with withdrawal plan accounts will be credited at net asset value as of the ex-dividend date for each distribution. Continued withdrawals in excess of current income will eventually use up principal, particularly in a period of declining market prices. A shareholder may not have a withdrawal plan in effect at the same time he or she has authorized Bank Automated Investing or is otherwise making regular purchases of Fund shares. The shareholder, the transfer agent or the principal underwriter may terminate the withdrawal plan at any time without penalty.

Other Information. The Fund’s net asset value per share is normally rounded to two decimal places. In certain situations (such as a merger, share split or a purchase or sale of shares that represents a significant portion of a share class), the administrator may determine to extend the calculation of the net asset value per share to additional decimal places to ensure that neither the value of the Fund nor a shareholder’s shares is diluted materially as the result of a purchase or sale or other transaction.

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS AND RELATED INFORMATION

The Board has adopted policies and procedures (the “Policies”) with respect to the disclosure of information about portfolio holdings of the Fund. See the Fund's Prospectus for information on disclosure made in filings with the SEC and/or posted on the Eaton Vance website (www.eatonvance.com) and disclosure of certain portfolio characteristics. Pursuant to the Policies, information about portfolio holdings of the Fund may also be disclosed as follows:

· Confidential disclosure for a legitimate Fund purpose: Portfolio holdings may be disclosed, from time to time as necessary, for a legitimate business purpose of the Fund, believed to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, provided there is a duty or an agreement that the information be kept confidential. Any such confidentiality agreement includes provisions intended to impose a duty not to trade on the non-public information. The Policies permit disclosure of portfolio holdings information to the following: 1) affiliated and unaffiliated service providers that have a legal or contractual duty to keep such information confidential, such as employees of the investment adviser (including portfolio managers and, in the case of a Portfolio, the portfolio manager of any account that invests in the Portfolio), the administrator, custodian, transfer agent, principal underwriter, etc. described herein and in the Prospectus; 2) other persons who owe a fiduciary or other duty of trust or
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 23 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

confidence to the Fund (such as Fund legal counsel and independent registered public accounting firm); or 3) persons to whom the disclosure is made in advancement of a legitimate business purpose of the Fund and who have expressly agreed in writing to maintain the disclosed information in confidence and to use it only in connection with the legitimate business purpose underlying the arrangement. To the extent applicable to an Eaton Vance fund, such persons may include securities lending agents which may receive information from time to time regarding selected holdings which may be loaned by a Fund, in the event a Fund is rated, credit rating agencies (Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and S&P Global Ratings), analytical service providers engaged by the investment adviser (SS&C Advent, Bloomberg L.P., Evare, FactSet, McMunn Associates, Inc., MSCI/Barra and The Yield Book, Inc.), proxy evaluation vendors (Institutional Shareholder Servicing, Inc.), pricing services (The Thomas Reuters Pricing Service Mark-to-Market Pricing Service, WM/Reuters Information Services and Non-Deliverable Forward Rates Service, IHS Markit, FT Interactive Data Corp., Securities Evaluations, Inc., SuperDerivatives and StatPro.), which receive information as needed to price a particular holding, translation services, third-party reconciliation services, lenders under Fund credit facilities (Citibank, N.A. and its affiliates), consultants and other product evaluators (Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC) and, for purposes of facilitating portfolio transactions, financial intermediaries and other intermediaries (national and regional municipal bond dealers and mortgage-backed securities dealers). These entities receive portfolio information on an as needed basis in order to perform the service for which they are being engaged. If required in order to perform their duties, this information will be provided in real time or as soon as practical thereafter. Additional categories of disclosure involving a legitimate business purpose may be added to this list upon the authorization of the Fund’s Board. In addition to the foregoing, disclosure of portfolio holdings may be made to the Fund’s investment adviser as a seed investor in a fund, in order for the adviser or its parent to satisfy certain reporting obligations and reduce its exposure to market risk factors associated with any such seed investment. Also, in connection with a redemption in-kind, the redeeming shareholders may be required to agree to keep the information about the securities to be so distributed confidential, except to the extent necessary to dispose of the securities.

· Historical portfolio holdings information: From time to time, the Fund may be requested to provide historic portfolio holdings information or certain characteristics of portfolio holdings that have not been made public previously. In such case, the requested information may be provided if: the information is requested for due diligence or another legitimate purpose; the requested portfolio holdings or portfolio characteristics are for a period that is no more recent than the date of the portfolio holdings or portfolio characteristics posted to the Eaton Vance website; and the dissemination of the requested information is reviewed and approved in accordance with the Policies.

The Fund, the investment adviser, sub-adviser(s) and principal underwriter will not receive any monetary or other consideration in connection with the disclosure of information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

The Policies may not be waived, or exception made, without the consent of the CCO of the Fund. The CCO may not waive or make exception to the Policies unless such waiver or exception is consistent with the intent of the Policies, which is to ensure that disclosure of portfolio information is in the best interest of Fund shareholders. In determining whether to permit a waiver of or exception to the Policies, the CCO will consider whether the proposed disclosure serves a legitimate purpose of the Fund, whether it could provide the recipient with an advantage over Fund shareholders or whether the proposed disclosure gives rise to a conflict of interest between the Fund’s shareholders and its investment adviser, sub-adviser(s), principal underwriter or other affiliated person. The CCO will report all waivers of or exceptions to the Policies to the Board at their next meeting. The Board may impose additional restrictions on the disclosure of portfolio holdings information at any time.

The Policies are designed to provide useful information concerning the Fund to existing and prospective Fund shareholders while at the same time inhibiting the improper use of portfolio holdings information in trading Fund shares and/or portfolio securities held by the Fund. However, there can be no assurance that the provision of any portfolio holdings information is not susceptible to inappropriate uses (such as the development of “market timing” models), particularly in the hands of highly sophisticated investors, or that it will not in fact be used in such ways beyond the control of the Fund.

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TAXES

The following is a summary of some of the tax consequences affecting the Fund and its shareholders. As used below, “the Fund” refers to the Fund(s) listed on the cover of this SAI, except as otherwise noted. The summary does not address all of the special tax rules applicable to certain classes of investors, such as individual retirement accounts and employer sponsored retirement plans, tax-exempt entities, foreign investors, insurance companies and financial institutions. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors with respect to special tax rules that may apply in their particular situations, as well as the federal, state, local, and, where applicable, foreign tax consequences of investing in the Fund.

Taxation of the Fund. The Fund, as a series of the Trust, is treated as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes. The Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. Accordingly, the Fund intends to satisfy certain requirements relating to sources of its income and diversification of its assets and to distribute substantially all of its net investment income (including tax-exempt income, if any) and net short-term and long-term capital gains (after reduction by any available capital loss carryforwards) in accordance with the timing requirements imposed by the Code, so as to maintain its RIC status and to avoid paying any federal income tax. Based on advice of counsel, the Fund generally will not recognize gain or loss on its distribution of appreciated securities in shareholder-initiated redemptions of its shares. If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC and satisfies the above-mentioned distribution requirements, it will not be subject to federal income tax on income paid to its shareholders in the form of dividends or capital gain distributions. The Fund intends to qualify as a RIC for its current taxable year.

The Fund also seeks to avoid the imposition of a federal excise tax on its ordinary income and capital gain net income. However, if the Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year substantially all of its ordinary income for such year and substantially all of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 (or later if the Fund is permitted to so elect and so elects), plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. In order to avoid incurring a federal excise tax obligation, the Code requires that the Fund distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year (i) at least 98% of its ordinary income (excluding tax-exempt income, if any) for such year, (ii) at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income (which is the excess of its realized capital gains over its realized capital losses), generally computed on the basis of the one-year period ending on October 31 of such year, after reduction by any available capital loss carryforwards, and (iii) 100% of any income and capital gains from the prior year (as previously computed) that were not distributed out during such year and on which the Fund paid no federal income tax. If the Fund fails to meet these requirements it will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. Under current law, provided that the Fund qualifies as a RIC (and, where applicable, the Portfolio is treated as a partnership for Massachusetts and federal tax purposes), the Fund should not be liable for any applicable state income, corporate excise or franchise tax.

If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to corporate income taxes, and all distributions from earnings and profits, including distributions of tax-exempt income and net capital gain (if any), will be taxable to the shareholder as dividend income. However, such distributions may be eligible (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. In addition, in order to re-qualify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund may be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions.

In certain situations, the Fund may, for a taxable year, elect to defer all or a portion of its net capital losses (or if there is no net capital loss, then any net long-term or short-term capital loss) realized after October and its late-year ordinary losses (which includes the sum of the excess of post-October foreign currency and passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains plus the excess of post-December ordinary losses over post-December ordinary income) realized after December until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.

Taxation of the Portfolio. If the Fund invests its assets in the Portfolio, the Portfolio normally must satisfy the applicable source of income and asset diversification requirements under Subchapter M of the Code in order for the Fund to also satisfy these requirements. For federal income tax purposes, the Portfolio intends to be treated as a partnership that is not a “publicly traded partnership” and, as a result, will not be subject to federal income tax. The Fund, as an investor in the Portfolio, will be required to take into account in determining its federal income tax liability its allocable share of such Portfolio’s income, gains, losses, deductions and credits, without regard to whether it has received any distributions from such Portfolio. The Portfolio will allocate at least annually among its investors, including the Fund, the Portfolio’s net investment income, net realized capital gains and losses, and any other items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit.

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For purposes of applying the requirements of the Code regarding qualification as a RIC, the Fund (i) will be deemed to own its proportionate share of each of the assets of the Portfolio and (ii) will be entitled to the gross income of the Portfolio attributable to such share. Under current law, provided that the Portfolio is treated as a partnership for Massachusetts and federal tax purposes, the Portfolio should not be liable for any income, corporate excise or franchise tax in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Taxation of the Subsidiary. See the definition of “Subsidiary” under “Definitions” at the front of this SAI for information about whether any Fund and/or Portfolio (if applicable) described herein has established a Subsidiary. The Subsidiary is classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Fund intends to take the position that income from its investments in the Subsidiary will constitute qualifying income for purposes of qualifying as a regulated investment company. Under Treasury regulations, “subpart F income” (as defined below) included in the Fund’s annual income for U.S. federal income purposes will constitute qualifying income to the extent it is either (i) timely and currently repatriated or (ii) derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities or currencies. If the Fund were to earn non-qualifying income from any source including the Subsidiary in excess of 10% of its gross income for any taxable year, it would fail to qualify as a RIC for that year, unless the Fund were eligible to cure and cured such failure by paying a Fund-level tax equal to the full amount of such excess.

Foreign corporations, such as the Subsidiary, will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless they are deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business. It is expected that the Subsidiary will conduct it activities in a manner so as to meet the requirements of a safe harbor under Section 864(b)(2) of the Code under which the Subsidiary may engage in trading in stocks or securities or certain commodities without being deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business. However, if certain of the Subsidiary's activities were determined not to be of the type described in the safe harbor (which is not expected), then the activities of the Subsidiary may constitute a U.S. trade or business, and would be taxed as such.

The Subsidiary is treated as a controlled foreign corporation (“CFC”) for tax purposes and the Fund is treated as a “U.S. shareholder” of the Subsidiary. As a result, the Fund is required to include in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes all of the Subsidiary's “subpart F income,” whether or not such income is distributed by the Subsidiary. It is expected that all of the Subsidiary's income will be “subpart F income.” The Fund’s recognition of the Subsidiary's “subpart F income” will increase the Fund’s tax basis in the Subsidiary. Distributions by the Subsidiary to the Fund will be tax-free to the extent of its previously undistributed “subpart F income,” and will correspondingly reduce the Fund's tax basis in the Subsidiary. “Subpart F income” is generally treated as ordinary income, regardless of the character of the Subsidiary's underlying income. If a net loss is realized by the Subsidiary, such loss is not generally available to offset the income earned by the Fund.

Tax Consequences of Certain Investments. The following summary of the tax consequences of certain types of investments applies to the Fund and the Portfolio, as appropriate. References below to “the Fund” are to any Fund or Portfolio that can engage in the particular practice as described in the prospectus or SAI.

Securities Acquired at Market Discount or with Original Issue Discount. Investment in securities acquired in zero coupon, deferred interest, payment-in-kind and certain other securities with original issue discount, generally may cause the Fund to realize income prior to the receipt of cash payments with respect to these securities. Such income will be accrued daily by the Fund and, in order to avoid a tax payable by the Fund, the Fund may be required to liquidate securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold in order to generate cash so that the Fund may make required distributions to its shareholders. Subject to the discussion below regarding Section 451 of the Code, (i) generally any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security, (ii) alternatively, the Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in the Fund's income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security, and (iii) the rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in the Fund's income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects. Notwithstanding the foregoing, effective for taxable years beginning after 2017, Section 451 of the Code generally requires any accrual method taxpayer to take into account items of gross income no later than the time at which such items are taken into account as revenue in the taxpayer's financial statements. The application of Section 451 to the accrual of market discount is currently unclear; however, the Treasury Department has issued a notice stating that it intends to issue proposed regulations providing that Section 451 does not apply to accrued market discount. Subject to the issuance of any such regulations, if Section 451 were to apply to the accrual of market discount, the Fund would be required to include in income any market discount as it takes the same into account on its financial statements.

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Lower Rated or Defaulted Securities. Investments in securities that are at risk of, or are in, default present special tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income.

Municipal Obligations. Any recognized gain or income attributable to market discount on long-term tax-exempt municipal obligations (i.e., obligations with a term of more than one year) purchased after April 30, 1993 (except to the extent of a portion of the discount attributable to original issue discount) is taxable as ordinary income. A long-term debt obligation is generally treated as acquired at a market discount if purchased after its original issue at a price less than (i) the stated principal amount payable at maturity, in the case of an obligation that does not have original issue discount or (ii) in the case of an obligation that does have original issue discount, the sum of the issue price and any original issue discount that accrued before the obligation was purchased, subject to a de minimis exclusion.

From time to time proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating the federal income tax exemption for interest on certain types of municipal obligations, and it can be expected that similar proposals may be introduced in the future. As a result of any such future legislation, the availability of municipal obligations for investment by the Fund and the value of the securities held by it may be affected. It is possible that events occurring after the date of issuance of municipal obligations, or after the Fund’s acquisition of such an obligation, may result in a determination that the interest paid on that obligation is taxable, even retroactively.

If the Fund seeks income exempt from state and/or local taxes, information about such taxes is contained in an appendix to this SAI (see the table of contents on the cover page of this SAI).

Tax Credit Bonds. If the Fund holds, directly or indirectly, one or more tax credit bonds issued on or before December 31, 2017 (including Build America Bonds, clean renewable energy bonds and other qualified tax credit bonds) on one or more applicable dates during a taxable year and the Fund satisfies the minimum distribution requirement, the Fund may elect to permit its shareholders to claim a tax credit on their income tax returns equal to each shareholder’s proportionate share of tax credits from the applicable bonds that otherwise would be allowed to the Fund. In such a case, shareholders must include in gross income (as interest) their proportionate share of the income attributable to their proportionate share of those offsetting tax credits. A shareholder’s ability to claim a tax credit associated with one or more tax credit bonds may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code. Even if the Fund is eligible to pass through tax credits to shareholders, the Fund may choose not to do so.

Derivatives. The Fund’s investments in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts (to the extent permitted) and certain other transactions may be subject to special tax rules (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale, short sale and other rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer Fund losses, cause adjustments in the holding periods of Fund securities, convert capital gain into ordinary income and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of Fund distributions.

Investments in so-called “section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most foreign currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most stock indices, are subject to special tax rules. All “section 1256 contracts” held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in “section 1256 contracts” closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund. Unless an election is made, net section 1256 gain or loss on forward currency contracts will be treated as ordinary income or loss.

Fund positions in index options that do not qualify as “section 1256 contracts” under the Code generally will be treated as equity options governed by Code Section 1234. Pursuant to Code Section 1234, if a written option expires unexercised, the premium received by the Fund is short-term capital gain to the Fund. If the Fund enters into a closing transaction with respect to a written option, the difference between the premium received and the amount paid to close out its position is short-term capital gain or loss. If an option written by the Fund that is not a “section 1256 contract” is cash settled, any resulting gain or loss will be short-term capital gain. For an option purchased by the Fund that is not a “section 1256 contract”, any gain or loss resulting from sale of the option will be

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 27 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

a capital gain or loss, and will be short-term or long-term, depending upon the holding period for the option. If the option expires, the resulting loss is a capital loss and is short-term or long-term, depending upon the holding period for the option. If a put option written by the Fund is exercised and physically settled, the premium received is treated as a reduction in the amount paid to acquire the underlying securities, increasing the gain or decreasing the loss to be realized by the Fund upon sale of the securities. If a call option written by the Fund is exercised and physically settled, the premium received is included in the sale proceeds, increasing the gain or decreasing the loss realized by the Fund at the time of option exercise.

As a result of entering into swap contracts, the Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. The Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to a swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, the Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.

Short Sales. In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when the Fund closes the sale by delivering the borrowed property to the lender, not when the borrowed property is sold. Gain or loss from a short sale is generally considered to be capital gain or loss to the extent that the property used to close the short sale constitutes a capital asset in the Fund’s hands. Except with respect to certain situations where the property used to close a short sale has a long-term holding period on the date of the short sale, special rules generally treat the gains on short sales as short-term capital gains. These rules may also terminate the running of the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by the Fund. Moreover, a loss on a short sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by the Fund for more than one year. In general, the Fund will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse the lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed stock if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the short sale is entered.

Constructive Sales. The Fund may recognize gain (but not loss) from a constructive sale of certain “appreciated financial positions” if the Fund enters into a short sale, offsetting notional principal contract, or forward contract transaction with respect to the appreciated position or substantially identical property. Appreciated financial positions subject to this constructive sale treatment include interests (including options and forward contracts and short sales) in stock and certain other instruments. Constructive sale treatment does not apply if the transaction is closed out not later than thirty days after the end of the taxable year in which the transaction was initiated, and the underlying appreciated securities position is held unhedged for at least the next sixty days after the hedging transaction is closed.

Gain or loss on a short sale will generally not be realized until such time as the short sale is closed. However, as described above in the discussion of constructive sales, if the Fund holds a short sale position with respect to securities that have appreciated in value, and it then acquires property that is the same as or substantially identical to the property sold short, the Fund generally will recognize gain on the date it acquires such property as if the short sale were closed on such date with such property. Similarly, if the Fund holds an appreciated financial position with respect to securities and then enters into a short sale with respect to the same or substantially identical property, the Fund generally will recognize gain as if the appreciated financial position were sold at its fair market value on the date it enters into the short sale. The subsequent holding period for any appreciated financial position that is subject to these constructive sale rules will be determined as if such position were acquired on the date of the constructive sale.

Foreign Investments and Currencies. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes or other foreign taxes with respect to income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains), which would decrease the Fund’s income on such securities. These taxes may be reduced or eliminated under the terms of an applicable U.S. income tax treaty. If more than 50% of Fund assets at year end consists of the debt and equity securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on their income tax returns for their pro rata portion of qualified taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries. If the election is made, shareholders will include in gross income from foreign sources their pro rata share of such taxes. A shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by the Fund may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code (including a holding period requirement applied at the Fund level, shareholder level and, if applicable, Portfolio level), as a result of which a shareholder may not get a full credit or deduction for the amount of such taxes. In particular, the Fund or Portfolio, if applicable, must own a dividend-paying

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 28 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

stock for more than 15 days during the 31-day period beginning 15 days prior to the ex-dividend date in order to pass through to shareholders a credit or deduction for any foreign withholding tax on a dividend paid with respect to such stock. Likewise, shareholders must hold their Fund shares (without protection from risk or loss) on the ex-dividend date and for at least 15 additional days during the 31-day period beginning 15 days prior to the ex-dividend date to be eligible to claim the foreign tax with respect to a given dividend. Shareholders who do not itemize deductions on their federal income tax returns may claim a credit (but no deduction) for such taxes. Individual shareholders subject to the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) may not deduct such taxes for AMT purposes.

Transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts, forward contracts and similar instruments (to the extent permitted) 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. Under Section 988 of the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss.

Investments in PFICs could subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax or other charges on certain distributions from such companies and on disposition of investments in such companies; however, the tax effects of such investments may be mitigated by making an election to mark such investments to market annually or treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund”. If the Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain. Alternatively, if the Fund were to make a mark-to-market election with respect to a PFIC, the Fund would be treated as if it had sold and repurchased the PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. This election must be made separately for each PFIC, and once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. The Fund may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock in any particular year. As a result, the Fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.

U.S. Government Securities. Distributions paid by the Fund that are derived from interest on obligations of the U.S. Government and certain of its agencies and instrumentalities (but generally not distributions of capital gains realized upon the disposition of such obligations) may be exempt from state and local income taxes. The Fund generally intends to advise shareholders of the extent, if any, to which its distributions consist of such interest. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the possible exclusion of such portion of their dividends for state and local income tax purposes.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”). Any investment by the Fund in equity securities of a REIT qualifying as such under Subchapter M of the Code may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction and generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

Pursuant to proposed regulations on which the Fund may rely, distributions by the Fund to its shareholders that the Fund properly reports as “section 199A dividends,” as defined and subject to certain conditions described below, are treated as qualified REIT dividends in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. Non-corporate shareholders are permitted a federal income tax deduction equal to 20% of qualified REIT dividends received by them, subject to certain limitations. Very generally, a “section 199A dividend” is any dividend or portion thereof that is attributable to certain dividends received by a RIC from REITs, to the extent such dividends are properly reported as such by the regulated investment company in a written notice to its shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholders receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying regulated investment company shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. The Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.

Subject to any future regulatory guidance to the contrary, any distribution of income attributable to qualified publicly traded partnership income from a Fund’s investment in a qualified publicly traded partnership will not qualify for the deduction that would be available to a non-corporate shareholder were the shareholder to own such qualified publicly traded partnership interest directly.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 29 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Inflation-Indexed Bonds.  Periodic adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond may give rise to original issue discount, which will be includable in the Fund’s gross income (see “Securities Acquired at Market Discount or with Original Issue Discount” above).  Also, if the principal value of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted downward due to inflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital (see “Taxation of Fund Shareholders” below).

Taxation of Fund Shareholders. Subject to the discussion of distributions of tax-exempt income below, Fund distributions of investment income and net gains from investments held for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income. Fund distributions of any net gains from investments held for more than one year are generally taxable as long-term capital gains. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund or, if applicable, the Portfolio owned (or is treated as having owned) the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares in the Fund. Dividends and distributions on the Fund’s shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they are made out of the Fund’s earnings and profits, even though such dividends and distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Fund’s net asset value reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Such realized gains may be required to be distributed even when the Fund’s net asset value also reflects unrealized losses.

Distributions paid by the Fund during any period may be more or less than the amount of net investment income and capital gains actually earned during the period. If the Fund makes a distribution to a shareholder in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution will be treated as a return of capital. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its shares. A shareholder’s tax basis cannot go below zero and any return of capital distributions in excess of a shareholder’s tax basis will be treated as capital gain.

Ordinarily, shareholders are required to take taxable distributions by the Fund into account in the year in which the distributions are made. However, for federal income tax purposes, dividends that are declared by the Fund in October, November or December as of a record date in such month and actually paid in January of the following year will be treated as if they were paid on December 31 of the year declared. Therefore, such dividends will generally be taxable to a shareholder in the year declared rather than in the year paid.

The amount of distributions payable by the Fund may vary depending on general economic and market conditions, the composition of investments, current management strategy and Fund operating expenses. The Fund will inform shareholders of the tax character of distributions annually to facilitate shareholder tax reporting.

The Fund may elect to retain its net capital gain, in which case the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at regular corporate tax rates. In such a case, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders of record on the last day of its taxable year 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.

Any Fund distribution, other than dividends that are declared by the Fund on a daily basis, will have the effect of reducing the per share net asset value of Fund shares by the amount of the distribution. If a shareholder buys shares when the Fund has unrealized or realized but not yet distributed ordinary income or capital gains, the shareholder will pay full price for the shares and then may receive a portion back as a taxable distribution even though such distribution may economically represent a return of the shareholder’s investment.

Tax-Exempt Income. Distributions by the Fund of net tax-exempt interest income that are properly reported as “exempt-interest dividends” may be treated by shareholders as interest excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes under Section 103(a) of the Code. In order for the Fund to be entitled to pay the tax-exempt interest income as exempt-interest dividends to its shareholders, the Fund must satisfy certain requirements, including the requirement that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, at least 50% of the value of its total assets consists of obligations the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax under Code Section 103(a). Interest on certain municipal obligations may be taxable for purposes of the federal AMT for non-corporate taxpayers and for state and local purposes. Fund shareholders are required to report tax-exempt interest on their federal income tax returns.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 30 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Tax-exempt distributions received from the Fund are taken into account in determining, and may increase, the portion of social security and certain railroad retirement benefits that may be subject to federal income tax. Interest on indebtedness incurred by a shareholder to purchase or carry Fund shares that distributes exempt-interest dividends will not be deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes in proportion to the percentage that the Fund’s distributions of exempt interest dividends bears to all of the Fund’s distributions, excluding properly reported capital gain dividends. If a shareholder receives exempt interest dividends with respect to any Fund share and if the share is held by the shareholder for six months or less, then any loss on the sale or exchange of the share may, to the extent of the exempt-interest dividends, be disallowed. Furthermore, a portion of any exempt-interest dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from certain revenue or private activity bonds held by the Fund may not retain its tax-exempt status in the hands of a shareholder who is a “substantial user” of a facility financed by such bonds, or a “related person” thereof. In addition, the receipt of dividends and distributions from the Fund may affect a foreign corporate shareholder’s federal “branch profits” tax liability and the federal “excess net passive income” tax liability of a shareholder of a Subchapter S corporation. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors as to whether they are (i) “substantial users” with respect to a facility or “related” to such users within the meaning of the Code or (ii) subject to a federal AMT, the federal “branch profits” tax, or the federal “excess net passive income” tax.

Qualified Dividend Income. “Qualified dividend income” received by an individual is generally taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain. In order for a dividend received by Fund shareholders to be qualified dividend income, the Fund or, if applicable, the Portfolio must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the dividend-paying stock in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the U.S. (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S.) or (b) treated as a PFIC. Payments in lieu of dividends, such as payments pursuant to securities lending arrangements, also do not qualify to be treated as qualified dividend income. In general, distributions of investment income properly reported by the Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder taxed as an individual provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Fund’s shares. In any event, if the aggregate qualified dividends received by the Fund during any taxable year are 95% or more of its gross income, then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than properly reported capital gain dividends) will be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. For this purpose, the only gain with respect to the sale of stocks and securities included in the term “gross income” is the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss.

Dividends Received Deduction for Corporations. A portion of distributions made by the Fund which are derived from dividends from U.S. corporations may qualify for the dividends-received deduction (“DRD”) for corporations. The DRD is reduced to the extent the Fund shares with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as debt-financed under the Code and is eliminated if the shares are deemed to have been held for less than a minimum period, generally more than 45 days (more than 90 days in the case of certain preferred stock) during the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the ex-dividend date (during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date in the case of certain preferred stock) or if the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Receipt of certain distributions qualifying for the DRD may result in reduction of the tax basis of the corporate shareholder’s shares. Payments in lieu of dividends, such as payments pursuant to securities lending arrangements, also do not qualify for the DRD.

Recognition of Unrelated Business Taxable Income by Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Under current law, tax-exempt investors generally will not recognize unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) from distributions from the Fund. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could recognize UBTI if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of a tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code section 514(b). In addition, certain types of income received by the Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”), taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to designate some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund shareholders such excess inclusion income may: (1) constitute income taxable as UBTI for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, employer sponsored retirement plans and certain charitable entities; (2) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (3) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (4) cause the Fund to be subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations” as defined by the Code are Fund shareholders.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 31 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Sale, Redemption or Exchange of Fund Shares. Generally, upon the sale, redemption or (if permitted) exchange of Fund shares, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in the shares. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year, and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less.

Any loss realized upon the sale or other disposition of Fund shares with a tax holding period of six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any Fund distributions treated as long-term capital gain with respect to such shares. In addition, all or a portion of a loss realized on a sale or other disposition of Fund shares may be disallowed under “wash sale” rules to the extent the shareholder acquired other shares of the same Fund (whether through the reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within the period beginning 30 days before the date of sale or other disposition of the loss shares and ending 30 days after such date. Any disallowed loss will result in an adjustment to the shareholder’s tax basis in some or all of the other shares acquired. See the prospectus for information regarding any permitted exchange of Fund shares.

Sales charges paid upon a purchase of shares subject to a front-end sales charge cannot be taken into account for purposes of determining gain or loss on a redemption or exchange of the shares before the 91st day after their purchase to the extent a sales charge is reduced or eliminated in a subsequent acquisition of Fund shares (or shares of another fund) on or before January 31 of the following calendar year pursuant to the reinvestment or exchange privilege. Any disregarded amounts will result in an adjustment to the shareholder’s tax basis in some or all of any other shares acquired.

Applicability of Medicare Contribution Tax. The Code imposes a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on net investment income of certain U.S. individuals, estates and trusts. For individuals, the tax is on the lesser of the “net investment income” and the excess of modified adjusted gross income over $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly). Net investment income includes, among other things, interest, dividends, and gross income and capital gains derived from passive activities and trading in securities or commodities. Net investment income is reduced by deductions “properly allocable” to this income.

Back-Up Withholding for U.S. Shareholders. Amounts paid by the Fund to individuals and certain other shareholders who have not provided the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number (“TIN”) and certain certifications required by the IRS as well as shareholders with respect to whom the Fund has received certain information from the IRS or a broker, may be subject to “backup” withholding of federal income tax arising from the Fund’s taxable dividends and other distributions as well as the proceeds of redemption transactions (including repurchases and exchanges). An individual’s TIN is generally his or her social security number. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

Taxation of Foreign Shareholders. In general, dividends (other than capital gain dividends and exempt-interest dividends) paid to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code (a “foreign person” or “foreign shareholder”) are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate). The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a foreign person who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the foreign person’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the foreign person were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A foreign person who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate. A foreign shareholder would generally be exempt from U.S. federal income tax, including withholding tax, on gains realized on the sale of shares of the Fund, net capital gain dividends, exempt interest dividends, and amounts retained by the Fund that are reported as undistributed capital gains.

Properly reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, the Fund’s U.S. source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital gain over the Fund’s long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on its circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder would need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary could withhold even if the Fund designates the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 32 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Distributions that the Fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient foreign shareholder if the distribution is attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation and the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property exceeded certain levels. Instead, if the foreign shareholder has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding by the Fund and will be treated as ordinary dividends to the foreign shareholder; if the foreign shareholder owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the distribution, such distribution will be treated as real property gain subject to 21% withholding tax and could subject the foreign shareholder to U.S. filing requirements. The rules described in this paragraph, other than the withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund’s participation or a foreign shareholder’s participation in a wash sale transaction or the payment of a substitute dividend.

Additionally, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels, a foreign shareholder realizing gains upon redemption from the Fund could be subject to the 21% withholding tax and U.S. filing requirements unless the foreign person had not held more than 5% of the Fund’s outstanding shares at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the redemption.

The same rules apply with respect to distributions to a foreign shareholder from the Fund and redemptions of a foreign shareholder’s interest in the Fund attributable to a REIT’s distribution to the Fund of gain from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels.

Provided that 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s stock is held by U.S. shareholders, distributions of U.S. real property interests (including securities in a U.S. real property holding corporation, unless such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market and the Fund has held 5% or less of the outstanding shares of the corporation during the five-year period ending on the date of distribution), in redemption of a foreign shareholder’s shares of the Fund will cause the Fund to recognize gain. If the Fund is required to recognize gain, the amount of gain recognized will be equal to the fair market value of such interests over the Fund’s adjusted basis to the extent of the greatest foreign ownership percentage of the Fund during the five-year period ending on the date of redemption.

In the case of foreign non-corporate shareholders, the Fund may be required to backup withhold U.S. federal income tax on distributions that are otherwise exempt from withholding tax unless such shareholders furnish the Fund with proper notification of their foreign status.

Shares of the Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death will be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.

Compliance with FATCA. A 30% withholding tax is imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items, including those paid by the Fund, paid to (i) foreign financial institutions including non-U.S. investment funds unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. If a payment by the Fund is subject to withholding under FATCA, the Fund is required to withhold even if such payment would otherwise be exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to foreign shareholders described above (e.g., dividends attributable to qualified net interest income and dividends attributable to tax-exempt interest income). The IRS and the Department of Treasury have issued proposed regulations providing that these withholding rules will not be applicable to the gross proceeds of share redemptions or capital gain dividends the Funds pays. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to either enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information as to their account holders or, in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, agree to provide certain information to other revenue authorities for transmittal to the IRS. Other foreign entities will need to either provide the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply or agree to provide certain information to other revenue authorities for transmittal to the IRS. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible implications of these requirements on their investment in the Fund.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 33 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Requirements of Form 8886. Under Treasury Regulations, if a shareholder realizes a loss on disposition of the Fund’s shares of at least $2 million in any single taxable year or $4 million in any combination of taxable years for an individual shareholder or at least $10 million in any single taxable year or $20 million in any combination of taxable years for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. 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. Under certain circumstances, certain tax-exempt entities and their managers may be subject to excise tax if they are parties to certain reportable transactions.

Other Taxes. Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

Changes in Taxation. The taxation of the Fund, the Portfolio, the Subsidiary and shareholders may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations, IRS revenue procedures and/or guidance issued by the IRS.

PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS

Decisions concerning the execution of portfolio security transactions, including the selection of the market and the broker-dealer firm, are made by the investment adviser. The Fund is responsible for the expenses associated with its portfolio transactions. The investment adviser is also responsible for the execution of transactions for all other accounts managed by it. The investment adviser places the portfolio security transactions for execution with one or more broker-dealer firms. The investment adviser uses its best efforts to obtain execution of portfolio security transactions at prices which in the investment adviser’s judgment are advantageous to the client and at a reasonably competitive spread or (when a disclosed commission is being charged) at reasonably competitive commission rates. In seeking such execution, the investment adviser will use its best judgment in evaluating the terms of a transaction, and will give consideration to various relevant factors, which may include, without limitation, the full range and quality of the broker-dealer firm’s services, responsiveness of the firm to the investment adviser, the size and type of the transaction, the nature and character of the market for the security, the confidentiality, speed and certainty of effective execution required for the transaction, the general execution and operational capabilities of the broker-dealer firm, the reputation, reliability, experience and financial condition of the firm, the value and quality of the services rendered by the firm in this and other transactions, and the amount of the spread or commission, if any. In addition, the investment adviser may consider the receipt of Research Services (as defined below), provided it does not compromise the investment adviser’s obligation to seek best overall execution for the Fund and is otherwise in compliance with applicable law. The investment adviser may engage in portfolio brokerage transactions with a broker-dealer firm that sells shares of Eaton Vance funds, provided such transactions are not directed to that firm as compensation for the promotion or sale of such shares.

Transactions on stock exchanges and other agency transactions involve the payment of negotiated brokerage commissions. Such commissions vary among different broker-dealer firms, and a particular broker-dealer may charge different commissions according to such factors as the difficulty and size of the transaction and the volume of business done with such broker-dealer. Transactions in foreign securities often involve the payment of brokerage commissions, which may be higher than those in the United States. There is generally no stated commission in the case of securities traded in the over-the-counter markets including transactions in fixed-income securities which are generally purchased and sold on a net basis (i.e., without commission) through broker-dealers and banks acting for their own account rather than as brokers. Such firms attempt to profit from such transactions by buying at the bid price and selling at the higher asked price of the market for such obligations, and the difference between the bid and asked price is customarily referred to as the spread. Fixed-income transactions may also be transacted directly with the issuer of the obligations. In an underwritten offering the price paid often includes a disclosed fixed commission or discount retained by the underwriter or dealer. Although spreads or commissions paid on portfolio security transactions will, in the judgment of the investment adviser, be reasonable in relation to the value of the services provided, commissions exceeding those which another firm might charge may be paid to broker-dealers who were selected to execute transactions on behalf of the investment adviser’s clients in part for providing brokerage and research services to the investment adviser as permitted by applicable law.

Pursuant to the safe harbor provided in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Section 28(e)”) and to the extent permitted by other applicable law, a broker or dealer who executes a portfolio transaction on behalf of the investment adviser client may receive a commission that is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if the investment adviser determines in good faith that such compensation was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided. This determination may be made on the basis of either that particular transaction or on the basis of the overall responsibility which the investment adviser and its affiliates have for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. “Research Services” as used herein includes any and all brokerage and research services to the extent permitted by

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 34 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Section 28(e) and other applicable law. Generally, Research Services may include, but are not limited to, such matters as research, analytical and quotation services, data, information and other services products and materials which assist the investment adviser in the performance of its investment responsibilities. More specifically, Research Services may include general economic, political, business and market information, industry and company reviews, evaluations of securities and portfolio strategies and transactions, technical analysis of various aspects of the securities markets, recommendations as to the purchase and sale of securities and other portfolio transactions, certain financial, industry and trade publications, certain news and information services, and certain research oriented computer software, data bases and services. Any particular Research Service obtained through a broker-dealer may be used by the investment adviser in connection with client accounts other than those accounts which pay commissions to such broker-dealer, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Any such Research Service may be broadly useful and of value to the investment adviser in rendering investment advisory services to all or a significant portion of its clients, or may be relevant and useful for the management of only one client’s account or of a few clients’ accounts, or may be useful for the management of merely a segment of certain clients’ accounts, regardless of whether any such account or accounts paid commissions to the broker-dealer through which such Research Service was obtained. The investment adviser evaluates the nature and quality of the various Research Services obtained through broker-dealer firms and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may attempt to allocate sufficient portfolio security transactions to such firms to ensure the continued receipt of Research Services which the investment adviser believes are useful or of value to it in rendering investment advisory services to its clients. The investment adviser may also receive brokerage and Research Services from underwriters and dealers in fixed-price offerings, when permitted under applicable law.

Research Services provided by (and produced by) broker-dealers that execute portfolio transactions or from affiliates of executing broker-dealers are referred to as “Proprietary Research.” Except for trades executed in jurisdictions where such consideration is not permissible, the investment adviser may and does consider the receipt of Proprietary Research Services as a factor in selecting broker dealers to execute client portfolio transactions, provided it does not compromise the investment adviser’s obligation to seek best overall execution. In jurisdictions where permissible, the investment adviser also may consider the receipt of Research Services under so called “client commission arrangements” or “commission sharing arrangements” (both referred to as “CCAs”) as a factor in selecting broker dealers to execute transactions, provided it does not compromise the investment adviser’s obligation to seek best overall execution. Under a CCA arrangement, the investment adviser may cause client accounts to effect transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions paid on those transactions to a pool of commission credits that are paid to other firms that provide Research Services to the investment adviser. Under a CCA, the broker-dealer that provides the Research Services need not execute the trade. Participating in CCAs may enable the investment adviser to consolidate payments for research using accumulated client commission credits from transactions executed through a particular broker-dealer to periodically pay for Research Services obtained from and provided by other firms, including other broker-dealers that supply Research Services. The investment adviser believes that CCAs offer the potential to optimize the execution of trades and the acquisition of a variety of high quality Research Services that the investment adviser might not be provided access to absent CCAs. The investment adviser will only enter into and utilize CCAs to the extent permitted by Section 28(e) and other applicable law.

Fund trades executed by an affiliate of the investment adviser licensed in the United Kingdom may implicate laws of the United Kingdom, including rules of the UK Financial Conduct Authority, which govern client trading commissions and Research Services (“UK Law”). Broadly speaking, under UK Law the investment adviser may not accept any good or service when executing an order unless that good or service either is directly related to the execution of trades on behalf of its clients/customers or amounts to the provision of substantive research (as defined under UK Law). These requirements may also apply with respect to orders in connection with which the investment adviser receives goods and services under a CCA or other bundled brokerage arrangement. Fund trades may also implicate UK Law requiring the investment adviser to direct any research portion of a brokerage commission to an account controlled by the investment adviser.

The investment companies sponsored by the investment adviser or its affiliates also may allocate trades in such offerings to acquire information relating to the performance, fees and expenses of such companies and other investment companies, which information is used by the members of the Board of such companies to fulfill their responsibility to oversee the quality of the services provided to various entities, including the investment adviser, to such companies. Such companies may also pay cash for such information.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 35 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Securities considered as investments for the Fund may also be appropriate for other investment accounts managed by the investment adviser or its affiliates. Whenever decisions are made to buy or sell securities by the Fund and one or more of such other accounts simultaneously, the investment adviser will allocate the security transactions (including “new” issues) in a manner which it believes to be equitable under the circumstances. As a result of such allocations, there may be instances where the Fund will not participate in a transaction that is allocated among other accounts. If an aggregated order cannot be filled completely, allocations will generally be made on a pro rata basis. An order may not be allocated on a pro rata basis where, for example: (i) consideration is given to portfolio managers who have been instrumental in developing or negotiating a particular investment; (ii) consideration is given to an account with specialized investment policies that coincide with the particulars of a specific investment; (iii) pro rata allocation would result in odd-lot or de minimis amounts being allocated to a portfolio or other client; or (iv) where the investment adviser reasonably determines that departure from a pro rata allocation is advisable. While these aggregation and allocation policies could have a detrimental effect on the price or amount of the securities available to the Fund from time to time, it is the opinion of the members of the Board that the benefits from the investment adviser organization outweigh any disadvantage that may arise from exposure to simultaneous transactions.

The following table shows brokerage commissions paid during the year ended July 31, 2019, as well as the amount of Fund security transactions for the most recent fiscal year (if any) that were directed to firms that provided some Research Services to the investment adviser or its affiliates (see above), and the commissions paid in connection therewith. The Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions to affiliated brokers during the last fiscal year.

Brokerage Commissions Paid for the Fiscal Year Ended Amount of Transactions
Directed to Firms
Providing Research
Commissions Paid on
Transactions Directed to
Firms Providing Research
7/31/19 7/31/19 7/31/19
$0 $0 $0

During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, the Fund held no securities of its “regular brokers or dealers,” as that term is defined in Rule 10b-1 of the 1940 Act.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited financial statements of, and the report of the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund appear in its annual report to shareholders and are incorporated by reference into this SAI. A copy of the annual report accompanies this SAI.

Householding. Consistent with applicable law, duplicate mailings of shareholder reports and certain other Fund information to shareholders residing at the same address may be eliminated.

The Trust incorporates by reference the audited financial information and the report of the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, as previously filed electronically with the SEC (Accession No. 0001193125-19-254675).

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 36 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

Asset Coverage To the extent required by SEC guidance, if a transaction creates a future obligation of the Fund to another party the Fund will: (1) cover the obligation by entering into an offsetting position or transaction; and/or (2) segregate cash and/or liquid securities with a value (together with any collateral posted with respect to the obligation) at least equal to the marked-to-market value of the obligation. Assets used as cover or segregated cannot be sold while the position(s) requiring coverage is open unless replaced with other appropriate assets. The types of transactions that may require asset coverage include (but are not limited to) reverse repurchase agreements, repurchase agreements, short sales, securities lending, forward contracts, certain options, forward commitments, futures contracts, when-issued securities, swap agreements and residual interest bonds.
Asset-Backed Securities (“ABS”)

ABS are collateralized by pools of automobile loans, educational loans, home equity loans, credit card receivables, equipment or automobile leases, commercial mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), utilities receivables, secured or unsecured bonds issued by corporate or sovereign obligors, unsecured loans made to a variety of corporate commercial and industrial loan customers of one or more lending banks, or a combination of these bonds and loans. ABS are “pass through” securities, meaning that principal and interest payments made by the borrower on the underlying assets are passed through to the ABS holder. ABS are issued through special purpose vehicles that are bankruptcy remote from the issuer of the collateral. ABS are subject to interest rate risk and prepayment risk. Some ABS may receive prepayments that can change their effective maturities. Issuers of ABS may have limited ability to enforce the security interest in the underlying assets or may have no security in the underlying assets, and credit enhancements provided to support the securities, if any, may be inadequate to protect investors in the event of default. In addition, ABS may experience losses on the underlying assets as a result of certain rights provided to consumer debtors under federal and state law. The value of ABS may be affected by the factors described above and other factors, such as the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the underlying assets or the entities providing credit enhancements and the ability of the servicer to service the underlying collateral. The value of ABS representing interests in a pool of utilities receivables may be adversely affected by changes in government regulations. While certain ABS may be insured as to the payment of principal and interest, this insurance does not protect the market value of such obligations or the Fund’s net asset value. The value of an insured security will be affected by the credit standing of its insurer.

Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) are types of ABS that are backed solely by a pool of other debt securities. CDOs and CLOs are typically issued in various classes with varying priorities. The risks of an investment in a CDO or CLO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO or CLO in which the Fund invests. In addition to interest rate, prepayment, default and other risks of ABS and fixed income securities, in general, CDOs and CLOs are subject to additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund may invest in CDOs or CLOs that are subordinate to other classes, and the complex structure may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 37 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Auction Rate Securities Auction rate securities, such as auction preferred shares of closed-end investment companies, are preferred securities and debt securities with dividends/coupons based on a rate set at auction. The auction is usually held weekly for each series of a security, but may be held less frequently. The auction sets the rate, and securities may be bought and sold at the auction.  Provided that the auction mechanism is successful, auction rate securities normally permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by a “Dutch” auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is the risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities. Security holders that submit sell orders in a failed auction may not be able to sell any or all of the shares for which they have submitted sell orders. Security holders may sell their shares at the next scheduled auction, subject to the same risk that the subsequent auction will not attract sufficient demand for a successful auction to occur. Broker-dealers may also try to facilitate secondary trading in the auction rate securities, although such secondary trading may be limited and may only be available for shareholders willing to sell at a discount.  Since mid-February 2008, existing markets for certain auction rate securities have become generally illiquid and investors have not been able to sell their securities through the regular auction process. It is uncertain when or whether there will be a revival of investor interest in purchasing securities sold through auctions. There may be limited or no active secondary markets for many auction rate securities. Auction rate securities that do trade in a secondary market may trade at a significant discount from their liquidation preference. There have been a number of governmental investigations and regulatory settlements involving certain broker-dealers with respect to their prior activities involving auction rate securities.
  Valuations of such securities is highly speculative, however, dividends on auction rate preferred securities issued by a closed-end fund may be reported, generally on Form 1099, as exempt from federal income tax to the extent they are attributable to tax-exempt interest income earned by the Fund on the securities and distributed to holders of the preferred securities, provided that the preferred securities are treated as equity securities for federal income tax purposes, and the closed-end fund complies with certain requirements under the Code. Investments in auction rate preferred securities of closed-end funds are subject to limitations on investments in other U.S. registered investment companies, which limitations are prescribed by the 1940 Act.
Average Effective Maturity Average effective maturity is a weighted average of all the maturities of bonds owned by the Fund. Average effective maturity takes into consideration all mortgage payments, puts and adjustable coupons.  In the event the Fund invests in multiple Portfolios, its average weighted maturity is the sum of its allocable share of the average weighted maturity of each of the Portfolios in which it invests, which is determined by multiplying the Portfolio’s average weighted maturity by the Fund’s percentage ownership of that Portfolio.
Borrowing for Investment Purposes Successful use of a borrowing strategy depends on the investment adviser’s ability to predict correctly interest rates and market movements. There is no assurance that a borrowing strategy will be successful. Upon the expiration of the term of the Fund’s existing credit arrangement, the lender may not be willing to extend further credit to the Fund or may be willing to do so at an increased cost to the Fund. If the Fund is not able to extend its credit arrangement, it may be required to liquidate holdings to repay amounts borrowed from the lender. Borrowing to increase investments generally will magnify the effect on the Fund’s net asset value of any increase or decrease in the value of the security purchased with the borrowings. Successful use of a borrowing strategy depends on the investment adviser’s ability to predict correctly interest rates and market movements. There can be no assurance that the use of borrowings will be successful. In connection with its borrowings, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage with respect to such borrowings by both the 1940 Act and the terms of its credit facility with the lender.  The Fund may be required to dispose of portfolio investments on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the required asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount. Borrowings involve additional expense to the Fund.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 38 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Borrowing for Temporary Purposes The Fund may borrow for temporary purposes (such as to satisfy redemption requests, to remain fully invested in advance of the settlement of share purchases, and to settle transactions).  The Fund’s ability to borrow is subject to its terms and conditions of its credit arrangements, which in some cases may limit the Fund’s ability to borrow under the arrangement.  The Fund will be required to maintain a specified level of asset coverage with respect to all borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it may not be advantageous to do so.  The rights of the lender to receive payments of interest and repayments of principal of any borrowings made by the Fund under a credit arrangement are senior to the rights of holders of shares, with respect to the payment of dividends or upon liquidation. In the event of a default under a credit arrangement, the lenders may have the right to cause a liquidation of the collateral (i.e., sell Fund assets) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well.  Credit arrangements are subject to annual renewal, which cannot be assured.  If the Fund does not have the ability to borrow for temporary purposes, it may be required to sell securities at inopportune times to meet short-term liquidity needs.  Because the Fund is a party to a joint credit arrangement, it may be unable to borrow some or all of its requested amounts at any particular time.  Borrowings involve additional expense to the Fund.
Build America Bonds Build America Bonds are taxable municipal obligations issued pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Act”) or other legislation providing for the issuance of taxable municipal debt on which the issuer receives federal support. Enacted in February 2009, the Act authorizes state and local governments to issue taxable bonds on which, assuming certain specified conditions are satisfied, issuers may either (i) receive reimbursement from the U.S. Treasury with respect to its interest payments on the bonds (“direct pay” Build America Bonds); or (ii) provide tax credits to investors in the bonds (“tax credit” Build America Bonds). Unlike most other municipal obligations, interest received on Build America Bonds is subject to federal income tax and may be subject to state income tax. Under the terms of the Act, issuers of direct pay Build America Bonds are entitled to receive reimbursement from the U.S. Treasury currently equal to 35% (or 45% in the case of Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds) of the interest paid. Holders of tax credit Build America Bonds can receive a federal tax credit currently equal to 35% of the coupon interest received. The Fund may invest in “principal only” strips of tax credit Build America Bonds, which entitle the holder to receive par value of such bonds if held to maturity. The Fund does not expect to receive (or pass through to shareholders) tax credits as a result of its investments.  The federal interest subsidy or tax credit continues for the life of the bonds. Build America Bonds are an alternative form of financing to state and local governments whose primary means for accessing the capital markets has been through issuance of tax-free municipal bonds. Build America Bonds can appeal to a broader array of investors than the high income U.S. taxpayers that have traditionally provided the market for municipal bonds. Build America Bonds may provide a lower net cost of funds to issuers. Pursuant to the terms of the Act, the issuance of Build America Bonds ceased on December 31, 2010.  As a result, the availability of such bonds is limited and the market for the bonds and/or their liquidity may be affected.
Call and Put Features on Securities Issuers of securities may reserve the right to call (redeem) the securities. If an issuer redeems a security with a call right during a time of declining interest rates, the holder of the security may not be able to reinvest the proceeds in securities providing the same investment return as provided by the securities redeemed. Some securities may have “put” or “demand” features that allow early redemption by the holder. Longer term fixed-rate securities may give the holder a right to request redemption at certain times (often annually after the lapse of an intermediate term). This “put” or “demand” feature enhances a security’s liquidity by shortening its effective maturity and enables the security to trade at a price equal to or very close to par. If a demand feature terminates prior to being exercised, the holder of the security would be subject to the longer maturity of the security, which could experience substantially more volatility.  Securities with a “put” or “demand” feature are more defensive than conventional long term securities (protecting to some degree against a rise in interest rates) while providing greater opportunity than comparable intermediate term securities, because they can be retained if interest rates decline.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 39 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”)   CMOs are backed by a pool of mortgages or mortgage loans.  The key feature of the CMO structure is the prioritization of the cash flows from the pool of mortgages among the several classes, or tranches, of the CMO, thereby creating a series of obligations with varying rates and maturities.  Senior CMO classes will typically have priority over residual CMOs as to the receipt of principal and or interest payments on the underlying mortgages.  CMOs also issue sequential and parallel pay classes, including planned amortization and target amortization classes, and fixed and floating rate CMO tranches.  CMOs issued by U.S. government agencies are backed by agency mortgages, while privately issued CMOs may be backed by either government agency mortgages or private mortgages.  Payments of principal and interest are passed through to each CMO tranche at varying schedules resulting in bonds with different coupons, effective maturities and sensitivities to interest rates. Parallel pay CMOs are structured to provide payments of principal on each payment date to more than one class, concurrently on a proportionate or disproportionate basis.  Sequential pay CMOs generally pay principal to only one class at a time while paying interest to several classes.  CMOs generally are secured by an assignment to a trustee under the indenture pursuant to which the bonds are issued as collateral consisting of a pool of mortgages. Payments with respect to the underlying mortgages generally are made to the trustee under the indenture. CMOs are designed to be retired as the underlying mortgages are repaid. In the event of sufficient early prepayments on such mortgages, the class or series of CMO first to mature generally will be retired prior to maturity. Therefore, although in most cases the issuer of CMOs will not supply additional collateral in the event of such prepayments, there will be sufficient collateral to secure CMOs that remain outstanding. Floating rate CMO tranches carry interest rates that are tied in a fixed relationship to an index subject to an upper limit, or “cap,” and sometimes to a lower limit, or “floor.” CMOs may be less liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (“CMBS”) CMBS include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property, such as hotels, office buildings, retail stores, hospitals and other commercial buildings. CMBS may have a lower repayment uncertainty than other mortgage-related securities because commercial mortgage loans generally prohibit or impose penalties on prepayment of principal.  The risks of investing in CMBS reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans, including the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payment, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. CMBS may be less liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.
Commodity-Related Investments The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include weather, embargoes, tariffs, and health, political, international and regulatory developments. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for commodities, which may reduce market prices and cause the value of Fund shares to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. Exposure to commodities and commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. No active trading market may exist for certain commodities investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such investments. In addition, adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of actively traded commodities investments. Certain types of commodities instruments (such as total return swaps and commodity-linked notes) are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or will be unable to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument. To the extent commodity-related investments are held through the Subsidiary, the Subsidiary is not subject to U.S. laws (including securities laws) and their protections. The Subsidiary is subject to the laws of the Cayman Islands, a foreign jurisdiction, and can be affected by developments in that jurisdiction.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 40 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Certain commodities are subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks and result in greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.  The commodities that underlie commodity futures contracts and commodity swaps may be subject to additional economic and non-economic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments.  Unlike the financial futures markets, in the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while the Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately.
  In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for the Fund. If the nature of hedgers and speculators in futures markets has shifted when it is time for the Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments.
Common Stocks Common stock represents an equity ownership interest in the issuing corporation. Holders of common stock generally have voting rights in the issuer and are entitled to receive common stock dividends when, as and if declared by the corporation’s board of directors. Common stock normally occupies the most subordinated position in an issuer’s capital structure. Returns on common stock investments consist of any dividends received plus the amount of appreciation or depreciation in the value of the stock.
  Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term and particularly during periods of high or rising concerns about inflation, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in returns and may not maintain their real value during inflationary periods. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock. Also, the prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks. Common stock prices fluctuate for many reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuer occur. In addition, common stock prices may be sensitive to rising interest rates as the costs of capital rise and borrowing costs increase.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 41 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Contingent Convertible Securities Contingent convertible securities (sometimes referred to as “CoCos”) are convertible securities with loss absorption characteristics. These securities provide for mandatory conversion into common stock of the issuer under certain circumstances. The mandatory conversion may be automatically triggered, for instance, if a company fails to meet the capital minimum with respect to the security, the company’s regulator makes a determination that the security should convert or the company receives specified levels of extraordinary public support. Since the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, investors in these instruments could experience a reduced income rate, potentially to zero; and conversion would deepen the subordination of the investor, hence worsening standing in a bankruptcy. In addition, some such instruments have a set stock conversion rate that would cause an automatic write-down of capital if the price of the stock is below the conversion price on the conversion date. Under similar circumstances, the liquidation value of certain types of contingent convertible securities may be adjusted downward to below the original par value. The write down of the par value would occur automatically and would not entitle the holders to seek bankruptcy of the company. In certain circumstances, contingent convertible securities may write down to zero and investors could lose the entire value of the investment, even as the issuer remains in business.  CoCos may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price.  See also “Hybrid Securities.”
Convertible Securities A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred security, or other security that entitles the holder to acquire common stock or other equity securities of the same or a different issuer.   A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued or the dividend paid on such security until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. A convertible security ranks senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but is usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities.  Convertible securities may be purchased for their appreciation potential when they yield more than the underlying securities at the time of purchase or when they are considered to present less risk of principal loss than the underlying securities. Generally speaking, the interest or dividend yield of a convertible security is somewhat less than that of a non-convertible security of similar quality issued by the same company.  A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument.
  Convertible securities are issued and traded in a number of securities markets. Even in cases where a substantial portion of the convertible securities held by the Fund are denominated in U.S. dollars, the underlying equity securities may be quoted in the currency of the country where the issuer is domiciled. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the currency in which the debt security is denominated and the currency in which the share price is quoted will affect the value of the convertible security.  With respect to convertible securities denominated in a currency different from that of the underlying equity securities, the conversion price may be based on a fixed exchange rate established at the time the securities are issued, which may increase the effects of currency risk.
  Holders of convertible securities generally have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the common stockholders but may be subordinated to other debt securities of the same issuer. Certain convertible debt securities may provide a put option to the holder, which entitles the holder to cause the securities to be redeemed by the issuer at a premium over the stated principal amount of the debt securities under certain circumstances.  Certain convertible securities may include loss absorption characteristics that make the securities more equity-like.  This is particularly true of convertible securities issued by companies in the financial services sector.  See “Contingent Convertible Securities.”
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 42 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Synthetic convertible securities may include either cash-settled convertibles or manufactured convertibles.  Cash-settled convertibles are instruments that are created by the issuer and have the economic characteristics of traditional convertible securities but may not actually permit conversion into the underlying equity securities in all circumstances. As an example, a private company may issue a cash-settled convertible that is convertible into common stock only if the company successfully completes a public offering of its common stock prior to maturity and otherwise pays a cash amount to reflect any equity appreciation. Manufactured convertibles are created by the investment adviser or another party by combining separate securities that possess one of the two principal characteristics of a convertible security, i.e., fixed-income (“fixed-income component”) or a right to acquire equity securities (“convertibility component”). The fixed-income component is achieved by investing in nonconvertible fixed-income securities, such as nonconvertible bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments. The convertibility component is achieved by investing in call options, warrants, or other securities with equity conversion features (“equity features”) granting the holder the right to purchase a specified quantity of the underlying stocks within a specified period of time at a specified price or, in the case of a stock index option, the right to receive a cash payment based on the value of the underlying stock index. A manufactured convertible differs from traditional convertible securities in several respects. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security that has a unitary market value, a manufactured convertible is comprised of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the total “market value” of such a manufactured convertible is the sum of the values of its fixed-income component and its convertibility component. More flexibility is possible in the creation of a manufactured convertible than in the purchase of a traditional convertible security. Because many corporations have not issued convertible securities, the investment adviser may combine a fixed-income instrument and an equity feature with respect to the stock of the issuer of the fixed-income instrument to create a synthetic convertible security otherwise unavailable in the market. The investment adviser may also combine a fixed-income instrument of an issuer with an equity feature with respect to the stock of a different issuer when the investment adviser believes such a manufactured convertible would better promote the Fund’s objective than alternative investments. For example, the investment adviser may combine an equity feature with respect to an issuer’s stock with a fixed-income security of a different issuer in the same industry to diversify the Fund’s credit exposure, or with a U.S. Treasury instrument to create a manufactured convertible with a higher credit profile than a traditional convertible security issued by that issuer. A manufactured convertible also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately and, upon purchasing the separate securities, “combined” to create a manufactured convertible. For example, the Fund may purchase a warrant for eventual inclusion in a manufactured convertible while postponing the purchase of a suitable bond to pair with the warrant pending development of more favorable market conditions.  The value of a manufactured convertible may respond to certain market fluctuations differently from a traditional convertible security with similar characteristics. For example, in the event the Fund created a manufactured convertible by combining a short-term U.S. Treasury instrument and a call option on a stock, the manufactured convertible would be expected to outperform a traditional convertible of similar maturity that is convertible into that stock during periods when Treasury instruments outperform corporate fixed-income securities and underperform during periods when corporate fixed-income securities outperform Treasury instruments.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 43 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Credit Linked Securities See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Credit linked securities are issued by a limited purpose trust or other vehicle that, in turn, invests in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps, and other securities in order to provide exposure to certain fixed-income markets. Credit linked securities may be used as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.  Like an investment in a bond, investments in credit linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on the issuer’s receipt of payments from, and the issuer’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. An issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the reference instrument (in this case a debt obligation) upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the reference instrument. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and principal that the holder of the credit linked security would receive. Credit linked securities generally will be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.
Cybersecurity Risk With the increased use of technologies by Fund service providers to conduct business, such as the Internet, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events by insiders or third parties, including cybercriminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” among others. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, phishing, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or infection from or spread of malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, structured query language attacks, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cybersecurity failures or breaches by the Fund’s investment adviser or administrator and other service providers (including, but not limited to, the custodian or transfer agent), and the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, may disrupt and otherwise adversely affect their business operations potentially resulting in financial losses, impede Fund trading, interfere with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, limit a shareholder’s ability to purchase or redeem shares of the Fund or cause violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While various Fund service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems intended to identify and mitigate cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund and issuers in which the Fund invests. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Derivative Instruments and Related Risks Generally, derivatives can be characterized as financial instruments whose performance is derived at least in part from the performance of an underlying reference instrument.  Derivative instruments may be acquired in the United States or abroad and include the various types of exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) instruments described herein and other instruments with substantially similar characteristics and risks.  Depending on the type of derivative instrument and the Fund’s investment strategy, a derivative instrument may be based on a security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event (referred to as “reference instruments”).  Fund obligations created pursuant to derivative instruments may be subject to the requirements described under “Asset Coverage” herein.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 44 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks, including adverse or unexpected movements in the price of the reference instrument, and counterparty, credit, interest rate, leverage, liquidity, market and tax risks.  Use of derivative instruments may cause the realization of higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if such instruments had not been used. Success in using derivative instruments to hedge portfolio assets depends on the degree of price correlation between the derivative instruments and the hedged asset.  Derivatives also involve the risk that changes in their value may not correlate perfectly with the assets, rates or indices they are designed to hedge or closely track.  Imperfect correlation may be caused by several factors, including temporary price disparities among the trading markets for the derivative instrument, the reference instrument and the Fund’s assets.  To the extent that a derivative instrument is intended to hedge against an event that does not occur, the Fund may realize losses.
  OTC derivative instruments involve an additional risk in that the issuer or counterparty may fail to perform its contractual obligations. Some derivative instruments are not readily marketable or may become illiquid under adverse market conditions. In addition, during periods of market volatility, an option or commodity exchange or swap execution facility or clearinghouse may suspend or limit trading in an exchange-traded derivative instrument, which may make the contract temporarily illiquid and difficult to price. Commodity exchanges may also establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or futures option can vary from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. This may prevent the closing out of positions to limit losses.  The staff of the SEC takes the position that certain purchased OTC options, and assets used as cover for written OTC options, are illiquid. The ability to terminate OTC derivative instruments may depend on the cooperation of the counterparties to such contracts. For thinly traded derivative instruments, the only source of price quotations may be the selling dealer or counterparty. In addition, certain provisions of the Code limit the use of derivative instruments.   Derivatives permit the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, to which its portfolio is exposed in much the same way as the Fund can increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, of its portfolio by making investments in specific securities.  There can be no assurance that the use of derivative instruments will benefit the Fund.
  The regulation of derivatives has undergone substantial change in recent years and such change may continue. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), and regulations proposed to be promulgated thereunder require many derivatives to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expand entity registration requirements, impose business conduct requirements on dealers that enter into swaps with a pension plan, endowment, retirement plan or government entity, and require banks to move some derivatives trading units to a non-guaranteed affiliate separate from the deposit-taking bank or divest them altogether. Although the CFTC has released final rules relating to clearing, reporting, recordkeeping, required margin and registration requirements under the legislation, many of the provisions are subject to further final rule making, and thus its ultimate impact remains unclear. See also “Swap Agreements” herein. New regulations and the implementation of existing regulations could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in derivatives transactions (for example, by making certain types of derivatives transactions no longer available to the Fund) and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions (for example, by increasing margin or capital requirements), and the Fund may be unable to fully execute its investment strategies as a result.
  The SEC may propose regulations that, if adopted, could significantly change the manner in which a Fund must segregate assets to cover its future obligations. A proposed regulation may restrict a Fund’s ability to enter into derivative transactions for speculative or hedging purposes and may require the Fund’s Board to adopt a derivative risk management and governance framework. These regulations could also limit the ability of a Fund to use these instruments as part of its investment management strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which a Fund engages in derivative transactions also could prevent the Fund from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change the availability of certain investments.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 45 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Legislation may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. The effects of any new governmental regulation cannot be predicted and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective(s).
Derivative-Linked and Commodity-Linked Hybrid Instruments A derivative-linked or commodity-linked hybrid instrument (referred to herein as a “hybrid instrument”) is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid instrument is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed-income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid instrument may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of a hybrid instrument is a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest with additional interest that accrues in correlation to the extent to which oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.
  The risks of investing in hybrid instruments reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies. An investment in a hybrid instrument may entail significant risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional debt instrument that has a fixed principal amount, is denominated in U.S. dollars or bears interest either at a fixed rate or a floating rate determined by reference to a common, nationally published benchmark. The risks of a particular hybrid instrument will depend upon the terms of the instrument, but may include the possibility of significant changes in the benchmark(s) or the prices of the underlying assets to which the instrument is linked. Such risks generally depend upon factors unrelated to the operations or credit quality of the issuer of the hybrid instrument, which may not be foreseen by the purchaser, such as economic and political events, the supply and demand of the underlying assets and interest rate movements. Hybrid instruments may be highly volatile and their use by the Fund may not be successful.  Hybrid instruments may also carry liquidity risk since the instruments are often “customized” to meet the portfolio needs of a particular investor, and therefore, the number of investors that are willing and able to buy such instruments in the secondary market may be smaller than that for more traditional debt securities.  
  Hybrid instruments may bear interest or pay preferred dividends at below market (or even relatively nominal) rates. Alternatively, hybrid instruments may bear interest at above market rates but bear an increased risk of principal loss (or gain). The latter scenario may result if “leverage” is used to structure the hybrid instrument. Leverage risk occurs when the hybrid instrument is structured so that a given change in a benchmark or underlying asset is multiplied to produce a greater value change in the hybrid instrument, thereby magnifying the risk of loss as well as the potential for gain.
  Hybrid instruments are potentially more volatile and carry greater market risks than traditional debt instruments. Depending on the structure of the particular hybrid instrument, changes in a benchmark may be magnified by the terms of the hybrid instrument and have an even more dramatic and substantial effect upon the value of the hybrid instrument. Also, the prices of the hybrid instrument and the benchmark or underlying asset may not move in the same direction or at the same time.
  Hybrid instruments can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, duration management, and increased total return and creating exposure to a particular market or segment of that market. The value of a hybrid instrument or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid instrument. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid instrument could be zero. The purchase of hybrid instruments also exposes the Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 46 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Certain hybrid instruments may provide exposure to the commodities markets. These are derivative securities with one or more commodity-linked components that have payment features similar to commodity futures contracts, commodity options, or similar instruments. Commodity-linked hybrid instruments may be either equity or debt securities, leveraged or unleveraged, and are considered hybrid instruments because they have both security and commodity-like characteristics. A portion of the value of these instruments may be derived from the value of a commodity, futures contract, index or other economic variable. The Fund will invest only in commodity-linked hybrid instruments that qualify under applicable rules of the CFTC for an exemption from the provisions of the CEA.  Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investments in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.
Direct Investments Direct investments include (i) the private purchase from an enterprise of an equity interest in the enterprise in the form of shares of common stock or equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures or similar enterprises, and (ii) the purchase of such an equity interest in an enterprise from a principal investor in the enterprise. At the time of making a direct investment, the Fund will enter into a shareholder or similar agreement with the enterprise and one or more other holders of equity interests in the enterprise. These agreements may, in appropriate circumstances, provide the ability to appoint a representative to the board of directors or similar body of the enterprise and for eventual disposition of the investment in the enterprise. Such a representative would be expected to monitor the investment and protect the Fund’s rights in the investment and would not be appointed for the purpose of exercising management or control of the enterprise.
Diversified Status With respect to 75% of its total assets, an investment company that is registered with the SEC as a “diversified” fund: (1) may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer (except obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and securities of other investment companies); and (2) may not own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer.
Dividend Capture Trading In a typical dividend capture trade, the Fund would buy a stock prior to its ex-dividend date and sell the stock at a point either on or after the ex-dividend date.  The use of a dividend capture trading strategy exposes the Fund to higher portfolio turnover, increased trading costs and potential for capital loss or gain, particularly in the event of significant short-term price movements of stocks subject to dividend capture trading.
Duration Duration measures the time-weighted expected cash flows of a fixed-income security, which can determine its sensitivity to changes in the general level of interest rates. Securities with longer durations generally tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations. A mutual fund with a longer dollar-weighted average duration generally can be expected to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than a fund with a shorter dollar-weighted average duration. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security’s coupon payments in addition to the amount of time until the security matures. Various techniques may be used to shorten or lengthen Fund duration. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration.  The duration of a Fund that invests in underlying funds is the sum of its allocable share of the duration of each of the underlying funds in which it invests, which is determined by multiplying the underlying fund’s duration by the Fund’s percentage ownership of that underlying fund.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 47 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Emerging Market Investments The risks described under “Foreign Investments” herein generally are heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.  Also, investments in securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets may involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments; (iv) national policies that may limit investment opportunities, such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. Trading practices in emerging markets also may be less developed, resulting in inefficiencies relative to trading in more developed markets, which may result in increased transaction costs.  
  Repatriation of investment income, capital and proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval in emerging market countries.  There can be no assurance that repatriation of income, gain or initial capital from these countries will occur.  In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors.  
  Political and economic structures in emerging market countries may undergo significant evolution and rapid development, and these countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that any or all of these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the entire value of an investment in the affected market could be lost. In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may affect the value of investments in these countries and the availability of additional investments. The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain of these countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in these countries may make investments in the countries illiquid and more volatile than investments in developed markets.
  Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the United States, such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Certain emerging market securities may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the acquisition or disposal of securities.  The prices at which investments may be acquired may be affected by trading by persons with material non-public information and by securities transactions by brokers in anticipation of transactions in particular securities.
  Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because brokers and counterparties in such markets may be less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets.  As an alternative to investing directly in emerging markets, exposure may be obtained through derivative investments.
  The foregoing risks may be even greater in frontier markets. Frontier markets are countries with investable stock markets that are less established than those in the emerging markets. The economies of frontier market countries generally are smaller than those of traditional emerging market countries, and frontier capital markets and legal systems are typically less developed.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 48 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Equity Investments Equity investments include common stocks; preferred stocks; depositary receipts; equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other unincorporated entities or enterprises; convertible and contingent convertible preferred stocks; rights and warrants and other securities that are treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (see “Preferred Stock” and “Hybrid Securities”).  Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks.
Equity-Linked Securities See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Equity-linked securities are privately issued securities whose investment results are designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified stock index or “basket” of securities, or sometimes a single stock.  These securities are used for many of the same purposes as derivative instruments and share many of the same risks.  Equity-linked securities may be considered illiquid and thus subject to the Fund’s restrictions on investments in illiquid securities.
Event-Linked Instruments The Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in “event-linked bonds”, “event-linked swaps” or other “event-linked instruments”.  Event-linked instruments are obligations for which the return of capital and dividend/interest payments are contingent on, or formulaically related to, the non-occurrence of a pre-defined “trigger” event. For some event-linked instruments, the trigger event’s magnitude may be based on losses to a company or industry, industry indexes or readings of scientific instruments rather than specified actual losses.  Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics relating to such events.
  Some event-linked instruments are referred to as “catastrophe bonds.” Catastrophe bonds entitle a Fund to receive principal and interest payments so long as no trigger event occurs of the description and magnitude specified by the instrument. If a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose a portion of its entire principal invested in the bond.
  Event-linked instruments may be sponsored by government agencies, insurance companies or reinsurers and issued by special purpose corporations or other off-shore or on-shore entities (such special purpose entities are created to accomplish a narrow and well-defined objective, such as the issuance of a note in connection with a specific reinsurance transaction). Typically, event-linked instruments are issued by off-shore entities and may be non-dollar denominated.  As a result, the Fund may be subject to currency risk.
  Often, event-linked instruments provide for extensions of maturity that are mandatory or optional at the discretion of the issuer or sponsor, in order to process and audit loss claims in those cases where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase the instrument’s volatility and potentially make it more difficult to value.  In addition, pricing of event-linked instruments is subject to the added uncertainty caused by the inability to generally predict whether, when or where a natural disaster or other triggering event will occur.  If a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose all or a portion of its investment in an event-linked instrument or the notional amount of an event-linked swap. Such losses may be substantial.  Event-linked instruments carry large uncertainties and major risk exposures to adverse conditions. In addition to the specified trigger events, event-linked instruments also may expose the Fund to issuer, credit, counterparty, restricted securities, liquidity, and valuation risks as well as exposures to specific geographic areas, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences.  Event-linked instruments are generally rated below investment grade or the unrated equivalent and have the same or similar risks as high yield debt securities (also known as junk bonds) and are subject to the risk that the Fund may lose some or all of its investment in such instruments if the particular trigger occurs.  Event-linked instruments may be rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating agency, but are often unrated. Frequently, the issuer of an event-linked instrument will use an independent risk model to calculate the probability and economic consequences of a trigger event.
  The Fund may invest in event-linked instruments in one or more of three ways: may purchase event-linked instruments when initially offered; may purchase event-linked instruments in the secondary, over-the-counter market; or may gain indirect exposure to event-linked instruments using derivatives. As the market for event-linked instruments evolves, the Fund may invest in new types of event-linked instruments.  However, there can be no assurance that a liquid market in these instruments will develop. Lack of a liquid market may impose the risk of higher transaction costs and the possibility that the Fund may be forced to liquidate positions when it would not be advantageous to do so.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 49 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Event-linked instruments typically are restricted to qualified institutional buyers and, therefore, are not subject to registration with the SEC or any state securities commission and are not always listed on any national securities exchange. The amount of public information available with respect to event-linked instruments is generally less extensive than that which is available for issuers of registered or exchange listed securities. There can be no assurance that future regulatory determinations will not adversely affect the overall market for event-linked instruments.
Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”) ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that are typically designed to provide investment results corresponding to an index. These indexes may be either broad-based, sector or international.  ETFs usually are units of beneficial interest in an investment trust or represent undivided ownership interests in a portfolio of securities (or commodities), in each case with respect to a portfolio of all or substantially all of the component securities of, and in substantially the same weighting as, the relevant benchmark index.  ETFs are designed to provide investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the component securities (or commodities) of the benchmark index. An ETF generally reflects the risks of the underlying securities of the index it is designed to track.  ETFs are listed on an exchange and trade in the secondary market on a per-share basis.  The values of ETFs are subject to change as the values of their respective component securities (or commodities) fluctuate according to market volatility.  Investments in ETFs may not exactly match the performance of a direct investment in the respective indices to which they are intended to correspond due to the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or other extraordinary circumstances, such as discrepancies with respect to the weighting of securities.  Typically, the ETF bears its own operational expenses, which are deducted from its assets. To the extent that the Fund invests in ETFs, the Fund must bear these expenses in addition to the expenses of its own operation.
Exchange-Traded Notes (“ETNs”) ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day’s market benchmark or strategy factor.
  ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When the Fund invests in ETNs it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.
  ETNs are subject to tax risk. No assurance can be given that the IRS will accept, or a court will uphold, how the Fund characterizes and treats ETNs for tax purposes. Further, the IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs.
  An ETN that is tied to a specific market benchmark or strategy may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities, commodities or other components in the applicable market benchmark or strategy. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form.
  The market value of ETN shares may differ from that of their market benchmark or strategy. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETN shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the securities, commodities or other components underlying the market benchmark or strategy that the ETN seeks to track. As a result, there may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 50 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Fixed-Income Securities Fixed-income securities include bonds, preferred, preference and convertible securities, notes, debentures, asset-backed securities (including those backed by mortgages), loan participations and assignments, equipment lease certificates, equipment trust certificates and conditional sales contracts. Generally, issuers of fixed-income securities pay investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the security and/or at maturity.  Some fixed-income securities, such as zero coupon bonds, do not pay current interest, but are purchased at a discount from their face values, and values accumulate over time to face value at maturity.  The market prices of fixed-income securities fluctuate depending on such factors as interest rates, credit quality and maturity.  In general, market prices of fixed-income securities decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall. Fixed-income securities are subject to risk factors such as sensitivity to interest rate and real or perceived changes in economic conditions, payment expectations, liquidity and valuation.  Fixed-income securities with longer maturities (for example, over ten years) are more affected by changes in interest rates and provide less price stability than securities with short-term maturities (for example, one to ten years). Fixed-income securities bear the risk of principal and interest default by the issuer, which will be greater with higher yielding, lower grade securities. During an economic downturn, the ability of issuers to service their debt may be impaired.  The rating assigned to a fixed-income security by a rating agency does not reflect assessment of the volatility of the security’s market value or of the liquidity of an investment in the securities. Credit ratings are based largely on the issuer’s historical financial condition and a rating agency’s investment analysis at the time of rating, and the rating assigned to any particular security is not necessarily a reflection of the issuer’s current financial condition. Credit quality can change from time to time, and recently issued credit ratings may not fully reflect the actual risks posed by a particular high yield security. If relevant to the Fund(s) in this SAI, corporate bond ratings are described in an appendix to the SAI (see the table of contents).  Preferred stock and certain other hybrid securities may pay a fixed-dividend rate, but may be considered equity securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment restrictions (see “Preferred Stock” and “Hybrid Securities”).   
Foreign Currency Transactions As measured in U.S. dollars, the value of assets denominated in foreign currencies may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency rates and exchange control regulations. Currency exchange rates can also be affected unpredictably by intervention by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad.  If the U.S. dollar rises in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth less in U.S. dollars. If the U.S. dollar decreases in value relative to a foreign currency, a security denominated in that foreign currency will be worth more in U.S. dollars. A devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency.  Foreign currency exchange transactions may be conducted on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market or through entering into derivative currency transactions (see “Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts,” “Option Contracts,” “Futures Contracts” and “Swap Agreements – Currency Swaps” herein).  Currency transactions are subject to the risk of a number of complex political and economic factors applicable to the countries issuing the underlying currencies. Furthermore, unlike trading in most other types of instruments, there is no systematic reporting of last sale information with respect to the foreign currencies underlying the derivative currency transactions. As a result, available information may not be complete. In an over-the-counter trading environment, there are no daily price fluctuation limits.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 51 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Foreign Investments Investing in securities issued by companies whose principal business activities are outside the United States may involve significant risks not present in domestic investments. For example, because foreign companies may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements and regulatory measures comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a domestic company. Volume and liquidity in most foreign debt markets is less than in the United States and securities of some foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, broker-dealers and listed companies than in the United States. In addition, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political or social instability, or diplomatic developments, which could affect investments in those countries. Any of these actions could adversely affect securities prices, impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities, or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back to the United States, or otherwise adversely affect Fund operations.  In the event of nationalization, expropriation or confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment in that country.  
  Other potential foreign market risks include exchange controls, difficulties in valuing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, and difficulties of enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts.  Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and balance of payments position. Certain 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.  Foreign securities markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as those in the United States.  Foreign countries may not have the infrastructure or resources to respond to natural and other disasters that interfere with economic activities, which may adversely affect issuers located in such countries.
  Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Payment for securities before delivery may be required and in some countries delayed settlements are customary, which increases the Fund’s risk of loss. The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and related cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security or any of their agents goes bankrupt.  Certain countries may require withholding on dividends paid on portfolio securities and on realized capital gains.
  In addition, it is often more expensive to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. Foreign brokerage commissions are generally higher than commissions on securities traded in the United States and may be non-negotiable.  The fees paid to foreign banks and securities depositories generally are higher than those charged by U.S. banks and depositories.  The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount earned on investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund as compared to investment companies that invest only in the United States.
  Depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts “GDRs”)) are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, they continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer’s country, as well as in the case of depositary receipts traded on foreign markets, exchange risk.  Depositary receipts may be sponsored or unsponsored. Unsponsored depositary receipts are established without the participation of the issuer. As a result, available information concerning the issuer of an unsponsored depository receipt may not be as current as for sponsored depositary receipts, and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer. Unsponsored depositary receipts may involve higher expenses, may not pass through voting or other shareholder rights and they may be less liquid.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 52 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Unless otherwise provided in the Prospectus, in determining the domicile of an issuer, the investment adviser may consider the domicile determination of the Fund’s benchmark index or a leading provider of global indexes and may take into account such factors as where the company’s securities are listed, and where the company is legally organized, maintains principal corporate offices and/or conducts its principal operations.
  In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“Brexit”).  There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range and potential implications of possible political, regulatory, economic, and market outcomes are difficult to predict.  Political events, including nationalist unrest in Europe, uncertainties surrounding the sovereign debt of a number of European Union (“EU”) countries and the viability of the EU itself, also may cause market disruptions.  If one or more countries leave the EU or the EU dissolves, the world’s securities markets likely will be significantly disrupted.  Moreover, the uncertainty about the ramifications of Brexit may cause significant volatility and/or declines in the value of the Euro and the British pound.  Brexit may cause greater market volatility and illiquidity, currency fluctuations, deterioration in economic activity, a decrease in business confidence, and increased likelihood of a recession in the United Kingdom.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  A forward foreign currency exchange contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect against an adverse change in the relationship between currencies or to increase exposure to a particular foreign currency. Cross-hedging may be done by using forward contracts in one currency (or basket of currencies) to hedge against fluctuations in the value of instruments denominated in a different currency (or the basket of currencies and the underlying currency). Use of a different foreign currency (for hedging or non-hedging purposes) magnifies exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are individually negotiated and privately traded so they are dependent upon the creditworthiness of the counterparty. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the instruments denominated in the corresponding currencies will not generally be possible. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge against long-term currency changes.
  When a currency is difficult to hedge or to hedge against the U.S. dollar, the Fund may enter into a forward contract to sell a currency whose changes in value are generally considered to be linked to such currency. Currency transactions can result in losses if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction that is not anticipated. In addition, there is the risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present or may not be present during the particular time the hedge is in place. If the Fund purchases a bond denominated in a foreign currency with a higher interest rate than is available on U.S. bonds of a similar maturity, the additional yield on the foreign bond could be substantially reduced or lost if the Fund were to enter into a direct hedge by selling the foreign currency and purchasing the U.S. dollar.  
  Some of the forward foreign currency exchange contracts may be classified as non-deliverable forwards (“NDFs”). NDFs are cash-settled, forward contracts that may be thinly traded. NDFs are commonly quoted for time periods of one month up to two years, and are normally quoted and settled in U.S. dollars, but may be settled in other currencies. They are often used to gain exposure to or hedge exposure to foreign currencies that are not internationally traded.  NDFs may also be used to gain or hedge exposure to gold.
Forward Rate Agreements See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Under a forward rate agreement, the buyer locks in an interest rate at a future settlement date. If the interest rate on the settlement date exceeds the lock rate, the buyer pays the seller the difference between the two rates. If the lock rate exceeds the interest rate on the settlement date, the seller pays the buyer the difference between the two rates. Any such gain received by the Fund would be taxable.  These instruments are traded in the OTC market.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 53 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Futures Contracts See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Futures contracts are standardized contracts that obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of the underlying reference instrument at a specified future date at a specified price.  These contracts are traded on exchanges, so that, in most cases, either party can close out its position on the exchange for cash, without delivering the underlying asset.  Upon purchasing or selling a futures contract, a purchaser or seller is required to deposit collateral (initial margin).  Each day thereafter until the futures position is closed, the purchaser or seller will pay additional margin (variation margin) representing any loss experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day or be entitled to a payment representing any profit experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day.  A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes as well as financial instruments and foreign currencies. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future.  In computing daily net asset value, the Fund will mark to market its open futures positions. The Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Futures contracts are traded on exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed by the CFTC and must be executed through a futures commission merchant or brokerage firm that is a member of the relevant exchange or board.
  Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying reference instrument, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (same exchange, underlying security or index, and delivery month). Closing a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing a futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument or commodity with the same delivery date. If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss.
Hybrid Securities Hybrid securities generally possess certain characteristics of both equity and debt securities. These securities may at times behave more like equity than debt, or vice versa. Preferred stocks, convertible securities, trust preferred securities and certain debt obligations are types of hybrid securities.  The investment adviser has sole discretion to determine whether an investment has hybrid characteristics and generally will consider the instrument’s preference over the issuer’s common shares, the term of the instrument at the time of issuance and/or the tax character of the instrument’s distributions.  Debt instruments with a preference over common shares and a perpetual term or a term at issuance of thirty years or more generally are considered by the investment adviser to be hybrid securities. Hybrid securities generally do not have voting rights or have limited voting rights.  Because hybrid securities have both debt and equity characteristics, their values vary in response to many factors, including general market and economic conditions, issuer-specific events, changes in interest rates, credit spreads and the credit quality of the issuer, and, for convertible securities, factors affecting the securities into which they convert.  Hybrid securities may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price. Hybrid securities may pay a fixed or variable rate of interest or dividends. The prices and yields of nonconvertible hybrid securities generally move with changes in interest rates and the issuer’s credit quality, similar to the factors affecting debt securities. If the issuer of a hybrid security experiences financial difficulties, the value of such security may be adversely affected similar to the issuer’s outstanding common stock or subordinated debt instruments.  Trust preferred securities are issued by a special purpose trust that holds the subordinated debt of a company and, as such, are subject to the risks associated with such debt obligation.  See also “Preferred Stock,” “Convertible Securities” and “Contingent Convertible Securities.”  
Illiquid Investments Certain investments are considered illiquid or restricted due to a limited trading market, legal or contractual restrictions on resale or transfer, or are otherwise illiquid because they cannot be sold or disposed of in seven calendar days or less under then-current market conditions without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.  Such illiquid securities include commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act and securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A thereunder. Section 4(a)(2) and Rule 144A securities may, however, be treated as liquid by the investment adviser pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board, which require consideration of factors such as trading activity, availability of market quotations and number of dealers willing to purchase the security. Even if determined to be liquid, Rule 144A securities may increase the level of portfolio illiquidity if eligible buyers become uninterested in purchasing such securities.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 54 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  It may be difficult to sell illiquid investments at a price representing fair value until such time as the investments may be sold publicly. It also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such investments for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value.  Where registration is required, a considerable period of time may elapse between a decision to sell the investments and the time when the Fund would be permitted to sell. Thus, the Fund may not be able to obtain as favorable a price as that prevailing at the time of the decision to sell. The Fund may incur additional expense when disposing of illiquid investments, including all or a portion of the cost to register the investments.  The Fund also may acquire investments through private placements under which it may agree to contractual restrictions on the resale of such investments that are in addition to applicable legal restrictions. Such restrictions might prevent the sale of such investments at a time when such sale would otherwise be desirable.
  At times, a portion of the Fund’s assets may be invested in investments as to which the Fund, by itself or together with other accounts managed by the investment adviser and its affiliates, holds a major portion or all of such investments. Under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such investments when the investment adviser believes it advisable to do so or may be able to sell such investments only at prices lower than if such investments were more widely held.  It may also be more difficult to determine the fair value of such investments for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value.  See also “Restricted Securities.”
Indexed Securities See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Indexed securities are securities that fluctuate in value with an index. The interest rate or, in some cases, the principal payable at the maturity of an indexed security may change positively or inversely in relation to one or more interest rates, financial indices, securities prices or other financial indicators (“reference prices”). An indexed security may be leveraged to the extent that the magnitude of any change in the interest rate or principal payable on an indexed security is a multiple of the change in the reference price. Thus, indexed securities may decline in value due to adverse market changes in reference prices. Because indexed securities derive their value from another instrument, security or index, they are considered derivative debt securities, and are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest rate and/or other market risks. Indexed securities may include interest only (“IO”) and principal only (“PO”) securities, floating rate securities linked to the Cost of Funds Index (“COFI floaters”), other “lagging rate” floating securities, floating rate securities that are subject to a maximum interest rate (“capped floaters”), leveraged floating rate securities (“super floaters”), leveraged inverse floating rate securities (“inverse floaters”), dual index floaters, range floaters, index amortizing notes and various currency indexed notes.  Indexed securities may be issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities or, if privately issued, collateralized by mortgages that are insured, guaranteed or otherwise backed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
Inflation-Indexed (or Inflation-Linked) Bonds Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed-income securities the principal value of which is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Inflation-indexed bonds are issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities and corporations. Two structures are common: The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers use a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Most other issuers pay out the inflation accruals as part of a semiannual coupon.  The principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted in response to changes in the level of inflation.  Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds, and therefore, the principal amount of such bonds cannot be reduced below par even during a period of deflation.  However, the current market value of these bonds is not guaranteed and will fluctuate, reflecting the risk of changes in their yields.  In certain jurisdictions outside the United States, the repayment of the original bond principal upon the maturity of an inflation-indexed bond is not guaranteed, allowing for the amount of the bond repaid at maturity to be less than par.  The interest rate for inflation-indexed bonds is fixed at issuance as a percentage of this adjustable principal.  Accordingly, the actual interest income may both rise and fall as the principal amount of the bonds adjusts in response to movements in the Consumer Price Index.  
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 55 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.
Investing in a Portfolio The Board may discontinue the Fund’s investment in one or more Portfolios if it determines that it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders to do so. In such an event, the Board would consider what action might be taken, including investing Fund assets in another pooled investment entity or retaining an investment adviser to manage Fund assets in accordance with its investment objective(s). The Fund’s investment performance and expense ratio may be affected if its investment structure is changed or if another Portfolio investor withdraws all or a portion of its investment in the Portfolio.
Investments in the Subsidiary The Subsidiary is organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and is overseen by a sole director affiliated with Eaton Vance. The Fund is the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary, and it is not currently expected that shares of the Subsidiary will be sold or offered to other investors. The Subsidiary expects to invest primarily in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including swap agreements, commodity options, futures and options on futures, backed by a portfolio of inflation-indexed securities and other fixed-income securities and is also permitted to invest in any other investments permitted by the Fund. To the extent that the Fund invests in the Subsidiary, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in the Prospectus and this SAI.
  While the Subsidiary may be operated similarly to the Fund, it is not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the Prospectus and this SAI, is not subject to the investor protections of the 1940 Act and other U.S. regulations. Changes in the laws of the U.S. and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in the Prospectus and this SAI and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders.
Junior Loans Due to their lower place in the borrower’s capital structure and possible unsecured status, certain loans (“Junior Loans”) involve a higher degree of overall risk than Senior Loans (described below) of the same borrower.  Junior Loans may be direct loans or purchased either in the form of an assignment or a loan participation.  Junior Loans are subject to the same general risks inherent in any loan investment (see “Loans” below). Junior Loans include secured and unsecured subordinated loans, as well as second lien loans and subordinated bridge loans. A second lien loan is generally second in line in terms of repayment priority and may have a claim on the same collateral pool as the first lien, or it may be secured by a separate set of assets. Second lien loans generally give investors priority over general unsecured creditors in the event of an asset sale.
  Bridge loans or bridge facilities are short-term loan arrangements (e.g., 12 to 18 months) typically made by a borrower in anticipation of intermediate-term or long-term permanent financing. Most bridge loans are structured as floating-rate debt with step-up provisions under which the interest rate on the bridge loan rises the longer the loan remains outstanding and may be converted into senior exchange notes if the loan has not been prepaid in full on or prior to its maturity date. Bridge loans may be subordinate to other debt and may be secured or unsecured. Bridge loans are generally made with the expectation that the borrower will be able to obtain permanent financing in the near future. Any delay in obtaining permanent financing subjects the bridge loan investor to increased risk. A borrower with an outstanding bridge loan may be unable to locate permanent financing to replace the bridge loan, which may impair the borrower’s perceived creditworthiness. From time to time, the Fund may make a commitment to participate in a bridge loan facility, obligating itself to participate in the facility if it funds. In return for this commitment, the Fund receives a fee.
  For additional disclosure relating to investing in loans (including Junior Loans), see “Loans” below.  
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 56 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk

The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is the average offered rate for various maturities of short-term loans between major international banks who are members of the British Bankers Association (BBA). LIBOR is the most common benchmark interest rate index used to make adjustments to variable-rate loans. It is used throughout global banking and financial industries to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments (such as debt instruments and derivatives) and borrowing arrangements. However, the use of LIBOR started to come under pressure following manipulation allegations in 2012. Despite increased regulation and other corrective actions since that time, concerns have arisen regarding its viability as a benchmark, due largely to reduced activity in the financial markets that it measures.

In June 2017, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of large U.S. banks working with the Federal Reserve, announced its selection of a new Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to be a broad measure of secured overnight U.S. Treasury repo rates, as an appropriate replacement for LIBOR. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing the SOFR earlier in 2018, with the expectation that it could be used on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. Bank working groups and regulators in other countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (“SONIA”) in England.

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), the United Kingdom financial regulatory body, announced that after 2021 it will cease its active encouragement of UK banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR. That announcement suggests that LIBOR may cease to be published after that time.

Various financial industry groups have begun planning for that transition, but there are obstacles to converting certain longer term securities and transactions to a new benchmark. Transition planning is at an early stage, and neither the effect of the transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that currently rely on the LIBOR to determine interest rates. Although the period from the FCA announcement until the end of 2021 is generally expected to be enough time for market participants to transition to the use of a different benchmark for new securities and transactions, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the specific replacement rate or rates. As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or the financial instruments utilized by the Fund cannot yet be determined. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR. The transition may also result in a change in (i) the value of certain instruments held by the Fund, (ii) the cost of temporary or other borrowing for the Fund (if applicable), or (iii) the effectiveness of related Fund transactions such as hedges, as applicable. When LIBOR is discontinued, the LIBOR replacement rate may be lower than market expectations, which could have an adverse impact on the value of preferred and debt-securities with floating or fixed-to-floating rate coupons. Any such effects of the transition away from LIBOR, as well as other unforeseen effects, could result in losses to the Fund. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur prior to the end of 2021.

Liquidity or Protective Put Agreements See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  The Fund may enter into a separate agreement with the seller of an instrument or some other person granting the Fund the right to put the instrument to the seller thereof or the other person at an agreed upon price.  Interest income generated by certain municipal bonds with put or demand features may be taxable.
   
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 57 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Loans Loans may be primary, direct investments or investments in loan assignments or participation interests.  A loan assignment represents a portion or the entirety of a loan and a portion of the entirety of a position previously attributable to a different lender. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement and has the same rights and obligations as the assigning investor.  However, assignments through private negotiations may cause the purchaser of an assignment to have different and more limited rights than those held by the assigning investor.  Loan participation interests are interests issued by a lender or other entity and represent a fractional interest in a loan. The Fund typically will have a contractual relationship only with the financial institution that issued the participation interest. As a result, the Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the financial institution and only upon receipt by such entity of such payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing a participation interest, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, nor any rights with respect to any funds acquired by other investors through set-off against the borrower and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation interest. As a result, the Fund may assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the financial institution issuing the participation interest. In the event of the insolvency of the entity issuing a participation interest, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of such entity.
  Loans may be originated by a lending agent, such as a financial institution or other entity, on behalf of a group or “syndicate” of loan investors (the “Loan Investors”).  In such a case, the agent administers the terms of the loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal, and interest payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the Loan Investors. Failure by the agent to fulfill its obligations may delay or adversely affect receipt of payment by the Fund. Furthermore, unless under the terms of a loan agreement or participation (as applicable) the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, the Fund must rely on the Agent and the other Loan Investors to pursue appropriate remedies against the borrower.
  Loan investments may be made at par or at a discount or premium to par.  The interest payable on a loan may be fixed or floating rate, and paid in cash or in-kind.  In connection with transactions in loans, the Fund may be subject to facility or other fees.  Loans may be secured by specific collateral or other assets of the borrower, guaranteed by a third party, unsecured or subordinated.  During the term of a loan, the value of any collateral securing the loan may decline in value, causing the loan to be under collateralized. Collateral may consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated, and there is no assurance that the liquidation of such assets would satisfy fully a borrower’s obligations under the loan. In addition, if a loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of the collateral and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of such collateral.
  A lender’s repayment and other rights primarily are determined by governing loan, assignment or participation documents, which (among other things) typically establish the priority of payment on the loan relative to other indebtedness and obligations of the borrower.  A borrower typically is required to comply with certain covenants contained in a loan agreement between the borrower and the holders of the loan.  The types of covenants included in loan agreements generally vary depending on market conditions, the creditworthiness of the issuer, and the nature of the collateral securing the loan.  Loans with fewer covenants that restrict activities of the borrower may provide the borrower with more flexibility to take actions that may be detrimental to the loan holders and provide fewer investor protections in the event covenants are breached.  The Fund may experience relatively greater realized or unrealized losses or delays and expense in enforcing its rights with respect to loans with fewer restrictive covenants.  Loans to entities located outside of the U.S. (including to sovereign entities) may have substantially different lender protections and covenants as compared to loans to U.S. entities and may involve greater risks.  In the event of bankruptcy, applicable law may impact a lender’s ability to enforce its rights.  The Fund may have difficulties and incur expense enforcing its rights with respect to non-U.S. loans and such loans could be subject to bankruptcy laws that are materially different than in the U.S.  Sovereign entities may be unable or unwilling to meet their obligations under a loan due to budgetary limitations or economic or political changes within the country.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 58 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Investing in loans involves the risk of default by the borrower or other party obligated to repay the loan.  In the event of insolvency of the borrower or other obligated party, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of such entity unless it has rights that are senior to that of other creditors or secured by specific collateral or assets of the borrower.  Fixed-rate loans are also subject to the risk that their value will decline in a rising interest rate environment.  This risk is mitigated for floating-rate loans, where the interest rate payable on the loan resets periodically by reference to a base lending rate.  The base lending rate usually is the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), the Federal Reserve federal funds rate, the prime rate or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders. LIBOR usually is an average of the interest rates quoted by several designated banks as the rates at which they pay interest to major depositors in the London interbank market on U.S. dollar-denominated deposits.
  Many financial instruments use or may use a floating rate based on LIBOR, which is the offered rate for short-term Eurodollar deposits between major international banks.  On July 27, 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021.  Due to this announcement, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate.  As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or the financial instruments in which the Fund invests cannot yet be determined.  See “LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk” herein.
  The Fund will take whatever action it considers appropriate in the event of anticipated financial difficulties, default or bankruptcy of the borrower or other entity obligated to repay a loan. Such action may include: (i) retaining the services of various persons or firms (including affiliates of the investment adviser) to evaluate or protect any collateral or other assets securing the loan or acquired as a result of any such event; (ii) managing (or engaging other persons to manage) or otherwise dealing with any collateral or other assets so acquired; and (iii) taking such other actions (including, but not limited to, payment of operating or similar expenses relating to the collateral) as the investment adviser may deem appropriate to reduce the likelihood or severity of loss on the Fund’s investment and/or maximize the return on such investment.  The Fund will incur additional expenditures in taking protective action with respect to loans in (or anticipated to be in) default and assets securing such loans.  In certain circumstances, the Fund may receive equity or equity-like securities from a borrower to settle the loan or may acquire an equity interest in the borrower.  Representatives of the Fund also may join creditor or similar committees relating to loans.
  Lenders can be sued by other creditors and the debtor and its shareholders. Losses could be greater than the original loan amount and occur years after the loan’s recovery. If a borrower becomes involved in bankruptcy proceedings, a court may invalidate the Fund’s security interest in any loan collateral or subordinate the Fund’s rights under the loan agreement to the interests of the borrower’s unsecured creditors or cause interest previously paid to be refunded to the borrower. There are also other events, such as the failure to perfect a security interest due to faulty documentation or faulty official filings, which could lead to the invalidation of the Fund’s security interest in loan collateral. If any of these events occur, the Fund’s performance could be negatively affected.
  Interests in loans generally are not listed on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system and no active market may exist for many loans, making them illiquid. As described below, a secondary market exists for many Senior Loans, but it may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.
  From time to time the investment adviser and its affiliates may borrow money from various banks in connection with their business activities. Such banks may also sell interests in loans to or acquire them from the Fund or may be intermediate participants with respect to loans in which the Fund owns interests. Such banks may also act as agents for loans held by the Fund.
  To the extent that legislation or state or federal regulators that regulate certain financial institutions impose additional requirements or restrictions with respect to the ability of such institutions to make loans, particularly in connection with highly leveraged transactions, the availability of loans for investment may be adversely affected. Further, such legislation or regulation could depress the market value of loans.
  For additional disclosures relating to Junior and Senior Loans, see “Junior Loans” and “Senior Loans” herein.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 59 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Lower Rated Investments Lower rated investments (commonly referred to as “junk”) are of below investment grade quality and generally provide greater income potential and/or increased opportunity for capital appreciation than higher quality investments but they also typically entail greater potential price volatility and principal and income risk.  Lower rated investments are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the entity’s continuing ability to make timely principal and interest payments.  Also, their yields and market values may fluctuate more than higher rated investments.  Fluctuations in value do not affect the cash income from lower rated investments, but are reflected in the Fund’s net asset value.  The greater risks and fluctuations in yield and value occur, in part, because investors generally perceive issuers of lower rated and unrated investments to be less creditworthy. The secondary market for lower rated investments may be less liquid than the market for higher grade investments.
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”) MLPs are publicly-traded limited partnership interests or units. An MLP that invests in a particular industry (e.g., oil and gas) will be harmed by detrimental economic events within that industry. As partnerships, MLPs may be subject to less regulation (and less protection for investors) under state laws than corporations. In addition, MLPs may be subject to state taxation in certain jurisdictions, which may reduce the amount of income paid by an MLP to its investors. Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act generally allows individuals and certain other non-corporate entities, such as partnerships, a deduction for 20% of “qualified publicly traded partnership income” such as income from MLPs.  However, the law does not include any provision for a regulated investment company to pass the character of its qualified publicly traded partnership income through to its shareholders.  As a result, an investor who invests directly in MLPs will be able to receive the benefit of that deduction, while a shareholder of the Fund will not.
Money Market Instruments Money market instruments include short term, high quality, U.S. dollar denominated instruments such as commercial paper, certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances issued by U.S. or foreign banks, and Treasury bills and other obligations with a maturity of one year or less, including those issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities.  See “U.S. Government Securities” below. Certificates of deposit or time deposits are certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank, are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return, and are normally negotiable. Bankers’ acceptances are short-term credit instruments used to finance the import, export, transfer or storage of goods. They are termed “accepted” when a bank guarantees their payment at maturity.
  The obligations of foreign branches of U.S. banks may be general obligations of the parent bank in addition to the issuing branch, or may be limited by the terms of a specific obligation and by governmental regulation.  Payment of interest and principal upon these obligations may also be affected by governmental action in the country of domicile of the branch (generally referred to as sovereign risk). In addition, evidence of ownership of portfolio securities may be held outside of the U.S. and generally will be subject to the risks associated with the holding of such property overseas. Various provisions of U.S. law governing the establishment and operation of domestic branches do not apply to foreign branches of domestic banks. The obligations of U.S. branches of foreign banks may be general obligations of the parent bank in addition to the issuing branch, or may be limited by the terms of a specific obligation and by federal and state regulation as well as by governmental action in the country in which the foreign bank has its head office.
  Money market instruments are often acquired directly from the issuers thereof or otherwise are normally traded on a net basis (without commission) through broker-dealers and banks acting for their own account. Such firms attempt to profit from such transactions by buying at the bid price and selling at the higher asked price of the market, and the difference is customarily referred to as the spread. Money market instruments may be adversely affected by market and economic events, such as a sharp rise in prevailing short-term interest rates; adverse developments in the banking industry, which issues or guarantees many money market securities; adverse economic, political or other developments affecting domestic issuers of money market securities; changes in the credit quality of issuers; and default by a counterparty.  These securities may be subject to federal income, state income and/or other taxes.  Instead of investing in money market instruments directly, the Fund may invest in an affiliated money market fund (such as Eaton Vance Cash Reserves Fund, LLC, which is managed by Eaton Vance) or an unaffiliated money market fund.  During unusual market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents temporarily, which may be inconsistent with its investment objective(s) and other policies.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 60 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Mortgage-Backed Securities (“MBS”) MBS are “pass through” securities, meaning that a pro rata share of regular interest and principal payments, as well as unscheduled early prepayments, on the underlying mortgage pool is passed through monthly to the holder.  MBS may include conventional mortgage pass through securities, participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed rate mortgage loans, stripped securities (described herein), floating rate mortgage-backed securities and certain classes of multiple class CMOs. MBS pay principal to the holder over their term, which differs from other forms of debt securities that normally provide for principal payment at maturity or specified call dates. MBS are subject to the general risks associated with investing in real estate securities; that is, they may lose value if the value of the underlying real estate to which a pool of mortgages relates declines.  In addition, investments in MBS involve certain specific risks, including the failure of a party to meet its commitments under the related operative documents, adverse interest rate changes, and the effects of prepayments on mortgage cash flows and that any guarantee or other structural feature, if present, is insufficient to enable the timely payment of interest and principal on the MBS. Although certain MBS are guaranteed as to timely payment of interest and principal by a government-sponsored enterprise, the market price for such securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.  Certain MBS may be purchased on a when-issued basis subject to certain limitations and requirements.
  There are currently four types of MBS: (1) those issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”); (2) those issued by private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by pass through securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities; (3) those issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities without a government guarantee, such as credit risk transfer bonds; and (4) those issued by private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by whole mortgage loans or pass through securities without a government guarantee but that usually have some form of private credit enhancement.  Privately issued MBS are structured similar to GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC MBS, and are issued by originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including depositary institutions, mortgage banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing.
  GNMA Certificates and FNMA Mortgage-Backed Certificates are MBS representing part ownership of a pool of mortgage loans. GNMA loans (issued by lenders such as mortgage bankers, commercial banks and savings and loan associations) are either insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration. A pool of such mortgages is assembled and, after being approved by GNMA, is offered to investors through securities dealers. Once such pool is approved by GNMA, the timely payment of interest and principal on the Certificates issued representing such pool is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. GNMA is a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  FNMA, a federally chartered corporation owned entirely by private stockholders, purchases both conventional and federally insured or guaranteed residential mortgages from various entities, including savings and loan associations, savings banks, commercial banks, credit unions and mortgage bankers, and packages pools of such mortgages in the form of pass-through securities generally called FNMA Mortgage-Backed Certificates, which are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government; however, they are supported by the right of FNMA to borrow from the U.S. Treasury Department.
   FHLMC, a corporate instrumentality of the U.S. Government created by Congress for the purposes of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing, issues participation certificates (“PCs”) representing undivided interest in FHLMC’S mortgage portfolio. While FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of the principal of its PCs, its PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FHLMC PCs differ from GNMA Certificates in that the mortgages underlying the PCs are monthly “conventional” mortgages rather than mortgages insured or guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality. However, in several other respects, such as the monthly pass-through of interest and principal (including unscheduled prepayments) and the unpredictability of future unscheduled prepayments on the underlying mortgage pools, FHLMC PCs are similar to GNMA Certificates.  
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 61 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  While it is not possible to accurately predict the life of a particular issue of MBS, the actual life of any such security is likely to be substantially less than the final maturities of the mortgage loans underlying the security. This is because unscheduled early prepayments of principal on MBS will result from the prepayment, refinancings or foreclosure of the underlying mortgage loans in the mortgage pool. Prepayments of MBS may not be able to be reinvested at the same interest rate.  Because of the regular scheduled payments of principal and the early unscheduled prepayments of principal, MBS are less effective than other types of obligations as a means of “locking-in” attractive long-term interest rates. As a result, this type of security may have less potential for capital appreciation during periods of declining interest rates than other U.S. Government securities of comparable maturities, although many issues of MBS may have a comparable risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. If MBS are purchased at a premium above their par value, a scheduled payment of principal and an unscheduled prepayment of principal, which would be made at par, will accelerate the realization of a loss equal to that portion of the premium applicable to the payment or prepayment. If MBS have been purchased at a discount from their par value, both a scheduled payment of principal and an unscheduled prepayment of principal will increase current returns and will accelerate the recognition of income, which, when distributed to Fund shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls In a mortgage dollar roll, the Fund sells MBS for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) MBS on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the MBS.  The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the “drop”) as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sales. Cash proceeds may be invested in instruments that are permissible investments for the Fund.  The use of mortgage dollar rolls is a speculative technique involving leverage.  A “covered roll” is a specific type of dollar roll for which there is an offsetting cash position or permissible liquid assets earmarked or in a segregated account to secure the obligation for the forward commitment to buy MBS, or a cash equivalent security position that matures on or before the forward settlement date of the dollar roll transaction. The Fund will only enter into covered rolls. Covered rolls are not treated as a borrowing or other senior security and will be excluded from the calculation of the Fund’s borrowings and other senior securities.
Municipal Lease Obligations (“MLOs”) A MLO is a bond that is secured by lease payments made by the party, typically a state or municipality, leasing the facilities (e.g., schools or office buildings) that were financed by the bond.  Such lease payments may be subject to annual appropriation or may be made only from revenues associated with the facility financed.  In other cases, the leasing state or municipality is obligated to appropriate funds from its general tax revenues to make lease payments as long as it utilizes the leased property.  MLOs, like other municipal debt obligations, are subject to the risk of non-payment. Although MLOs do not constitute general obligations of the issuer for which the issuer’s unlimited taxing power is pledged, a lease obligation is frequently backed by the issuer’s covenant to budget for, appropriate and make the payments due under the lease obligation.  However, certain lease obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses, which provide that the issuer has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose on a yearly basis. Although “non-appropriation” lease obligations may be secured by the leased property, disposition of the property in the event of foreclosure might prove difficult. A certificate of participation (also referred to as a “participation”) in a municipal lease is an instrument evidencing a pro rata share in a specific pledged revenue stream, usually lease payments by the issuer that are typically subject to annual appropriation.  The certificate generally entitles the holder to receive a share, or participation, in the payments from a particular project.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 62 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  MLOs and participations therein represent a type of financing that may not have the depth of marketability associated with more conventional securities and, as such, they may be less liquid than conventional securities.  Certain MLOs may be deemed illiquid for the purpose of the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities, unless determined by the investment adviser, pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board, to be liquid securities. The investment adviser will consider an MLO to be liquid if it is rated investment grade (being an MLO rated BBB or Baa or higher) by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization or is insured by an insurer rated investment grade.  If an MLO or participation does not meet the foregoing criteria, then the investment adviser will consider the MLO to be illiquid unless it conducts an analysis of relevant factors and concludes that the MLO is liquid.  In conducting such an analysis, the investment adviser will consider the factors it believes are relevant to the marketability of the obligation, to the extent that information regarding such factor is available to the investment adviser and pertinent to the liquidity determination, which may include: (1) the willingness of dealers to bid for the obligation; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the obligation and the number of other potential buyers; (3) the frequency of trades and quotes for the obligation; (4) the nature of the marketplace trades, including the time needed to dispose of the obligation, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer; (5) the willingness of the governmental issuer to continue to appropriate funds for the payment of the obligation; (6) how likely or remote an event of non-appropriation may be, which depends in varying degrees on a variety of factors, including those relating to the general creditworthiness of the governmental issuer, its dependence on its continuing access to the credit markets, and the importance to the issuer of the equipment, property or facility covered by the lease or contract; (7) an assessment of the likelihood that the lease may or may not be cancelled; and (8) other factors and information unique to the obligation in determining its liquidity.
  The ability of issuers of MLOs to make timely lease payments may be adversely impacted in general economic downturns and as relative governmental cost burdens are allocated and reallocated among federal, state and local governmental units. Such non-payment would result in a reduction of income from and value of the obligation. Issuers of MLOs might seek protection under the bankruptcy laws. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, holders of MLOs could experience delays and limitations with respect to the collection of principal and interest on such MLOs and may not, in all circumstances, be able to collect all principal and interest to which it is entitled. To enforce its rights in the event of a default in lease payments, the Fund might take possession of and manage the assets securing the issuer’s obligations on such securities or otherwise incur costs to protect its rights, which may increase the Fund’s operating expenses and adversely affect the net asset value of the Fund. When the lease contains a non-appropriation clause, however, the failure to pay would not be a default and the Fund would not have the right to take possession of the assets. Any income derived from the Fund’s ownership or operation of such assets may not be tax-exempt.
Municipal Obligations Municipal obligations include debt obligations issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities, refunding of outstanding obligations and obtaining funds for general operating expenses and loans to other public institutions and facilities.  Certain types of bonds are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to finance various privately owned or operated facilities, including certain facilities for the local furnishing of electric energy or gas, sewage facilities, solid waste disposal facilities and other specialized facilities. Municipal obligations include bonds as well as tax-exempt commercial paper, project notes and municipal notes such as tax, revenue and bond anticipation notes of short maturity, generally less than three years. While most municipal bonds pay a fixed rate of interest semiannually in cash, there are exceptions. Some bonds pay no periodic cash interest, but rather make a single payment at maturity representing both principal and interest. Some bonds may pay interest at a variable or floating rate.  Bonds may be issued or subsequently offered with interest coupons materially greater or less than those then prevailing, with price adjustments reflecting such deviation.  Municipal obligations also include trust certificates representing interests in municipal securities held by a trustee. The trust certificates may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 63 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  In general, there are three categories of municipal obligations, the interest on which is exempt from federal income tax and is not a tax preference item for purposes of the AMT: (i) certain “public purpose” obligations (whenever issued), which include obligations issued directly by state and local governments or their agencies to fulfill essential governmental functions; (ii) certain obligations issued before August 8, 1986 for the benefit of non-governmental persons or entities; and (iii) certain “private activity bonds” issued after August 7, 1986, which include “qualified Section 501(c)(3) bonds” or refundings of certain obligations included in the second category. Opinions relating to the validity of municipal bonds, exclusion of municipal bond interest from an investor’s gross income for federal income tax purposes and, where applicable, state and local income tax, are rendered by bond counsel to the issuing authorities at the time of issuance.
  Interest on certain “private activity bonds” issued after August 7, 1986 is exempt from regular federal income tax, but such interest (including a distribution by the Fund derived from such interest) is treated as a tax preference item that could subject the recipient to or increase the recipient’s liability for the AMT.
  The two principal classifications of municipal bonds are “general obligation” and “revenue” bonds. Issuers of general obligation bonds include states, counties, cities, towns and regional districts. The proceeds of these obligations are used to fund a wide range of public projects, including the construction or improvement of schools, highways and roads, water and sewer systems and a variety of other public purposes. The basic security of general obligation bonds is the issuer’s pledge of its faith, credit, and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. The taxes that can be levied for the payment of debt service may be limited or unlimited as to rate and amount.
  Typically, the only security for a limited obligation or revenue bond is the net revenue derived from a particular facility or class of facilities financed thereby or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special tax or other special revenues. Revenue bonds have been issued to fund a wide variety of revenue-producing public capital projects including: electric, gas, water and sewer systems; highways, bridges and tunnels; port and airport facilities; colleges and universities; hospitals; and convention, recreational, tribal gaming and housing facilities. Although the security behind these bonds varies widely, many lower rated bonds provide additional security in the form of a debt service reserve fund that may also be used to make principal and interest payments on the issuer's obligations. In addition, some revenue obligations (as well as general obligations) are insured by a bond insurance company or backed by a letter of credit issued by a banking institution.  Revenue bonds also include, for example, pollution control, health care and housing bonds, which, although nominally issued by municipal authorities, are generally not secured by the taxing power of the municipality but by the revenues of the authority derived from payments by the private entity that owns or operates the facility financed with the proceeds of the bonds. Obligations of housing finance authorities have a wide range of security features, including reserve funds and insured or subsidized mortgages, as well as the net revenues from housing or other public projects. Many of these bonds do not generally constitute the pledge of the credit of the issuer of such bonds. The credit quality of such revenue bonds is usually directly related to the credit standing of the user of the facility being financed or of an institution which provides a guarantee, letter of credit or other credit enhancement for the bond issue.  The Fund may on occasion acquire revenue bonds that carry warrants or similar rights covering equity securities. Such warrants or rights may be held indefinitely, but if exercised, the Fund anticipates that it would, under normal circumstances, dispose of any equity securities so acquired within a reasonable period of time.  Investing in revenue bonds may involve (without limitation) the following risks.
  Hospital bond ratings are often based on feasibility studies that contain projections of expenses, revenues and occupancy levels.   A hospital’s income available to service its debt may be influenced by demand for hospital services, management capabilities, the service area economy, efforts by insurers and government agencies to limit rates and expenses, competition, availability and expense of malpractice insurance, and Medicaid and Medicare funding.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 64 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Education-related bonds are comprised of two types: (i) those issued to finance projects for public and private colleges and universities, charter schools and private schools, and (ii) those representing pooled interests in student loans. Bonds issued to supply educational institutions with funding are subject to many risks, including the risks of unanticipated revenue decline, primarily the result of decreasing student enrollment, decreasing state and federal funding, or changes in general economic conditions. Additionally, higher than anticipated costs associated with salaries, utilities, insurance or other general expenses could impair the ability of a borrower to make annual debt service payments. Student loan revenue bonds are generally offered by state (or sub-state) authorities or commissions and are backed by pools of student loans. Underlying student loans may be guaranteed by state guarantee agencies and may be subject to reimbursement by the United States Department of Education through its guaranteed student loan program. Others may be private, uninsured loans made to parents or students that may be supported by reserves or other forms of credit enhancement. Cash flows supporting student loan revenue bonds are impacted by numerous factors, including the rate of student loan defaults, seasoning of the loan portfolio, and student repayment deferral periods of forbearance. Other risks associated with student loan revenue bonds include potential changes in federal legislation regarding student loan revenue bonds, state guarantee agency reimbursement and continued federal interest and other program subsidies currently in effect.
  Transportation debt may be issued to finance the construction of airports, toll roads, highways, or other transit facilities. Airport bonds are dependent on the economic conditions of the airport’s service area and may be affected by the business strategies and fortunes of specific airlines. They may also be subject to competition from other airports and modes of transportation. Air traffic generally follows broader economic trends and is also affected by the price and availability of fuel. Toll road bonds are also affected by the cost and availability of fuel as well as toll levels, the presence of competing roads and the general economic health of an area. Fuel costs, transportation taxes and fees, and availability of fuel also affect other transportation-related securities, as do the presence of alternate forms of transportation, such as public transportation.
 

Industrial development bonds (“IDBs”) are normally secured only by the revenues from the project and not by state or local government tax payments, they are subject to a wide variety of risks, many of which relate to the nature of the specific project. Generally, IDBs are sensitive to the risk of a slowdown in the economy.

Electric utilities face problems in financing large construction programs in an inflationary period, cost increases and delay occasioned by safety and environmental considerations (particularly with respect to nuclear facilities), difficulty in obtaining fuel at reasonable prices, and in achieving timely and adequate rate relief from regulatory commissions, effects of energy conservation and limitations on the capacity of the capital market to absorb utility debt.

Water and sewer revenue bonds are generally secured by the fees charged to each user of the service. The issuers of water and sewer revenue bonds generally enjoy a monopoly status and latitude in their ability to raise rates. However, lack of water supply due to insufficient rain, run-off, or snow pack can be a concern and has led to past defaults. Further, public resistance to rate increases, declining numbers of customers in a particular locale, costly environmental litigation, and federal environmental mandates are challenges faced by issuers of water and sewer bonds.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 65 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  The obligations of any person or entity to pay the principal of and interest on a municipal obligation are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. Certain bond structures may be subject to the risk that a taxing authority may issue an adverse ruling regarding tax-exempt status.  There is also the possibility that as a result of adverse economic conditions (including unforeseen financial events, natural disasters and other conditions that may affect an issuer’s ability to pay its obligations), litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of any person or entity to pay when due principal of and interest on a municipal obligation may be materially affected or interest and principal previously paid may be required to be refunded. There have been instances of defaults and bankruptcies involving municipal obligations that were not foreseen by the financial and investment communities. The Fund will take whatever action it considers appropriate in the event of anticipated financial difficulties, default or bankruptcy of either the issuer of any municipal obligation or of the underlying source of funds for debt service. Such action may include: (i) retaining the services of various persons or firms (including affiliates of the investment adviser) to evaluate or protect any real estate, facilities or other assets securing any such obligation or acquired by the Fund as a result of any such event; (ii) managing (or engaging other persons to manage) or otherwise dealing with any real estate, facilities or other assets so acquired; and (iii) taking such other actions as the adviser (including, but not limited to, payment of operating or similar expenses of the underlying project) may deem appropriate to reduce the likelihood or severity of loss on the fund’s investment.  The Fund will incur additional expenditures in taking protective action with respect to portfolio obligations in (or anticipated to be in) default and assets securing such obligations.
 

Historically, municipal bankruptcies have been rare and certain provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code governing such bankruptcy are unclear. Further, the application of state law to municipal obligation issuers could produce varying results among the states or among municipal obligation issuers within a state. These uncertainties could have a significant impact on the prices of the municipal obligations in which the Fund invests. There could be economic, business or political developments or court decisions that adversely affect all municipal obligations in the same sector. Developments such as changes in healthcare regulations, environmental considerations related to construction, construction cost increases and labor problems, failure of healthcare facilities to maintain adequate occupancy levels, and inflation can affect municipal obligations in the same sector. As the similarity in issuers of municipal obligations held by the Fund increases, the potential for fluctuations in the Fund’s share price also may increase.

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its related issuers continue to experience financial difficulties and rating agency downgrades, and numerous issuers have entered Title III of the Puerto Rico Oversite, Management and Economic Stability Act, which is similar to bankruptcy protection, through which the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico can restructure its debt. Puerto Rico’s short-term financial difficulties continue to be further impacted by the 2017 hurricane.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 66 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

 

The secondary market for some municipal obligations issued within a state (including issues that are privately placed with the Fund) is less liquid than that for taxable debt obligations or other more widely traded municipal obligations. No established resale market exists for certain of the municipal obligations in which the Fund may invest. The market for obligations rated below investment grade is also likely to be less liquid than the market for higher rated obligations. As a result, the Fund may be unable to dispose of these municipal obligations at times when it would otherwise wish to do so at the prices at which they are valued.

Municipal obligations that are rated below investment grade but that, subsequent to the assignment of such rating, are backed by escrow accounts containing U.S. Government obligations may be determined by the investment adviser to be of investment grade quality for purposes of the Fund’s investment policies. In the case of a defaulted obligation, the Fund may incur additional expense seeking recovery of its investment. Defaulted obligations are denoted in the “Portfolio of Investments” in the “Financial Statements” included in the Fund’s reports to shareholders.

The yields on municipal obligations depend on a variety of factors, including purposes of the issue and source of funds for repayment, general money market conditions, general conditions of the municipal bond market, size of a particular offering, maturity of the obligation and rating of the issue. The ratings of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch represent their opinions as to the quality of the municipal obligations which they undertake to rate, and in the case of insurers, other factors including the claims-paying ability of such insurer. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are based on judgment and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, municipal obligations with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while obligations of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield. In addition, the market price of such obligations will normally fluctuate with changes in interest rates, and therefore the net asset value of the Fund will be affected by such changes.

Operational Risk The Fund’s service providers, including the investment adviser, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. While service providers are expected to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods of operational risk management may differ from the Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. It also is not possible for Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
Option Contracts See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  An option contract is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the reference instrument underlying the option (or the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the reference instrument (or the cash) upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the reference instrument (or the cash). Upon exercise of an index option, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. Options may be “covered,” meaning that the party required to deliver the reference instrument if the option is exercised owns that instrument (or has set aside sufficient assets to meet its obligation to deliver the instrument).  Options may be listed on an exchange or traded in the OTC market.  In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and may require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties' obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller, but generally do not require the parties to post margin and are subject to counterparty risk.  The ability of the Fund to transact business with any one or any number of counterparties, the lack of any independent evaluation of the counterparties or their financial capabilities, and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement, may increase the potential for losses to the Fund.  OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk.  This risk may be increased in times of financial stress, if the trading market for OTC derivative contracts becomes limited.  The staff of the SEC takes the position that certain purchased OTC options, and assets used as cover for written OTC options, are illiquid.  Derivatives on economic indicators generally are offered in an auction format and are booked and settled as OTC options.  Options on futures contracts are discussed herein under “Futures Contracts.”
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 67 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  If a written option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. If a purchased option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital loss equal to the premium paid. Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, an exchange traded option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series (type, exchange, reference instrument, exercise price, and expiration). A capital gain will be realized from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the closing option is less than the premium received from writing the option, or, if it is more, a capital loss will be realized. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, the Fund will realize a capital gain or, if it is less, the Fund will realize a capital loss. The principal factors affecting the market value of a put or a call option include supply and demand, the current market price of the reference instrument in relation to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the reference instrument, and the time remaining until the expiration date.  There can be no assurance that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be consummated when desired.
  Straddles are a combination of a call and a put written on the same reference instrument. A straddle is deemed to be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Fund’s immediate obligations. The same liquid assets may be used to cover both the call and put options where the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put.  The Fund may also buy and write call options on the same reference instrument to cover its obligations.  Because such combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open or close.  In an equity collar, the Fund simultaneously writes a call option and purchases a put option on the same instrument.
  To the extent that the Fund writes a call option on an instrument it holds and intends to use such instrument as the sole means of “covering” its obligation under the call option, the Fund has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the instrument above the exercise price during the option period, but, as long as its obligation under such call option continues, has retained the risk of loss should the value of the reference instrument decline. If the Fund were unable to close out such a call option, it would not be able to sell the instrument unless the option expired without exercise.  Uncovered calls have speculative characteristics and are riskier than covered calls because there is no instrument or cover held by the Fund that can act as a partial hedge.    
  The writer of an option has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation under the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying reference instrument at the exercise price. If a put or call option purchased by the Fund is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security remains equal to or greater than the exercise price (in the case of a put), or remains less than or equal to the exercise price (in the case of a call), the Fund will lose the premium it paid for the option.  Furthermore, if trading restrictions or suspensions are imposed on options markets, the Fund may be unable to close out a position.
  Options positions are marked to market daily. The value of options is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the securities underlying the option or represented in the index underlying the option, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the relevant index or market and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that would not be reflected concurrently in the options markets.
Option Strategy The Fund implements the Option Strategy or Enhancement Strategy, as further described under “Investment Objective & Principal Policies and Risks” in the Prospectus, whereby it writes a series of call and put option spread combinations on the S&P 500® Composite Stock Price Index (S&P 500® Index) and/or a proxy for the S&P 500® Index (such as SPDR Trust Series I units (SPDRs)).
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 68 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Participation in the ReFlow Liquidity Program The Fund may participate in the ReFlow liquidity program, which is designed to provide an alternative liquidity source for mutual funds experiencing net redemptions of their shares. Pursuant to the program, ReFlow Fund, LLC (“ReFlow”) provides participating mutual funds with a source of cash to meet net shareholder redemptions by standing ready each business day to purchase fund shares up to the value of the net shares redeemed by other shareholders that are to settle the next business day. Following purchases of fund shares, ReFlow then generally redeems those shares when the fund experiences net sales, at the end of a maximum holding period determined by ReFlow (currently 14 days) or at other times at ReFlow’s discretion.  While ReFlow holds fund shares, it will have the same rights and privileges with respect to those shares as any other shareholder.  For use of the ReFlow service, a fund pays a fee to ReFlow each time it purchases fund shares, calculated by applying to the purchase amount a fee rate determined through an automated daily auction among participating mutual funds. Such fee is allocated among a fund’s share classes based on relative net assets.  ReFlow’s purchases of fund shares through the liquidity program are made on an investment-blind basis without regard to the fund’s investment objective, policies or anticipated performance.  In accordance with federal securities laws, ReFlow is prohibited from acquiring more than 3% of the outstanding voting securities of a fund. ReFlow will purchase Class I or Institutional Class shares (or, if applicable Class A or Investor Class shares) at net asset value and will not be subject to any sales charge (in the case of Class A shares), investment minimum or redemption fee applicable to such shares. ReFlow will periodically redeem its entire share position in the Fund and request that such redemption be met in kind in accordance with the Fund’s redemption-in-kind policies described under “Redeeming Shares” in the Prospectus.  Investments in a fund by ReFlow in connection with the ReFlow liquidity program are not subject to the two round-trips within 90 days limitation described in “Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing” under “Purchasing Shares” in the Prospectus. The investment adviser believes that the program assists in stabilizing the Fund’s net assets to the benefit of the Fund and its shareholders.  To the extent the Fund’s net assets do not decline, the investment adviser may also benefit.
Pooled Investment Vehicles The Fund may invest in pooled investment vehicles including other open-end or closed-end investment companies affiliated or unaffiliated with the investment adviser, exchange-traded funds (described herein) and other collective investment pools in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. Closed-end investment company securities are usually traded on an exchange.  The demand for a closed-end fund’s securities is independent of the demand for the underlying portfolio assets, and accordingly, such securities can trade at a discount from, or a premium over, their net asset value.  The Fund generally will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees paid by a pooled investment vehicle in which it invests in addition to the investment advisory fee paid by the Fund.
Portfolio Turnover A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as “portfolio turnover” and generally involves expense to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on both the sale of securities and the reinvestment of the proceeds in other securities. If sales of portfolio securities cause the Fund to realize net short-term capital gains, such gains will be taxable as ordinary income to taxable shareholders.  The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for a fiscal year is the ratio of the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities to the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities − excluding securities whose maturities at acquisition were one year or less. The Fund's portfolio turnover rate is not a limiting factor when the investment adviser considers a change in the Fund's portfolio holdings.  The portfolio turnover rate(s) of the Fund for recent fiscal periods is included in the Financial Highlights in the Prospectus.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 69 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Preferred Stock Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a corporation, company or trust that has a higher claim on the assets and earnings than common stock. Preferred stock usually has limited voting rights. Preferred stock involves credit risk, which is the risk that a preferred stock will decline in price, or fail to pay dividends when expected, because the issuer experiences a decline in its financial status. A company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends after the company makes the required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt instruments but before dividend payments are made to common stockholders.  However, preferred stock may not pay scheduled dividends or dividends payments may be in arrears.  The value of preferred stock may react more strongly than bonds and other debt instruments to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Certain preferred stocks may be convertible to common stock.  See “Convertible Securities” and “Contingent Convertible Securities.”  Preferred stock may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price.  Because they may make regular income payments, preferred stocks may be considered fixed-income securities for purposes of a Fund’s investment restrictions.
Real Estate Investments

Real estate investments, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), are sensitive to factors, such as changes in: real estate values, property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, occupancy rates, government regulations affecting zoning, land use, and rents, and the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Companies in the real estate industry may also be subject to liabilities under environmental and hazardous waste laws, among others. Changes in underlying real estate values may have a magnified effect to the extent that investments concentrate in particular geographic regions or property types. Investments in REITs may also be adversely affected by rising interest rates. By investing in REITs, the Fund indirectly will bear REIT expenses in addition to its own expenses.

Private REITs are unlisted, which may make them difficult to value and less liquid. Moreover, private REITs are generally exempt from 1933 Act registration and, as such, the amount of public information available with respect to private REITs may be less extensive than that available for publicly traded REITs. Shares of REITs may trade less frequently and, therefore, are subject to more erratic price movements than securities of larger issuers. REITs are also subject to credit, market, liquidity and interest rate risks.

Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act generally allows individuals and certain other non-corporate entities, such as partnerships, a deduction for 20% of qualified REIT dividends. Proposed regulations on which the Fund may rely allow a regulated investment company to pass the character of its qualified REIT dividends through to its shareholders provided certain holding period requirements are met. See “Taxes” for additional information.

REITs may issue debt securities to fund their activities. The value of these debt securities may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REIT, the creditworthiness of the REIT, interest rates, and tax and regulatory requirements, among other things.

Repurchase Agreements Repurchase agreements involve the purchase of a security coupled with an agreement to resell at a specified date and price.  In the event of the bankruptcy of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement, recovery of cash may be delayed. To the extent that, in the meantime, the value of the purchased securities may have decreased, a loss could result. Repurchase agreements that mature in more than seven days will be treated as illiquid. Unless the Prospectus states otherwise, the terms of a repurchase agreement will provide that the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will always be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the agreement, and will be marked to market daily.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 70 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Residual Interest Bonds

The Fund may invest in residual interest bonds in a trust that holds municipal securities. The interest rate payable on a residual interest bond bears an inverse relationship to the interest rate on another security issued by the trust. Because changes in the interest rate on the other security inversely affect the interest paid on the residual interest bond, the value and income of a residual interest bond is generally more volatile than that of a fixed rate bond. Residual interest bonds have interest rate adjustment formulas that generally reduce or, in the extreme, eliminate the interest paid to the Fund when short-term interest rates rise, and increase the interest paid to the Fund when short-term interest rates fall. Residual interest bonds have varying degrees of liquidity, and the market for these securities is relatively volatile. These securities tend to underperform the market for fixed rate bonds in a rising long-term interest rate environment, but tend to outperform the market for fixed rate bonds when long-term interest rates decline. Although volatile, residual interest bonds typically offer the potential for yields exceeding the yields available on fixed rate bonds with comparable credit quality and maturity. These securities usually permit the investor to convert the floating rate to a fixed rate (normally adjusted downward), and this optional conversion feature may provide a partial hedge against rising rates if exercised at an opportune time. While residual interest bonds expose the Fund to leverage risk because they provide two or more dollars of bond market exposure for every dollar invested, they are not subject to the Fund’s restrictions on borrowings.

Under certain circumstances, the Fund may enter into a so-called shortfall and forbearance agreement relating to a residual interest bond held by the Fund. Such agreements commit the Fund to reimburse the difference between the liquidation value of the underlying security (which is the basis of the residual interest bond) and the principal amount due to the holders of the floating rate security issued in conjunction with the residual interest bond upon the termination of the trust issuing the residual interest bond. Absent a shortfall and forbearance agreement, the Fund would not be required to make such a reimbursement. If the Fund chooses not to enter into such an agreement, the residual interest bond could be terminated and the Fund could incur a loss. The Fund’s investments in residual interest bonds and similar securities described in the Prospectus and this SAI will not be considered borrowing for purposes of the Fund’s restrictions on borrowing described herein and in the Prospectus.

On December 10, 2013, five U.S. federal agencies published final rules implementing section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Volcker Rule”). The Volcker Rule prohibits banking entities from engaging in proprietary trading of certain instruments and limits such entities’ investments in, and relationships with, covered funds, as defined in the rules. The Volcker Rule precludes banking entities and their affiliates from (i) sponsoring residual interest bond programs as presently structured and (ii) continuing relationships with or services for existing residual interest bond programs. The effects of the Volcker Rule may make it more difficult for the Fund to maintain current or desired levels of income.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 71 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Restricted Securities

Restricted securities cannot be sold to the public without registration under the 1933 Act. Unless registered for sale, restricted securities can be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or pursuant to an exemption from registration. Restricted securities may be considered illiquid and subject to the Fund’s limitation on illiquid securities.

Restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk which may result in substantial losses. The securities may be less liquid than publicly traded securities. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid by the Fund. The Fund may invest in restricted securities, including securities initially offered and sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144A (“Rule 144A Securities”) and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers initially offered and sold outside the United States without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S (“Regulation S Securities”) under the 1933 Act. Rule 144A Securities and Regulation S Securities generally may be traded freely among certain qualified institutional investors, such as the Fund, and non-U.S. persons, but resale to a broader base of investors in the United States may be permitted only in much more limited circumstances. 

The Fund also may purchase restricted securities that are not eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S. The Fund may acquire such securities through private placement transactions, directly from the issuer or from security holders, generally at higher yields or on terms more favorable to investors than comparable publicly traded securities. However, the restrictions on resale of such securities may make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at the time considered most advantageous and/or may involve expenses that would not be incurred in the sale of securities that were freely marketable. Risks associated with restricted securities include the potential obligation to pay all or part of the registration expenses in order to sell certain restricted securities. A considerable period of time may elapse between the time of the decision to sell a security and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell it under an effective registration statement and/or after an applicable waiting period. If adverse conditions were to develop during this period, the Fund might obtain a price that is less favorable than the price that was prevailing at the time it decided to sell.  See also “Illiquid Securities.”

Reverse Repurchase Agreements Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund temporarily transfers possession of a portfolio instrument to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash. At the same time, the Fund agrees to repurchase the instrument at an agreed upon time (normally within seven days) and price, which reflects an interest payment. The Fund may enter into a reverse repurchase agreement for various purposes, including, but not limited to, when it is able to invest the cash acquired at a rate higher than the cost of the agreement or as a means of raising cash to satisfy redemption requests without the necessity of selling portfolio assets.  In a reverse repurchase agreement, any fluctuations in the market value of either the securities transferred to another party or the securities in which the proceeds may be invested would affect the market value of the Fund’s assets. As a result, such transactions may increase fluctuations in the value of the Fund.  Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage.  Such agreements will be treated as subject to investment restrictions regarding “borrowings.” If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 72 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Rights and Warrants

See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe for shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life, usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price. Warrants are securities that are typically issued together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to buy a proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are often traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that is measured in years and entitle the holder to buy common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to make the accompanying debt security more attractive.

Warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. If the market price of the underlying stock does not exceed the exercise price during the life of the warrant or right, the warrant or right will expire worthless.  (Canadian special warrants issued in private placements prior to a public offering are not considered warrants.) 

Royalty Bonds

Royalty bonds include debt securities collateralized by pharmaceutical royalty interests (“Royalty Bonds”). Pharmaceutical royalty streams are created when the owner of a patent on a pharmaceutical product licenses the discovery to a larger commercial entity for further development, while maintaining a royalty interest on future sales of the product. Royalty Bonds are created when the royalty owner borrows against the royalty stream by issuing debt collateralized by the royalty. Royalty Bond investors receive interest and principal payments collateralized and funded by the stream of royalty payments. Royalty Bonds are typically offered in a private placement pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act and are restricted as to resale.

Because Royalty Bonds are restricted securities and because of the proprietary nature of the underlying pharmaceutical product licenses, it may take longer to liquidate Royalty Bond positions than would be the case for other securities. Royalty Bonds are also subject to the industry risks associated with health sciences companies.

Securities Lending The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to major banks, broker-dealers and other financial institutions in compliance with the 1940 Act. No lending may be made with any companies affiliated with the investment adviser.  These loans earn income and are collateralized by cash, securities or letters of credit.  The Fund may realize a loss if it is not able to invest cash collateral at rates higher than the costs to enter into the loan.    The Fund invests cash collateral in an unaffiliated money market fund that operates in compliance with the requirements of Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act and seeks to maintain a stable $1.00 net asset value per share.  When the loan is closed, the lender is obligated to return the collateral to the borrower.  The lender could suffer a loss if the value of the collateral is below the market value of the borrowed securities or if the borrower defaults on the loan.  The lender may pay reasonable finder’s, lending agent, administrative and custodial fees in connection with its loans. The investment adviser will use its reasonable efforts to instruct the securities lending agent to terminate loans and recall securities with voting rights so that the securities may be voted in accordance with the Fund’s proxy voting policy and procedures.  See “Taxes” for information on the tax treatment of payments in lieu of dividends received pursuant to securities lending arrangements.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 73 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Senior Loans Senior Loans are loans that are senior in repayment priority to other debt of the borrower.  Senior Loans generally pay interest that floats, adjusts or varies periodically based on benchmark indicators, specified adjustment schedules or prevailing interest rates.  Senior Loans are often secured by specific assets or “collateral,” although they may not be secured by collateral.  A Senior Loan is typically originated, negotiated and structured by a U.S. or foreign commercial bank, insurance company, finance company or other financial institution (the “Agent”) for a group of loan investors (“Loan Investors”), generally referred to as a “syndicate.” The Agent typically administers and enforces the Senior Loan on behalf of the Loan Investors in the syndicate. In addition, an institution, typically but not always the Agent, holds any collateral on behalf of the Loan Investors.  Loan interests primarily take the form of assignments purchased in the primary or secondary market. Loan interests may also take the form of participation interests in, or novations of, a Senior Loan.  Senior Loans primarily include senior floating rate loans and secondarily senior floating rate debt obligations (including those issued by an asset-backed pool), and interests therein.
  Loan Collateral. Borrowers generally will, for the term of the Senior Loan, pledge collateral to secure their obligation. In addition, Senior Loans may be guaranteed by or secured by assets of the borrower’s owners or affiliates. During the term of the Senior Loan, the value of collateral securing the Loan may decline in value, causing the Loan to be under-collateralized. Collateral may consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated, and there is no assurance that the liquidation of such assets would satisfy fully a borrower’s obligations under a Senior Loan. In addition, if a Senior Loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of the collateral and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of such collateral.
  Fees. The Fund may receive a facility fee when it buys a Senior Loan, and pay a facility fee when it sells a Senior Loan. On an ongoing basis, the Fund may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit portion of a Senior Loan. In certain circumstances, the Fund may receive a prepayment penalty fee upon the prepayment of a Senior Loan by a borrower or an amendment fee.
  Loan Administration.  In a typical Senior Loan, the Agent administers the terms of the loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal, and interest payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the Loan Investors. Failure by the Agent to fulfill its obligations may delay or adversely affect receipt of payment by the Fund. Furthermore, unless under the terms of a loan agreement or participation (as applicable) the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, the Fund must rely on the Agent and the other Loan Investors to use appropriate remedies against the borrower. The Agent is typically responsible for monitoring compliance with covenants contained in the loan agreement based upon reports prepared by the borrower.  The typical practice of an Agent or a Loan Investor in relying exclusively or primarily on reports from the borrower may involve the risk of fraud by the borrower.  It is unclear whether an investment in a Senior Loan offers the securities law protections against fraud and misrepresentation.
  A financial institution’s appointment as Agent may usually be terminated in the event that it fails to observe the requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent.  A successor Agent would generally be appointed to replace the terminated Agent, and assets held by the Agent under the Loan Agreement should remain available to holders of Senior Loans. However, if assets held by the Agent for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the Agent’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a Senior Loan, or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other Interposed Persons (as defined below), similar risks may arise.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 74 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Additional Information. The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio a Senior Loan where the borrower has experienced, or may be perceived to be likely to experience, credit problems, including involvement in or recent emergence from bankruptcy reorganization proceedings or other forms of debt restructuring. While such investments may provide opportunities for enhanced income as well as capital appreciation, they generally involve greater risk and may be considered speculative.  The Fund may from time to time participate in ad-hoc committees formed by creditors to negotiate with the management of financially troubled borrowers. The Fund may incur legal fees as a result of such participation.  In addition, such participation may restrict the Fund’s ability to trade in or acquire additional positions in a particular security when it might otherwise desire to do so. Participation by the Fund also may expose the Fund to potential liabilities under bankruptcy or other laws governing the rights of creditors and debtors. The Fund will participate in such committees only when the investment adviser believes that such participation is necessary or desirable to enforce the Fund’s rights as a creditor or to protect the value of a Senior Loan held by the Fund.
  In some instances, other accounts managed by the investment adviser may hold other securities issued by borrowers the Senior Loans of which may be held by the Fund. These other securities may include, for example, debt securities that are subordinate to the Senior Loans held by the Fund, convertible debt or common or preferred equity securities.  In certain circumstances, such as if the credit quality of the borrower deteriorates, the interests of holders of these other securities may conflict with the interests of the holders of the borrower’s Senior Loans. In such cases, the investment adviser may owe conflicting fiduciary duties to the Fund and other client accounts. The investment adviser will endeavor to carry out its obligations to all of its clients to the fullest extent possible, recognizing that in some cases, certain clients may achieve a lower economic return, as a result of these conflicting client interests, than if the investment adviser’s client accounts collectively held only a single category of the issuer’s securities.
  The Fund may acquire warrants and other equity securities as part of a unit combining a Senior Loan and equity securities of a borrower or its affiliates. The Fund may also acquire equity securities or debt securities (including non-dollar denominated debt securities) issued in exchange for a Senior Loan or issued in connection with the debt restructuring or reorganization of a borrower, or if such acquisition, in the judgment of the investment adviser, may enhance the value of a Senior Loan or would otherwise be consistent with the Fund’s investment policies.
  For Eaton Vance Floating Rate Portfolio, Senior Debt Portfolio and Eaton Vance VT Floating-Rate Income Fund only: The Fund will acquire participations only if the Loan Investor selling the participation, and any other persons interpositioned between the Fund and the Loan Investor (an “Interposed Person”), at the time of investment, has outstanding debt or deposit obligations rated investment grade (BBB or A-3 or higher by S&P or Baa or P- 3 or higher by Moody’s or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical ratings organization) or determined by the investment adviser to be of comparable quality.
  For additional disclosure relating to investing in loans (including Senior Loans), see “Loans” above.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 75 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Short Sales Short sales are transactions in which a party sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the party must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. When the party is required to return the borrowed security, it typically will purchase the security in the open market. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the party sold the security. Until the security is replaced, the party is required to repay the lender any dividends or interest, which accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, it also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The net proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. Transaction costs are incurred in effecting short sales. A short seller will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which it replaces the borrowed security. A gain will be realized if the price of the security declines in price between those dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends or interest the short seller may be required to pay, if any, in connection with a short sale. Short sales may be “against the box” or uncovered.  In a short sale “against the box,” at the time of the sale, the short seller owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost.  In an uncovered short sale, the short seller does not own the underlying security and, as such, losses from uncovered short sales may be significant.  The Fund may sell short securities representing an index or basket of securities whose constituents the Fund holds in whole or in part. A short sale of an index or basket of securities will be a covered short sale if the underlying index or basket of securities is the same or substantially identical to securities held by the Fund.  Use of short sales is limited by the Fund’s non-fundamental restriction relating thereto.
Short-Term Trading Fixed-income securities may be sold in anticipation of market decline (a rise in interest rates) or purchased in anticipation of a market rise (a decline in interest rates) and later sold. In addition, such a security may be sold and another purchased at approximately the same time to take advantage of what is believed to be a temporary disparity in the normal yield relationship between the two securities. Yield disparities may occur for reasons not directly related to the investment quality of particular issues or the general movement of interest rates, such as changes in the overall demand for or supply of various types of fixed-income securities or changes in the investment objectives of investors.  
Significant Exposure to Health Sciences Companies Because the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, and health care equipment and services companies, the value of Fund shares may be affected by developments that adversely affect such companies and may fluctuate more than that of a fund that invests more broadly. Many health sciences companies are subject to substantial governmental regulations that can affect their prospects. Changes in governmental policies, such as reductions in the funding of third-party payment programs, may have a material effect on the demand for particular health care products and services. Regulatory approvals (often entailing lengthy application and testing procedures) are also generally required before new drugs and certain medical devices and procedures may be introduced. Many of the products and services of companies engaged in medical research and health care are also subject to relatively high risks of rapid obsolescence caused by progressive scientific and technological advances. Additionally, such products are subject to risks such as the appearance of toxic effects following commercial introduction and manufacturing difficulties. The enforcement of patent, trademark and other intellectual property laws will affect the value of many such companies. Health sciences companies include companies that offer limited products or services or that are at the research and developmental stage with no marketable or approved products or technologies.
Significant Exposure to Smaller Companies The investment risk associated with smaller companies is higher than that normally associated with larger, more established companies due to the greater business risks associated with small size, the relative age of the company, limited product lines, distribution channels and financial and managerial resources. Further, there is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller companies than for larger companies. The securities of small companies are often traded only over-the-counter and may not be traded in the volumes typical of trading on a national securities exchange. As a result, stocks of smaller companies are often more volatile than those of larger companies, which are often traded on a national securities exchange, may be more difficult and may take longer to liquidate at fair value than would be the case for the publicly traded securities of a large company.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 76 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Significant Exposure to Utilities and Financial Services Sectors Because the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in the utilities and financial services sectors, the value of Fund shares may be affected by events that adversely affect those sectors and may fluctuate more than that of a fund with broader exposure. The utilities sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture, production, generation, transmission, sale and distribution of water, gas and electric energy. Companies in the financial services sector include, for example, commercial banks, savings and loan associations, brokerage and investment companies, insurance companies, and consumer and industrial finance companies. Companies in the utilities sector may be sensitive to changes in interest rates and other economic conditions, governmental regulation, uncertainties created by deregulation, power shortages and surpluses, the price and availability of fuel, environmental protection or energy conservation practices, the level and demand for services, and the cost and potential business disruption of technological developments. Companies in the financial services sector are also subject to extensive government regulation and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Stripped Securities Stripped Securities (“Strips”) may be issued by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, and may also be issued by private originators or investors, including depository institutions, banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of these entities.  Strips are usually structured with classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from an underlying asset or pool of underlying assets. Strips are particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, which may impact the frequency of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying assets or pool of underlying assets.  Some structures may have a class that receives only interest from the underlying assets, an interest-only (“IO”) class, while another class may receive only principal, a principal-only (“PO”) class.  IO and PO Strips may be purchased for their return and/or hedging characteristics.  Because of their structure, IO Strips may move differently than typical fixed-income securities in relation to changes in interest rates. IO Strips tend to decrease in value if prepayments are greater than anticipated and increase in value if prepayments are less than anticipated. Conversely, PO Strips tend to increase in value if prepayments are greater than anticipated and decline if prepayments are less than anticipated. While the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities may guarantee the full repayment of principal on Strips they issue, repayment of interest is guaranteed only while the underlying assets or pools of assets are outstanding. To the extent the Fund invests in Strips, rapid changes in the rate of prepayments may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s performance.  In addition, the secondary market for Strips may be less liquid than that for other securities.  Certain Strips may also present certain operational and/or valuation risks.
Structured Notes See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Structured notes are derivative debt instruments, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator (for example, a currency, security, commodity or index thereof). The terms of the instrument may be “structured” by the purchaser and the borrower issuing the note. Indexed securities may include structured notes as well as securities other than debt securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. Indexed securities may include a multiplier that multiplies the indexed element by a specified factor and, therefore, the value of such securities may be very volatile. The terms of structured notes and indexed securities may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity, which may result in a loss of invested capital. Structured notes and indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the unrelated indicator may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or the value of the structured note or indexed security at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the unrelated indicator. Structured notes and indexed securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of investments because the investor bears the risk of the unrelated indicator. Structured notes or indexed securities also may be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities and instruments or more traditional debt securities.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 77 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Swap Agreements See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on a particular predetermined reference instrument or instruments, which can be adjusted for an interest rate factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount” (i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index).  Other types of swap agreements may calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.”  Consequently, a party’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”).  
  Whether the use of swap agreements will be successful will depend on the investment adviser's ability to predict correctly whether certain types of reference instruments are likely to produce greater returns than other instruments.  Swap agreements may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and they may have terms of greater than seven days.  The Fund’s obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund under the swap).  Developments in the swaps market, including government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements, as well as to participate in swap agreements in the future.  If there is a default by the counterparty to a swap, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the swap agreement, but any recovery may be delayed depending on the circumstances of the default.  To limit the counterparty risk involved in swap agreements, the Fund will only enter into swap agreements with counterparties that meet certain criteria. Although there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so, the Fund may be able to reduce or eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or another creditworthy party. The Fund may have limited ability to eliminate its exposure under a credit default swap if the credit of the reference instrument has declined.
  The swaps market was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, which was enacted in 2010 in response to turmoil in the financial markets and other market events. Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act sets forth a new regulatory framework for certain OTC derivatives, such as swaps, in which the Fund may invest. The Dodd-Frank Act requires many swap transactions to be executed on registered exchanges or through swap execution facilities, cleared through a regulated clearinghouse, and publicly reported. In addition, many market participants are now regulated as swap dealers or major swap participants and are subject to certain minimum capital and margin requirements and business conduct standards. The statutory requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act are being implemented primarily through rules and regulations adopted by the SEC and/or the CFTC. There is a prescribed phase-in period during which most of the mandated rulemaking and regulations are being implemented, and temporary exemptions from certain rules and regulations have been granted so that current trading practices will not be unduly disrupted during the transition period.
  Currently, central clearing is only required for certain market participants trading certain instruments, although central clearing for additional instruments is expected to be implemented by the CFTC until the majority of the swaps market is ultimately subject to central clearing. In addition, uncleared OTC swaps are subject to regulatory collateral requirements that may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market. These developments may cause the Fund to terminate new or existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such instruments at an inopportune time. Until the mandated rulemaking and regulations are implemented completely, it will not be possible to determine the complete impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations on the Fund, and the establishment of a centralized exchange or market for swap transactions may not result in swaps being easier to value or trade. However, it is expected that swap dealers, major market participants, and swap counterparties will experience other new and/or additional regulations, requirements, compliance burdens, and associated costs. The legislation and rules yet to be promulgated and/or implemented may exert a negative effect on the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective, either through limits or requirements imposed on the Fund or its counterparties. The swap market could be disrupted or limited as a result of the implementation of this legislation, and the new requirements may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and of doing business, which could adversely affect the ability of the Fund to buy or sell OTC derivatives.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 78 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Regulatory bodies outside the U.S. have also passed, proposed, or may propose in the future, legislation similar to Dodd-Frank Act or other legislation that could increase the costs of participating in, or otherwise adversely impact the liquidity of, participating in the commodities markets.  In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain prudentially regulated entities and certain of their affiliates and subsidiaries (including swap dealers) to include in their derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties (such as the Fund) to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the prudentially regulated entity and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. Similar regulations and laws have been adopted in non-U.S. jurisdictions that may apply to the Fund’s counterparties located in those jurisdictions. It is possible that these requirements, as well as potential additional related government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing derivatives contracts, exercise default rights or satisfy obligations owed to it with collateral received under such contracts.
  Swap agreements include (but are not limited to):
  Currency Swaps. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the rights of the parties to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Because currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal value of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency, the entire principal value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. If the investment adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market value and currency exchange rates, performance may be adversely affected.
  Equity Swaps. An equity swap is an agreement in which at least one party’s payments are based on the rate of return of an equity security or equity index, such as the S&P 500®. The other party’s payments can be based on a fixed rate, a non-equity variable rate, or even a different equity index. The Fund may enter into equity index swaps on a net basis pursuant to which the future cash flows from two reference instruments are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two.      
  Credit Default Swaps.  Under a credit default swap agreement, the protection “buyer” in a credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference instrument has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the reference instrument in exchange for an equal face amount of the reference instrument described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.  The determination of a credit event under the swap agreement will depend on the terms of the agreement and may rely on the decision of persons that are not a party to the agreement.  The Fund’s obligations under a credit default swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund).
  Inflation Swaps.  Inflation swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments or an exchange of floating rate payments based on two different reference indices. By design, one of the reference indices is an inflation index, such as the Consumer Price Index. Inflation swaps can be designated as zero coupon, where both sides of the swap compound interest over the life of the swap and then the accrued interest is paid out only at the swap’s maturity.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 79 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Total Return Swaps. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Generally, the Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis.  If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be segregated by the Fund in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap or the amount it would have cost the Fund initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount the Fund is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.
  Interest Rate Swaps, Caps and Floors. Interest rate swaps are OTC contracts in which each party agrees to make a periodic interest payment based on an index or the value of an asset in return for a periodic payment from the other party based on a different index or asset. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index rises above a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap.  The Fund usually will enter into interest rate swap transactions on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap will be accrued on a daily basis. If the interest rate swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis.  Certain federal income tax requirements may limit the Fund’s ability to engage in certain interest rate transactions.
  Commodity Index-Linked Swaps. Commodity index-linked swap agreements involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of payments dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity index.  Commodity index-linked swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a particular commodity or commodity index without owning or taking physical custody of such commodity.
Swaptions See also “Derivative Instruments and Related Risks” herein.  A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) in return for payment of a premium, to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When the Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 80 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Tax-Managed Investing Taxes are a major influence on the net returns that investors receive on their taxable investments. There are four components of the returns of a mutual fund that invests in equities that are treated differently for federal income tax purposes: price appreciation, distributions of qualified dividend income, distributions of other investment income, and distributions of realized short-term and long-term capital gains. Distributions of income other than qualified dividend income and distributions of net realized short-term gains (on stocks held for one year or less) are taxed as ordinary income.  Distributions of qualified dividend income and net realized long-term gains (on stocks held for more than one year) are currently taxed at rates up to 20%. The Fund’s investment program and the tax treatment of Fund distributions may be affected by IRS interpretations of the Code and future changes in tax laws and regulations. Returns derived from price appreciation are untaxed until the shareholder disposes of his or her shares. Upon disposition, a capital gain (short-term, if the shareholder has held his or her shares for one year or less, otherwise long-term) equal to the difference between the net proceeds of the disposition and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis is realized.
Trust Certificates Trust certificates are investments in a limited purpose trust or other vehicle formed under state law. Trust certificates in turn invest in instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps, preferred securities and other securities, in order to customize the risk/return profile of a particular security. Like an investment in a bond, investments in trust certificates represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the certificate. However, these payments are conditioned on the trust’s receipt of payments from, and the trust’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the trust invests. Investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. It is expected that the trusts that issue credit-linked trust certificates will constitute “private” investment companies, exempt from registration under the 1940 Act. Although the trusts are typically private investment companies, they are generally not actively managed. It is also expected that the certificates will be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the certificates and they may constitute illiquid investments.
U.S. Government Securities U.S. Government securities include: (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance, including: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less); U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years); and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years); and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities, which are supported by any of the following: (a) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; (b) the right of the issuer to borrow an amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury; (c) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality; or (d) the credit of the agency or instrumentality. U.S. Government securities also include any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities.  Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Federal Housing Administration, Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Bank, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Bank System, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal National Mortgage Association, General Services Administration, Government National Mortgage Association, Student Loan Marketing Association, United States Postal Service, Maritime Administration, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, Washington D.C. Armory Board and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government generally is not obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities.  The principal of and/or interest on certain U.S. Government securities could be: (a) payable in foreign currencies rather than U.S. dollars; or (b) increased or diminished as a result of changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the value of foreign currencies. The value of such portfolio securities denominated in foreign currencies may be affected favorably by changes in the exchange rate between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar.  
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 81 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

Unlisted Securities Unlisted securities are neither listed on a stock exchange nor traded over-the-counter. Unlisted securities may include investments in new and early stage companies, which may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses and may be considered speculative. Such securities will generally be deemed to be illiquid. Because of the absence of any public trading market for these investments, it may take longer to liquidate these positions than would be the case for publicly traded securities. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid or less than what may be considered the fair value of such securities. Furthermore, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to public disclosure and other investor protection requirements applicable to publicly traded securities. If such securities are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration. In addition, in foreign jurisdictions any capital gains realized on the sale of such securities may be subject to higher rates of foreign taxation than taxes payable on the sale of listed securities.
Variable Rate Instruments Variable rate instruments provide for adjustments in the interest or dividend rate payable on the instrument at specified intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, semiannually, etc.) based on market conditions, credit ratings or interest rates and the investor may have the right to “put” the security back to the issuer or its agent. Variable rate instruments normally provide that the holder can demand payment of the instrument on short notice at par with accrued interest.  These instruments may be secured by letters of credit or other support arrangements provided by banks. To the extent that such letters of credit or other arrangements constitute an unconditional guarantee of the issuer’s obligations, a bank may be treated as the issuer of a security for the purposes of complying with the diversification requirements set forth in Section 5(b) of the 1940 Act and Rule 5b-2 thereunder. The Fund may use these instruments as cash equivalents pending longer term investment of its funds.  The rate adjustment features may limit the extent to which the market value of the instruments will fluctuate.
When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitments Securities may be purchased on a “forward commitment,” “when-issued” or “delayed delivery” basis (meaning securities are purchased or sold with payment and delivery taking place in the future beyond normal settlement times) in order to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price and yield at the time of entering into the transaction.  When the Fund agrees to purchase such securities, it assumes the risk of any decline in value of the security from the date of the agreement to purchase.  The Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.
  From the time of entering into the transaction until delivery and payment is made at a later date, the securities that are the subject of the transaction are subject to market fluctuations. In forward commitment, when-issued or delayed delivery transactions, if the seller or buyer, as the case may be, fails to consummate the transaction, the counterparty may miss the opportunity of obtaining a price or yield considered to be advantageous. However, no payment or delivery is made until payment is received or delivery is made from the other party to the transaction.
Zero Coupon Bonds, Deep Discount Bonds and Payment-In-Kind (“PIK”) Securities Zero coupon bonds are debt obligations that do not require the periodic payment of interest and are issued at a significant discount from face value. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the bonds will accrue and compound over the period until maturity at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of purchase. The effect of owning debt obligations that do not make current interest payments is that a fixed yield is earned not only on the original investment but also, in effect, on all discount accretion during the life of the debt obligation. This implicit reinvestment of earnings at a fixed rate eliminates the risk of being unable to invest distributions at a rate as high as the implicit yield on the zero coupon bond, but at the same time eliminates the holder’s ability to reinvest at higher rates in the future. The Fund is required to accrue income from zero coupon bonds on a current basis, even though it does not receive that income currently in cash, and the Fund is required to distribute that income for each taxable year. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 82 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

  Bonds and preferred stocks that make “in-kind” payments and other securities that do not pay regular income distributions may experience greater volatility in response to interest rate changes and issuer developments. PIK securities generally carry higher interest rates compared to bonds that make cash payments of interest to reflect their payment deferral and increased credit risk. PIK securities generally involve significantly greater credit risk than coupon loans because the Fund receives no cash payments until the maturity date or a specified cash payment date. Even if accounting conditions are met for accruing income payable at a future date under a PIK bond, the issuer could still default when the collection date occurs at the maturity of or payment date for the PIK bond.  PIK bonds may be difficult to value accurately because they involve ongoing judgments as to the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral.  If the issuer of a PIK security defaults, the Fund may lose its entire investment. PIK interest has the effect of generating investment income and increasing the incentive fees, if any, payable at a compounding rate.  Generally, the deferral of PIK interest increases the loan to value ratio.

 

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 83 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

APPENDIX A

Institutional Class Ownership

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. At November 1, 2019, the Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, owned in the aggregate less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. In addition, as of the same date, the following person(s) held the share percentage indicated below, which was owned either (i) beneficially by such person(s) or (ii) of record by such person(s) on behalf of customers who are the beneficial owners of such shares and as to which such record owner(s) may exercise voting rights under certain limited circumstances:

Eaton Vance Management Boston, MA 60.39%
TD Ameritrade Omaha, NE 31.99%
Charles Schwab & Co Inc. San Francisco, CA 7.23%

Beneficial owners of 25% or more of this Class are presumed to be in control of this Class of a Fund for purposes of voting on certain matters submitted to shareholders.

To the knowledge of the Trust, no other person owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund as of such date.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 84 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

APPENDIX B

RATINGS

The ratings indicated herein are believed to be the most recent ratings available at the date of this SAI for the securities listed. Ratings are generally given to securities at the time of issuance. While the rating agencies may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so, and the ratings indicated do not necessarily represent ratings which would be given to these securities on a particular date.

MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (“Moody’s”)

Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term and short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of a default.

GLOBAL LONG-TERM RATINGS SCALE

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers, 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

GLOBAL SHORT-TERM RATING SCALE

Moody’s short term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime ratings categories.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 85 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

ISSUER RATINGS

Issuer Ratings are opinions of the ability of entities to honor senior unsecured debt and debt like instruments. As such, Issuer Ratings incorporate any external support that is expected to apply to all current and future issuance of senior unsecured financial obligations and contracts, such as explicit support stemming from a guarantee of all senior unsecured financial obligations and contracts, and/or implicit support for issuers subject to joint default analysis (e.g. banks and government-related issuers). Issuer Ratings do not incorporate support arrangements, such as guarantees, that apply only to specific (but not to all) senior unsecured financial obligations and contracts.

US MUNICIPAL SHORT-TERM OBLIGATION RATINGS AND DEMAND OBLIGATION RATINGS

SHORT-TERM OBLIGATION RATINGS

While the global short-term ‘prime’ rating scale is applied to US municipal tax-exempt commercial paper, these programs are typically backed by external letters of credit or liquidity facilities and their short-term prime ratings usually map to the long-term rating of the enhancing bank or financial institution and not to the municipality’s rating. Other short-term municipal obligations, which generally have different funding sources for repayment, are rated using two additional short-term rating scales (i.e., the MIG and VMIG scales discussed below).

The Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) scale is used to rate US municipal bond anticipation notes of up to three years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer’s long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating. MIG ratings are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3—while speculative grade short-term obligations are designated SG.

MIG 1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Demand Obligation Ratings

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long or short-term rating and demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”), The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scale. VMIG ratings of demand obligations with unconditional liquidity support are mapped from the short-term debt rating (or counterparty assessment) of the support provider, or the underlying obligor in the absence of third party liquidity support, with VMIG 1 corresponding to P-1, VMIG 2 to P-2, VMIG 3 to P-3 and SG to not prime. Transitions of VMIG ratings of demand obligations with conditional liquidity support, as shown in the diagram below, differ from transitions on the Prime scale to reflect the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if to reflect the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops below investment grade.

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 86 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

S&P GLOBAL RATINGS (“S&P”)

ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS DEFINITIONS

S&P’s issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P’s view of the obligor's capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

LONG-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS:

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P’s analysis of the following considerations:

· Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

· Nature of and provisions of the financial obligation and the promise that it is imputed; and

· Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

AAA: An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligors only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.

A: An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits 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.

BB, B, CCC, CC and C

Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to non-payment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 87 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

B: An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial or, economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC: An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The 'CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C: An obligation rated 'C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

D: An obligation rated 'D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Plus (+) or Minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA’ to’ CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

SHORT-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS

A-1: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.

A-2: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits 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.

B: A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: A short-term obligation rated 'D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 88 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

ISSUER CREDIT RATINGS DEFINITIONS

S&P’s issuer credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about an obligor's overall creditworthiness. This opinion focuses on the obligor's capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due. It does not apply to any specific financial obligation, as it does not take into account the nature of and provisions of the obligation, its standing in bankruptcy or liquidation, statutory preferences, or the legality and enforceability of the obligation.

Counterparty credit ratings, corporate credit ratings and sovereign credit ratings are all forms of issuer credit ratings.

Issuer credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term.

LONG-TERM ISSUER CREDIT RATINGS

AAA: An obligor rated ‘AAA’ has extremely strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. ‘AAA’ is the highest issuer credit rating assigned by S&P.

AA: An obligor rated ‘AA’ has very strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. It differs from the highest-rated obligors only to a small degree.

A: An obligor rated ‘A’ has strong capacity to meet its financial commitments but is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligors in higher-rated categories.

BBB: An obligor rated ‘BBB’ has adequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitments.

BB, B, CCC and CC

Obligors rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, and ‘CC’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘CC’ the highest. While such obligors will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligor ‘BB’ is less vulnerable in the near term than other lower-rated obligors. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties and exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

B: An obligor rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable than the obligors rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meets its financial commitments.

CCC: An obligor rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet its financial commitments.

CC: An obligor rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable. The 'CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

R: An obligor rated 'R' is under regulatory supervision owing to its financial condition. During the pendency of the regulatory supervision the regulators may have the power to favor one class of obligations over others or pay some obligations and not others.

SD and D: An obligor rated 'SD' (selective default) or 'D' is in default on one or more of its financial obligations including rated and unrated financial obligations but excluding hybrid instruments classified as regulatory capital or in non-payment according to terms. An obligor is considered in default unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days of the due date in the absence of a stated grace period, or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. A 'D' rating is assigned when S&P believes that the default will be a general default and that the obligor will fail to pay all or substantially all of its obligations as they come due. An 'SD' rating is assigned when S&P believes that the obligor has selectively defaulted on a specific issue or class of obligations but it will continue to meet its payment obligations on other issues or classes of obligations in a timely manner. An obligor's rating is lowered to 'D' or 'SD' if it is conducting a distressed exchange offer.

NR: An issuer designated as NR is not rated.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 89 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

Plus (+) or Minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA’ to’ CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

SHORT-TERM ISSUER CREDIT RATINGS

A-1: An obligor rated ‘A-1’ has strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. It is rated in the highest category by S&P. Within this category, certain obligors are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments is extremely strong.

A-2: An obligor rated ‘A-2’ has satisfactory capacity to meet its financial commitments. However, it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligors in the highest rating category.

A-3: An obligor rated ‘A-3’ has adequate capacity to meet its financial obligations. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitments.

B: An obligor rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C: An obligor rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment that would result in a 'SD' or 'D' issuer rating, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for it to meet its financial commitments.

R: An obligor rated ‘R’ is under regulatory supervision owing to its financial condition. During the pendency of the regulatory supervision the regulators may have the power to favor one class of obligations over others or pay some obligations and not others.

SD and D: An obligor rated 'SD' (selective default) or 'D' has failed to pay one or more of its financial obligations (rated or unrated), excluding hybrid instruments classified as regulatory capital or in nonpayment according to terms, when it came due. An obligor is considered in default unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. A 'D' rating is assigned when S&P believes that the default will be a general default and that the obligor will fail to pay all or substantially all of its obligations as they come due. An 'SD' rating is assigned when S&P believes that the obligor has selectively defaulted on a specific issue or class of obligations, excluding hybrid instruments classified as regulatory capital, but it will continue to meet its payment obligations on other issues or classes of obligations in a timely manner. An obligor's rating is lowered to 'D' or 'SD' if it is conducting a distressed exchange offer.

NR: An issuer designated as NR is not rated.

MUNICIPAL SHORT-TERM NOTE RATINGS

SHORT-TERM NOTES: An S&P U.S. municipal note ratings reflects S&P opinions about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to notes.

Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P’s analysis will review the following considerations: Amortization schedule--the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and Source of payment--the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.

Municipal Short-Term Note rating symbols are as follows:

SP-1: Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt will be given a plus (+) designation.

SP-2: Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

SP-3: Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 90 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

FITCH RATINGS

LONG-TERM CREDIT RATINGS

Investment Grade

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. The capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. The capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions that is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

BB: Speculative. 'BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exist that supports the servicing of financial commitments.

B: Highly speculative. B' ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

CCC: Substantial credit risk. Default is a real possibility.

CC: Very high levels of credit risk. Default of some kind appears probable.

C: Near default. A default or default-like process has begun, or the issuer is in standstill, or for a closed funding vehicle, payment capacity is irrevocably impaired. Conditions that are indicative of a ‘C’ category rating for an issuer include:

• The issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation;

• The issuer had entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation;

• The formal announcement by the issuer or their agent of distressed debt exchange;

• A closed financing vehicle where payment capacity is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default is imminent.

RD: Restricted Default. ‘RD’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has experienced:

• An uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation, but

• Has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation, or other formal winding-up procedure, and

• Has not otherwise ceased operating.

This would include:

• The selective payment default on specific class or currency of debt;

• The uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation;

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 91 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

• The extension of multiple waivers of forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; ordinary execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations.

D: Default. ‘D’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure or that has otherwise ceased business.

• Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.

• In all cases, the assignment of default rating reflects the agency’s opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer’s financial obligations or local commercial practice.

Notes to Long-Term ratings:

The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-Term IDR category, or to Long-Term IDR categories below ‘B’.

Short-Term Credit Ratings Assigned to Obligations in Corporate, Public and Structured Finance

A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

DESCRIPTION OF INSURANCE FINANCIAL STRENGTH RATINGS

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. Insurance Financial Strength Ratings

Moody’s Insurance Financial Strength Ratings are opinions of the ability of insurance companies to repay punctually senior policyholder claims and obligations and also reflect the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. Specific obligations are considered unrated unless they are individually rated because the standing of a particular insurance obligation would depend on an assessment of its relative standing under those laws governing both the obligation and the insurance company.

S&P Insurer Financial Strength Ratings

An S&P insurer financial strength rating is a forward-looking opinion about the financial security characteristics of an insurance organization with respect to its ability to pay under its insurance policies and contracts in accordance with their terms. Insurer financial strength ratings are also assigned to health maintenance organizations and similar health plans with respect to their ability to pay under their policies and contracts in accordance with their terms.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 92 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

This opinion is not specific to any particular policy or contract, nor does it address the suitability of a particular policy or contract for a specific purpose or purchaser. Furthermore, the opinion does not take into account deductibles, surrender or cancellation penalties, timeliness of payment, nor the likelihood of the use of a defense such as fraud to deny claims.

Insurer financial strength ratings do not refer to an organization's ability to meet nonpolicy (i.e., debt) obligations. Assignment of ratings to debt issued by insurers or to debt issues that are fully or partially supported by insurance policies, contracts, or guarantees is a separate process from the determination of insurer financial strength ratings, and follows procedures consistent with those used to assign an issue credit rating. An insurer financial strength rating is not a recommendation to purchase or discontinue any policy or contract issued by an insurer.

Long-Term Insurer Financial Strength Ratings

Category Definition

AAA

An insurer rated 'AAA' has extremely strong financial security characteristics. 'AAA' is the highest insurer financial strength rating assigned by S&P.

AA

An insurer rated 'AA' has very strong financial security characteristics, differing only slightly from those rated higher.

A

An insurer rated 'A' has strong financial security characteristics, but is somewhat more likely to be affected by adverse business conditions than are insurers with higher ratings.

BBB

An insurer rated 'BBB' has good financial security characteristics, but is more likely to be affected by adverse business conditions than are higher-rated insurers.

BB; CCC; and CC

An insurer rated 'BB' or lower is regarded as having vulnerable characteristics that may outweigh its strengths. 'BB' indicates the least degree of vulnerability within the range; 'CC' the highest.

BB

An insurer rated 'BB' has marginal financial security characteristics. Positive attributes exist, but adverse business conditions could lead to insufficient ability to meet financial commitments.

B

An insurer rated 'B' has weak financial security characteristics. Adverse business conditions will likely impair its ability to meet financial commitments.

CCC

An insurer rated 'CCC' has very weak financial security characteristics, and is dependent on favorable business conditions to meet financial commitments.

CC

An insurer rated 'CC' has extremely weak financial security characteristics and is likely not to meet some of its financial commitments.

R

An insurer rated 'R' is under regulatory supervision owing to its financial condition. During the pendency of the regulatory supervision, the regulators may have the power to favor one class of obligations over others or pay some obligations and not others. The rating does not apply to insurers subject only to non-financial actions such as market conduct violations.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 93 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

SD or D

An insurer rated 'SD' (selective default) or 'D' is in default on one or more of its insurance policy obligations but is not under regulatory supervision that would involve a rating of 'R'. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action if payments on a policy obligation are at risk. A 'D' rating is assigned when S&P believes that the default will be a general default and that the obligor will fail to pay substantially all of its obligations in full in accordance with the policy terms. An 'SD' rating is assigned when S&P believes that the insurer has selectively defaulted on a specific class of policies but it will continue to meet its payment obligations on other classes of obligations. A selective default includes the completion of a distressed exchange offer. Claim denials due to lack of coverage or other legally permitted defenses are not considered defaults.

NR

An insurer designated 'NR' is not rated.

Plus (+) or Minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA’ to’ CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Fitch Insurer Financial Strength Rating

The Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) Rating provides an assessment of the financial strength of an insurance organization. The IFS Rating is assigned to the insurance company's policyholder obligations, including assumed reinsurance obligations and contract holder obligations, such as guaranteed investment contracts. The IFS Rating reflects both the ability of the insurer to meet these obligations on a timely basis, and expected recoveries received by claimants in the event the insurer stops making payments or payments are interrupted, due to either the failure of the insurer or some form of regulatory intervention. In the context of the IFS Rating, the timeliness of payments is considered relative to both contract and/or policy terms but also recognizes the possibility of reasonable delays caused by circumstances common to the insurance industry, including claims reviews, fraud investigations and coverage disputes.

The IFS Rating does not encompass policyholder obligations residing in separate accounts, unit-linked products or segregated funds, for which the policyholder bears investment or other risks. However, any guarantees provided to the policyholder with respect to such obligations are included in the IFS Rating.

Expected recoveries are based on the agency's assessments of the sufficiency of an insurance company's assets to fund policyholder obligations, in a scenario in which payments have ceased or been interrupted. Accordingly, expected recoveries exclude the impact of recoveries obtained from any government sponsored guaranty or policyholder protection funds. Expected recoveries also exclude the impact of collateralization or security, such as letters of credit or trusteed assets, supporting select reinsurance obligations.

IFS Ratings can be assigned to insurance and reinsurance companies in any insurance sector, including the life & annuity, non-life, property/casualty, health, mortgage, financial guaranty, residual value and title insurance sectors, as well as to managed care companies such as health maintenance organizations.

The IFS Rating does not address the quality of an insurer's claims handling services or the relative value of products sold.

The IFS Rating uses the same symbols used by the agency for its International and National credit ratings of long-term or short-term debt issues. However, the definitions associated with the ratings reflect the unique aspects of the IFS Rating within an insurance industry context.

Obligations for which a payment interruption has occurred due to either the insolvency or failure of the insurer or some form of regulatory intervention will generally be rated between 'B' and 'C' on the Long-Term IFS Rating scales (both International and National). International Short-Term IFS Ratings assigned under the same circumstances will align with the insurer's International Long-Term IFS Ratings.

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 94 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

APPENDIX C

Eaton Vance Funds

Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures

I.   Overview

The Boards of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Eaton Vance Funds1 have determined that it is in the interests of the Funds’ shareholders to adopt these written proxy voting policy and procedures (the “Policy”). For purposes of this Policy:

· “Fund” means each registered investment company sponsored by the Eaton Vance organization; and
· “Adviser” means the adviser or sub-adviser responsible for the day-to-day management of all or a portion of the Fund’s assets.

II.   Delegation of Proxy Voting Responsibilities

The Board hereby delegates to the Adviser responsibility for voting the Fund’s proxies as described in this Policy. In this connection, the Adviser is required to provide the Board with a copy of its proxy voting policies and procedures (“Adviser Procedures”) and all Fund proxies will be voted in accordance with the Adviser Procedures, provided that in the event a material conflict of interest arises with respect to a proxy to be voted for the Fund (as described in Section IV below) the Adviser shall follow the process for voting such proxy as described in Section IV below.

The Adviser is required to report any material change to the Adviser Procedures to the Board in the manner set forth in Section V below. In addition, the Board will review the Adviser Procedures annually.

III.   Delegation of Proxy Voting Disclosure Responsibilities

Pursuant to Rule 30b1-4 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the Fund is required to file Form N-PX no later than August 31st of each year. On Form N-PX, the Fund is required to disclose, among other things, information concerning proxies relating to the Fund’s portfolio investments, whether or not the Fund (or its Adviser) voted the proxies relating to securities held by the Fund and how it voted on the matter and whether it voted for or against management.

To facilitate the filing of Form N-PX for the Fund:

· The Adviser is required to record, compile and transmit in a timely manner all data required to be filed on Form N-PX for the Fund that it manages. Such data shall be transmitted to Eaton Vance Management, which acts as administrator to the Fund (the “Administrator”) or the third party service provider designated by the Administrator; and
· the Administrator is required to file Form N-PX on behalf of the Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) as required by the 1940 Act. The Administrator may delegate the filing to a third party service party provided each such filing is reviewed and approved by the Administrator.

IV.   Conflicts of Interest

The Board expects the Adviser, as a fiduciary to the Fund it manages, to put the interests of the Fund and its shareholders above those of the Adviser. When required to vote a proxy for the Fund, the Adviser may have material business relationships with the issuer soliciting the proxy that could give rise to a potential material conflict of interest for the Adviser.2 In the event such a material conflict of interest arises, the Adviser, to the extent it is aware or reasonably should have been aware of the material conflict, will refrain from voting any proxies related to companies giving rise to such material conflict until it notifies and consults with the appropriate Board, or any committee, sub-committee or group of Independent Trustees identified by the Board (as long as such committee, sub-committee or group contains at least two or more Independent Trustees) (the “Board Members”), concerning the material conflict.3 For ease of communicating with the Board Members, the Adviser is required to provide the foregoing notice to the Fund’s Chief Legal Officer who will then notify and facilitate a consultation with the Board Members.

Once the Board Members have been notified of the material conflict:

· They shall convene a meeting to review and consider all relevant materials related to the proxies involved. This meeting shall be convened within 3 business days, provided that it an effort will be made to convene the meeting sooner if the proxy must be voted in less than 3 business days;
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 95 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 
· In considering such proxies, the Adviser shall make available all materials requested by the Board Members and make reasonably available appropriate personnel to discuss the matter upon request.
· The Board Members will then instruct the Adviser on the appropriate course of action with respect to the proxy at issue.

If the Board Members are unable to meet and the failure to vote a proxy would have a material adverse impact on the Fund(s) involved, the Adviser will have the right to vote such proxy, provided that it discloses the existence of the material conflict to the Chairperson of the Board as soon as practicable and to the Board at its next meeting. Any determination regarding the voting of proxies of the Fund that is made by the Board Members shall be deemed to be a good faith determination regarding the voting of proxies by the full Board.

V.    Reports and Review

The Administrator shall make copies of each Form N-PX filed on behalf of the Fund available for the Boards’ review upon the Boards’ request. The Administrator (with input from the Adviser for the Fund) shall also provide any reports reasonably requested by the Board regarding the proxy voting records of the Fund.

The Adviser shall report any material changes to the Adviser Procedures to the Board as soon as practicable and the Boards will review the Adviser Procedures annually.

The Adviser also shall report any changes to the Adviser Procedures to the Fund Chief Legal Officer prior to implementing such changes in order to enable the Administrator to effectively coordinate the Fund’s disclosure relating to the Adviser Procedures.

To the extent requested by the Commission, the Policy and the Adviser Procedures shall be appended to the Fund’s statement of additional information included in its registration statement.

_____________________
1 The Eaton Vance Funds may be organized as trusts or corporations. For ease of reference, the Funds may be referred to herein as Trusts and the Funds’ Board of Trustees or Board of Directors may be referred to collectively herein as the Board.
2 An Adviser is expected to maintain a process for identifying a potential material conflict of interest. As an example only, such potential conflicts may arise when the issuer is a client of the Adviser and generates a significant amount of fees to the Adviser or the issuer is a distributor of the Adviser’s products.
3 If a material conflict of interest exists with respect to a particular proxy and the proxy voting procedures of the relevant Adviser require that proxies are to be voted in accordance with the recommendation of a third party proxy voting vendor, the requirements of this Section IV shall only apply if the Adviser intends to vote such proxy in a manner inconsistent with such third party recommendation.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 96 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 

 

APPENDIX D

PARAMETRIC PORTFOLIO ASSOCIATES LLC

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Policy

Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“Parametric”) has adopted and implemented these policies and procedures which it believes are reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of clients, in accordance with its fiduciary obligations and applicable regulatory requirements. When it has been delegated the responsibility to vote proxies on behalf of a client, Parametric will generally vote them in accordance with its Proxy Voting Guidelines. The Proxy Voting Guidelines are set and annually reviewed by the firm’s Corporate Governance Committee. Parametric will consider potential conflicts of interest when voting proxies and disclose material conflicts to clients. Parametric will promptly provide these policies and procedures, as well as proxy voting records, to its clients upon request. As required, Parametric will retain appropriate proxy voting books and records. In the event that Parametric engages a third party service provider to administer and vote proxies or provide other proxy voting services on behalf a client, it will evaluate the service provider’s conflicts of interest procedures and confirm its abilities to vote proxies in the client’s best interest.

Regulatory Requirements

Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act requires that an investment adviser that exercises voting authority over client proxies to adopt and implement policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of the client. The rule specifically requires that the policies and procedures describe how the adviser addresses material conflicts of interest with respect to proxy voting. The rule also requires an adviser to disclose to its clients information about those policies and procedures, and how the client may obtain information on how the adviser has voted the client’s proxies. In addition, Rule 204-2 under the Act requires an adviser to retain certain records related to proxy voting.

Responsibility

The Manager, Investment Operations (the “Manager”) is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the firm’s proxy voting practices. One or more Operations personnel (each a “Proxy Voting Coordinator”) are responsible for ensuring proxy ballots are received and voted in accordance with the firm’s Proxy Voting Guidelines. The Director of Responsible Investing is responsible for providing guidance with regard to the Proxy Voting Guidelines. The Proxy Voting Committee is responsible for monitoring Parametric’s proxy voting practices and evaluating any service providers engaged to vote proxies on behalf of clients. The Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for setting and annually reviewing the firm’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures and Proxy Voting Guidelines. The Compliance Department is responsible for annually reviewing these policies and procedures to verify that they are adequate, appropriate and effective.

Procedures

Parametric has adopted and implemented procedures to ensure the firm’s proxy voting policies are observed, executed properly and amended or updated, as appropriate. The procedures are summarized as follows:

New Accounts

· Parametric is generally delegated the responsibility to vote proxies on behalf of clients. (The Minneapolis and Westport Investment Centers, which manage overlay and options-based strategies, generally do not vote proxies on behalf of their clients but may be required to do so, from time to time.) This responsibility is typically established in the investment advisory agreement between the client and Parametric. If not set forth in the advisory agreement, Parametric will assume the responsibility to vote proxies on the client’s behalf unless it has received written instruction from the client not to.
· When a new client account is established, Parametric will instruct the client’s custodian to forward all proxy materials to Broadridge Financial Solutions (Broadridge) or Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), proxy voting service providers engaged by Parametric to administer proxy voting.
· On a monthly basis, Operations performs a reconciliation to ensure that Broadridge or ISS are receiving proxies for all client accounts for which Parametric is responsible for voting client proxies.

Proxy Voting Administration – Seattle Investment Center

· Parametric’s proxy voting is administered on a daily basis by the Proxy Voting Coordinator, who is a member of Parametric’s Operations Department. The Coordinator is responsible for ensuring proxies are voted in accordance with Parametric’s Proxy Voting Guidelines or other specified guidelines set and provided by a client.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 97 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 
· The Director of Responsible Investing will actively review research and guidance issued by third party proxy voting analysts regarding proxy voting issues relevant to Parametric’s clients and monitor upcoming shareholder meetings and votes. The Director will provide guidance to the Manager and Proxy Voting Coordinators with regard to the Proxy Voting Guidelines and how they apply to proxy ballots. The Director will ensure that rationale for votes cast is properly documented and reviewed by other Committee members, as warranted.
· Parametric utilizes the Broadridge ProxyEdge and ISS ProxyExchange tools to manage, track, reconcile and report proxy voting. Parametric relies on these applications to ensure that all proxies are received and voted in timely manner.
· In the unlikely event that a ballot proposal is not addressed by the Proxy Voting Guidelines, the Proxy Voting Coordinator will consult with the Manager to confirm that the Proxy Voting Guidelines do not address the proxy issue. If confirmed, the Manager will refer the proposal to the Proxy Voting Committee for their consideration. The Proxy Voting Committee may review research and guidance issued by third party proxy voting service providers when making a vote determination. A vote determination must be approved in writing by not less than two Committee members before Operations may vote the ballot item. The rationale for making the determination will be documented by the Committee.
· The Proxy Voting Coordinator may abstain from voting a proxy on behalf of a client account if the economic effect on shareholders’ interests or the value of the holding is indeterminable or insignificant (e.g., the security is no longer held in the client portfolio) or if the cost of voting the proxy outweighs the potential benefit (e.g., international proxies which share blocking practices may impose trading restrictions).
· A secondary review of proxy votes submitted by the Proxy Voting Coordinator is performed by the Manager or his/her delegate on a regular basis, to verify that Parametric has voted all proxies and voted them consistent with the appropriate proxy voting guidelines.

Proxy Voting Administration – Minneapolis Investment Center

From time to time, the Minneapolis Investment Center may be required to vote a proxy ballot on behalf of a client. Proxy ballots mailed to the Minneapolis Investment Center or sent directly to Broadridge are logged into ProxyEdge. The Minneapolis Operations Team is responsible for monitoring proxy ballots received. The Minneapolis Operations Team will request and receive instruction from the Proxy Voting Coordinator or Manager as how to vote the ballot in accordance with the firm’s Proxy Voting Guidelines.

Proxy Voting Committee

· Parametric has established a Proxy Voting Committee (the “Committee”), which shall meet on a quarterly basis to oversee and monitor the firm’s proxy voting practices. The Committee’s charter is attached hereto as Exhibit B.
· The Committee will consider requests (from clients or Portfolio Managers) to vote a proxy contrary to the firm’s Proxy Voting Guidelines. The Committee will document its rationale for approving or denying the request.
· On an annual basis, the Committee will review the firm’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures and Proxy Voting Guidelines to ensure they are current, appropriate and designed to serve the best interests of clients and fund shareholders and recommend any changes to the Corporate Governance Committee.
· In the event that Parametric deems it to be in a client’s best interest to engage a third party proxy voting service provider, the Committee will exercise due diligence to ensure that the service provider firm can provide objective research, make recommendations or vote proxies in an impartial manner and in the best interest of the client. This evaluation will consider the proxy voting firm’s business and conflict of interest procedures, and confirm that the procedures address the firm’s conflicts. On an annual basis, the Committee will evaluate the performance of any third-party proxy voting firms and reconsider if changes have impacted their conflict of interest procedures. Initial and ongoing due diligence evaluations shall be documented in writing.

Conflicts of interest

Using the criteria set by the Proxy Voting Committee the Compliance Department will identify and actively monitor potential conflicts of interest which may compromise the firm’s ability to vote a proxy ballot in the best interest of clients. Compliance will maintain a List of Potentially Conflicted Companies and provide it to Operations whenever it is updated. The list shall identify potential conflicts resulting from business relationships with clients, potential clients, service providers, and the firm’s affiliates.

· All proxies are voted by Parametric in accordance with the firm’s Proxy Voting Guidelines. If a proxy ballot is received from an issuer on the List of Conflicted Companies and a proposal is not addressed by the Proxy Voting Guidelines, the Voting Coordinator will forward the proposal to the Manager to confirm that the guidelines do not address the proposal. If confirmed, the Manager will forward the proposal to the Proxy Voting Committee.
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 98 SAI dated December 1, 2019
 
· If the Proxy Voting Committee determines a material conflict exists, Parametric will refrain from voting the proxy until it has disclosed the conflict to clients and obtained their consent or instruction as how to vote the proxy. Parametric shall provide all necessary information to clients when seeking their instruction and/or consent in voting the proxy.
· If a client is unresponsive and fails to provide Parametric with instruction or consent to vote the proxy, the Proxy Voting Committee shall make a good faith determination as how to vote the proxy (which may include abstaining from voting the proxy) and provide appropriate instruction to the Proxy Voting Coordinator. The Committee shall document the rationale for making its final determination.

Proxy Voting Disclosure Responsibilities

· As a sub-adviser to various mutual funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, Parametric will, upon each fund’s request, compile and transmit in a timely manner all data required to be filed on Form N-PX to the appropriate fund’s administrator or third party service provider designated by the fund’s administrator.
· Parametric will promptly report any material changes to these policies and procedures to its mutual fund clients in accordance with their respective policies and procedures, to ensure that the revised policies and procedures may be properly reviewed by the funds’ Boards of Trustees/Directors and included in the funds’ annual registration statements.

Solicitations and Information Requests

· Parametric’s proxy voting policies and procedures are summarized and described to clients in Item 17 of the firm’s Form ADV Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A). Parametric will promptly provide a copy of these proxy voting policies and procedures, which may be updated from time to time, to a client upon their request.
· Parametric’s Form ADV Brochure discloses to clients how they may obtain information from Parametric about how it voted proxies on their behalf. Parametric will provide proxy voting information free of charge upon written request.
· Parametric will not reveal or disclose to any third-party how it may have voted or intends to vote a proxy until its vote has been counted at the respective shareholder’s meeting. Parametric may in any event disclose its general voting guidelines. No employee of Parametric may accept any benefit in the solicitation of proxies.

Compliance Review

· On a regular basis, but not less than annually, the Compliance Department will review a sample of proxies voted to verify that Parametric has voted proxies in accordance with the firm’s proxy voting guidelines and in clients’ best interests.
· On an annual basis, the Compliance Department will review the firm’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as required per Rule 206(4)-7, to confirm that they are adequate, effective, and designed to ensure that proxies are voted in clients’ best interests.

Class Actions

· Parametric generally does not file or respond to class action claims on behalf of clients unless specifically obligated to do so under the terms of the client’s investment advisory agreement. Parametric will retain appropriate documentation regarding any determinations made on behalf of a client with regard to a class action claim or settlement.

Recordkeeping

· Parametric will maintain proxy voting books and records in an easily accessible place for a period of six years, the first two years in the Seattle Investment Center.
· Parametric will maintain all requisite proxy voting books and records, including but not limited to: (1) proxy voting policies and procedures, (2) proxy statements received on behalf of client accounts, (3) proxies voted, (4) copies of any documents that were material to making a decision how to vote proxies, and (5) client requests for proxy voting records and Parametric’s written response to any client request.

 

Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund 99 SAI dated December 1, 2019

 

PART C - OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28.   Exhibits (with inapplicable items omitted)

  (a)     Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of Eaton Vance Growth Trust dated August 9, 2016 filed as Exhibit (a) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 191 filed November 21, 2016 (Accession No. 0000940394-16-003246) and incorporated herein by reference.
  (b)     Amended and Restated By-Laws of Eaton Vance Growth Trust adopted April 23, 2012 filed as Exhibit (b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 137 filed July 18, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000814) and incorporated herein by reference.
  (c)     Reference is made to Item 28(a) and 28(b) above.
  (d) (1)   Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein Multi-Market Equity Strategy Fund (now Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein Equity Strategy Fund), and Eaton Vance Management dated August 9, 2010 filed as Exhibit (d)(3) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 filed October 12, 2010 (Accession No. 0000940394-10-001024) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (2)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC for Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein Multi-Market Equity Strategy Fund (now Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein Equity Strategy Fund) dated August 9, 2010 filed as Exhibit (d)(4) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 filed October 12, 2010 (Accession No. 0000940394-10-001024) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (3) (a) Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Focused Growth Opportunities Fund and Eaton Vance Management dated March 7, 2011 filed as Exhibit (d)(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 filed March 7, 2011 (Accession No. 0000940394-11-000350) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Fee Reduction Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust on behalf of Eaton Vance Focused Growth Opportunities Fund and Eaton Vance Management dated April 25, 2017 filed as Exhibit (d)(3)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 199 filed June 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-001321) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (4)   Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Focused Value Opportunities Fund and Eaton Vance Management dated March 7, 2011 filed as Exhibit (d)(6) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 filed March 7, 2011 (Accession No. 0000940394-11-000350) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (5) (a) Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund, and Eaton Vance Management dated September 30, 2011 filed as Exhibit (d)(7) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 121 filed September 29, 2011 (Accession No. 0000940394-11-001076) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Fee Reduction Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust on behalf of Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund and Eaton Vance Management dated April 25, 2017 filed as Exhibit (d)(5)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 199 filed June 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-001321) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (6) (a) Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC for Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund dated September 30, 2011 filed as Exhibit (d)(8) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 121 filed September 29, 2011 (Accession No. 0000940394-11-001076) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Fee Reduction Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Richard Bernstein Advisors for Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund dated April 25, 2017 filed as Exhibit (d)(6)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 199 filed June 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-001321) and incorporated herein by reference.
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    (7) (a) Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund, and Eaton Vance Management dated December 30, 2011 filed as Exhibit (d)(9) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 filed December 23, 2011 (Accession No. 0000940394-11-001429) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Fee Reduction Agreement dated December 13, 2016 between Eaton Vance Growth Trust on behalf of Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund and Eaton Vance Management dated December 13, 2016 filed as Exhibit (d)(7)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 filed January 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-000116) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (8) (a) Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC for Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund dated December 30, 2011 filed as Exhibit (d)(10) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 filed December 23, 2011 (Accession No. 0000940394-11-001429) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Fee Reduction Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC for Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund dated December 13, 2016 filed as Exhibit (d)(8)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 filed January 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-000116) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (9)   Investment Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Focused Growth Fund, and Boston Management and Research dated July 20, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(11) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (10)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Boston Management and Research and Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC for Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Focused Growth Fund dated July 20, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(12) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (11) (a) Investment Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Greater China Growth Fund, and Boston Management and Research dated July 31, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(13) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Fee Reduction Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust on behalf of Eaton Vance Greater China Growth Fund and Boston Management and Research dated April 25, 2017 filed as Exhibit (d)(11)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 199 filed June 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-001321) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (12) (a) Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Boston Management and Research and Lloyd George Management (Hong Kong) Limited for Eaton Vance Greater China Growth Fund dated July 31, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(14) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Fee Reduction Agreement between Boston Management and Research and BMO Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited for Eaton Vance Greater China Growth Fund dated April 25, 2017 filed as Exhibit (d)(12)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 199 filed June 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-001321) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (13)   Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund, and Eaton Vance Management dated August 29, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(18) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (14)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Hexavest Inc. for Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund dated August 29, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(19) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
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    (15)   Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund, and Eaton Vance Management dated August 29, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(20) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (16)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Hexavest Inc. for Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund dated August 29, 2012 filed as Exhibit (d)(21) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (17)   Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Focused Global Opportunities Fund, and Eaton Vance Management dated December 15, 2015 filed as Exhibit (d)(28) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 182 filed December 14, 2015 (Accession No. 0000940394-15-001533) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (18)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd. for Eaton Vance Focused Global Opportunities Fund dated November 1, 2017 filed as Exhibit (d)(20) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 205 filed January 25, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-000060) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (19)   Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance International Small-Cap Fund, and Eaton Vance Management dated December 15, 2015 filed as Exhibit (d)(32) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 182 filed December 14, 2015 (Accession No. 0000940394-15-001533) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (20)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd. for Eaton Vance International Small-Cap Fund dated November 1, 2017 filed as Exhibit (d)(24) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 205 filed January 25, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-000060) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (21)   Investment Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital SMID-Cap Fund, and Boston Management and Research dated May 1, 2018 filed as Exhibit (d)(25) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 210 filed June 27, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001253) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (22)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Boston Management and Research and Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC for Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital SMID-Cap Fund dated May 18, 2018 filed as Exhibit (d)(26) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 210 filed June 27, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001253) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (23)   Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund, and Eaton Vance Management dated August 1, 2018 filed as Exhibit (d)(27) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 filed July 31, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001408) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (24)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC for Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund dated August 1, 2018 filed as Exhibit (d)(28) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 filed July 31, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001408) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (25)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Research Affiliates, LLC for Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund dated August 1, 2018 filed as Exhibit (d)(29) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 filed July 31, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001408) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (26)   Investment Advisory Agreement between SARP Commodity Subsidiary, Ltd. and Eaton Vance Management dated August 1, 2018 filed as Exhibit (d)(30) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 filed July 31, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001408) and incorporated herein by reference.
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    (27)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC for SARP Commodity Subsidiary, Ltd dated August 1, 2018 filed as Exhibit (d)(31) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 filed July 31, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001408) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (28)   Investment Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund and Eaton Vance Management dated August 9, 2019 filed herewith.
    (29)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd. for Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund dated August 9, 2019 filed herewith.
  (e) (1) (a) Amended and Restated Master Distribution Agreement effective as of May 1, 2014 between each Trust identified on Schedule A on behalf of each of its series listed on Schedule A, and Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. filed as Exhibit (e)(1) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 of Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust (File Nos. 002-27962, 811-01545) filed April 28, 2014 (Accession No. 0000940394-14-000655) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Amended Schedule A dated November 25, 2019 to Amended and Restated Master Distribution Agreement effective as of May 1, 2014 filed herewith.
    (2)   Selling Group Agreement between Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. and Authorized Dealers filed as Exhibit (e)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 filed to the Registration Statement of Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust (File Nos. 002-27962, 811-01545) filed April 26, 2007 (Accession No. 0000940394-07-000430) and incorporated herein by reference.
  (f)     The Securities and Exchange Commission has granted the Registrant an exemptive order that permits the Registrant to enter into deferred compensation arrangements with its independent Trustees. See in the Matter of Capital Exchange Fund, Inc., Release No. IC-20671 (November 1, 1994).
  (g) (1)   Amended and Restated Master Custodian Agreement between Eaton Vance Funds and State Street Bank & Trust Company dated September 1, 2013 filed as Exhibit (g)(1) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 211 of Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust (File Nos. 002-90946, 811-04015) filed September 24, 2013 (Accession No. 0000940394-13-001073) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (2)   Amended and Restated Services Agreement with State Street Bank & Trust Company dated September 1, 2010 filed as Exhibit (g)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 108 of Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust (File Nos. 002-27962, 811-01545) filed September 27, 2010 (Accession No. 0000940394-10-001000) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (3)   Amendment Number 1 dated May 16, 2012 to Amended and Restated Services Agreement with State Street Bank & Trust Company dated September 1, 2010 filed as Exhibit (g)(3) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 39 of Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II (File Nos. 033-71320, 811-08134) filed May 29, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000641) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (4)   Amendment dated September 1, 2013 to Amended and Restated Services Agreement with State Street Bank & Trust Company dated September 1, 2010 filed as Exhibit (g)(4) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 211 of Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust (File Nos. 002-90946, 811-04015) filed September 24, 2013 (Accession No. 0000940394-13-001073) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (5)   Amendment dated July 18, 2018 and effective June 29, 2018 to Amended and Restated Services Agreement with State Street Bank & Trust Company dated September 1, 2010 filed as Exhibit (g)(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 filed July 31, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001408) and incorporated herein by reference.
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  (h) (1)   Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust on behalf of its series listed on Appendix A and Eaton Vance Management dated May 1, 2012 filed as Exhibit (h)(1) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (2)   Transfer Agency and Shareholder Services Agreement effective September 1, 2016 between BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. and the Funds filed as Exhibit (h)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 165 of Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust (File Nos. 002-27962, 811-01545) filed September 26, 2016 (Accession No. 0000940394-16-003071) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (3)   Amended and Restated Sub-Transfer Agency Support Services Agreement dated September 1, 2017 between Eaton Vance Management and the Trusts listed on Appendix A filed as Exhibit (h)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 107 of Eaton Vance Series Trust II (File Nos. 002-42722, 811-02258) filed October 26, 2017 (Accession No. 0000940394-17-002088) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (4) (a) Expense Waivers/Reimbursements Agreement dated July 31, 2016 as amended and effective May 1, 2019 between Eaton Vance Management and each of the entities (on behalf of certain of their series) listed on Schedule A filed as Exhibit (h)(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 189 of Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust (File Nos. 002-27962, 811-01545) filed April 29, 2019 (Accession No. 0000940394-19-000650) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Amended Schedule A dated December 1, 2019 to the Expense Waivers/Reimbursements Agreement dated July 31, 2016 as amended and effective May 1, 2019 filed herewith.
  (i) (1)   Opinion of Internal Counsel dated November 26, 2018 filed as Exhibit (i) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 filed November 26, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001798) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (2)   Consent of Internal Counsel dated November 25, 2019 filed herewith.
  (j)     Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund, Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund and Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund dated November 25, 2019 filed herewith.
  (m) (1) (a) Master Distribution Plan for Class A, Advisers Class and Investor Class shares adopted May 1, 2013 on behalf of each Trust and their respective series listed on Schedule A filed as Exhibit (m)(1) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 of Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II (File Nos. 033-71320, 811-08134) filed May 30, 2013 (Accession No. 0000940394-13-000754) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Amended Schedule A dated January 31, 2018 to Master Distribution Plan for Class A, Advisers Class and Investor Class shares adopted May 1, 2013 filed as Exhibit (e)(1)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 205 filed January 25, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-000060) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (2) (a) Master Distribution Plan for Class B shares adopted May 1, 2013 on behalf of each Trust and their respective series listed on Schedule A filed as Exhibit (m)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 of Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II (File Nos. 033-71320, 811-08134) filed May 30, 2013 (Accession No. 0000940394-13-000754) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Amended Schedule A dated November 25, 2019 to Master Distribution Plan for Class B shares adopted May 1, 2013 filed herewith as Exhibit (e)(1)(b).
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    (3) (a) Master Distribution Plan for Class C shares adopted May 1, 2013 on behalf of each Trust and their respective series listed on Schedule A filed as Exhibit (m)(3) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 of Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II (File Nos. 033-71320, 811-08134) filed May 30, 2013 (Accession No. 0000940394-13-000754) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Amended Schedule A dated January 31, 2018 to Master Distribution Plan for Class C shares adopted May 1, 2013 filed as Exhibit (e)(1)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 205 filed January 25, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-000060) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (4) (a) Master Distribution Plan for Class R shares adopted May 1, 2013 on behalf of each Trust and their respective series listed on Schedule A filed as Exhibit (m)(4) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 204 of Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust (File Nos. 002-90946, 811-04015) filed May 30, 2013 (Accession No. 0000940394-13-000762) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Amended Schedule A dated January 31, 2018 to Master Distribution Plan for Class R shares adopted May 1, 2013 filed as Exhibit (e)(1)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 205 filed January 25, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-000060) and incorporated herein by reference.
  (n) (1) (a) Amended and Restated Multiple Class Plan for Eaton Vance Funds dated January 25, 2019 filed as Exhibit (n) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 filed January 25, 2019 (Accession No. 0000940394-19-000072) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Amended Schedule A dated November 25, 2019 to Amended and Restated Multiple Class Plan for Eaton Vance Funds dated January 25, 2019 filed herewith.
  (p) (1) (a) Code of Ethics adopted by the Eaton Vance Funds effective October 1, 2018 filed as Exhibit (p)(1) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 304 of Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust (File Nos. 002-90946, 811-04015) filed October 17, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001695) and incorporated herein by reference.
      (b) Code of Ethics adopted by the Eaton Vance Entities effective June 1, 2019 filed as Exhibit (p)(1)(b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 filed June 26, 2019 (Accession No. 0000940394-19-000975) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (2)   Code of Ethics adopted by BMO Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited dated January 2018 filed as Exhibit (p)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 filed November 26, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001798) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (3)   Code of Ethics adopted by Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC effective January 1, 2007 as revised January 25, 2018 filed as Exhibit (p)(4) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 filed November 26, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001798) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (4)   Code of Ethics adopted August, 2010 by Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC updated March, 2012 filed as Exhibit (p)(6) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 139 filed August 28, 2012 (Accession No. 0000940394-12-000912) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (5)   Code of Ethics adopted by Hexavest Inc. revised as of March 20, 2019 effective as of August 14, 2012 filed herewith.
    (6)   Code of Ethics adopted by Parametric Portfolio Associates effective January 30, 2019 filed as Exhibit (p)(3) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 312 of Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust (File Nos. 002-90946, 811-04015) filed April 29, 2019 (Accession No. 0000940394-19-000669) and incorporated herein by reference.
    (7)   Code of Ethics adopted by Research Affiliates, LLC filed herewith.
  (q)     Power of Attorney for Eaton Vance Growth Trust and Worldwide Health Sciences Portfolio dated October 10, 2018 filed as Exhibit (q) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 filed November 26, 2018 (Accession No. 0000940394-18-001798) and incorporated herein by reference.
  C-6  
 

Item 29.   Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control

Not applicable

Item 30.    Indemnification

Article IV of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust permits Trustee and officer indemnification by By-Law, contract and vote. Article XI of the By-Laws contains indemnification provisions. Registrant’s Trustees and officers are insured under a standard mutual fund errors and omissions insurance policy covering loss incurred by reason of negligent errors and omissions committed in their capacities as such.

The distribution agreement of the Registrant also provides for reciprocal indemnity of the principal underwriter, on the one hand, and the Trustees and officers, on the other.

Item 31.    Business and other Connections of Investment Advisers

Reference is made to: (i) the information set forth under the caption “Management and Organization” in the Statement of Additional Information; (ii) the Eaton Vance Corp. Form 10-K filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (File No. 1-8100); and (iii) the Form ADV of Eaton Vance Management (File No. 801-15930), Boston Management and Research (File No. 801-43127), Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC (File No. 801-52179), BMO Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited (File No. 801-40890), Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd. (File No. 801-111772) Hexavest Inc. (File No. 801-63376), Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC (File No. 801-71501) and Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (File No. 801-60485) filed with the Commission, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 32.    Principal Underwriters

  (a) Registrant’s principal underwriter, Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp., is the principal underwriter for each of the registered investment companies named below:

 

Calvert Impact Fund, Inc.

Calvert Management Series

The Calvert Fund

Calvert Responsible Index Series, Inc.

Calvert Social Investment Fund

Calvert World Values Fund, Inc.

Calvert Variable Series, Inc.

Calvert Variable Products, Inc.

 

Eaton Vance Growth Trust

Eaton Vance Investment Trust

Eaton Vance Municipals Trust

Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II

Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust

Eaton Vance Series Fund, Inc.

Eaton Vance Series Trust II

Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust

Eaton Vance Variable Trust

 

  

  (b)
(1)
Name and Principal
Business Address*
(2)
Positions and Offices
with Principal Underwriter
(3)
Positions and Offices
with Registrant
     
Robb Allen Vice President None
Julie Andrade Vice President None
Brian Arcara Vice President None
Christopher Arthur Vice President None
Michelle Baran Vice President None
Ira Baron Vice President None
Jennifer Barron Vice President None
Brian Blair Vice President None
       
  C-7  
 

 

Stephanie H. Brady Vice President None
Timothy Breer Vice President None
Susan Brengle Vice President None
Joseph Brody Vice President None
Luke Bordzinski Vice President None
Mark Burkhard Vice President None
Joseph Bustros Vice President None
Eric Caplinger Vice President None
Kristin Carcio Vice President None
Daniel C. Cataldo Vice President None
Tiffany Cayarga Vice President None
Patrick Cerrato Vice President None
Gregory Chalas Vice President None
Kristin Chisholm Vice President None
Jin Chung Vice President None
Randy Clark Vice President None
Tyler Cortelezzi Vice President None
Patrick Cosgrove Vice President None
Peter Crowley Vice President None
Rob Curtis Vice President None
Kevin Darrow Vice President None
Holly DiCostanzo Vice President None
Andrew Dillon Vice President None
Arthur Driscoll Vice President None
Patrick Duffy Vice President None
Brian Dunkley Vice President None
Anthony Eames Vice President None
Margaret Egan Vice President None
Robert Ellerbeck Vice President None
Maureen Emmerso Vice President None
Daniel Ethier Vice President None
Lawrence L. Fahey Vice President None
John Farley Vice President None
Thomas E. Faust Jr. Director Trustee
Scott Firth Vice President None
James Foley Vice President None
Brandon Fritz Vice President None
Kathleen Fryer Vice President None
Jonathan Futterman Vice President None
Anne Marie Gallagher Vice President None
  C-8  
 

 

Ryan Gallagher Vice President None
Anthony Gigante Vice President None
Bradford Godfrey Vice President None
Seth Goldzweig Vice President None
Andrew Goodale Vice President None
David Gordon Vice President None
Daniel Grzywacz Vice President None
Diane Hallett Vice President None
Andrew Haycock Vice President None
Steven Heck Vice President None
Richard Hein Vice President None
Joseph Hernandez Vice President None
Dori Hetrick Vice President None
Toebe Hinckle Vice President None
Suzanne Hingel Vice President None
Michael Horvath Vice President None
Christian Howe Vice President None
Laurie G. Hylton Director None
Jonathan Isaac Vice President None
Adrian Jackson Vice President None
Michael Jaso Vice President None
Brian Johnson Vice President None
Janice Johnston Vice President None
Dottie Jones Vice President None
Erin Kace Vice President None
Erin Kandamar Vice President None
Doug Keagle Vice President None
Sean Kelly Senior Vice President None
William Kennedy Vice President None
Joseph Kosciuszek Vice President None
Kathleen Krivelow Vice President None
Robert Kuberski Vice President None
Colleen Lavery Vice President None
David Lefcourt Vice President None
Benjamin LeFevre Vice President None
Andrew Leimenstoll Vice President None
Paul Leonardo Vice President None
George Lin Vice President None
Brandon Lindley Vice President None
Scott Lindsay Vice President None
  C-9  
 

 

Erick Lopez Vice President None
John Loy Vice President None
Coleen Lynch Vice President None
John Macejka Vice President None
Scott Mackey Vice President None
Anne Mahoney Vice President None
James Maki Vice President None
Tim Mamis Vice President None
Frederick S. Marius Vice President, Secretary, Clerk and Chief Legal Officer None
Geoff Marshall Vice President None
Daniel J. McCarthy Vice President None
James McCuddy Vice President None
Tim McEwen Vice President None
Ian McGinn Vice President None
David Michaud Vice President None
Mark Milan Vice President None
John Moninger Senior Vice President None
Chris Morahan Vice President None
Meghan Moses Vice President None
A. John Murphy Vice President, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Clerk None
Matthew Navins Vice President None
Christopher Nebons Vice President None
Paul Nicely Vice President None
Jeffrey Nizzardo Vice President None
Andrew Olig Vice President None
David Oliveri Vice President None
Philip Pace Vice President None
Steve Pietricola Vice President None
Benjamin Pomeroy Vice President None
John Pumphrey Vice President None
James Putman Vice President None
Ronald Randall Vice President None
Henry Rehberg Vice President None
Lenore Reiner Vice President None
Christopher Remington Vice President None
David Richman Vice President None
William Rockett Vice President None
Christopher Rohan Vice President None
Colleen Rooney Vice President None
Tatyana V. Ryabchenko Vice President None
  C-10  
 

 

John Santoro Vice President None
Rocco Scanniello Vice President None
Pierric G. Senay Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer None
Michael Shea Vice President None
Alan Simeon Vice President None
Randy Skarda Vice President None
Jamie Smoller Vice President None
Eileen Storz-Salino Vice President None
Daniel Sullivan Vice President None
Elaine Sullivan Vice President None
Michael Sullivan Vice President None
Eileen Tam Vice President None
Brian Taranto Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer None
Robyn Tice Vice President None
Geoffrey Underwood Vice President None
Randolph Verzillo Vice President None
Greg Walsh Vice President None
Luke Webber Vice President None
Scott Weisel Vice President None
David White Vice President None
Steve Widder Vice President None
Andrew Wiginton Vice President None
Tim Williamson Vice President None
Matthew J. Witkos President, Chief Executive Officer and Director None
Gregor Yuska Vice President None
David Zigas Vice President None
              
* Address is Two International Place, Boston, MA  02110
          
  (c) Not applicable
         

 

  C-11  
 

Item 33.    Location of Accounts and Records

All applicable accounts, books and documents required to be maintained by the Registrant by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules promulgated thereunder are in the possession and custody of the Registrant’s custodian, State Street Bank and Trust Company, State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, and its transfer agent, BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-5120, with the exception of certain corporate documents and portfolio trading documents which are in the possession and custody of the administrator and investment adviser or sub-adviser. Registrant is informed that all applicable accounts, books and documents required to be maintained by registered investment advisers are in the custody and possession of Eaton Vance Management and Boston Management and Research, both located at Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110, Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd. located at 125 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1AR, BMO Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited located at Suite 3808, One Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong, Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC located at 1075 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2100, Atlanta, GA 30309, Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC located at Tower 45, 120 West 45th Street, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10036, Hexavest Inc. located at 1250 Rene-Levesque Boulevard West, Suite 4200, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3B 4W8 and Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC located at 1918 Eighth Avenue, Suite 3100, Seattle, WA 98101.

Item 34.    Management Services

Not applicable

Item 35.    Undertakings

None.

 

  C-12  
 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Boston, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on November 25, 2019.

                  EATON VANCE GROWTH TRUST
                  By: /s/ Payson F. Swaffield
  Payson F. Swaffield, President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on November 25, 2019.

Signature Title
   
/s/ Payson F. Swaffield President (Chief Executive Officer)
Payson F. Swaffield  
   
/s/ James F. Kirchner Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
James F. Kirchner  
   
Signature Title Signature Title
       
Thomas E. Faust Jr.* Trustee Helen Frame Peters* Trustee
Thomas E. Faust Jr.   Helen Frame Peters  
       
Mark R. Fetting* Trustee Keith Quinton* Trustee
Mark R. Fetting   Keith Quinton  
       
Cynthia E. Frost* Trustee Marcus L. Smith* Trustee
Cynthia E. Frost   Marcus L. Smith  
       
George J. Gorman* Trustee Susan J. Sutherland* Trustee
George J. Gorman   Susan J. Sutherland  
       
Valerie A. Mosley* Trustee Scott E. Wennerholm* Trustee
Valerie A. Mosley   Scott E. Wennerholm  
       
William H. Park* Trustee    
William H. Park      
       
       
*By: /s/ Maureen A. Gemma  
  Maureen A. Gemma (As attorney-in-fact)  
         

 

  C-13  
 

EXHIBIT INDEX

The following exhibits are filed as part of this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 483 of Regulation C.

Exhibit No. Description

 

(d) (28)   Investment Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, on behalf of Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund and Eaton Vance Management dated August 9, 2019
  (29)   Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Eaton Vance Management and Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd. for Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund dated August 9, 2019
(e) (1) (b) Amended Schedule A dated November 25, 2019 to Amended and Restated Master Distribution Agreement effective as of May 1, 2014
(h) (4) (b) Amended Schedule A dated December 1, 2019 to the Expense Waivers/Reimbursements Agreement dated July 31, 2016 as amended and effective May 1, 2019
(i) (2)   Opinion of Internal Counsel dated November 25, 2019
(j)     Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund, Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund and Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund dated November 25, 2019
(n) (1) (b) Amended Schedule A dated November 25, 2019 to Amended and Restated Multiple Class Plan for Eaton Vance Funds dated January 25, 2019
(p) (5)   Code of Ethics adopted by Hexavest Inc. revised as of March 20, 2019 effective as of August 14, 2012
  (7)   Code of Ethics adopted by Research Affiliates, LLC

 

  C-14  

 

EXHIBIT (d)(28)

 

EATON VANCE GROWTH TRUST

 

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT

 

ON BEHALF OF

 

EATON VANCE WORLDWIDE HEALTH SCIENCES FUND

 

AGREEMENT made as of this 9th day of August, 2019, between Eaton Vance Growth Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Trust”), on behalf of Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund (the “Fund”), and Eaton Vance Management, also a Massachusetts business trust (the “Adviser”).

 

1.       Duties of the Adviser. The Trust hereby employs the Adviser to act as investment adviser for and to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund and to administer its investment affairs, subject to the supervision of the Trustees of the Trust, for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement.

 

(a)        The Adviser hereby accepts such employment, and undertakes to afford to the Trust the advice and assistance of the Adviser’s organization in the choice of investments and in the purchase and sale of securities for the Fund and to furnish for the use of the Fund office space and all necessary office facilities, equipment and personnel for servicing the investments of the Fund and for administering its investment affairs and to pay the salaries and fees of all officers and Trustees of the Trust who are members of the Adviser’s organization and all personnel of the Adviser performing services relating to research and investment activities. The Adviser shall for all purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, except as otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.

 

(b)       The Adviser shall provide the Trust with such investment management and supervision as the Trust may from time to time consider necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments. As investment adviser to the Trust, the Adviser shall furnish continuously an investment program and shall determine from time to time what securities and other investments shall be acquired, disposed of or exchanged and what portion of the Fund’s assets shall be held uninvested, subject always to the applicable restrictions of the Declaration of Trust, By-Laws and registration statement of the Trust under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), all as from time to time amended. The Adviser is authorized, in its discretion and without prior consultation with the Trust, to buy, sell, and otherwise trade in any and all types of securities, derivatives and investment instruments on behalf of the Fund. Should the Trustees of the Trust at any time, however, make any specific determination as to investment policy for the Fund and notify the Adviser thereof in writing, the Adviser shall be bound by such determination for the period, if any, specified in such notice or until similarly notified that such determination has been revoked. The Adviser shall take, on behalf of the Trust, all actions that it deems necessary or desirable to implement the investment policies of the Fund.

 
 

 

(c)       The Adviser shall place all orders for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities for the account of the Fund either directly with the issuer or with brokers or dealers selected by the Adviser, and to that end, the Adviser is authorized as the agent of the Fund to give instructions to the custodian of the Fund as to deliveries of securities and payments of cash for the account of the Fund. In connection with the selection of such brokers or dealers and the placing of such orders, the Adviser shall use its best efforts to seek to execute security transactions at prices that are advantageous to the Fund and (when a disclosed commission is being charged) at reasonably competitive commission rates, and in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser shall not be deemed to have assumed any duties with respect to, and shall not be responsible for, the distribution of shares of the Fund, nor shall the Adviser be deemed to have assumed or have any responsibility with respect to functions specifically assumed by any transfer agent, custodian or shareholder servicing agent of the Trust or the Fund.

 

2.       Compensation of the Adviser. For the services, payments and facilities to be furnished hereunder by the Adviser, the Adviser shall be entitled to receive from the Trust the compensation described on Appendix A thereto.

 

3.       Allocation of Charges and Expenses. It is understood that the Fund will pay all expenses other than those expressly stated to be payable by the Adviser hereunder, which expenses payable by the Fund shall include, without implied limitation, (i) expenses of maintaining the Fund and continuing its existence, (ii) registration of the Trust under the 1940 Act, (iii) commissions, spreads, fees and other expenses connected with the acquisition, holding and disposition of securities and other investments, (iv) auditing, accounting and legal expenses, (v) taxes and interest, (vi) governmental fees, (vii) expenses of issue, sale, and redemption of shares, (viii) expenses of registering and qualifying the Trust, the Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws and of preparing and printing registration statements or other offering statements or memoranda for such purposes, including amendments, and for distributing the same to shareholders and investors, and fees and expenses of registering and maintaining registrations of the Fund and of the Fund’s principal underwriter as broker-dealer or agent under state securities laws, (ix) expenses of reports and notices to shareholders and of meetings of shareholders and proxy solicitations therefor, (x) expenses of reports to governmental officers and commissions, (xi) insurance expenses, (xii) association membership dues, (xiii) fees, expenses and disbursements of custodians and subcustodians for all services to the Fund (including without limitation safekeeping of funds, securities and other investments, keeping of books, accounts and records, and determination of net asset values, book capital account balances and tax capital account balances), (xiv) fees, expenses and disbursements of transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents, shareholder servicing agents and registrars for all services to the Fund, (xv) expenses for servicing shareholder accounts, (xvi) any direct charges to shareholders approved by the Trustees of the Trust, (xvii) compensation and expenses of Trustees of the Trust who are not members of the Adviser’s organization, (xviii) all payments to be made and expenses to be assumed by the Fund in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, (xix) any pricing or valuation services employed by the Fund to value its investments including primary and comparative valuations services, (xx) any investment advisory, sub-advisory, or similar management fee payable by the Fund, (xxi) all expense incurred in connection with the Fund’s use of a line of credit, and (xxii) such non-recurring items as may arise, including expenses incurred in connection with litigation, proceedings and claims and the obligation of the Trust to indemnify its Trustees, officers and shareholders with respect thereto.

  2  
 

 

4.       Other Interests. It is understood that Trustees and officers of the Trust and shareholders of the Fund are or may be or become interested in the Adviser as trustees, officers, employees, shareholders or otherwise and that trustees, officers, employees and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be or become similarly interested in the Fund, and that the Adviser may be or become interested in the Fund as a shareholder or otherwise. It is also understood that trustees, officers, employees and shareholders of the Adviser may be or become interested (as directors, trustees, officers, employees, shareholders or otherwise) in other companies or entities (including, without limitation, other investment companies) that the Adviser may organize, sponsor or acquire, or with which it may merge or consolidate, and which may include the words “Eaton Vance” or “Boston Management and Research” or any combination thereof as part of their name, and that the Adviser or its subsidiaries or affiliates may enter into advisory or management agreements or other contracts or relationships with such other companies or entities.

 

5.       Limitation of Liability of the Adviser. The services of the Adviser to the Fund are not to be deemed to be exclusive, the Adviser being free to render services to others and engage in other business activities. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Adviser, the Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Fund or to any shareholder of the Fund for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the acquisition, holding or disposition of any security or other investment.

 

The Trust expressly acknowledges the provisions in the Declaration of Trust of the Adviser limiting the personal liability of the trustees and officers of the Adviser and the shareholders of the Adviser, and the Trust hereby agrees that it shall have recourse to the Adviser for payment of claims or obligations as between the Adviser and the Trust arising out of this Agreement and shall not seek satisfaction from the trustees, officers or shareholders of the Adviser.

 

6.       Sub-Investment Advisers. The Adviser may employ one or more sub-investment advisers from time to time to perform such of the acts and services of the Adviser, including the selection of brokers or dealers to execute the Fund’s portfolio security transactions, and upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon between the Adviser and such investment adviser and approved by the Trustees of the Trust, all as permitted by the 1940 Act. Each such sub-investment adviser’s performance of its obligation under any such agreement shall be supervised by Eaton Vance. Further, Eaton Vance may, with the approval of the Trustees of the Trust and without the vote of any shareholders of the Fund , terminate any agreement with any sub-investment adviser and/or enter into an agreement with one or more other sub-investment advisers, all as permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules hereunder. In the event a sub-adviser or sub-administrator is employed, Eaton Vance retains the authority to immediately assume responsibility for any functions delegated to a sub-adviser or sub-administrator, subject to approval by the Board and notice to the sub-adviser or sub-administrator.

  3  
 

 

7.       Duration and Termination of this Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the date of its execution, and, unless terminated as herein provided, shall remain in full force and effect through and including the second anniversary of the execution of this Agreement and shall continue in full force and effect indefinitely thereafter, but only so long as such continuance after such second anniversary is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Adviser or the Trust cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

 

Either party hereto may, at any time on sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other, terminate this Agreement without the payment of any penalty, by action of Trustees of the Trust or the trustees of the Adviser, as the case may be, and the Trust may, at any time upon such written notice to the Adviser, terminate this Agreement by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.

 

8.       Amendments of the Agreement. This Agreement may be amended by a writing signed by both parties hereto, provided that no amendment to this Agreement shall be effective until approved (i) by the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Adviser or the Trust cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (ii) if required by the 1940 Act, by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

 

9.       Limitation of Liability. The Adviser expressly acknowledges the provisions in the Declaration of Trust of the Trust limiting the personal liability of the Trustees and officers of the Trust and the shareholders of the Fund, and the Adviser hereby agrees that it shall have recourse to the Trust or the Fund for payment of claims or obligations as between the Trust or the Fund and the Adviser arising out of this Agreement and shall not seek satisfaction from any Trustee or officer of the Trust or shareholders of the Fund.

 

10.       Use of the Name “Eaton Vance”. The Adviser hereby consents to the use by the Fund of the name “Eaton Vance” as part of the Fund’s name; provided, however, that such consent shall be conditioned upon the employment of the Adviser or one of its affiliates as the investment adviser of the Fund. The name “Eaton Vance” or any variation thereof may be used from time to time in other connections and for other purposes by the Adviser and its affiliates and other investment companies that have obtained consent to the use of the name “Eaton Vance.” The Adviser shall have the right to require the Fund to cease using the name “Eaton Vance” as part of the Fund’s name if the Fund ceases, for any reason, to employ the Adviser or one of its affiliates as the Fund’s investment adviser. Future names adopted by the Fund for itself, insofar as such names include identifying words requiring the consent of the Adviser, shall be the property of the Adviser and shall be subject to the same terms and conditions.

 

11.        No Third Party Beneficiaries. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any person not a party hereto any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

 

  4  
 

12.       Certain Definitions. The terms “assignment” and “interested persons” when used herein shall have the respective meanings specified in the 1940 Act as now in effect or as hereafter amended subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by any rule, regulation or order by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The term “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall mean the vote, at a meeting of shareholders, of the lesser of (a) 67 per centum or more of the shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at the meeting if the shareholders of more than 50 per centum of shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at the meeting, or (b) more than 50 per centum of the shares of the Fund.

 

13.       Miscellaneous.

 

(a)       If any term or provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby and shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

(b)       This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

(c)       This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.

 

[Signature page follows]

  5  
 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first above written.

 

EATON VANCE GROWTH TRUST on behalf of

EATON VANCE WORLDWIDE HEALTH

SCIENCES FUND

   
By: /s/ Payson F. Swaffield
  Payson F. Swaffield
  President and not individually

 

 

 

EATON VANCE MANAGEMENT
   
By: /s/ Maureen A. Gemma
  Maureen A. Gemma
  Vice President and not individually

 

  6  
 

APPENDIX A

 

For the services, payments and facilities furnished by the Adviser under this Agreement, the Adviser is entitled to receive from the Trust fees as set forth below:

 

Asset-based fee:

 

Average Daily Net Assets for the Month Annual Fee Rate
Up to $500 million 0.675%
$500 million but less than $1 billion 0.590%
$1 billion but less than $1.5 billion 0.520%
$1.5 billion but less than $2 billion 0.490%
$2 billion but less than $2.5 billion 0.470%
$2.5 billion and over 0.450%

 

In case of initiation or termination of the Agreement during any month with respect to the Fund, the fee for that month shall be reduced proportionately on the basis of the number of calendar days during which the Agreement is in effect.

 

The Fund’s daily net assets shall be computed in accordance with the Declaration of Trust of the Trust and any applicable votes and determinations of the Trustees of the Trust. Such compensation shall be paid monthly in arrears on the last business day of each month.

 

Performance-based adjustment:

 

The asset-based fee is subject to upward or downward adjustment depending upon whether, and to what extent, the investment performance of the Fund differs by at least one percentage point from the record of the MSCI World Health Care Index (“Index Return”) over the same period. Each percentage point difference is multiplied by a performance adjustment rate of 0.015%. The maximum adjustment plus/minus is 0.15%. One twelfth (1/12) of this adjustment is applied each month to the average daily net assets of the Fund over the entire performance period. This adjustment shall be based on a rolling period of up to and including the most recent 36 months (“Performance Adjustment Period”) or such shorter period as may be required by the 1940 Act or the rules thereunder or applicable guidance of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fund performance shall be total return as computed under Rule 482 under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

The Adviser may, from time to time, waive all or a part of the above compensation.

 

  7  

 

EXHIBIT (d)(29)

 

INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT

between

EATON VANCE MANAGEMENT

and

EATON VANCE ADVISERS INTERNATIONAL LTD.

for

EATON VANCE WORLDWIDE HEALTH SCIENCES FUND

 

AGREEMENT made this 9th day of August, 2019, between Eaton Vance Management, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Adviser”), and Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd., a private limited company incorporated in England and Wales (the “Sub-Adviser”).

 

WHEREAS, the Adviser has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with Eaton Vance Growth Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Trust”) on behalf of Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund (the “Fund”), relating to the provision of portfolio management services to the Fund; and

 

WHEREAS, the Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser may delegate any or all of its portfolio management responsibilities under the Advisory Agreement to one or more sub-investment advisers; and

 

WHEREAS, the Adviser and the Trustees of the Trust desire to retain the Sub-Adviser to render portfolio management services to the Fund in the manner and on the terms set forth in this Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (the “Agreement”);

 

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth herein, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser agree as follows:

 

1.       Duties of the Sub-Adviser. The Adviser hereby employs the Sub-Adviser to act as investment adviser for and to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund and to administer its investment affairs, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the Trustees of the Trust, for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement.

 

(a)       The Sub-Adviser hereby accepts such employment and undertakes to afford to the Fund the advice and assistance of the Sub-Adviser’s organization in the choice of investments and in the purchase and sale of securities for the Fund and to furnish, for the use of the Fund, office space and all necessary office facilities, equipment and personnel for servicing the investments of the Fund and for administering its investment affairs and to pay the salaries and fees of all officers and Trustees of the Trust who are members of the Sub-Adviser’s organization and all personnel of the Sub-Adviser performing services relating to research and investment activities. The Sub-Adviser shall for all purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, except as otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Adviser or the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Adviser or the Fund.

 
 

 

(b)       The Sub-Adviser shall provide the Fund with such investment management and supervision as the Adviser may, from time to time, consider necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments. As investment sub-adviser to the Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall furnish continuously an investment program and shall determine, from time to time, what securities and other investments shall be acquired, disposed of or exchanged and what portion of the Fund’s assets shall be held uninvested, subject always to the applicable restrictions of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust, By-Laws and registration statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), all as from time to time amended. The Sub-Adviser is authorized, in its discretion and without prior consultation with the Adviser or the Fund, to buy, sell, and otherwise trade in any and all types of securities, derivatives, and investment instruments on behalf of the Fund. Should the Trustees of the Trust at any time, however, make any specific determination as to investment policy for the Fund and notify the Sub-Adviser thereof in writing, the Sub-Adviser shall be bound by such determination for the period, if any, specified in such notice or until similarly notified that such determination has been revoked. The Sub-Adviser shall take, on behalf of the Fund, all actions that it deems necessary or desirable to implement the investment policies of the Fund.

 

(c)       The Sub-Adviser shall place all orders for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities for the account of the Fund either directly with the issuer or with brokers or dealers selected by the Sub-Adviser, and, to that end, the Sub-Adviser is authorized as the agent of the Fund to give instructions to the custodian of the Fund as to deliveries of securities and payments of cash for the account of the Fund. In connection with the selection of such brokers or dealers and the placing of such orders, the Sub-Adviser shall use its best efforts to seek to execute security transactions at prices that are advantageous to the Fund and (when a disclosed commission is being charged) at reasonably competitive commission rates, and in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

 

(d)       The Sub-Adviser shall furnish such reports, evaluations, information or analyses to the Fund and the Adviser as the Trust’s Board of Trustees or the Adviser may reasonably request from time to time, or as the Sub-Adviser may deem to be desirable.

 

2.       Compensation of the Sub-Adviser. For the services, payments and facilities to be furnished hereunder by the Sub-Adviser, to the extent the Adviser receives at least such amount from the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall be entitled to receive from the Adviser an annual fee equal to the amount specified in Appendix A hereto.

 

3.       Allocation of Charges and Expenses. It is understood that, pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Fund will pay all expenses other than those expressly stated to be payable by the Sub-Adviser hereunder or by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, which expenses payable by the Fund shall include, without implied limitation, (i) expenses of maintaining the Fund and continuing its existence, (ii) registration of the Fund and Trust under the 1940 Act, (iii) commissions, spreads, fees and other expenses connected with the acquisition, holding and disposition of securities and other investments, (iv) auditing, accounting and legal expenses, (v) taxes and interest, (vi) governmental fees, (vii) expenses of issue, sale and redemption of shares, (viii) expenses of registering and qualifying the Trust, the Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws and of preparing and printing registration statements or other offering statements or memoranda for such purposes, including amendments, and for distributing the same to shareholders and investors, and fees and expenses of registering and maintaining registrations of the Fund and of the Fund’s principal

  2  
 

underwriter as broker-dealer or agent under state securities laws, (ix) expenses of reports and notices to shareholders and of meetings of shareholders and proxy solicitations therefor, (x) expenses of reports to governmental officers and commissions, (xi) insurance expenses, (xii) association membership dues, (xiii) fees, expenses and disbursements of custodians and subcustodians for all services to the Fund (including without limitation safekeeping of funds, securities and other investments, keeping of books, accounts and records, and determination of net asset values, book capital account balances and tax capital account balances), (xiv) fees, expenses and disbursements of transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents, shareholder servicing agents and registrars for all services to the Fund, (xv) expenses for servicing shareholder accounts, (xvi) any direct charges to shareholders approved by the Trustees of the Trust, (xvii) compensation and expenses of Trustees of the Trust who are not members of the Adviser’s or the Sub-Adviser’s organizations, (xviii) all payments to be made and expenses to be assumed by the Fund in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, (xix) any pricing or valuation services employed by the Fund to value its investments including primary and comparative valuations services, (xx) any investment advisory, sub-advisory, or similar management fee payable by the Fund, (xxi) all expense incurred in connection with the Fund’s use of a line of credit, and (xxii) such non-recurring items as may arise, including expenses incurred in connection with litigation, proceedings and claims and the obligation of the Trust to indemnify its Trustees, officers, and shareholders with respect thereto.

 

4.       Other Interests. It is understood that Trustees and officers of the Trust and shareholders of the Fund are or may be or become interested in the Sub-Adviser as trustees, officers, employees, shareholders or otherwise and that trustees, officers, employees and shareholders of the Sub-Adviser are or may be or become similarly interested in the Fund, and that the Sub-Adviser may be or become interested in the Fund as a shareholder or otherwise. It is also understood that trustees, officers, employees and shareholders of the Sub-Adviser may be or become interested (as directors, trustees, officers, employees, shareholders or otherwise) in other companies or entities (including, without limitation, other investment companies) that the Sub-Adviser may organize, sponsor, or acquire, or with which it may merge or consolidate, and which may include the words “Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd.” or any combination thereof as part of their name, and that the Sub-Adviser or its subsidiaries or affiliates may enter into advisory or management agreements or other contracts or relationships with such other companies or entities.

 

5.       Limitation of Liability of the Sub-Adviser. The services of the Sub-Adviser to the Adviser for the benefit of the Fund are not to be deemed to be exclusive, the Sub-Adviser being free to render services to others and engage in other business activities. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Sub-Adviser, the Sub-Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Adviser or the Fund or to any shareholder in the Fund for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the acquisition, holding, or disposition of any security or other investment.

 

6.       Duration and Termination of this Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the date of its execution, and, unless terminated as herein provided, shall remain in full force and effect through and including the second anniversary of the execution of this Agreement and shall continue in full force and effect indefinitely thereafter, but only so long as such continuance after such second anniversary is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Sub-Adviser, the Adviser, or the Trust cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

 

  3  
 

This Agreement may be terminated as to the Fund without the payment of any penalty by (i) the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Trustees of the Trust; (ii) the vote of the Trustees of the Trust; (iii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund at any annual or special meeting; or (iv) the Sub-Adviser, in each case on sixty (60) days’ written notice. This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment or in the event that the Advisory Agreement shall have terminated for any reason.

 

7.       Amendments of the Agreement. This Agreement may be amended by a writing signed by both parties hereto, provided that no amendment to this Agreement shall be effective until approved (i) by the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Sub-Adviser, the Adviser, or the Trust cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (ii) if required by the 1940 Act, by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

 

8.       Limitation of Liability. The Sub-Adviser expressly acknowledges the provisions in the Declaration of Trust of the Trust and of the Adviser limiting the personal liability of trustees, officers, and shareholders of the Fund and the Adviser, respectively, and the Sub-Adviser hereby agrees that it shall have recourse to the Fund or the Adviser, respectively, for payment of claims or obligations as between the Fund or the Adviser, respectively, and the Sub-Adviser arising out of this Agreement and shall not seek satisfaction from the trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Fund or the Adviser.

 

9.       No Third Party Beneficiaries. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any person not a party hereto any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

 

10.       Certain Definitions. The terms “assignment” and “interested persons” when used herein shall have the respective meanings specified in the 1940 Act, as now in effect or as hereafter amended subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by any rule, regulation or order by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The term “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall mean the vote, at a meeting of shareholders, of the lesser of (a) 67 per centum or more of shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at the meeting if the holders of more than 50 per centum of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy at the meeting, or (b) more than 50 per centum of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

 

11.       Miscellaneous.

 

(a)       If any term or provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby and shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

(b)       This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

(c)       This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.

[Signature page follows.]

  4  
 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first above written.

 

 

EATON VANCE MANAGEMENT
   
By: /s/ Maureen A. Gemma
  Maureen A. Gemma
  Vice President and not individually

 

 

EATON VANCE ADVISERS INTERNATIONAL LTD.

A private limited company incorporated in England and Wales, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom

   
By: /s/ Frederick S. Marius
  Frederick S. Marius
  Director and not individually

  

 

Acknowledged and agreed to as of the day

and year first above written:

 

EATON VANCE GROWTH TRUST

(on behalf of Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund)

   
By: /s/ Payson F. Swaffield
  Payson F. Swaffield
  President and not individually

 

  5  

 

EXHIBIT (e)(1)(b)

 

  SCHEDULE A
                         
  Set forth below is a listing of: (i) all of the Trusts and other entities (together, "Trusts") that are a party to the Amended and Restated Master Distribution Agreement with Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. dated May 1, 2014, as may be amended (the "Agreement"); (ii) the Classes offered by each series of the Trusts ("Funds")(with "N/A" indicating that a Fund does not offer a particular Class of shares); (iii) the fees payable by a Fund per annum (as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable to the Class) pursuant to the Distribution Plan or Service Plan adopted by the Class ("Fees"); and (iv) in the case of a Fund offering Class B and/or Class C shares that are subject to a Fee Cap (as defined in the Agreement), the amount of such Fee Cap.(a)  Where applicable, the distribution fee and service fee payable under a Distribution Plan are listed as "distribution fee/service fee."  Distribution fees and service fees are accrued daily and payable monthly.  This Schedule A shall be appended to and be a part of the Master Distribution Agreement and, with respect to each Class of shares that has adopted a Master Distribution Plan, the information herein with respect to such Class shall constitute the Schedule A for such Plan.
   
  Trust and Funds Classes(b)
    A(c) Advisers(c) Investor(c) B C R(1) R6 I Institutional
  Eaton Vance Growth Trust Fees Fees Fees Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fees Fees Fees
  Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Focused Growth Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital SMID-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Focused Global Opportunities Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Focused Growth Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Focused Value Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Greater China Growth Fund 0.30 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance International Small-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein Equity Strategy Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 N/A None N/A
  Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None
 
 

 

  Trust and Funds Classes(b)
    A(c) Advisers(c) Investor(c) B C R(1) R6 I Institutional
  Eaton Vance Investment Trust(2) Fees Fees Fees Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fees Fees Fees
  Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance National Limited Maturity Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance New York Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
                         
  Eaton Vance Municipals Trust(3)                      
  Eaton Vance Arizona Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance California Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Connecticut Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Georgia Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Maryland Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Massachusetts Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Minnesota Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Missouri Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance National Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance New Jersey Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance New York Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance North Carolina Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Ohio Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Oregon Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Pennsylvania Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance South Carolina Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Virginia Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
 
 

 

  Trust and Funds Classes(b)
    A(c) Advisers(c) Investor(c) B C R(1) R6 I Institutional
  Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II (3) Fees Fees Fees Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fees Fees Fees
  Eaton Vance High Yield Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance TABS 1-to-10 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance TABS 5-to-15 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance TABS 10-to-20 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance TABS Intermediate-Term Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance TABS Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
                         
  Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust                      
  Eaton Vance AMT-Free Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Core Plus Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Diversified Currency Income Fund 0.30 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Emerging and Frontier Countries Equity  Fund (fka Eaton Vance Global Marco Capital Opportunities Fund) 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Local Income Fund 0.30 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Advantage Fund 0.25 0.25 N/A N/A N/A 0.60/0.15 FINRA N/A None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Fund 0.25 0.25 N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Floating-Rate & High Income Fund 0.25 0.25 N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Global Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Global Income Builder Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund 0.30 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA 0.50/0.25 None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Global Macro Absolute Return Fund 0.30 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 None None N/A
 

Eaton Vance Global Small-Cap Equity Fund

(fka Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Small-Cap Fund)

0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
 

Eaton Vance Government Opportunities Fund

(fka Eaton Vance Government Obligations Fund)

0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance High Income Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Multi-Asset Credit Fund (fka Eaton Vance Multi-Strategy All Market Fund) 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Short Duration Government Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.60/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Short Duration High Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A

 

 
 

 

  Trust and Funds Classes(b)
    A(c) Advisers(c) Investor(c) B C R(1) R6 I Institutional
  Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust (continued) Fees Fees Fees Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fees Fees Fees
  Eaton Vance Short Duration Strategic Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Stock Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Equity Asset Allocation Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Dividend Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Growth Fund 1.1 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Growth Fund 1.2 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Multi-Cap Growth Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A
  Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Small-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Value Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Parametric Commodity Strategy Fund N/A N/A 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None
  Parametric Dividend Income Fund N/A N/A 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None
  Parametric Emerging Markets Fund N/A N/A 0.25 N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A None N/A None
  Parametric International Equity Fund N/A N/A 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.50/0.25 None N/A None
  Parametric Tax-Managed International Equity Fund N/A N/A 0.25 N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A N/A None
  Parametric Volatility Risk Premium – Defensive Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None
                         
  Eaton Vance Series Fund, Inc.(4)                      
  Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Debt Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None None N/A
                         
  Eaton Vance Series Trust II                      
  Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 None None N/A
  Parametric Tax-Managed Emerging Markets Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None

 

 
 

 

  Trust and Funds Classes(b)
    A(c) Advisers(c) Investor(c) B C R(1) R6 I Institutional
  Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust Fees Fees Fees Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fee Cap(d) Fees Fees Fees Fees
  Eaton Vance 1-to-10 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Balanced Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Core Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Dividend Builder Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Greater India Fund 0.30 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Growth Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Large-Cap Value Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Multisector Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA 0.50/0.25 None None N/A
  Eaton Vance Real Estate Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Short Duration Inflation-Protected Income Fund (fka Eaton Vance Short Duration Real Return Fund) 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 FINRA N/A N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Small-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 0.50/0.25 N/A None N/A
  Eaton Vance Special Equities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.75/0.25 6.25 N/A N/A None N/A
                         
 
 

 

FOOTNOTES:                      
  (a) Compliance with the Fee Cap shall be determined in accordance with NASD Conduct Rule 2830(d).  
  (b) Distribution or Service Plans have not been adopted for Class R6, Class I and Institutional shares and such Classes do not pay Fees.
  (c) Pursuant to the Master Distribution Plan for Class A, Advisers Class and Investor Class Shares, fees payable pursuant to such Plan are referred to as "distribution and service fees".
  (d) If the Fee Cap is listed as "FINRA", then the Fund is subject to the maximum amount permitted under NASD Conduct Rule 2830(d), which is 6.25% as of the date hereof.
  (1) The Master Distribution Plan for Class R Shares authorizes distribution and service fee payments of up to 0.75% annually.  The Board of Trustees has authorized distribution and service fees equal to 0.50% annually.
  (2) The Master Distribution Plans for Class A, Advisers Class and Investor Class Shares, Class B Shares and Class C Shares (as applicable) authorize distribution and service fees of up to 0.25% annually.  The Board of Trustees has authorized distribution and service fees of 0.15% annually.
  (3) The Master Distribution Plans for Class A, Advisers Class and Investor Class Shares, Class B Shares and Class C Shares (as applicable) authorize service fees (or in the case of Class A shares, distribution and service fees) of up to 0.25% annually.  In the case of each Fund (except the Eaton Vance California and Municipal Opportunities Funds, the Eaton Vance National and High Yield Municipal Income Funds, the Eaton Vance TABS 1-to-10, 5-to-15 and 10-to-20 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Funds and the Eaton Vance TABS Intermediate-Term and Short-Term Municipal Bond Funds), the Board of Trustees has authorized the payment of such fees in the amount of 0.20% annually.
  (4) Although a Maryland corporation, Eaton Vance Series Fund, Inc. (the "Corporation") is referred to herein as "Trust" for convenience.  References in the Agreement to Trustees are deemed to refer to the Directors of the Corporation.  
 

In addition, each Fund is authorized to offer Class T shares subject to the Class T Distribution Plan. Pursuant to the Class T Distribution Plan, Funds are authorized to pay distribution fees of 0.25% annually.

 

  Dated: November 25, 2019
                             

 

EXHIBIT (h)(4)(b)

Schedule A

As of December 1, 2019

 

 

Trust, Series and Class

Contractual
Expense Cap
Effective
Date
Termination
Date
Eaton Vance Growth Trust      
Atlanta Capital Focused Growth Fund Class A 1.05% 2/1/2019 1/31/2020
Atlanta Capital Focused Growth Fund Class C 1.80% 2/1/2019 1/31/2020
Atlanta Capital Focused Growth Fund Class I 0.80% 2/1/2019 1/31/2020
       
Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund Class A 1.05% 2/1/2017 1/31/2020
Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund Class C 1.80% 2/1/2017 1/31/2020
Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund Class I 0.80% 2/1/2017 1/31/2020
Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund Class R6 0.75% 2/1/2017 1/31/2020
       
Focused Global Opportunities Fund Class I 0.95% 12/15/2015 3/31/2020
       
Focused Value Opportunities Fund Class A 1.05% 6/30/2014 6/30/2020
Focused Value Opportunities Fund Class C 1.80% 6/30/2014 6/30/2020
Focused Value Opportunities Fund Class I 0.80% 6/30/2014 6/30/2020
       
Greater China Growth Fund Class A 1.85% 5/1/2017 12/31/2019
Greater China Growth Fund Class C 2.55% 5/1/2017 12/31/2019
Greater China Growth Fund Class I 1.55% 5/1/2017 12/31/2019
       
Hexavest Global Equity Fund Class A* 1.15% 5/1/2017 11/30/2020
Hexavest Global Equity Fund Class C* 1.90% 5/1/2017 11/30/2020
Hexavest Global Equity Fund Class I* 0.90% 5/1/2017 11/30/2020
       
Hexavest International Equity Fund Class A* 1.15% 5/1/2017 11/30/2020
Hexavest International Equity Fund Class I* 0.90% 5/1/2017 11/30/2020
       
International Small-Cap Fund Class A 1.40% 12/15/2015 3/31/2020
International Small-Cap Fund Class I 1.15% 12/15/2015 3/31/2020
       
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund Institutional Class 0.99% 8/1/2018 11/30/2020
       
Worldwide Health Sciences Fund Class A 1.15% 4/28/2018 12/31/2019
Worldwide Health Sciences Fund Class C 1.90% 4/28/2018 12/31/2019
Worldwide Health Sciences Fund Class I 0.90% 4/28/2018 12/31/2019
Worldwide Health Sciences Fund Class R 1.40% 4/28/2018 12/31/2019
       
Eaton Vance Investment Trust      
Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund Class A 0.70% 11/14/2016 7/31/2020
Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund Class C 1.45% 11/14/2016 7/31/2020
Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund Class I 0.55% 11/14/2016 7/31/2020
       
*Contractual expense cap includes fund fees and expenses from unaffiliated funds.
 
 

 

 

 

Trust, Series and Class

Contractual
Expense Cap
Effective
Date
Termination
Date
Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II      
TABS 1-to-10 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class A 0.65% 5/3/2015 5/31/2020
TABS 1-to-10 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class C 1.40% 5/3/2015 5/31/2020
TABS 1-to-10 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class I 0.40% 5/3/2015 5/31/2020
       
TABS 5-to-15 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class A 0.65% 4/15/2015 5/31/2020
TABS 5-to-15 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class C 1.40% 4/15/2015 5/31/2020
TABS 5-to-15 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class I 0.40% 4/15/2015 5/31/2020
       
TABS 10-to-20 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class A 0.65% 5/3/2015 5/31/2020
TABS 10-to-20 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class C 1.40% 5/3/2015 5/31/2020
TABS 10-to-20 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund Class I 0.40% 5/3/2015 5/31/2020
       
TABS Intermediate-Term Municipal Bond Fund Class A 0.90% 6/1/2014 5/31/2020
TABS Intermediate-Term Municipal Bond Fund Class C 1.65% 6/1/2014 5/31/2020
TABS Intermediate-Term Municipal Bond Fund Class I 0.65% 6/1/2014 5/31/2020
       
Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust      
Core Plus Bond Fund Class A 0.74% 6/1/2017 1/31/2020
Core Plus Bond Fund Class C 1.49% 6/1/2017 1/31/2020
Core Plus Bond Fund Class I 0.49% 6/1/2017 1/31/2020
       
Emerging and Frontier Countries Equity Fund Class A 1.65% 11/3/2014 2/29/2020
Emerging and Frontier Countries Equity Fund Class I 1.40% 11/3/2014 2/29/2020
       
Emerging Markets Debt Fund Class I 0.85% 5/1/2018 5/31/2020
       
Emerging Markets Local Income Fund Class A 1.20% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Emerging Markets Local Income Fund Class C 1.90% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Emerging Markets Local Income Fund Class I 0.90% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
       
Global Bond Fund (fka Diversified Currency Income Fund) Class A 1.10% 3/1/2008 2/29/2020
Global Bond Fund (fka Diversified Currency Income Fund) Class C 1.80% 3/1/2011 2/29/2020
Global Bond Fund (fka Diversified Currency Income Fund) Class I 0.80% 3/1/2011 2/29/2020
       
Global Income Builder Fund Class A 1.17% 5/1/2019 2/28/2021
Global Income Builder Fund Class C 1.92% 5/1/2019 2/28/2021
Global Income Builder Fund Class I 0.92% 5/1/2019 2/28/2021
Global Income Builder Fund Class R 1.42% 5/1/2019 2/28/2021
       
Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund Class A 1.35% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund Class C 2.05% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund Class I 1.05% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund Class R 1.55% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund Class R6 1.02% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
       
Global Small-Cap Equity Fund Class A 1.35% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Global Small-Cap Equity Fund Class C 2.10% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
Global Small-Cap Equity Fund Class I 1.10% 1/1/2018 2/29/2020
       
Multi-Asset Credit Fund Class A 1.00% 8/15/2018 2/29/2020
Multi-Asset Credit Fund Class C 1.75% 8/15/2018 2/29/2020
Multi-Asset Credit Fund Class I 0.75% 8/15/2018 2/29/2020
 
 

 

 

 

Trust, Series and Class

Contractual
Expense Cap
Effective
Date
Termination
Date
Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust (continued)      
Parametric Commodity Strategy Fund Investor Class 0.90% 11/1/2016 4/30/2020
Parametric Commodity Strategy Fund Institutional Class 0.65% 11/1/2016 4/30/2020
       
Parametric Dividend Income Fund Investor Class 0.65% 11/1/2016 6/30/2020
Parametric Dividend Income Fund Institutional Class 0.40% 11/1/2016 6/30/2020
       
Parametric International Equity Fund Investor Class 0.75% 11/1/2016 5/31/2020
Parametric International Equity Fund Institutional Class 0.50% 11/1/2016 5/31/2020
Parametric International Equity Fund Class R 1.00% 11/1/2016 5/31/2020
Parametric International Equity Fund Class R6 0.47% 11/1/2016 5/31/2020
       
Parametric Tax-Managed International Equity Fund Investor Class 1.05% 3/1/2017 2/29/2020
Parametric Tax-Managed International Equity Fund Class C 1.80% 3/1/2017 2/29/2020
Parametric Tax-Managed International Equity Fund Institutional Class 0.80% 3/1/2017 2/29/2020
       
Short Duration Government Income Fund Class A 0.85% 12/1/2018 2/29/2020
Short Duration Government Income Fund Class C 1.45% 12/1/2018 2/29/2020
Short Duration Government Income Fund Class I 0.60% 12/1/2018 2/29/2020
       
Short Duration High Income Fund Class A 0.90% 1/1/2017 2/29/2020
Short Duration High Income Fund Class I 0.65% 1/1/2017 2/29/2020
       
Stock Fund Class A 0.98% 1/1/2016 4/30/2020
Stock Fund Class C 1.73% 1/1/2016 4/30/2020
Stock Fund Class I 0.73% 1/1/2016 4/30/2020
       
Eaton Vance NextShares Trust      
Global Income Builder NextShares 0.85% 5/1/2019 2/28/2021
       
Stock NextShares 0.65% 2/25/2016 4/30/2020
       
Eaton Vance NextShares Trust II      
Floating-Rate NextShares 0.73% 11/29/2017 2/29/2020
       
Oaktree Diversified Credit NextShares 0.90% 11/14/2017 1/31/2020
       
TABS 5-to-15 Year Laddered Municipal Bond NextShares 0.35% 3/28/2016 5/31/2020
       
Eaton Vance Series Fund, Inc.      
Emerging Markets Debt Opportunities Fund Class A 1.15% 9/3/2015 11/30/2020
Emerging Markets Debt Opportunities Fund Class I 0.90% 9/3/2015 11/30/2020
Emerging Markets Debt Opportunities Fund Class R6 0.85% 9/3/2015 11/30/2020
       
Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust      
1-to-10 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Fund Class A 0.65% 9/27/2016 12/31/2019
1-to-10 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Fund Class I 0.40% 9/27/2016 12/31/2019
       
Balanced Fund Class A 0.98% 1/1/2016 4/30/2020
Balanced Fund Class C 1.73% 1/1/2016 4/30/2020
Balanced Fund Class I 0.73% 1/1/2016 4/30/2020
Balanced Fund Class R 1.23% 5/1/2016 4/30/2020
Balanced Fund Class R6 0.69% 5/1/2016 4/30/2020
       
Core Bond Fund Class A 0.74% 6/1/2017 4/30/2020
Core Bond Fund Class I 0.49% 6/1/2017 4/30/2020
 
 

 

 

 

Trust, Series and Class

Contractual
Expense Cap
Effective
Date
Termination
Date
Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust (continued)      
Growth Fund Class A 1.05% 7/10/2014 4/30/2020
Growth Fund Class C 1.80% 7/10/2014 4/30/2020
Growth Fund Class I 0.80% 7/10/2014 4/30/2020
Growth Fund Class R 1.30% 7/10/2014 4/30/2020
       
Real Estate Fund Class A 1.25% 5/1/2007 4/30/2020
Real Estate Fund Class I 1.00% 6/8/2010 4/30/2020
       
Short Duration Inflation-Protected Income Fund Class A 0.75% 1/1/2017 2/29/2020
Short Duration Inflation-Protected Income Fund Class C 1.50% 1/1/2017 2/29/2020
Short Duration Inflation-Protected Income Fund Class I 0.50% 1/1/2017 2/29/2020
       
Small-Cap Fund Class A 1.21% 1/1/2019 4/30/2020
Small-Cap Fund Class C 1.96% 1/1/2019 4/30/2020
Small-Cap Fund Class I 0.96% 1/1/2019 4/30/2020
Small-Cap Fund Class R 1.46% 1/1/2019 4/30/2020
       
Special Equities Fund Class A 1.20% 10/1/2019 4/30/2021
Special Equities Fund Class C 2.10% 5/1/2017 4/30/2020
Special Equities Fund Class I 1.10% 5/1/2017 4/30/2020

 

 

EXHIBIT (i)(2)

 

CONSENT OF COUNSEL

I consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registration Statement of Eaton Vance Growth Trust (1933 Act File No. 002-22019) of my opinion dated November 26, 2018, which was filed as Exhibit (i) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 214.

 

  /s/ Jill R. Damon
  Jill R. Damon, Esq.

 

 

November 25, 2019

Boston, Massachusetts

 

EXHIBIT (j)

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to Registration Statement No. 002-22019 on Form N-1A of our reports dated September 19, 2019, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of the Funds listed on the attached Schedule A, certain of the funds constituting Eaton Vance Growth Trust (the “Trust”), appearing in the Annual Report on Form N-CSR of the Trust for the year ended July 31, 2019, and to the references to us under the headings “Financial Highlights” in the Prospectuses and “Other Service Providers” in the Statements of Additional Information, which are part of such Registration Statement.

 

 

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

 

Boston, Massachusetts

November 25, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Schedule A

 

 

Eaton Vance Growth Trust

 

Report Date Fund Name

 

September 19, 2019 Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund

September 19, 2019 Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund

September 19, 2019 Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia

Fund

 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT (n)(1)(b)

 

Schedule A

 

Schedule of Share Classes and Annual 12b-1 Distribution and Service Fees for Retail Funds

(as a % of average daily net assets)

Dated: November 25, 2019

 

  A B C I Investor Inst’l* Advisers R(1) R6
Eaton Vance Growth Trust                  
Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Focused Growth Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital Select Equity Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A None
Eaton Vance Atlanta Capital SMID-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 None
Eaton Vance Focused Global Opportunities Fund N/A N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Focused Growth Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Focused Value Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Greater China Growth Fund 0.30 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Hexavest Global Equity Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance International Small-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein Equity Strategy Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 N/A
Parametric Research Affiliates Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A
                   
Eaton Vance Investment Trust (2)                  
Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance National Limited Maturity Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance New York Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
                   
Eaton Vance Municipals Trust (3)                  
Eaton Vance Arizona Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance California Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Connecticut Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Georgia Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Maryland Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Massachusetts Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Minnesota Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Missouri Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Municipal Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance National Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance New Jersey Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance New York Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance North Carolina Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Ohio Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Oregon Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Pennsylvania Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance South Carolina Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Virginia Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
                   
Eaton Vance Municipals Trust II (3)                  
Eaton Vance High Yield Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance TABS 1-to-10 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance TABS 5-to-15 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance TABS 10-to-20 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance TABS Intermediate-Term Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance TABS Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
 
 

 

  A B C I Investor Inst’l* Advisers R(1) R6
Eaton Vance Mutual Funds Trust                  
Eaton Vance AMT-Free Municipal Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Core Plus Bond Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Diversified Currency Income Fund 0.30 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Emerging and Frontier Countries Equity Fund (fka Eaton Vance Global Macro Capital Opportunities Fund) 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Local Income Fund 0.30 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Advantage Fund 0.25 N/A 0.75 None N/A N/A 0.25 N/A None
Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A 0.25 N/A None
Eaton Vance Floating-Rate & High Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A 0.25 N/A None
Eaton Vance Global Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Global Income Builder Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 N/A
Eaton Vance Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund 0.30 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 None
Eaton Vance Global Macro Absolute Return Fund 0.30 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 None
Eaton Vance Global Small-Cap Equity Fund (fka Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Small-Cap Fund) 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Government Opportunities Fund (fka Eaton Vance Government Obligations Fund) 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 N/A
Eaton Vance High Income Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Multi-Asset Credit Fund (fka Eaton Vance Multi-Strategy All Market Fund) 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Short Duration Government Income Fund 0.25 N/A 0.85 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Short Duration High Income Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Short Duration Strategic Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 N/A
Eaton Vance Stock Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Equity Asset Allocation Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Dividend Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Growth Fund 1.1 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Growth Fund 1.2 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Multi-Cap Growth Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Small-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Value Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Parametric Commodity Strategy Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.25 None N/A N/A N/A
Parametric Dividend Income Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.25 None N/A N/A N/A
Parametric Emerging Markets Fund N/A N/A 1.00 N/A 0.25 None N/A N/A None
Parametric International Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.25 None N/A 0.75 None
Parametric Tax-Managed International Equity Fund N/A N/A 1.00 N/A 0.25 None N/A N/A N/A
Parametric Volatility Risk Premium – Defensive Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A
                   
Eaton Vance Series Fund, Inc.(4)                  
Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Debt Opportunities Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A None
                   
Eaton Vance Series Trust                  
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Growth Fund 1.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
                   
Eaton Vance Series Trust II                  
Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 None
Parametric Tax-Managed Emerging Markets Fund N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A
 
 

 

  A B C I Investor Inst’l* Advisers R(1) R6
Eaton Vance Special Investment Trust                  
Eaton Vance 1-to-10 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Balanced Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 None
Eaton Vance Core Bond Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Dividend Builder Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Greater India Fund 0.30 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Growth Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 N/A
Eaton Vance Large-Cap Value Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 None
Eaton Vance Multisector Income Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 None
Eaton Vance Real Estate Fund 0.25 N/A N/A None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Short Duration Inflation-Protected Income Fund (fka Eaton Vance Short Duration Real Return Fund) 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Eaton Vance Small-Cap Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A 0.75 N/A
Eaton Vance Special Equities Fund 0.25 N/A 1.00 None N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

* Institutional Class Shares

(1) The distribution plan for Class R shares authorizes distribution and service fee payments of up to 0.75% annually. The Fund’s Board of Trustees has authorized distribution and service fees equal to 0.50% annually.
(2) The distribution plans for Class A, Class B and Class C shares (as applicable) authorize distribution and service fees of up to 0.25% annually. The Funds’ Board of Trustees has authorized distribution and service fees of 0.15% annually.
(3) The distribution plans for Class A, Class B and Class C shares (as applicable) authorize distribution and service fees of up to 0.25% annually. The Funds’ (except the Eaton Vance California and Municipal Opportunities Funds, the Eaton Vance National and High Yield Municipal Income Funds, the Eaton Vance TABS 1-to-10, 5-to-15 and 10-to-20 Year Laddered Municipal Bond Funds and the Eaton Vance TABS Intermediate-Term and Short-Term Municipal Bond Funds) Board of Trustees has authorized distribution and service fees of 0.20% annually.
(4) Although a Maryland corporation, Eaton Vance Series Fund, Inc. (the "Corporation") is referred to herein as "Trust" for convenience. References in the Plan to Trustees are deemed to refer to the Directors of the Corporation.

 

In addition, each Fund is authorized to offer Class T shares subject to the Class T Distribution Plan. Pursuant to the Class T Distribution Plan, Funds are authorized to pay distribution fees of 0.25% annually.

 

Schedule of Share Classes and Annual 12b-1 Distribution and Service Fees for Variable Funds

(as a % of average daily net assets) (1)

 

  Classes
  Initial ADV Institutional
Eaton Vance Variable Trust (Variable Trust)      
Eaton Vance VT Floating-Rate Fund 0.25 N/A N/A

 

(1) As described in the Fund’s registration statement, the Fund also makes payments under a Shareholder Servicing Plan for Initial Class and ADV Class of up to 0.25% of average daily net assets.

 

EXHIBIT (p)(5)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Policy on Personal Securities Transactions and Insider Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revised as of March 20, 2019

 

Effective as of August 14, 2012

 
 
1. Code of Ethics

 

Hexavest Inc.(“Hexavest” or the “Firm”), a registered investment adviser, has adopted has adopted this Code of Ethics and Policy on Personal Securities Transactions and Insider Information (the “Code”). This Code is designed to comply with the securities laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which Hexavest conducts business.

 

The Code is applicable to all employees, directors, members, managers, and officers of Hexavest (each, an “Access Person”) unless exempted by Hexavest’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”).

 

Hexavest is committed to maintaining ethical standards in connection with the management of its business. The Code reflects Hexavest’s views on dishonesty, self- dealing, conflicts of interest and trading on material, non-public information. Each Access Person is required to read the Code annually and to certify that he or she has complied with its provisions and with the reporting requirements. Acknowledgement of, and compliance with, the Code are conditions of initial and continued employment.

 

Hexavest also requires each employee to abide by the latest version of the “Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct” published by the CFA Institute. A recent copy of that document can be found at http://www.cfainstitute.org/ethics/codes/Pages/index.aspx.

 

Any Access Person who has a question regarding the applicability of the Code or the related prohibitions, restrictions and procedures or the propriety of any action, is urged to contact the CCO.

 

1.1. ACCESS PERSON

 

Because all employees of Hexavest may have access to or obtain investment information, Hexavest designates all persons who work for Hexavest and who are compensated for such work as Access Persons subject to the requirements of the Code. In addition, an agent may be designated an Access Person if he or she (i) has access to nonpublic information regarding any client's purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any reportable fund, (ii) is involved in making securities recommendations to clients, or (iii) has access to such recommendations that are nonpublic. The CCO is responsible for determining when an agent shall be designated an Access Person.

 

As an Access Person, you are required to report quarterly all transactions in any securities in which you have any direct or indirect pecuniary interest (a “Beneficial Ownership”). The term Beneficial Ownership generally includes not only the securities that you purchase or sell for your own account, but also securities purchased or sold by any of your adoptive relationships or any of the following persons who reside in your household: child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in–law, daughter-in law, brother-in-law or sister- in-law (“Family Member(s)”).

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, you will not be required to make a report with respect to transactions effected for, and securities held in, any account over which neither you nor any Family Member has any direct or indirect influence or control.

 

 

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1.2. STANDARDS OF BUSINESS CONDUCT

 

· Access Persons must always place the interests of Hexavest’s clients first.

 

· Access Persons must avoid actions or activities that allow (or appear to allow) them or their Family Members to profit or benefit from their relationships with Hexavest and its clients, or that bring into question their independence or judgment.

 

· Access Persons must report any violations of this Code promptly to the CCO.

 

· Access Persons must always observe standards of business conduct and act in accordance with all applicable federal securities laws and regulations and other applicable laws and regulations.

 

· Access Persons cannot, in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, of a security held or to be acquired by any Hexavest client:
o employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud;
o make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading;

 

o engage in any act, practice or course of business which would operate as a fraud or deceit; or

 

o engage in any manipulative practice.

 

· Access Persons cannot engage in any inappropriate trading practices.

 

· Access Persons cannot cause or attempt to cause any Hexavest client to purchase, sell, or hold any security in a manner calculated to create any personal benefit to the Access Person. No Access Person shall recommend any securities transactions for a Hexavest client without having disclosed to the CCO his or her interest, if any, in such securities or the issuer thereof, including, without limitation:

 

o his or her direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership of any securities of such issuer;
o any position with such issuer or its affiliates; and
o any present or proposed business relationship between such issuer or its affiliates and the Access Person or any party in which the Access Person has a significant interest.

 

This Code does not identify all possible conflicts of interest, and literal compliance with each of its specific provisions may not shield an Access Person from liability for personal trading or other conduct that violates a fiduciary duty to Hexavest’s clients. Any questions regarding this Code should be brought to the CCO.

 

 

  2  
 

 

 

1.3 STANDARDS ON PERSONAL CONDUCT AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST

 

In its commitment to maintain ethical standards in connection with the management of its personnel, Hexavest has elaborated a set of rules governing personal conduct in the workplace. In addition to creating a sound environment, free from personal conflicts which may arise from interpersonal relationships between employees, Hexavest wishes to maintain a respectful and professional working environment at all times. In conjunction with the harassment policy that Hexavest has adopted, this segment of the Code outlines instances where conflicts of interests may arise. Therefore, without limiting the foregoing, and for the avoidance of doubt, the following acts are prohibited at Hexavest, and shall under no circumstance be tolerated within the Firm:

 

- ²Workplace Relationshipsdefined as being relationships of a romantic or sexual nature between employees of Hexavest or between an employee of Hexavest and an outside person who regularly works with Hexavest, including third party agents such as brokers, are NOT permitted, unless approved by the CCO;

 

- Workplace Relationships between a manager or superior of Hexavest and anyone in his or her reporting chain are NOT permitted, unless approved by the CCO;

 

- Workplace Relationships in which one party has authority, directly or indirectly, to affect the terms and conditions of the other party’s employment or work with Hexavest are NOT permitted;

 

- Situations in which conflicts of interest may arise are strongly encouraged to be disclosed to the Firm’s CCO. This includes but is not limited to (i) nepotism, in dealings with third party relationships for example, and (ii) romantic relationships, whether it be between coworkers, clients or third party service providers.

 

- Violators of this policy are subject to termination.

 

2. Personal Securities Transactions

 

Personal transactions and investment activities of employees of investment advisory firms are the subject of various securities laws, rules and regulations. Access Persons must conduct all personal securities transactions in a manner that avoids a conflict between their personal interests and those of Hexavest and its clients. When Access Persons invest for their own accounts, conflicts of interest may arise between Hexavest clients’ and the Access Person’s interests. Such conflicts may include, but are not limited to:

 

· Taking an investment opportunity that would be suitable for a Hexavest client for an Access Person’s own portfolio;

 

· Using an Access Person’s advisory position to take advantage of available investments;

 

· Front running, in which an Access Person trades for a personal account before making Hexavest client transactions; or

 

 

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· Taking advantage of information or using Hexavest client portfolio assets to have an effect on the market that may be used to the Access Person’s benefit.

 

Limitations on Personal Trading

 

Access Persons may not open a brokerage/trading account at any broker, dealer, bank or investment adviser without informing Hexavest. Access Persons must generally obtain prior approval from the CCO before buying or selling authorized products.

 

To avoid any potential conflict of interest, Hexavest’s employees and other targeted persons must not invest in any securities other than mutual funds, pooled funds, ETFs, market indices and their derivates (e.g., iShares, listed futures). Public companies, corporate bonds or investment s in IPOs are not authorized.

 

In addition, Access Persons may not sell shares of mutual funds or other pooled funds managed by Hexavest if they have purchased such shares in the 30 days prior to the date of the sale.

 

 

2.1. PERSONAL SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

 

Initial and Annual Holdings Reports: All Access Persons are required to report brokerage accounts and holdings in securities in which the Access Person has any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership within 10 days of employment, with information current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to employment, and annually thereafter. Annual reports must be submitted by February 14 of each year and the information contained in an annual report must be current as of December 31 of the prior year. The holdings report must contain the following:

 

a) Title, type and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number;

 

b) number of shares or principal amount of the security involved;

 

c) type of security;

 

d) name of the broker-dealer or bank that maintained the account; and

 

e) date the report is submitted by the Access Person.

 

Quarterly Transactions Reports: Hexavest requires that all Access Persons provide, on a quarterly basis, a brokerage account statement detailing any transaction in a security over which the Access Person had, or as a result of the transaction acquired, any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership. An Access Person’s brokerage account statement may be submitted in lieu of a separate transaction report so long as it provides the information listed below. However, Any private securities (e.g., hedge fund interests) not listed on such statement must be disclosed separately. A record of every transaction in a security is required with the following information to be maintained and reported on a quarterly basis:

 

a) title and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number;

 

b) number of shares or principal amount of the security involved;
  4  
 

 

c) interest rate and maturity date (if applicable);

 

d) date of the transaction;

 

e) nature of the transaction (purchase or sale);

 

f) price at which the trade was effected;

 

g) name of the broker-dealer or bank that executed the transaction; and

 

h) the date the report is submitted by the Access Person.

 

In addition, if during the quarter an Access Person establishes a new account in which any securities are held for the Access Person’s Beneficial Ownership, the Access Person should endeavor to promptly notify the CCO about the opening of each such new account, and provide the CCO with a duplicate copy of the first brokerage account.

 

 

It is required by regulations to submit a report not later than 30 days after the quarter in which effected. If the thirtieth day falls on a weekend or a holiday, the report is due the business day immediately preceding this deadline. Please forward the report to the CCO. If there are no activities for the quarter, a report indicating such is still required.

 

Exceptions to Reporting

 

(1) You are not required to detail or list the following items on your initial and annual holdings reports and quarterly transactions reports:

 

(A) Purchases or sales effected for any account over which you have no direct or indirect influence or control;

 

(B) Transactions effected pursuant to a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation, including a dividend reinvestment plan (“automatic investment plan”); and

 

(C) Purchases or sales of any of the following securities:

 

o Direct obligations of the U.S. government;
o Banker’s acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and any instrument that has a maturity at issuance of less than 366 days and that is rated in one of the two highest rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (e.g., Moody’s Investors Service) (“high quality short-term debt instruments”), including repurchase agreements; and

 

o shares issued by money market funds, whether affiliated or non-affiliated.

 

  5  
 
(2) An Access Person need not submit a quarterly transactions report to Hexavest if all the information in the report would duplicate information contained in brokerage account statements received by Hexavest not later than 30 days after the quarter.

 

Acknowledgment and Certification: Annually, all Access Persons must sign the declaration of portfolios to comply with Hexavest’s policies and procedures.

 

 

2.2. ACCESS PERSON TRADE RESTRICTIONS

 

Each trade of an Access Person is subject to the following restrictions:

 

Pre-Approval of All Trading

 

Pre-clearance is required for all transactions in a product other than publicly-traded fixed income investments and mutual funds that are not affiliated funds of managed by Hexavest. This applies to all Access Persons, members of their families living under the same roof, or persons to whom any of the previous acts as agent, proxy, or representative. This does not apply to trades executed by these persons within the framework of their professional activities as investment adviser on behalf of a client.

 

Unless otherwise provided by the CCO, any pre-approval for a proposed trade is valid only for the following business day.

 

General Principles Regarding Approval of Trades

 

In determining whether a trade will be permitted, the CCO will consider whether the proposed trade creates any actual or perceived conflicts of interest, and complies with securities and commodities laws, as well as with the provisions of the Code.

 

Hexavest has also adopted certain guidelines that the CCO will typically follow with respect to the approval of certain types of trades by Access Persons. The CCO generally does not intend to approve any trade if the Access Person is purchasing or selling the investment on the basis of material confidential information or proprietary information.

 

The CCO will maintain records with respect to each trade that is submitted by an Access Person for approval, include the date and time of such request, the CCO’s decision with respect to such request and the CCO’s basis for such decision. Any Access Person that does not submit a trade for pre-approval prior to the trade will be deemed to have violated this Code and will be subject to the penalties set forth in Section 5.2.

 

2.3. CONFIDENTIALITY

 

Hexavest will endeavor to keep confidential all reports of personal securities transactions, holdings, and any other information filed pursuant to this Code. Access Persons’ reports and information submitted in connection with this Code will be kept in a locked filed cabinet, and access will be limited to appropriate Hexavest compliance personnel; provided, however, that such information also may be subject to review by legal counsel, government authorities, Hexavest clients or others if required by law or court order.

  6  
 

 

2.4. ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS PERSONS’ PERSONAL TRADING

 

The following are Hexavest’s additional restrictions on personal trading by Access Persons:

 

*Purchase and sale of Limited Offerings are subject to advance approval by the CCO and includes:

 

· Participation in hedge funds, private equity funds;
· Accepting offers of options or shares by personnel who serve on boards of directors;
· Transactions involving real estate or agricultural land held for investment purposes, jointly in partnership with another person (other than Family Members);

 

· Investing in any other business, whether or not related to securities (e.g., fast-food franchises, restaurants, etc.).

 

3. Insider Information

 

Applicable securities regulations require Hexavest to establish, maintain, and enforce a code of ethics. This Code of Ethics sets forth the standards of business conduct expected by Hexavest, including addressing personal securities trading. This Code reflects Hexavest’s fiduciary obligations to its clients and requires compliance with securities laws, including prohibiting insider trading.

 

The Quebec Securities Act defines privileged information as follows: “any information that has not been disclosed to the public and that could affect the decision of a reasonable investor.” The Ontario Securities Act generally interprets privileged information as being “the knowledge of a material fact or material change with respect to the issuer that has not been generally disclosed.” “Material fact,” in its turn, is defined as in the Ontario Securities Act as follows: “when used in relation to securities issued or proposed to be issued, means a fact that would reasonably be expected to have a significant effect on the market price or value of the securities.”

 

Although there is no statutory definition of “insider trading” in the U.S., the SEC does provide guidance on its interpretation and states the following on its website: “Illegal insider trading refers generally to buying or selling a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, on the basis of material, nonpublic information about the security. Insider trading violations may also include "tipping" such information, securities trading by the person "tipped," and securities trading by those who misappropriate such information. ” (Source: https://www.sec.gov/fast- answers/answersinsiderhtm.html)

 

The prohibition applies whenever a person is in possession of material nonpublic information with respect to a security or its issuer, or when a transaction is (or may appear to be) made “on the basis of” material nonpublic information if the person making the purchase or sale was aware of the material nonpublic information when the person engaged in the transaction. The prohibition on insider trading applies to both publicly traded, registered securities and unregistered securities or private placements.

 

 

  7  
 
3.1. INSIDER TRANSACTIONS

 

Information is considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in deciding how to act.

Information is considered non-public when it has not been disseminated in a manner making it available to investors generally (such as through widely disseminated media reports, SEC filings, public reports, prospectuses or similar publications or sources). Information becomes public once it is publicly disseminated; limited disclosure does not make the information public (i.e., disclosure by an insider to a select group of persons).

 

Hexavest generally determines insider trading as the buying or selling of a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, while in possession of material, non-public information. Insider trading is a violation of securities laws, punishable by a prison term and significant monetary fines for the individual and investment adviser.

 

· Tipping of material, non-public information is PROHIBITED. Employees or Agents of Hexavest may not tip a trade, either personally or on behalf of others, while in possession of such information.

 

· Front running involves trading ahead of a Hexavest client order in the same security, whether on the basis of non-public information or otherwise, regarding impending market transactions. Front running is PROHIBITED.

 

· Scalping is PROHIBITED. Scalping occurs when an Access Person purchases shares of a security for his/her own account prior to recommending/buying that security for Hexavest clients and then immediately selling the shares at profit upon the rise in the market price following the recommendation/purchase.

 

 

3.2. USE OF NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION REGARDING A CLIENT

 

No Access Person shall:

 

· Disclose to any other person, except to the extent permitted by law or necessary to carry out his or her duties as an Access Person and as part of those duties, any non- public information regarding any Hexavest client portfolio, including any security holdings or transactions of a Hexavest client, any security recommendation made to a Hexavest client, and any security transaction by or under consideration by or for a Hexavest client, including information about actual or contemplated investment decisions.

 

· Use any non-public information regarding any Hexavest client portfolio in any way that might be contrary to, or in competition with, the interest of such Hexavest client.

 

· Use any non-public information regarding any Hexavest client in any way for personal gain.

 

Hexavest may, in certain circumstances, disclose certain of the information discussed above to third parties, but such disclosure will only be made if permissible under applicable law and pursuant to confidentiality agreements with third parties.

 

  8  
 

 

4. Directorships and Regulatory Requirements

 

4.1. OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

 

In addition to restrictions placed on the personal trading and private investments of employees, each Access Person must obtain prior approval from the CCO with respect to outside business activities that can reasonably be expected to cause actual or perceived conflicts of interest, that may violate applicable law and/or that may be harmful to Hexavest’s or the Access Person’s reputation. Outside business activities are disclosed in the appropriate form in which new employees attest of their outside business activities upon commencement of employment at Hexavest, and this form is updated thereafter on a yearly basis. Examples of activities that may require prior approval include full- or part-time service as an officer, director, partner, manager, consultant or employee of another business organization (including acting as a director of a company whose securities are publicly traded); agreements to provide financial advice (e.g., through service on a finance or investment committee) to a private, educational or charitable organization; and any agreement to be employed or accept compensation in any form (e.g., commission, salary, fee, bonus, contingent compensation, etc.) by a person or entity or their affiliates. Approval is generally not given for requests to serve as an officer, director, partner, consultant or employee of another business organization. Any such approval, if granted, may be given subject to restrictions or qualifications imposed by the CCO, and may be revoked at any time.

 

Any outside business activities that do not require prior approval must nevertheless be reported to the CCO as soon as practicable. The CCO will maintain records with respect to the outside business activities of Hexavest Access Persons.

 

5. Enforcement of the Code

 

The CCO has several responsibilities to enforce the Code. Some of these responsibilities are summarized below.

 

5.1. CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICERS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

The CCO:

 

· will provide each Access Person with a copy of the Code and any amendments thereto;

 

· will notify each person who becomes an Access Person of Hexavest in writing of his or her reporting requirements no later than 10 business days before the Initial Holdings Report is due;

 

· will, on a quarterly basis, review all reported personal securities transactions and other pertinent records submitted by Access Persons and compare, if appropriate, with each Hexavest client’s completed portfolio transactions. Before determining that a person has violated the Code, the CCO may give the person an opportunity to supply explanatory material;

 

· will submit his or her own reports, as may be required pursuant to the Code, to the President who shall fulfill the duties of the CCO with respect to the Chief Compliance Officer’s reports; and

 

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· will submit those trades that require pre-approval, as may be required pursuant to the Code, to the President, who shall fulfill the duties of the CCO with respect to the pre-approval of such trades.

 

5.2. CODE VIOLATIONS

 

If you violate provisions of the Code, Hexavest has the right to impose on you one or more of the following penalties as it may deem appropriate:

· censure you;
· notify your manager of the violation;
· suspend your authority to act on behalf of Hexavest as a managing director, a manager and/or an officer, if applicable;
· recommend specific sanctions, such as: suspension from work for a period of time without pay, reductions in leave, elimination of your bonus, disgorgement of profits, imposition of fines and/or termination of employment at Hexavest; and
· if appropriate, report such violation(s) to the relevant regulators and/or law enforcement authorities.

Note: Both the violation and any imposed sanction will be brought before the CCO.

 

 

5.3. ANNUAL WRITTEN REPORT

 

At least annually, the CCO will provide a written report to the Board of Directors. The report must describe any issue(s) that arose during the previous year under the Code or procedures related thereto, including any material Code or procedural violations, and any resulting sanction(s). If applicable, the report may discuss any changes that the CCO believes should be made to the Code. The CCO may report to the Board of Directors more frequently as he or she deems necessary or appropriate.

 

5.4. EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE CODE

 

The Code is effective as of the date written on the cover page. This Code supersedes any prior versions of the Code.

 

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EXHIBIT (p)(7)

 

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

Code of Ethics 1 of 47
 

 

 

INTRODUCTION TO THE CODE OF ETHICS


This Code of Ethics (“Code”) sets out standards for business conduct for Research Affiliates, LLC (“Research Affiliates” or “the Company”) based on fundamental principles of openness, integrity, honesty, and trust, as well as our fiduciary duties. The purpose of the Code is to convey to our employees the importance we place on ethical and lawful conduct, and to educate our employees on how to live up to not only the letter of the law, but also to our Company’s core values.

Therefore, in view of the foregoing and in accordance with the provisions of Rule 204a-1 under the Investment Advisers Act (“Advisers Act”) and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), the Company has adopted this Code to outline and prohibit certain types of activities that are deemed to create conflicts of interest (or at least the potential for or the appearance of such a conflict) and to outline pre-approval, reporting and review requirements, where appropriate, along with enforcement procedures. Please note that for all pre-approval, reporting and review requirements listed below, the CCO will report to and/or obtain pre-approval from the CEO.

This Code of Ethics (the “Code”) applies to all Access Persons, as defined in Section 1.1 below, of Research Affiliates, LLC. This Code supersedes all previous versions of the Company’s Code.

1. Definitions

1.1 “Access Persons”

Access Persons means all employees, directors, officers, partners, Management Committee participants or members of Research Affiliates.

1.2 “Account”

“Account” means any arrangement where Securities are held. Account includes, but is not limited to a brokerage account, mutual fund account, retirement account, custodial account, 529 Plan, and college savings plan.

1.3 “Beneficial Interest” and “Beneficial Owner” of a Security

In general, an employee has a “Beneficial Interest” in any Security in which he or she has a direct or indirect financial interest. An employee is presumed to have a “Beneficial Interest” in any Security held by a spouse, minor children, relatives who share an employee’s home or other persons by reason of any contract or other arrangement that provides the employee with sole or shared voting or investment power over that Security.

For example, an employee generally would be the “Beneficial Owner” of Securities that are held: a) in his or her own name individually or with another in joint tenancy, community property, or other joint ownership; b) by a bank or broker as nominee or custodian on the employee’s behalf or pledged as collateral for a loan; c) by members of the employee’s immediate family sharing the same household; d) by a relative not residing in the employee’s home if the person is a custodian, guardian, or otherwise has or shares with the employee control over the purchase, sale, or voting of Securities; e) by a trust in which the employee is a trustee or beneficiary and has, or shares, the power to make purchase or sale decisions; f) by a partnership or limited liability company in which the employee is a general partner or managing member, respectively; g) in a portfolio giving the employee certain performance related fees; h) by another person or entity pursuant to any agreement, understanding, relationship, or other arrangement giving the employee direct or indirect pecuniary interest; or i) by a corporation in which the employee has a control position or in which the employee has or shares investment control over the portfolio Securities.

Code of Ethics 2 of 47
 

1.6 “Exchange Traded Funds” (“ETFs”)

“Exchange Traded Funds” or “ETFs” are shares of ownership in either funds, unit investment trusts or depository receipts that hold portfolios of common stocks that closely track the performance and dividend yield of specific indices.

1.7 “Exempt Transactions”

“Exempt Transactions” means any transaction exempt from the pre-clearance, holding and/or reporting requirements under the Code. Such transactions are still subject to the Code of Ethics, and may still be reviewed by the CCO or designee.

1.8 “Federal Securities Laws”

“Federal Securities Laws” means the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as it applies to fund and investment advisers, Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, any rules adopted by the SEC under any of these statutes and any rules adopted there under by the SEC, Department of Labor or the Department of Treasury.

1.9 “Initial Public Offering”

“Initial Public Offering” means an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the issuer of which, immediately before the registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

1.10 “Limited Offering”

“Limited Offering” means an offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to section 4(2) or section 4(6) (15 U.S.C. 77d(2) or 77(d)(6)) or pursuant to 230.504, 230.505, or 230.506 of this chapter.

1.11 “Purchase or Sale of a Security”

“Purchase or Sale of a Security” means any direct or indirect (including through a managed account) purchase, sale, or transfer of a Beneficial Interest in a Security, including, among other things, the writing of an option to purchase or sell a Security or entering into any other contract for the purchase or sale of such Security, whether or not such contract is conditioned upon certain events.

1.12 “Prohibited Transactions”

“Prohibited Transactions” means a personal securities transaction prohibited by this Code.

1.13 “Reportable Fund”

“Reportable Fund” means (i) any mutual fund for which the Company may serve as an investment adviser or sub-adviser as defined in section 2(a)(2) of the Investment Company Act of 1940; or (ii) any fund whose investment adviser or principal underwriter controls the Company, is controlled by the Company, or is under common control with the Company. For purposes of this section, control has the same meaning as it does in section 2(a)(9) of the Investment Company Act.

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1.14 “Secondary Offering”

“Secondary Offering” means an offering of securities of a publicly traded company that prior to the offering were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

1.15 “Security” or “Securities”

“Security” or “Securities” means a note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, shares of open and closed-end investment companies including those of open-end ETF shares and UIT ETF shares, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, pre-organization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or any group or index of Securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a “Security,” or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guaranty of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing. The terms Security and Securities also include any financial instrument whose value is determined by reference to a Security or Securities, as defined above (including futures, options on futures, swaps, forward contracts, and other derivative instruments).

1.16 “Supervised Persons”

“Supervised Persons” means all officers, directors and employees of the Company and any other person(s) that the Company may deem from time to time to be a supervised person (such as certain independent contractors).

2. Delivery and Availibility of the compliance manual, code of ethics, and any amendments

The Company shall provide to every employee a copy of the Compliance Manual, including the Code of Ethics, and any amendments (“Manual”), and obtain from each employee through the Personal Trading Control Center (“PTCC”) system an acknowledgement of their receipt and understanding of the Manual. Accordingly, the Research Affiliates Compliance Department provides the Manual to new employees at the time they begin their work at Research Affiliates. Hereafter, the employee is required to certify through the PTCC system to having received and understood these documents. The Compliance Department also provides these documents to employees once each year through the PTCC system and at the time of any amendments and receives through the PTCC system each employee’s certification of their receipt and understanding of the Manual. Further, the Manual is provided to employees through Research Affiliates’ intranet site (MyRA). All employees are required to be familiar with this MyRA site and to know how to access these important compliance documents.

3. Reporting Violations

Research Affiliates places great importance on the Manual and expects all employees to strictly comply with all policies and procedures therein. Rule 204A-1 of the Advisers Act requires prompt internal reporting of any violations of the Code of Ethics. Therefore, any and all violations of the Code of Ethics, past or current, and any concerns of potentially foreseeable future violations should be immediately reported to the CCO. Failure to report either known violations committed by others or information learned that may indicate a potential for future violation of this Code by another employee will be deemed

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a personal violation by the non-disclosing member. Further, it is our policy to protect individuals who report violations. Retaliation against any employee who reports a violation is not tolerated. Any employee who engages in any retaliatory action against an employee who has reported or is thinking about reporting a potential violation of these Policies, including the Code of Ethics, shall be treated as if they violated the Code of Ethics and shall be subject to immediate disciplinary action.

4. Compliance with Applicable Federal Securities Laws

All employees must comply with the federal securities laws applicable to both Research Affiliates and its employees since Research Affiliates is an SEC registered investment adviser. Advisers Act Rule 204A-1e(4) defines “federal securities laws” in this context to include the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, any rules adopted by the SEC under any of these statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act as it applies to funds and investment advisers, and any rules adopted thereunder by the SEC or the Department of the Treasury. Many of the policies and procedures set out in this Manual, including the Code of Ethics, along with Research Affiliates’ compliance program are designed to aid Research Affiliates and its employees to comply with all such laws as they apply to business conducted by Research Affiliates and its employees.

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FIDUCIARY DUTY

1. Introduction

The Company and its Supervised Persons have an ongoing fiduciary responsibility to the Company’s clients and must ensure that the needs of the clients always come first. The Company holds its Supervised Persons to a high standard of integrity and business practices. In serving its clients, the Company and its Supervised Persons must at all times deal with clients in an honest and ethical manner and comply with all the Federal Securities Laws.

While affirming its confidence in the integrity and good faith of its Supervised Persons, the Company understands that the knowledge of present or future client portfolio transactions and the power to influence client portfolio transactions, if held by such individuals, places them in a position where their personal interests might become conflicted with the interests of the Company’s clients. Such conflicts of interest could arise, for example, if securities are bought or sold for personal accounts in a manner that either competes with the purchase or sale of securities for clients results in an advantageous position for the personal accounts.

A fiduciary is a professional entrusted with the management of a Client’s assets. We owe a fiduciary duty to all of our clients and we recognize and understand the requirements of this duty and act accordingly. The SEC has stated that investment advisers owe their clients several specific duties as fiduciaries. Because the Company is a fiduciary to its clients, Supervised Persons should avoid actual and potential conflicts of interest with the Company’s clients.

As part of our fiduciary duty, we owe to all our clients:

· Duty of loyalty;
· Duty to act in clients’ best interest;
· Duty to act with care in handling client matters;
· Duty to avoid conflicts of interest; and
· Duty to comply with all applicable laws.

 

In addition, the Company adheres to the CFA Code of Ethics standards. RA strives to put the interests of our clients ahead of our own. Therefore, RA attempts to mitigate or avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Therefore, it is essential to avoid and/or mitigate the effects of engaging in activities which could pose a conflict of interest with our clients. An adviser’s breach of fiduciary duty to its clients may constitute a violation of the anti-fraud provisions of the Advisers Act. Our duty of care and fiduciary obligation requires that Research Affiliates and its Supervised Persons must act fairly and in the best interest of our clients. In addition, this obligation imposes numerous responsibilities including the duty to render disinterested and impartial advice; to make suitable recommendations to clients within the context of their total portfolio and in light of their individual needs, financial circumstances and investment objectives; to exercise a high degree of care to ensure that all material facts are disclosed to clients and adequate and accurate representations of its business and other information about Research Affiliate’s services and investment advice are presented using fair, ethical, and equitable practices.

Every employee must read and acknowledge receipt of Research Affiliates’ Code of Ethics (the “Code”), which addresses how the Company and its Supervised Persons shall fulfill its fiduciary duty to its clients, avoid prohibited transactions and mitigate or eliminate conflicts of interest.

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2. Explicit Prohibitions

As a SEC registered investment adviser, Research Affiliates has a statutory duty to oversee the investment advisory activities of its Supervised Persons who act on its behalf. Therefore, Research Affiliates has adopted the following prohibitions and standards that must be followed by all Supervised Persons.

We cannot:

· Knowingly compete with, aid, or advise any person, firm, or corporation in competing with us in any way, or engage in any activity in which our personal interests in any manner conflict, or might conflict, with those of the Company or our clients.
· Be employed by or have, directly or indirectly, a significant financial interest in any business that is engaged in the same or similar lines of business as the Company, unless an explicit written waiver is issued by the CCO and the Company’s Management Committee.
· Accept or request, directly or indirectly, any favor or thing of value from any person, firm, or non-affiliated corporation, negotiating, contracting, or in any way dealing with the Company, if the favor or thing of value might influence negotiations, contracts, or transactions; and if we are offered any favor or thing of value, directly or indirectly, we shall immediately report it to the Compliance Department.
· Directly or indirectly, give any favor or thing of value to, or engage in the entertainment of, any person, firm, or non-affiliated corporation, negotiating, contracting, or in any way dealing with the Company, except as may be consistent with generally acceptable ethical standards, our policies and procedures, and accepted business practices and not in violation of any applicable law or client standard of conduct.
· Accept or offer gifts and entertainment; make political or charitable contributions, to obtain or retain client business or contracts with government entities inconsistent with, or in violation of, our Gifts and Entertainment, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or Political Contributions Policies. We cannot consider current or anticipated business relationships as a factor in soliciting political or charitable contributions. (Please note that some clients of the Company require that we disclose all political contributions and solicitations for contributions to or concerning any of their elected or appointed officials. Employees may be required to certify to the company that they are in compliance with these guidelines. For more information, see our Gifts and Entertainment, and Political Contributions Policies.)
· Participate in any negotiations or dealings of any sort with any person, firm, or non-affiliated corporation in which we individually have, directly or indirectly, an interest, whether through a personal relationship that is more than mere acquaintance, or through stockholding or otherwise, except an ordinary investment not sufficient to in any way affect our judgment, conduct, or attitude in the matter, or give us a personal interest therein.
· Receive, in addition to our regular salary, fees, or other compensation, any money or thing of value, directly or indirectly, or through any substantial interest in any non-affiliated corporation or business of any sort, or through any personal relationship, for negotiating, procuring, recommending, or aiding in any purchase, sale, or rental of property or any loan made by or to the Company; nor shall we have any financial or other personal interest, directly or indirectly, or through any other non-affiliated corporation or business or through any personal relationship, in a purchase, sale, rental or loan.
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· Give or release to anyone, unless properly authorized, any information of a confidential nature concerning the Company or our clients.
· Use Material Non-Public Information, personally or on behalf of others, for any securities transaction.
3. Prohibited Sales Practices

As a SEC registered investment adviser, Research Affiliates has a statutory duty to oversee the investment advisory activities of its Supervised Persons who act on its behalf. Therefore, Research Affiliates has adopted the following prohibitions and standards that must be followed by all Supervised Persons.

3.1 Prohibited Sales Tactics

No Supervised Person may engage in fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative practices, such as misrepresenting or omitting material facts.

3.2 Third-party Instructions

Supervised Persons must not accept instructions regarding a client’s account, including any orders to effect securities transactions or liquidate a client’s account, from any person other than the client, unless the client has provided written authorization to Research Affiliates (typically through contract or power of attorney) to do so.

3.3 Selling Away

Supervised Persons must not engage in the sale or promotion of any investment advisory service other than for products or services of Research Affiliates without prior written permission from the CCO. Please also refer to the Code’s policies on “Outside Business Activities” and procedures for reporting.

3.4 Fraudulent Practices

Supervised Persons must not engage in any act, practice, or course of business which is fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative. For example, prohibited activities include, but are not limited to:

· Unfair prices;
· Failure to disclose material facts;
· Fraudulent representations;
· Unsuitable recommendations/investments;
· Falsifying records;
· Circumvention of industry rules and regulations;
· Failure to maintain proper records;
· Unauthorized transactions in clients’ accounts;
· Failure to disclose conflicts of interest;
· Misusing customer funds or securities; or
· Misusing information gained in a fiduciary capacity.
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4. Standards to Protect Clients

Every agreement between Research Affiliates and its clients must be in writing and must disclose, in substance, the services to be provided, the term of the contract, the advisory fee or the formula for computing the fee.

In addition, each advisory agreement will address assignments, notifications, confidentiality of provisions, services and a dispute resolution method. Only Research Affiliates’ Management Committee may agree to any written modifications to Research Affiliates’ investment advisory agreements.

All fees charged by Research Affiliates shall be explicitly stated in the advisory agreement or an attachment thereof. Among other things, the anti-fraud provisions of the Advisers Act generally prohibit an investment adviser from charging fees that are unreasonable considering the services to be provided, and/or charging a substantially high fee without disclosing that similar services could be obtained elsewhere at a lower cost.

 

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INSIDER TRADING POLICY AND PROCEDURES


The Insider Trading and Securities Fraud Enforcement Act of 1988 (“1988 Act”) further extends the safeguards of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as it pertains to "insider trading." The purpose of this Insider Trading Policies and Procedures is to comply with the 1988 Act and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and other applicable regulation. In addition, the policies and procedures herein are designed to provide a program for educating, detecting and preventing insider trading by Supervised Persons of Research Affiliates.

1. Definitions

“Insider” is a person with access to material key information about a publicly traded company before it is announced to the public. Typically, the term refers to corporate officers, directors and key personnel, but may be extended to include family members, relatives and/or others in a position to capitalize on insider information. Additionally, persons may be characterized as "temporary" or "constructive" insiders if they have access to material non-public information for a legitimate purpose in the context of performing a service for a particular company. Examples include, but are not limited to accountants, attorneys, IT service providers, and even printers who print financial information.

"Insider Information" describes material non-public information regarding corporate events that have not yet been made public. For example, the officers of a firm know in advance if the company is about to be acquired or if the latest earning report is going to differ significantly from information previously released. If information reasonably influences the purchase, sale or market value of a company's securities and such information has not yet been publicized in a widely used medium, then it is considered insider information.

“Misappropriation” usually occurs when a person acquires inside information about one company in violation of a duty owed to another company. For example, if an employee of ABC Public Company has knowledge that XYZ Public Company is negotiating a merger with ABC Public Company, that employee has material nonpublic information about both companies and must not trade in such companies’ stocks or pass on the information to anyone that does not already know.

“Tipping” is passing along inside information to others. A tip occurs when an insider (the "tipper") discloses inside information to another person (the “recipient”), which causes the recipient to become an insider and therefore subject to a duty not to trade or pass along the information while in possession of that information. The act of tipping violates the 1988 Act and both the tipper and the recipient may be subject to liability for insider trading regardless of whether a benefit was derived from the action.

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2. Penalties for Insider Trading

Penalties for trading on or communicating material, nonpublic information are severe, both for the individuals involved in the unlawful conduct and for the employers. A person can be subject to some or all of the penalties set forth below even if he or she does not personally benefit from the violation. Penalties may include:

civil injunctions;
disgorgement of profits;
jail sentences;
fines for the person who committed the violation of up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided (per violation, or illegal trade), whether or not the person actually benefited from the violation; and
Criminal penalties that can result in a maximum fine of up to $5,000,000 and twenty (20) years imprisonment.
3. Policy

Research Affiliates and its Supervised Persons are prohibited from acting upon material non-public information, which includes tipping.

There may be times that a Supervised Person receives insider information during the ordinary course of employment with the Company and regardless if the receipt of such information is advertent or inadvertent, that person will be deemed an “insider”. This may occur under a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:

Example 1: Research Affiliates’ client may be an officer or director of a publicly traded company that is undergoing material structural changes and discloses these changes to a Supervised Person.
Example 2: A Supervised Person inadvertently receives insider information during a research call with a public company, an expert network consultant, a broker-dealer, an investment manager, or others with such information.
Example 3: A Supervised Person receives non-public information regarding a tender offer.

If a Supervised Person is unsure or suspects that he/she may have obtained or may be perceived to have obtained insider information, they should notify the CCO immediately.

Prohibited activity while in receipt of material non-public information includes but is not limited to the following activities:

Purchasing or selling a security (or a derivative of such security) for any Research Affiliates’ client, in a Personal Account or any proprietary account, or in any other account while in possession of material, non-public information relating to that security or its issuer of affiliates; and
Communicating material, non-public information to another (with the exception of the CCO), whether or not such communication leads to or was intended to lead to, a purchase or sale of securities.
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To help avoid possible violations, senior management of Research Affiliates will exercise great care, in accordance with the procedures outlined below, in the supervision of Supervised Persons and of the securities transactions of their personnel. If there is any question as to whether a contemplated purchase or sale would violate the insider trading rules, Supervised Persons must consult with the CCO prior to effecting the transaction.

4. Procedures

4.1 Material Non-Public Information

Research Affiliates believes that strict adherence to applicable federal and state securities laws is in the best interests of our clients, employees, the securities industry, and the investing public. We believe that misuse of Material Non-Public Information (defined further below) in trading securities is detrimental to the securities industry and the investing public and is illegal. Therefore, Research Affiliates maintains and strictly enforces written policies and procedures reasonably designed to be consistent with the nature of our business to prevent the misuse by any of our employees of Material Non-Public Information.

No Research Affiliates officer, director, or employee shall, either directly or indirectly:

Purchase, sell, or engage in a transaction, either personally or on behalf of others (such as private accounts managed by Research Affiliates), involving any asset while in possession of Material Non-Public Information; or
Communicate Material Non-Public Information to any employee or other person except to, or with the prior consent of, the CCO.

4.1.1 Persons covered by the Policy

This policy applies to every Research Affiliates employee, and extends to activities both within and outside their duties at Research Affiliates. All employees must read, become familiar with, acknowledge receipt of, and agree to review at least annually these policies.

These policies are only general guidelines to be followed by all Research Affiliates’ employees and do not include all laws, rules, regulations, and orders that govern our business activities, and cannot address every possible matter. If any employee has any questions not addressed in these policies, or believes that application of a policy or procedure would be inappropriate in particular circumstances, he/she must seek the guidance of the CCO.

4.1.2 Material Non-Public Information

These policies set forth guidelines regarding the duty of each employee of Research Affiliates to avoid professional or personal investment transactions that may constitute a prohibited activity, and to comply with Research Affiliates’ policy regarding Material Non-Public Information and insider trading. “Material Non-Public Information” is any information about a company or a security that is not publicly available and that a reasonable investor would consider material when making an investment decision, or information that is reasonably likely to have an effect on the price of a security.

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4.1.3 Prohibitions Against Using Material, Non-Public Information

Purchasing, selling, or engaging in a transaction involving any security while in possession of Material Non-Public Information or communication of such information is unlawful subjecting you and the company to criminal and civil penalties. Research Affiliates’ employees, shall not, for their own benefit or for the benefit of the company, any Client, or any other person, either directly or indirectly, trade or recommend trading on the basis of Material Non-Public Information.

Violation of policies and procedures concerning Material Non-Public Information by any Research Affiliates employee is a serious violation of their employment obligations and may subject them to immediate disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

4.1.4 When is information considered to be “Material?”

Information is generally considered to be “Material” if a reasonable investor would consider it material when making an investment decision or the information is reasonably likely to have an effect on the price of a security. For example, the following types of information about a publicly traded company may be considered “Material”: significant changes in financial condition; proposed dividend increases or decreases; significant changes from analysts’ earnings estimates; significant changes in previously released earnings estimates by a company; significant changes in operations; a significant increase or decline of orders; significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements; significant new products or discoveries; extraordinary management developments; or the purchase or sale of substantial assets. Information concerning any changes of these types, even if not significant, may be “Material” in some instances.

4.1.5 When is information considered to be “Non-Public?”

Information is generally considered to be “Non-Public” if it was received under circumstances that indicate that it is not yet in general circulation, or if a reasonable person would believe that it was received under an explicit or implicit obligation not to disclose. Information is generally considered to be publicly available if it is available from a news source, together with the passage of enough time for the market to absorb the information.

Material Non-Public Information is sometimes referred to as “inside information,” meaning that the information was obtained directly or indirectly from the company or their employees. However, Material Non-Public Information does not have to be obtained from insiders to the company. For example, certain information about the contents of a forthcoming newspaper article that was expected to affect the market price of a security may be considered to be Material Non-Public Information.

4.1.6 Procedures in handling the receipt of Material Non-Public Information

Whenever you believe that you may have received Material Non-Public Information about a security or a company, you shall not:

· Trade in or recommend trading in that security (or related securities) or any other security issued by that company unless expressly permitted to do so by the CCO; or
· Disclose the information to anyone unless expressly permitted to do so by the CCO, Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”), Chief Operating Officer (“COO”), or Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”).
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If you have any question about whether information is material, inside or non-public, such question must first be resolved before trading, recommending trading, or divulging the information. As such, you must immediately and confidentially communicate all related facts and circumstances to the CLO to enable such counsel to properly investigate the matter and determine whether an opinion from outside legal counsel may be warranted.

You shall not disclose any Material Non-Public Information to any third-party or client. You shall not disregard the restrictions on insider trading imposed by the federal securities laws.

4.1.7 Prohibition on spreading false information

Employees are prohibited, either directly or indirectly, from intentionally creating false information or spreading rumors intended to affect securities prices, or other potentially manipulative conduct.

4.1.8 Restricted Securities List

RA does not generally have a restricted securities list. If by chance the Company or its Supervised Persons may gain inside information pertaining to a security, a restricted securities list will be maintained. In the unlikely event that a restricted securities list will be maintained, a security will be placed on the Company’s Restricted Securities List, when it has been determined that the Company may have inside information pertaining to the security or the security should not be traded by the Company for other reasons determined by the Management Committee (“Restricted Security”). When a security is placed on the List, Supervised Persons are prohibited from purchasing or selling on behalf of any client account during the time period the security is included on the List. The CCO shall be responsible for maintaining the Company’s Restricted Securities List and will ensure that all Supervised Persons are notified of the securities listed on the Restricted Securities List, along with changes that are made from time to time.

4.1.9 Ongoing Responsibility of Supervised Persons

All Supervised Persons must make an ongoing diligent effort to ensure that a violation of these Insider Trading Policies and Procedures does not occur. This requires all Supervised Persons to:

· Read, understand and agree in writing to comply with the Company’s Insider Trading Policies and Procedures. ;
· Disclose to the CCO any employment, relationship, or other involvement (such as board membership or employment by a family member or relative) with a publicly traded company;
· Ensure that no trading occurs in their Personal Account(s) in any security (or derivative of such security) for which they have material, non-public information;
· Make periodic (no less than annual) written certifications to the Company that they have not traded upon or communicated material nonpublic information;
· Not disclose insider information obtained from any source whatsoever to any person not already having such knowledge (except the CCO when reporting receipt of such insider information);
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· Attend all mandatory educational and training required by the Company and read all insider trading materials provided by the CCO or a designee;
· Consult with the CCO when questions arise regarding potential receipt of material, non-public information or when potential violations of these Insider Trading Policies and Procedures are suspected;
· Adhere to all requirements under the Company’s Code of Ethics and this Insider Trading Policies and Procedures; and
· Cooperate fully with the CCO and any senior managers during any investigation of potential violations of these Insider Trading Policies and Procedures.

4.1.10 Employee Training and Education

Supervised Persons will be provided a copy of this Insider Trading Policies and Procedures initially upon hire, annually, and anytime an amendment is made, and must execute acknowledgments as outlined in 4 above. Research Affiliates also provides periodic educational training with respect to the prohibitions of insider trading, and the Company’s Insider Trading Policies and Procedures, which will be delivered in different ways that may include attendance to seminars, meetings, and/or webinars, and providing written materials for review.

4.1.11 Violations and Sanctions

Any potential violation of Research Affiliates’ Insider Trading Policies and Procedures will result in an internal review and could result in immediate sanctions (including those outlined in Item 2 above), and termination of employment for all Supervised Person(s) involved. No Supervised Person will be sanctioned for the reporting of any potential or actual violation of the Company’s Insider Trading Policies and Procedures.

Any question you may have regarding these or any other policies and procedures should be discussed with the CCO.

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PERSONAL SECURITIES TRADING AND REPORTING POLICY


In an effort to prevent any violation of the securities laws, rules and regulations and to avoid any conflict of interests or the appearance of any such conflict of interests between the Company and its clients or between employees and the Company or the Company’s clients, employees are prohibited from engaging in a purchase or sale of any of the following (including through a managed account) in which the employee has a “Beneficial Interest”: (1) an individual publicly traded “Security”; (2) a derivative instrument which derives its value from any such individual publicly traded Security; (3) any instrument that is convertible into any individual, publicly traded Security; (4) interests in a real estate investment trust; or (5) interests in an initial public offering.

Exceptions to the above prohibitions on personal trading include the following: (1) trading in U.S. government bonds, municipal bonds, sovereign bonds, mutual funds that are not managed or sub-advised by Research Affiliates, exchange traded funds, derivatives on securities market indices or exchange traded funds, money market instruments, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, high quality short-term debt instruments (including repurchase agreements), shares of money market funds, interests in rarities, interests in collectibles, tangible commodities held in physical form, and currencies; (2) sales of Securities already held within an Account; (3) holdings within your Research Affiliates 401(k) account or another 401(k) account (excluding Securities that can be traded through a brokerage window within a 401(k) plan); and (4) acquisitions of Securities by way of gift, inheritance, corporate actions (e.g., stock dividends), stock option plans, or dividend reinvestment plans. Purchases of private securities is generally permitted but all such purchases must be reviewed and pre-approved by the CCO. ETFs and mutual funds must be reported, but do not have to be pre-cleared.

1. DEFINITIONS

Please refer to the Introduction to the Code of Ethics for all applicable definitions.

2. PERSONAL SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS AND HOLDINGS REPORTING, CERTIFICATION, AND MONITORING

The PTCC system shall be used by the Company to record and monitor information regarding personal trading accounts and to monitor activity and transactions in those accounts. The PTCC system also facilitates employees’ electronic requests for pre-approval, reporting and certifications related to Securities transactions and Accounts.

Upon its adoption and quarterly thereafter, the employee shall be provided with a copy of this Personal Securities Trading and Reporting Policy, as then in force, via the PTCC system and shall (1) acknowledge receipt of these policies; (2) affirm having read the policies; and (3) affirm having been in compliance with these policies, as they were in force, since their previous affirmation. In addition, the employee shall update his or her current list of accounts, including the disclosure of other investments not held at a brokerage firm (e.g., participation in limited partnerships, private placements, joint ventures, etc.).

 

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3. NEW EMPLOYEE REPORTING – INITIAL HOLDINGS AND BROKERAGE REPORTS –CONSENTS

Each employee, during his or her compliance orientation meeting, will be introduced to the PTCC system, given an overview of the Compliance Manual including the Code of Ethics, and shall receive, complete, and return to the Compliance Department, copies of the Initial Brokerage Report and Initial Holdings Report forms within 10 days of beginning employment. These initial reports must contain information that is no older than 45 days before the employee was hired and must include, among other things, (1) the name of any broker, dealer, or bank with whom the employee maintains an account in which any Securities are held for the employee’s direct or indirect Beneficial Interest; and (2) the name, number of shares, and principal amount of each Security (except Non-Covered Securities defined below) in which the employee has direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership. The employee must also execute any necessary consent or instructions to his or her broker, dealer, or bank to authorize the automatic delivery of either i) statements, holdings and transaction data to Research Affiliates via the PTCC system; or ii) duplicate statements. Please note that Research Affiliates does not generally permit employees to have an Account that does not provide automatic data feeds through PTCC.

4. ACCOUNTS

An employee may not open a new Account with any broker, dealer, or bank, without obtaining the prior approval of the CCO or a delegate. Employees should use the Broker Account Request Form on the PTCC system to make requests for the pre-approval a new Account.

4.1. Third-Party Managed Accounts

Employees who are grantors or beneficiaries over accounts for which they have “no direct influence or control” must provide and certify the following information within ten (10) days of their initial start date:

· The name of the third-party discretionary manager, or trustee;
· The nature of the relationship between the employee and the third-party discretionary manager or trustee;
· The custodian where the third-party managed account is held; and
· Duplicate brokerage statements for any third-party managed accounts.
5. QUARTERLY REPORTING OF TRANSACTIONS

In order for the Company to monitor compliance with the Code and to comply with Rule 204A-1 of the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 of 1940 Act, every employee is required to report to the CCO or a designee the information described below.

Within 30 calendar days of each quarter end (by April 30, July 30, October 30, and January 30), the employee shall review, update, certify and submit a quarterly report of the information required by the Personal Investment Transaction Report (“PITR”) on the PTCC system for all Securities transactions in which the employee has or acquired any direct or indirect Beneficial Interest or in which the employee is a Beneficial Owner containing the following information:

The date of the transaction (either trade date or settlement date), the name of the Security, the symbol, the number of shares, the maturity date and/or the interest rate, if applicable, and the principal amount of each Security involved;
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The nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale, or any other type of acquisition or disposition);
The price of the Security at which the transaction was affected;
The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through whom the transaction was affected; and
The name and account number of the Personal Account.

Unless previously provided through the automated PTCC system and direct data delivery feeds arranged with the employee’s Account brokers, paper copies of all brokerage Account statements for the relevant quarter must be given or delivered to the Compliance Department.

The employee shall include on each quarterly PITR, transactions in shares of any mutual fund for which Research Affiliates acts as an investment adviser or sub-advisor.

6. ANNUAL HOLDINGS REPORTS

Before January 30 of each year, the employee shall review, update, certify and submit annual Securities and Account holdings information as of December 31 of the previous year on the PTCC system. The report must include the following information, which must be as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the report was submitted:

The title and type of security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares, and principal amount of each reportable security in which the employee has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership;
The name of the broker, dealer or bank with which the employee maintains an account in which the securities are held; and
The date the employee submits the report.
7. SECURITIES NOT SUBJECT TO REPORTING

Employees are not required to report the following “Non-Covered Securities”:

· Transactions effected through an automatic investment plan in which regular, periodic purchases or withdrawals are made automatically in or from investment accounts in accordance with a pre-determined schedule and allocation (such as the Company’s 401 (k) Plan or a dividend reinvestment plan);
· Shares of open-ended mutual funds for which Research Affiliates does not act as investment adviser or sub- advisor;
· Securities that are direct obligations of the Government of the United States;
· Money market instruments, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements;
· Shares of money market funds; and
· Interests in rarities, collectibles, tangible commodities held in physical form, or currencies.

 

Please note that although the employee is not required to report the above Non-Covered Securities, the employee is required to report all existing Accounts and obtain prior approval for any new Accounts, either of which may contain the above Non-Covered Securities.

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8. PRIVATE AND LIMITED OFFERINGS

An employee may not acquire, directly or indirectly, any Beneficial Interest in a Security offered as part of a limited or private offering, without obtaining the prior approval of the CCO. This includes any offering exempt from registration under the Securities Act. An employee should use the Private Placement Request Form on the PTCC system to submit his or her requests for pre-approval.

9. COMPLIANCE REVIEW

All PTCC system activity that warrants the Compliance Department’s attention will be reviewed timely. Additionally, the Compliance Department will review personal securities activity of all employees on a periodic basis. The Compliance Department will research and document each potentially material compliance issue as appropriate. If the Compliance Department believes that a compliance violation may have occurred, the enforcement procedures provided in the Company’s Code of Ethics will be followed.

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DISCLOSURE OF OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

 

Prior to engaging in an outside activity (“Outside Activity,” as described further below), employees must first complete the relevant Outside Activity Disclosure questionnaire using the PTCC system and discuss with their supervisor and CCO any such Outside Activity.   Employees must also complete through the PTCC system a quarterly certification regarding all Outside Activities.   Examples of Outside Activities that require prior disclosure are those where the employee will serve as a board member, trustee, employee, manager or officer of a for profit, non-profit, educational or charitable organization.  Other examples are activities in which the employee may spend any significant amount of time during their regular RA work day on such activity, an activity for which the employee may receive any monetary compensation, or an activity that could create any reputational risk or conflict with the interests of Research Affiliates or its clients.   Please note that volunteerism outside of the Research Affiliates work day is encouraged and exempted from this policy.  "Volunteerism" for purposes of this policy means donated time or services that are occasional in nature and which are outside of board, officer, committee or trustee positions of leadership since these leadership positions can still create risks or conflicts depending upon the nature of these types of activities.

 

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GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT POLICY

 

Research Affiliates has adopted a Gifts and Entertainment Policy in order to reduce real or perceived conflicts of interest and to assure compliance with limits and restrictions imposed by law. A conflict of interest occurs when your personal interests interfere or could potentially interfere with your responsibilities to the Company and our clients. You should not accept inappropriate gifts, favors, entertainment, special accommodations, or other things of value that could influence decision-making. Similarly, you should not offer gifts, favors, entertainment or other things of value that could be viewed as overly generous or aimed at influencing decision-making or making a client feel obligated to you or the Company.

1. Receipt of Gifts

Generally, you may not accept from any individual or entity any gifts, services, or other things of more than an aggregate annual value of $100 without pre-approval from the CCO and you must use the PTCC system to request such prior approval. Unless excluded from this policy as described below, the PTCC system must be used to log all gifts received from persons or entities in or seeking to be in a contractual relationship with Research Affiliates. Excluded from this policy are i) gifts received in connection with a bona fide personal relationship (e.g., personal gift received in recognition of a life event, such as a birthday, baby shower, wedding, or anniversary); and ii) items of a purely promotional nature of a minimal value bearing the name or logo of the donor company (e.g., novelties, trinkets).

2. giving of Gifts

Generally, you may not give to any individual or entity any such gifts, services, or other things of more than an aggregate annual value of $100 without pre-approval from the CCO, which must be obtained by using the PTCC system. Under no circumstances may you give or offer any gifts to representatives of unions, ERISA plans, Taft Hartley Plans, or any governmental plans which exceed applicable federal or state individual, organizational or aggregate limits, as confirmed with the Compliance Department. Unless excluded from this policy as described below, the PTCC system must be used to log all gifts given to persons or entities with which Research Affiliates is or is seeking to be in a contractual relationship. The logging of all such gifts should be accomplished on a periodic basis, no less than quarterly, through uploading the Research Affiliates accounting system sourced gift expense related data into PTCC. Excluded from this policy are i) gifts given in connection with a bona fide personal relationship (e.g., personal gift given in recognition of a life event, such as a birthday, baby shower, wedding, or anniversary), and ii) items of a purely promotional nature of a minimal value bearing the applicable name or logo associated with the Company.

3. Cash Gifts

You may not give, offer, or accept cash gifts or cash equivalents to or from a client, prospective client, or any person or entity that does or seeks to do business with or on behalf of the Company.

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4. Entertainment

Any entertainment provided or received by an employee may not appear to be extravagant, excessive or affect the independent judgment of the recipient or given with the purpose to obtain, retain, or direct business. Providing entertainment is different than providing a gift since entertainment involves the presence of a Research Affiliates employee. Any questions regarding whether or not any entertainment given or received may violate this policy should be discussed with the CCO prior to providing or receiving any such entertainment. Under no circumstances may you give or offer any entertainment to representatives of unions, ERISA plans, Taft Hartley Plans, or any governmental plans which exceeds applicable state or federal individual, organizational or aggregate limits.

The PTCC system must be used to log all entertainment provided to persons or entities with which Research Affiliates is or is seeking to be in a contractual relationship. The logging of all such entertainment should be accomplished on a periodic basis, no less than quarterly, through uploading the Research Affiliates accounting system sourced, entertainment expense related data into PTCC.

5. Additional Reporting

In addition to providing information using the PTCC system as described above, employees engaged in the activity of providing gifts and entertainment to persons or entities with which Research Affiliates is or is seeking to be in a contractual relationship are required to also submit appropriate documentation with their expense reports. The CCO will periodically review the PTCC logs of all gifts and entertainment related expenses and 1) compare these to the PTCC requests for preapproval submitted for all gifts given in excess of the $100 limit and 2) review entertainment expenses to make sure they are not in violation of the policies and procedures.

 

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FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT

 

This policy is designed to ensure that Research Affiliates complies with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). The FCPA makes it unlawful for any U.S. company and its related persons to directly or indirectly bribe foreign officials in order to obtain, retain or direct business. Research Affiliates maintains a Company-wide policy to comply with the FCPA and all other applicable laws against bribery and other improper payments to foreign officials anywhere in the world.

Employees may not directly or indirectly provide anything of value to any foreign official (including any officer or employee, no matter how low-ranking or high-ranking, of a foreign government, government agency, government-owned enterprise or business, political party, or official or candidate for foreign political office) in order to assist Research Affiliates or one of its affiliates in obtaining, retaining or directing business. A foreign official includes any officer or employee of a foreign government or any department, agency or instrumentality thereof. Please note that although there are certain “safe harbors” to the FCPA’s prohibition on giving a payment or a thing of value to foreign officials, the use of any such “safe harbors” must be discussed with and approved in writing in advance by the CCO.

1. General Rules
· Direct payments made to foreign officials in order to obtain, retain, or direct business are prohibited.
· Third-party payments are prohibited. Research Affiliates may not make payments to a third-party, such as a foreign partner, sales agent, or other intermediary, with knowledge that all or a portion of the payment will be passed to a foreign official. Please note that RA would be deemed to know that an agent or other intermediary will make an improper payment if it is aware of, but consciously disregards, a “high probability” that such a payment will be made.
· Any suspected violation of the FCPA must be immediately brought to the attention of the CCO.
2. Limited Exceptions

The following sets forth an exception to the above general prohibitions. Please note that any reliance upon the following exception requires the prior written approval of the CCO and payments will only be approved if the action is deemed appropriate and lawful by the CCO:

· Payment or reimbursement of reasonable and bona fide expenses of a foreign official (e.g., travel and lodging expenses) related to the promotion, demonstration or explanation of a product or service, or to the execution or performance of an agreement with a foreign government.
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1. Record-Keeping and Internal Accounting Control Provisions

All employees, agents and others must maintain and report complete and accurate records with respect to all transactions undertaken on RA’s behalf, particularly transactions that may give rise to questions under the FCPA, including amounts paid to foreign partners, sales agents or other intermediaries. As such, every employee and others conducting transactions on RA’s behalf or on behalf of any affiliated entity must timely report to RA’s accounting department on a monthly basis, complete and accurate records with respect to any meals, gifts, entertainment, or anything else of value provided to any foreign official.

2. Enforcement and Penalties

The FCPA is enforced jointly by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”). Violators are subject to severe civil and criminal penalties, up to and including imprisonment. The DOJ is responsible for all criminal prosecutions and for civil enforcement against privately-held companies. The SEC has civil jurisdiction over publicly-held companies.

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POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS POLICY

Political contributions made by investment advisers to state government officials have become an area of increasing scrutiny by regulators such as the SEC. The SEC has adopted Rule 206(4)-5 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act) to protect the beneficiaries of state and municipal pension plans and their participants by limiting the ability of investment advisers to improperly influence the decisions of state and local governmental officials responsible for the hiring of investment advisers. Because Research Affiliates provides or seeks to provide investment advisory services to state or local pension funds, retirement systems or other governmental plans (“government entities”), it is obligated to monitor certain political activities engaged in and contributions made by the Company and its employees.

Under Rule 206(4)-5, a contribution is defined as any gift, subscription, loan, advance or deposit of money or anything of value made in connection with any election for federal, state or local office, political action committee (PAC), or local political party. Generally excluded are charitable contributions and the donation of time, such as volunteering and speeches, so long as Research Affiliates did not solicit the employee’s efforts and Research Affiliates’ resources such as office space, telephones and business equipment are not used for the activities.

Political contributions are not prohibited, but maximum limits do apply to contributions for state and local elections. Employees may contribute up to $350 to a candidate per state or local election (primary and general elections are separate) for whom they are entitled to vote, and up to $150 to a candidate per state or local election for whom they cannot vote. The possible consequences to Research Affiliates from employees or Research Affiliates making contributions exceeding the maximum amounts could be significant. SEC imposed penalties for violating Rule 206(4)-5 may include forfeiture of investment advisory fees (for a two-year period from the date the inappropriate contribution was made), as well as other fines and sanctions.

Note: Political contributions to federal elections (Presidential, US Senate, US Congress and US House of Representatives) and PACs not controlled by Research Affiliates or the contributing party are excluded from the above contribution limits, assuming at the time of contribution the candidate did not hold a state or local government position. However, federal campaign law limitations may apply.

Research Affiliates and its employees are prohibited from soliciting or making political contributions for the purpose of obtaining or retaining advisory contracts with state and local government entities. Also prohibited are “solicitation” and “coordination” activities by Research Affiliates and its employees for state and local government campaign contributions. Activities considered to be solicitations include any fundraising attempts within the Company, or with family members, friends, neighbors or vendors, as well as bundling contributions for state and local candidates. In general, Rule 206(4)-5 provides that Research Affiliates and its employees are prohibited from doing anything indirectly, which, if done directly, would result in a violation of the Rule.

All employee political contributions and related activities under Rule 206(4)-5 shall be subject to pre-clearance by the Compliance Department. Within PTCC, employees must submit a Political Contribution Request along with providing answers to all of the questions asked within PTCC. The Compliance Department will review each submission and will either approve or deny the request. If the request has been approved, the employee may then proceed with the described political activity. Employees are

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required to complete a Political Contributions Certification via PTCC on a quarterly basis. Such certification shall provide a detailed description of political activities involved in, as well as political contributions made subject to Rule 206(4)-5 during the applicable reporting period. Research Affiliates will maintain appropriate books and records of each Political Contribution Request, compliance approval/denial, and each quarterly Political Contributions Certification record for the appropriate time required. Research Affiliates is also required to keep a list of all government plans to which it provides or has provided investment advisory services in the last five years.

Rule 206(4)-5 has a look-back provision that will prevent Research Affiliates from doing business with a government entity if it or its employees have made an impermissible contribution in the prior two years. This provision will not only affect the ability of Research Affiliates to do or to charge fees for certain advisory services until the applicable period lapses, but it will also be a consideration in the background checks of new employees. The contribution look-back period for an employee engaged in a marketing role is two years and the look-back period for an employee engaged in a non-marketing role is six months. Depending on the role (marketing or non-marketing) a new employee fills, prior contributions made during the applicable look-back period can trigger a Rule 206(4)-5 violation. As such, Research Affiliates requires disclosure of prior political contributions made within the prior two-year period as part of the due diligence and background check conducted on new employees. Please note that because of when Rule 206(4)-5 went into effect, this look-back provision only applies to contributions made on or after March 14, 2011.

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EXCEPTIONS

The CCO, however, may grant written exceptions to the provisions of the Code.

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ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS

1. Administration of the Code

The CCO or a designee will review all reports and other information submitted under this Code. This review will include, but not be limited to:

An assessment of whether the Supervised Person followed the required procedures;
An assessment of whether the Access Person has traded in the same securities as the Company’s clients and if so, determining whether the client terms for the transactions were more favorable;
An assessment of any trading patterns that may indicate abuse, including market timing; and
Performing any other assessment that may be necessary to determine whether there have been any violations of the Code.
2. Recordkeeping Requirements

The CCO or a designee will be responsible for maintaining the following records pertaining to the Code for the time period specified in Rule 204-2 of the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, as applicable:

A list of all of the Company’s Access Persons, which will include every person who was deemed an Access Person at any time within the past five years, even if they are no longer deemed as such;
Copies of the Code and all amendments thereto;
Copies of all the written acknowledgments submitted by each Supervised Person;
A record of any violation of the Code and any action taken as a result of the violation;
Copies of each report submitted by an Access Person;
Copies of all brokerage statements;
All pre-clearance decisions and the reasons supporting the decision; and
Copies of all written exceptions.

 

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PRIVACY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1. Introduction AND BACKGROUND

Research Affiliates places great importance on personal information privacy (as defined below). As a result of applicable local and international privacy laws, the collection and processing of personal information is prohibited unless legally justified. In the case of RA, the processing of personal information is in the pursuit of legitimate business interests, which include human resources, client and vendor relations, marketing, and analytics. Additionally, RA’s collection of certain information is required in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern investment advisers registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including among others, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (as amended) (“Advisers Act”). In compliance with these regulations, as well as the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (“GLBA”) and Regulation S-P, we have created these privacy policies and procedures (the “Privacy Policies and Procedures”) to:

· Ensure the confidentiality of records and personal information;
· Protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security of records and personal information; and
· Protect against unauthorized access or use of records or personal information that could result in “substantial harm” or “inconvenience” to any interested party.

These Privacy Policies and Procedures, in addition to our external privacy policy, serve as formal documentation of our ongoing commitment to personal information privacy.

2. SCOPE

RA collects certain personal information including individual names, email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers, and, in limited circumstances, tax identification numbers, as well as information that identifies individuals’ computers through the use of cookies with specific consent (the “Personal Information”). Personal Information is collected and processed by RA for the purposes of administering client accounts, providing products and services as requested by clients, marketing and analytics purposes, vendor relations, and managing human resource processes for the employees of RA (e.g. – payroll, benefits, etc.).

3. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

3.1 Governance

These Privacy Policies and Procedures shall be implemented and supervised by RA’s Data Protection Officer, Ihor Nadberezny, with the support of RA’s Legal, Compliance, Marketing, and Information Technology departments.

RA also maintains a Data Protection Working Group (the “DPWG”) chaired by the Data Protection Officer. The DPWG will meet quarterly to evaluate changes to these Privacy Policies and Procedures and to address other privacy issues as needed.

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In addition to these Privacy Policies and Procedures, RA maintains an external privacy policy. The Legal and Compliance team is responsible for communicating the external privacy policy to interested parties.

3.2 Restrictions

Research Affiliates employees and affiliates are not permitted to access Personal Information unless they have a specific business need. Any individual accessing Personal Information must exercise the utmost caution in its handling and processing. Additionally, Research Affiliates’ employees are contractually required to maintain the confidentiality of any Personal Information with which they come in contact.

3.3 Personal Information Sharing

Research Affiliates does not sell any Personal Information.

RA shares Personal Information with non-affiliated third parties in the following limited circumstances:

1. We disclose Personal Information to companies that assist us in the servicing of accounts.

2. We may enter into "joint marketing relationships" with third-party financial institutions. Such third-parties will be contractually required to protect the confidentiality of any Personal Information provided.

3. We may share aggregated, non-personal data with our affiliates, agents, business and promotional partners, and other third parties.

4. We may disclose or report Personal Information to the extent we reasonably believe, in good faith, that the law requires disclosure or reporting.

3.4 Personal Information Security and Storage

Research Affiliates uses a variety of protections to maintain the security of each individual’s online session, including firewall barriers, encryption techniques, and authentication procedures.

Personal Information may only be stored on mapped RA systems or applications approved by the DPWG. Such systems or applications, including email and other electronic communications, are monitored by the Compliance and Information Technology teams to ensure that personal data storage and processing is secure, consistent with these Privacy Policies and Procedures, and is limited to those employees authorized to access and administer such Personal Information.

The Compliance and Information Technology departments also routinely perform audits of third party providers to monitor privacy policies and procedures to safely maintain and store the personal data of RA employees and its prospects, clients and affiliates. Personal data maintained by RA may not be transferred to any third party unless approved by the DPWG.

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3.5 Addressing Individual Rights

Under applicable laws, individuals have specific rights to request: (1) changes to their Personal Information; (2) a copy of their Personal Information maintained by RA; or (3) the deletion of their Personal Information from RA systems or applications. Interested parties shall communicate these requests in writing to dataprivacy@rallc.com. Requests received must be actioned within 30 calendar days, if not sooner, and will be addressed by RA’s Marketing and Information Technology teams, with supervision by the Legal and Compliance Department.

Additionally, applicable laws allow interested parties to “opt out” of only certain kinds of information-sharing with third parties. We do not share Personal Information of any interested party that triggers the “opt out” rights with any third parties.

3.6 Breaches

The destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, Personal Information maintained by RA is a personal data breach. Any such instance must be communicated immediately to the Data Protection Officer for investigation and correction, if necessary, with Legal, Compliance and Information Technology. RA will maintain a record of personal data breaches.

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RECORDKEEPING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

Research Affiliates is subject to specific recordkeeping requirements under the Advisers Act and other state and federal laws affecting our business. Research Affiliates is also subject to recordkeeping requirements under the 1940 Act for all Investment Company Act funds (mutual funds) it sub-advises.

1. Time to Keep Records

We must make and keep true, accurate, and current books and records relating to our investment advisory business in an easily accessible place for not less than five (5) years. During the first two (2) years, these records must be maintained on site in our offices.

Our trading records, if any, must be maintained on-site in our office for the first two (2) years after the end of each calendar year. Applicable records relating to transactions with an Investment Company Act fund (mutual fund) must be preserved for six (6) years.

2. Storage

Unless otherwise noted below, original records may be archived electronically on micrographic media, including microfilm, microfiche, or any similar medium, or electronic storage media, including any digital storage medium or system that meets the terms of Advisers Act Rule 204-2.

3. Standard Retention

All records we retain must:

· Be arranged and indexed in a way that permits easy location, access and retrieval of any particular record. (See Documentation Procedures.)
· Provide promptly any of the following that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) may request:
o A legible, true, and complete copy of the record in the medium and format in which it is stored;
o A legible, true, and complete printout of the record;
o Means to access, view, and print the record; and
o Separately store, for the time required for preservation of the original record, a duplicate copy of the record on any medium allowed by Rule 204-2.

4. Electronic Records

For records stored electronically, we shall:

· Maintain and preserve the records so as to reasonably safeguard them from loss, alteration, or destruction;
· Limit access to the records to properly authorized personnel and the SEC; and
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· Reasonably insure that any reproduction of a non-electronic original record on electronic storage media is complete, true, and legible when retrieved.

5. Email

Records of all incoming and outgoing email communications shall be stored, arranged, and indexed like any other electronically stored records in a manner that permits easy location, access, and retrieval. We will separately store a copy of all emails as part of our Disaster Recovery Plan and establish procedures to reasonably safeguard the emails from loss, alteration, or destruction and limit access to these records to properly authorized individuals. Copies of all email communications will be maintained by an email archiving solution and backup tapes will be made and stored offsite and will be kept for the period required for that type of record, but for no less than five (5) years.

6. Trading Records

Since Research Affiliates currently outsources all of its trading activity to Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“Parametric”), all documentation of each order or instruction given or received for the purchase, sale, receipt, or delivery of any security as well as documentation of any amendment, modification, or cancellation of any such order or instruction is maintained by Parametric.

Parametric also maintains records of any and all confirmation of trade orders received from banks, brokers, dealers, or other counterparties received in connection with trades. This includes any and all records of electronic communication, such as email, as well as in physical hardcopy form. The Company will directly review these records for completeness and accuracy from time to time.

7. Asset Allocation Recommendations

We shall maintain the initial and final asset allocation recommendations, including any modifications thereto, which are made and retained on behalf of any funds we sub-advise. We shall also maintain applicable internal working papers and other records or documents that are necessary to form the basis of any asset allocation recommendation.

8. Custody

Under federal securities law, Research Affiliates would be deemed to have custody of client assets if an affiliate acts as the General Partner to a limited partnership offered to clients. We do not have, and do not accept, physical care, or custody of the assets of any client. Custody shall be maintained with a Qualified Custodian (as defined in the Advisers Act), subject to certain safekeeping standards. If any client sends cash or other assets to us, or if a Supervised Person receives client assets for any reason, the Supervised Person should promptly notify the CCO who will take immediate and appropriate action to return the assets to the client or to deposit them with the designated custodian.

Research Affiliates complies with the requirements of the Advisers Act regarding custody and its monthly statements to managed accounts reminding each client to compare their statement to the statement from their custodian.

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9. Portfolio Accounting Records

Unless otherwise noted, we will keep records for five (5) years from the year-end in which the composite or portfolio ceases to exist. The rules for retention include:

· All accounts, books, internal working papers, and any other records or documents that are necessary to form the basis for or demonstrate the calculation of the performance or rate of return of any or all managed accounts or securities recommendations in a notice, circular, advertisement, newspaper article, investment letter, bulletin, factsheet, retrospective, or other communication that we circulate or distribute, directly or indirectly, to 10 or more persons (other than persons connected with Research Affiliates); provided, however, that with respect to the performance of managed accounts, the retention of all account statements, if they reflect all debits, credits, and other transactions in a client’s account for the period of the statement, and all worksheets necessary to demonstrate the calculation of the performance of rate of return of all managed accounts shall be deemed to satisfy these requirements.
· Worksheets necessary to calculate performance (for so long as we use performance calculations resulting from such records, but not less than five (5) years, or, in the case of mutual funds, six (6) years).
· Portfolio statements (6 years for mutual funds).
· Custodial or brokerage statements (6 years for mutual funds).
· List of portfolios in which we have investment discretion.
· Management fee invoices.
· Client letters (performance statements).
· Limited partnership financial statements.

10. Client Documentation

Unless otherwise noted, client documentation will be maintained for no less than five (5) years from creation date. The rules for retention include:

· Advisory contracts and related amendments (any contracts with mutual funds or advisers to mutual funds must be retained for six (6) years).
· Documentation supporting advisory contracts, e.g. trust agreements, corporate resolutions, and signature lists (any documentation supporting contracts with mutual funds or advisers to mutual funds must be retained for six (6) years).
· New account set-up sheet (six (6) years for mutual fund portfolios).
· Originals of all written communications received and copies of all written communication we send relating to:
o Any recommendation made or proposed to be made and any advice given or proposed to be given;
o Any receipt, disbursement, or delivery of funds or securities; and
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o The placing or execution of any order to purchase or sell any security.

Note: We are not required to keep any unsolicited market letters or other similar communications of general public distribution not prepared by or for us.

· A list or other record of all accounts in which we are vested with any discretionary power with respect to the funds, securities, or transactions of any client.
· All powers of attorney and other evidences of the granting of any discretionary authority by any client to us.
· All written agreements (or copies thereof) we have entered into with any client or otherwise relating to our business.
· A copy of each written statement and each amendment or revision thereof, we have given or sent to any client or prospective client, such as Form ADV or a company brochure, and a record of the dates that each written statement and each amendment or revision thereof, was given, or offered to be given, to any client or prospective client who subsequently became a client.
· All written acknowledgements of receipt obtained from clients evidencing receipt of Form ADV or company brochure.

11. Marketing Materials

Generally, five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year when last used. The rules for retention include:

· All marketing materials used in advertising.
· One-on-one presentations materials.
· Responses to requests for proposal (“RFPs”) and requests for information (“RFIs”).
· Research Affiliates is not required to keep any unsolicited market letters and other similar communications of general public distribution not prepared by or for Research Affiliates.
· A copy of any notice, circular, or other advertisement offering any report, analysis, publication, or other investment advisory service to more than 10 persons. We are not required to keep a record of the names and addresses of the persons to whom it was sent; except that if such notice, circular, or advertisement is distributed to persons named on any list, we shall retain with the copy of such notice, circular, or advertisement a memorandum describing the list and the source thereof.
· A copy of each notice, circular, advertisement, newspaper article, investment letter, bulletin, or other communication that we circulate or distribute, directly or indirectly, to 10 or more persons (excluding persons connected with Research Affiliates). If any of these documents recommend the purchase or sale of a specific security and does not state the reasons for the recommendation, then a memorandum from us indicating the reason.
· All accounts, books, internal working papers, and any other records or documents that are necessary to form the basis for, or demonstrate the calculation of, the performance or rate of return of any or all managed accounts or securities recommendations in any notice, circular, advertisement, newspaper article, investment letter, bulletin, factsheet, retrospective, or other
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communication that we circulate or distribute, directly or indirectly, to 10 or more persons (other than persons connected with Research Affiliates); provided, however, that with respect to the performance of managed accounts, we shall retain all account statements (reflecting all debits, credits, and other transactions in an account for the period of the statement) and all worksheets necessary to demonstrate the calculation of the performance or rate of return of all such accounts.

· All agreements with solicitors, evidence of our efforts to confirm compliance by any solicitors with such agreements, a signed and dated acknowledgment of receipt of our Form ADV Part 2A and 2B (or brochure containing the same information), the written disclosure statement and the Solicitor's Disclosure Document by each client in connection with any such solicitation agreement.

12. Compliance Records

Unless otherwise noted, the following records shall be kept for five (5) years:

· Our Code of Ethics, as in effect at any time.
· A list of all Access Persons, Supervised Persons and Covered Associates as such terms are defined in the Advisers Act.
· Quarterly Political Contributions Certifications.
· Personal Investment Transaction Reports/Certifications, each report/certification containing:
o The date and nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale, or other transaction);
o The amount of the security (number of shares or units) traded and the unit or share price at which it was effected;
o The title of the investment including, as applicable: the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, interest rate and maturity date, and principal amount of each reportable security involved;
o The name of the broker, dealer, or bank with or through whom the transaction was effected;
o Whether the Supervised Person’s beneficial interest is direct or indirect; and
o The date the report/certification was submitted.
· Initial Public Offering and Limited Offering Pre-Clearance Requests.
· Initial and Annual Brokerage Reports.
· Initial and Annual Holdings Reports/Certifications.
· Acknowledgements of Receipt of Compliance Manual and understanding of policies and procedures.
· Memos or other written communications regarding personal securities transactions review and documentation of related personal securities trading violations.
· Electronic records of brokerage account holdings and securities transactions supplied by brokers to the PTCC system.
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· Personal brokerage account statements, if applicable.
· Our compliance policies and procedures, as in effect at any time.
· Any records documenting our annual review of our compliance policies and procedures.
· Any records documenting for the Board of Directors of any fund advised or sub-advised by Research Affiliates that is registered under the Act of 1940 a written report setting forth the following:
o A summary of existing procedures to detect and prevent insider trading;
o Full details of any investigation, either internal or by a regulatory agency, of any suspected insider trading and the results of such investigation;
o An evaluation of the current procedures and any recommendations for improvement; and
o A description of our continuing educational program regarding insider trading, including the dates of such programs since the last report to management.

13. Corporate and Accounting Records

Unless otherwise noted, the following records shall be kept for five (5) years:

· Journal or journals, including cash receipts and disbursements records, and any other records of original entry forming the basis of entries in any ledger.
· General and auxiliary ledgers (or other comparable records) reflecting asset, liability, reserve, capital, income, and expense accounts.
· Financial statements (balance sheets, income statements, annual financial statements).
· Trial balances.
· Internal audit work papers.
· Invoices.
· Bank records (e.g., checkbooks, bank statements, canceled checks, and cash reconciliations).
· Corporate/business tax-related documents.
· Bills or statements (or copies thereof), paid or unpaid.
· Records relating to our status as a limited liability company, including any charters, minute books, and evidence of interests shall be kept and maintained on our premises for three (3) years after we are registered as an investment adviser.
· Records required to be created and maintained pursuant to the Disaster Recovery Plan.
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14. Human CAPITAL Records

All employment records are maintained and managed by the Vice President, Human Capital and Office Manager, and unless otherwise noted the following documents shall be kept for five (5) years:

· Employment Application
· Resume
· Offer Letter
· Employment Agreement
· Payroll Authorization forms (W-4/EDD forms)
· Records of change in payroll rate, title, etc.
· Notices of leave of absence, etc.
· Notices of commendation, warning, discipline or termination
· Miscellaneous

o   Background checks

o   Reference checks

o   Investigative files for harassment, discrimination claims, etc.

o   I-9’s

o   Medical Enrollment Forms (may contain confidential medical information)

o   Family/Medical Leave request forms (if nature of illness is included)

o   Return to work releases

o   Worker compensation records

o Any other medical information

15. Research Materials

Unless otherwise noted, the following materials should be retained for five (5) years (Please note that if the product of the research is used in marketing materials then review the time requirements above in the section for marketing materials):

· Derivative-based products.
· Equity-based products.
· Research materials used to prepare and maintain models.

16. Proxy Voting Materials

Unless otherwise noted, the following materials should be retained for five (5) years:

· Copies of all proxy voting policies and procedures required by Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act.
· A copy of each Proxy received regarding client securities (we may rely on obtaining a copy of a proxy statement from the SEC’s EDGAR system).
· A record of each vote cast on behalf of clients.
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· A copy of each written client request for information on how Proxies were voted on behalf of the client, and a copy of our written response to any (written or oral) client request for information on how Proxies were voted on behalf of the requesting client. We may rely on proxy statements and records of proxy votes maintained with a third-party such as a proxy voting service, provided that Research Affiliates has obtained an undertaking from the third-party to provide a copy of the documents promptly upon request.
· A copy of any document we created that was material to making a decision on how to vote Proxies on behalf of a client or that memorializes the basis for that decision.

17. other documents

Unless otherwise noted, the following documents should be kept for five (5) years:

· Vendor contracts.
· Any agreements relating to our business.
· Mutual Funds. Records for all mutual funds we manage or sub-advise shall be maintained for six (6) years. All transactions relating to mutual funds shall be preserved for six (6) years.

18. Destruction of Documents

Supervised Persons shall not destroy any Company records at any time without first obtaining the written approval of the COO and CCO. If you have any questions regarding specific records and the applicable current retention period, contact the Compliance Department for current guidelines and policies.

19. Documentation Procedures

19.1 Safekeeping of Physical Documents

Any and all physical documents retained for safekeeping should be filed in the following manner:

· Each department is responsible for the safekeeping and preservation of relevant hard copy documents. The Executive/Administrative Assistant for each department shall be responsible for documentation filing of their respective department.
· Documents should be maintained and preserved in an organized manner readily available and easily accessible. Documents for the previous two (2) full calendar years must be maintained at our main offices with older documents stored and preserved in an appropriate documentation storage facility. Each department should keep and maintain a log of documentation files including the place of their location.
· Documentation shall be stored in files with appropriate file labels to indicate its contents. The file labels should indicate at a minimum the subject matter, year and detail of the contents. The Executive/Administrative Assistant for each department shall be responsible for maintaining an inventory of all records stored at our main office and in storage.

 

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19.2 Labeling of Confidentiality or Privileged Communication

Any and all confidential documents, whether in electronic or physical hardcopy paper form, must be labeled “Confidential” in order to give notice of its confidentiality to those who come into contact with the document. Documentation subject to a protected relationship between a Research Affiliates’ in-house attorney or outside counsel and a Research Affiliates’ Supervised Person shall be labeled as a “Privileged Communication,” as needed.

19.3 Electronic Documentation Storage and Maintenance

Storage and maintenance of electronic documents are discussed in various sections of this Manual. Please refer to the applicable section.

 

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ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA

 

The rapid expansion and use of electronic media presents unique challenges for investment advisers regarding the retention of documents that are required to be maintained in accordance with those rules promulgated under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”). In recent years, the SEC and other regulatory agencies also have expressed concerns surrounding the implementation of appropriate physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect the privacy of client records and information. Furthermore, the increased use of the Internet, social media applications, and email exposes an investment adviser’s systems to infiltration by computer viruses, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated and dangerous, and which, by their nature, attack randomly.

All Supervised Persons are reminded that because Research Affiliates is subject to SEC regulations, our email and social media usage is subject to recordkeeping requirements as set forth under Rule 204-2 of the Advisers Act. Specifically, this Rule requires an investment adviser (and by extension, its Supervised Persons) to maintain various books and records related to its business including, but not limited to: financial and accounting records, advisory business records, communications to and from clients, trading records, marketing and performance records, custody records, and proxy voting records. In addition, confidentiality and ethics must be considered whenever communicating on behalf of the Company and its clients.

1. Policy

All Research Affiliates business communications are to be made exclusively through Research Affiliates’ controlled services. Supervised Persons are not allowed to engage in Research Affiliates business communications through personal email accounts or other personal devices. Use of the Internet by authorized personnel to distribute information on available Research Affiliates’ products and services must comply with all applicable laws and contain applicable disclosures as appropriate. Moreover, Supervised Persons shall not use text communications through mobile devices to conduct business on behalf of Research Affiliates and can only be used for internal administrative matters (e.g., to schedule a meeting). Please note: all business communications must be made in an ethical manner. All communications conducted on behalf of Research Affiliates remain the property of Research Affiliates and thus no privacy rights are afforded to business communications by Supervised Persons.

2. Electronic Communications PROCEDURES (“ECP”)

2.1 Electronic Communications Procedures

The following procedures are designed to ensure that reasonable electronic communication standards are consistently adhered to.

Correspondence: All electronic communications sent or received by a Supervised Person to or from a client, potential client, service provider or another Supervised Person, including email, instant messaging, social media or fax, regarding Research Affiliates’ advisory business should be treated in the same manner and with the same importance as if such communication was sent or received in paper format. In addition, such communication is subject to the recordkeeping requirements under the Advisers Act, which mandates that certain documentation be maintained by an adviser generally for a period of at least five years from the date the communication was created – the first two years

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from an easily accessible location. Because all communications sent by Research Affiliates are electronic, Research Affiliates will store the communications per the storage requirements per Research Affiliates Recordkeeping Policies and Procedures in Section 15. Examples of some of the types of communication that should be retained are given below. It is the responsibility of the Supervised Person who sends or receives the written electronic communication to ensure that such communication is maintained in accordance with Research Affiliates’ books and record-keeping retention requirements as outlined in this Manual. This includes assessing if the communication falls within the definition of what must be retained, and also taking appropriate steps to retain documents which do.

Email: Supervised Persons must take great care in preparing and sending both internal and external emails. Certain emails that are sent to more than one person (including clients, prospective clients, etc.) may be advertisements that are subject to the marketing and advertising rules under the Advisers Act. Thus, the same care should be taken in creating such emails as would be taken when creating a new marketing or promotional piece.

Email, whether business or personal, must be appropriate in both tone and content. Supervised Persons should be aware that the emails that they send or receive through Research Affiliates’ computers are maintained by Research Affiliates and at any time and without notice to the Supervised Person are subject to monitoring and review by Research Affiliates’ compliance team or others as permitted or required by law.

Instant Messaging: Instant messaging is a form of electronic communication that allows one user to communicate with another user in real time. The same procedures that apply to emails listed above, apply to a Supervised Person’s use of instant messaging.

Performance Materials: On October 1, 2017 the SEC’s amendment to Rule 204-2(a)(16) went into effect requiring advisers to maintain books and records supporting performance claims delivered to more than 1 person. Per the rule, the adviser:

· Must maintain records supporting performance claims in communications delivered to ANY person (e.g., books, internal work papers, etc.);
· Must include performance calculations and rates of return delivered to any person; and
· Must maintain originals of all written communications received and sent relating to performance or rate of return of any managed account or securities recommendation.

Since there are no carve-outs for 1:1 communications, all performance related materials must be maintained by Research Affiliates. The same procedures that apply to emails listed above, apply to a Supervised Persons distribution of performance materials.

2.2 Harassment and Discrimination

Messages on Research Affiliates’ voicemail, email or instant messaging systems are subject to the same policies regarding harassment and discrimination as are any other workplace communications. Offensive, harassing, or discriminatory content or inappropriate language such as profanity, in any message, is strictly prohibited, and any such use will subject the Supervised Person to disciplinary action, including termination.

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2.3 Security

The Internet is not a secure environment. Files and email can be intercepted and read by technically savvy Internet users, including competitors. All Supervised Persons should attempt to limit the amount of confidential non-public client information, classified, or proprietary information that is transmitted electronically to only that which is necessary and required to conduct one’s job. All electronic communications containing these types of confidential information must adhere to all procedures and requirements outlined in Research Affiliates’ Privacy Policies and Procedures.

2.4 Reporting Problems

The CCO and the Company’s Help Desk must be notified if a Supervised Person discovers that: 1) confidential non-public information or sensitive and/or inside information regarding Research Affiliates’ clients or business has been lost, disclosed to unauthorized parties or suspected of being lost or disclosed; or 2) unauthorized use of Research Affiliates’ systems has taken place, or is suspected of taking place; or 3) passwords or other system access control mechanisms are lost, stolen, or disclosed, or suspected of being lost, stolen, or disclosed. In addition, all unusual system behavior, such as missing files, frequent systems crashes, misrouted messages and the like should be reported immediately to the CCO as one of these issues may indicate a computer virus infection or similar security problem. Please refer to Research Affiliates’ Cybersecurity Policy for additional important information.

2.5 Monitoring and Surveillance Program

In order to ensure compliance with these procedures, Research Affiliates reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to monitor (which includes, without limitation, the right to access, intercept, disclose, record or review) all communications created, delivered and/or stored via Research Affiliates’ systems. Thus, Supervised Persons should be mindful that their emails, blogs, social media sites and instant messages may be reviewed on a random basis. At any time, Research Affiliates’ compliance team or IT may require a Supervised Person to provide them with any of their electronic access codes, user names and/or passwords.

Supervised Persons are prohibited from using Research Affiliates’ systems for personal gain.

Erasure Not Reliable: Research Affiliates maintains communication firewalls and has retained the services of an Internet-based company to archive all incoming and outgoing emails on the Company server. All Supervised Persons should be aware that erasing messages may not be permanent, and erased messages can be retrieved for audit, examination, and review purposes. Therefore, Supervised Persons should not assume an erased message will remain private.

Message Access: Communications on the Company’s voicemail, email, or instant messaging systems are to be accessed only by the intended recipient and by others at the direct request of the intended recipient. However, Research Affiliates reserves the right, at its discretion, to access communications on any of these Company systems at any time. Any attempt by persons other than those authorized to access messages on any of these systems will constitute a serious violation.

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2.6 Escalation to Compliance

Compliance with this ECP and Procedures applies to all Supervised Persons, and all Supervised Persons are expected to communicate any known infraction of this policy to the CCO, who will evaluate accordingly and determine if the activity warrants sanctions, up to and including a recommendation to terminate the individual(s) involved.

For purposes of this Social Media Policy, “Social Media” includes all means of communicating or posting information or content of any sort on the Internet, including to your own or someone else’s web log or blog, journal or diary, personal web site, social networking, professional networking or affinity web site, web bulletin board or a chat room, as well as any other form of electronic communications. A Social Media messaging system includes any interface which allows one Social Media user to communicate with one or multiple other users, or which otherwise mimics an email, instant messaging, or similar system.

All Supervised Persons must exercise good judgment and take care in their communications outside the workplace. The things a Supervised Person says and does can negatively affect how people think about that person and Research Affiliates. Supervised Persons should be especially careful when posting opinions on social websites. The casual nature of social websites can lead to misinformation and confusion about the views expressed and can cause embarrassment for both the individual and Research Affiliates.

It is Research Affiliates’ policy that except in the limited circumstances applicable to expressly authorized Research Affiliates business-related usage of Social Media outlined below, Supervised Persons may NOT:

· Conduct Research Affiliates business through Social Media or any messaging system contained within a Social Media site;
· List their Research Affiliates email address on any Social Media site (other than as provided for below);
· Use the Research Affiliates name (except that you may identify your affiliation with Research Affiliates provided you comply with the other requirements of this policy);
· Use any Research Affiliates logo or Research Affiliates related trademarks or service marks;
· Post information about Research Affiliates, its products or strategies, any securities-related product, its strategic relationship partners or clients or their products or services, or any Research Affiliates Supervised Persons;
· Disclose confidential information about work at Research Affiliates, including but not limited to clients, products or strategies, or otherwise;
· Make any statement that may be considered financial advice or might influence trading in a security;
· Post information that could damage the reputation of Research Affiliates;
· Use a social or personal website to conduct Research Affiliates business;
· Post, transfer, disclose or share any of the following:

 

o Material, non-public or insider information;
o Confidential or internally used information about or related to your work at Research Affiliates, including but not limited to clients, products or strategies, or otherwise;
o Trade secrets, including, but not limited to, information regarding the development of methodology, systems, processes, products, know-how or technology;
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o Attorney-client privileged communications (i.e., text copied from communications between a lawyer in Research Affiliates’ Legal Department and a Research Affiliates Supervised Person, a summary of a conversation between a lawyer in Research Affiliates’ Legal Department and a Research Affiliates Supervised Person, or text copied from or a summary of any communication between a Supervised Person of Research Affiliates and an outside attorney or law firm);
o Inappropriate materials that may include discriminatory remarks, harassment, threats of violence, bullying, or obscene, malicious, or similar inappropriate or unlawful conduct; or
o Any false information or rumors.

Note: Activities which are solely charitable in nature that are engaged in by Research Affiliates and/or its Supervised Persons are not considered Research Affiliates business for purposes of Research Affiliates’ Social Media Policies and Procedures.

2.7 Procedures

Research Affiliates has adopted the following procedures, which all Supervised Persons are expected to follow. Any questions related to these procedures should be escalated to the Chief Compliance Officer.

2.8 Business-Related Uses of Social Media

To use Social Media for a Business-Related purpose, the Supervised Person must:

· Seek approval from compliance and use an approval social media account. Generally, the Compliance Department approves certain designated Supervised Persons for posting of Research Affiliates related content to Social Media platforms; and
· If a business-related message or posting comes to you through a pre-approved Social Media messaging system, this would be deemed a business communication and any response must be pre-approved by Compliance.

Any other business-related use of Social Media requires pre-approval by the Compliance Department.

A Supervised Person that has been designated and approved to post Research Affiliates’ related content on the Company’s Social Media platforms may not use these platforms in a way that could be interpreted by the SEC to be directly or indirectly, publishing, circulating, or distributing any advertisement which refers, directly or indirectly, to any testimonial of any kind concerning Research Affiliates or concerning any advice, analysis, report or other service rendered by Research Affiliates. The SEC staff consistently interprets the term client “testimonial” to include a statement of a client's experience with, or endorsement of, an investment adviser. The SEC has stated that the use of “social plug-ins” by a client such as the “like” feature on a social media site could be viewed as a testimonial. Therefore, the following applies:

· If any person or entity makes any statement about Research Affiliates or its Supervised Persons through Research Affiliates’ Social Media platforms that could be viewed as a testimonial or an endorsement, neither Research Affiliates nor any of its Supervised Persons are permitted to retweet, reply to, or take any other action which could result in a perceived attempt to republish, recirculate or distribute any such testimonial or endorsement;
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· If any person or entity is a client of Research Affiliates and such client makes any statement in conjunction with Research Affiliates’ Social Media platforms that could be perceived as a client testimonial or endorsement, such statement, if possible, should be immediately deleted in conjunction with providing sufficient notification of the same to the Compliance Group; and
· Any relevant Research Affiliates’ social media platform functionality that could be used by Research Affiliates’ clients as a client testimonial or endorsement (e.g., a “like” on Facebook or LinkedIn, or an endorsement of skills on LinkedIn) should be disabled or deleted, if possible, to prevent such actions on the part of clients.

2.9 Guidelines for Personal Use of Social Media

In connection with any personal use of Social Media (i.e., any use other than an acceptable business-related use of Social Media listed above), a Supervised Person may only list his or her Research Affiliates email address (i) on an accurate resume, work history or experience summary posted to the site; or (ii) on his or her LinkedIn profile page.

Please note that the only pre-approved social media site for a Supervised Persons personal use is LinkedIn, which may not be used for Research Affiliates business, unless approved by Compliance and communications and postings are archived.

Supervised Persons should follow the guidelines below:

· If a Supervised Person chooses to list that he or she is employed by Research Affiliates and the person’s Research Affiliates title, this information must be accurate and up to date and must be identical to that Supervised Person’s official Research Affiliates title as on file with Research Affiliates’ Human Capital Management;
· A Supervised Person cannot make any posts which mention Research Affiliates, unless the Supervised Person has been approved by Compliance and there is archiving of the posts; and
· With the exception of charitable related activities, unauthorized Supervised Persons may not “like”, “recommend”, forward, share, comment to or indicate any support for Research Affiliates business postings through its Research Affiliates controlled social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter) or website or provide any other indications that could be interpreted as an endorsement, testimonial, advertisement or marketing related to Research Affiliates or its Supervised Persons, products or services; and
· All Supervised Persons must disable the endorsement functionality on their personal LinkedIn page since any endorsements of such a Supervised Person by a client could be construed as a Supervised Person’s endorsement of Research Affiliates.

Supervised Person usage of Social Media should also comply with Research Affiliates’ ECP.

2.10 Monitoring of Social Media Usage

Research Affiliates monitors Supervised Persons usage of Social Media sites even if not accessed through Research Affiliates’ systems per the ECP. Any usage by a Supervised Person involving reference to Research Affiliates (whether business related or personal) that does not conform to these Policies and Procedures or any other relevant Research Affiliates’ policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Requirements related to books and records maintenance may be found in Section 15 of this Manual.

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