As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2009
Securities Act File No. 33-151672
Investment Company Act File No. 811-22208
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
___________________
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 |
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Pre-Effective Amendment No. |
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Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 |
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and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 |
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Amendment No. 6 |
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VALUED ADVISERS TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)
Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code: (317) 917-7000
Capitol Services, Inc.
615 S. Dupont Hwy., Dover, Delaware 19901
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
With Copies to : John H. Lively
Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP
4801 Main Street, Suite 1000
Kansas City, MO 64112
P.O. Box 219777
Kansas City, MO 64121-6777
It is proposed that this filing will become effective:
x immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b);
o on ____ (date) pursuant to paragraph (b);
o 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1);
o on ____ (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1);
o 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2); or
o on ____ (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485.
KCP-1671697-1
VALUED ADVISERS TRUST
CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
This registration statement consists of the following papers and documents:
Cover Sheet
Contents of Registration Statement
Golub Group Equity Fund
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- Part A – Prospectus |
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- Part B – Statement of Additional Information |
Part C – Other Information and Signature Page
Exhibit Index
Exhibits
KCP-1671697-1
Golub Group Equity Fund
PROSPECTUS
March 10, 2009
Golub Group, LLC
2929 Campus Drive, Suite 145
San Mateo, CA 94403
The Securities and Exchange Commission 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.
The Prospectus gives you important information about the fund that you should know before you invest. Please read this Prospectus carefully before investing and use it for future reference.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
RISK/RETURN SUMMARY |
1 |
FEES AND EXPENSES OF INVESTING IN THE FUND |
5 |
HOW TO BUY SHARES |
6 |
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES |
8 |
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE |
11 |
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES |
12 |
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND |
14 |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
17 |
APPENDIX |
18 |
FOR MORE INFORMATION |
Back Cover |
RISK/RETURN SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The investment objective of the Golub Group Equity Fund (the “Fund”) is to provide long-term capital appreciation. A secondary objective is to provide current income. The Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks that the Fund’s adviser, the Golub Group, LLC, (the “Adviser”), determines to be temporarily mispriced by the market. The Adviser considers a security to be temporarily mispriced if the security’s intrinsic value as assessed by the Adviser’s proprietary “Equity Research and Portfolio Implementation Process,” which is described below, is significantly less than the range in which the security is trading in the securities markets. The Adviser’s strategy is a long-term growth discipline built around the minimization of risk. In order to implement this strategy, the Adviser will focus on large capitalization businesses, pay strict attention to the valuation of each business, invest for the long-term, and diversify.
The Adviser will select portfolio securities after a security has passed through its “Equity Research and Portfolio Implementation Process.” Typically, this process begins with quantitative screens that narrow the initial universe of stocks based on market capitalization, valuation metrics, return metrics, growth characteristics and financial strength. The Adviser then answers the following key questions:
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What are the company’s primary risks? |
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Whether the Adviser believes the company has an enduring competitive advantage? |
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Is the company run by proven, competent managers? |
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Does the company have attractive financial characteristics? |
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Why is this idea a compelling investment? |
Once a security passes this due diligence, a formal report highlighting strengths/investment rationale and weaknesses/risks and a valuation summary is presented to the Adviser’s Investment Committee. Investment decisions are made via majority opinion of the members of the Investment Committee. The Fund’s investments will consist primarily of common stocks of companies with capitalization of greater than $10 billion, although if a security is determined by the Adviser to be an attractive investment, capitalization will not be a limiting factor.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities. This investment policy may not be changed without at least 60 days prior written notice to shareholders. Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stocks and common stock equivalents (such as rights, warrants and convertible securities), real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and shares of other investment companies (including open-end and closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)) whose portfolios primarily consist of equity securities. The Fund also may invest in foreign companies, either directly or through American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are receipts issued by U.S. banks for shares of a foreign corporation that entitle the holder to dividends and capital gains on the underlying security. ADRs are denominated in U.S. dollars, and trade on U.S. exchanges.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in cash or invest in money market mutual funds or investment grade, short-term money market instruments, including U.S. Government and agency securities, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, repurchase agreements and other cash equivalents. The Fund will incur duplicate management and other fees when investing in other mutual funds. By keeping cash on hand, the Fund may be able to meet shareholder redemptions without selling stocks and realizing gains and losses.
The sell decision focuses on valuation and fundamentals. The Adviser believes in buying stocks of companies that will produce favorable results over the long-term and, therefore, the Fund does not intend to purchase or sell stocks for short-term trading purposes. Overpriced securities and those with deteriorating fundamentals that cannot support the current valuation of the security are candidates for sale.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. There may be circumstances that could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment goal and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. You should carefully consider the Fund’s investment risks before deciding whether to invest in the Fund.
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Stock Market Risk. Stock markets can be volatile. In other words, the prices of stocks can rise or fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions. The Fund’s investments may decline in value if the stock markets perform poorly. There is also a risk that the Fund’s investments will underperform either the securities markets generally or particular segments of the securities markets. |
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Volatility risk . Common stocks tend to be more volatile than other investment alternatives. The value of an individual company can be more volatile than the market as a whole. This volatility affects the value of the Fund’s shares. |
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Management Risk. The Adviser’s strategy may fail to produce the intended results. The Adviser’s skill in choosing appropriate investments will play a large part in determining whether the Fund is able to achieve its investment objective. If the Adviser’s projections about the prospects for a security are not correct, such errors in judgment by the Adviser may result in significant investment losses. Although the Adviser has experience managing discretionary accounts, the Adviser has no prior experience managing a mutual fund. |
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Growth Risk. The Fund invests in companies that appear to be growth-oriented companies. Growth companies are companies that the Adviser believes will have revenue and earnings that grow faster than the economy as a whole, offering above-average prospects for capital appreciation. If the Adviser’s perceptions of a company’s growth potential are wrong, the securities purchased may not perform as expected, reducing the Fund’s return. |
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Large Cap Risk. Large capitalization companies tend to be less volatile than companies with smaller market capitalization. This potentially lower risk means that the Fund’s share price may not rise as much as share prices of funds that focus on smaller capitalization companies. |
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Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign securities, including ADRs. Foreign securities are subject to additional risks not typically associated with investments in domestic securities. These risks may include, among others, country related risks including political, diplomatic, regional conflicts, terrorism, war, social and economic instability, currency devaluations, and policies restricting the movement of assets; different trading practices; less government supervision; less publicly available information; limited trading markets; and greater volatility. |
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Industry or Sector Risk. Although the Adviser does not expect to concentrate the Fund’s investments in any particular industry or sector, the Adviser may allocate more of the Fund’s investments to particular segments of the market. A particular industry or market sector can be more volatile or underperform relative to the market as a whole. To the extent that the Fund has overweighted holdings within a particular industry or sector, the Fund is subject to an increased risk that its investments in that particular industry or sector may decline because of changing expectations for the performance of that industry or sector. |
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Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Risk. The Fund’s investments in REIT securities will expose the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct investments in real estate, including changes in interest rates, overbuilding, increased property taxes, or regulatory actions. |
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Other Investment Company Risk . When the Fund invests in other investment companies, such as other mutual funds or ETFs, it indirectly bears its proportionate share of any fees and expenses payable directly by the other investment company. Therefore, the Fund will incur higher expenses, many of which may be duplicative. In addition, the Fund may be affected by losses of the underlying funds and the level of risk arising from the investment practices of the underlying funds (such as the use of derivatives by the funds). ETFs are also subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade above or below its net asset value; (ii) the ETF may employ an investment strategy that utilizes high leverage ratios; or (iii) trading of an ETFs shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally. The Fund has no control over the risks taken by the underlying funds in which it invests. |
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An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. |
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As with any mutual fund investment, the Fund’s returns will vary and you could lose money. |
Temporary Defensive Positions
From time to time, the Fund may take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its principal investment strategies, in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. In such instances, the Fund may hold up to 100% of its assets in cash; short-term U.S. government securities and government agency securities; investment grade money market instruments; investment grade fixed income securities; repurchase agreements; commercial paper and cash equivalents. The Fund may invest in the securities described above at any time to maintain liquidity, pending selection of investments by the Adviser, or if the Adviser believes that sufficient investment opportunities that meet the Fund's investment criteria are not available. By keeping cash on hand, the Fund may be able to meet shareholder redemptions without selling securities and realizing gains and losses. As a result of engaging in these temporary measures, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Is the Fund right for you?
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The Fund may be suitable for: |
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long-term investors seeking a fund with an investment objective of long-term capital appreciation |
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investors seeking an investment that will provide moderate current income |
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investors willing to accept price fluctuations in their investment. |
Information about the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings is included in the Statement of Additional Information.
How has the Fund performed in the past?
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, has no prior performance history. Information relating to the investment performance of the Adviser to the Fund is included in the Appendix to this Prospectus.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
The tables below describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Redemption Fee 1 NONE
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that are deducted from Fund assets)
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Management Fees |
1.00% |
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Distribution (12b-1) Fees 4 |
0.25% |
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Other Expenses 2 |
0.47% |
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Fees and Expenses of Acquired Funds 2,3 |
0.01% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
1.73% |
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Less: Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements |
(0.47%) |
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Net Fund Operating Expenses 4 |
1.26% |
1. |
A wire transfer fee of $15 is charged to defray custodial charges for redemptions paid by wire transfer. This fee is subject to change. |
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Based on estimated amounts for the Fund’s initial fiscal year. |
3. |
“Fees and Expenses of Acquired Funds” represent the pro rata expense indirectly incurred by the Fund as a result of investing in money market funds or other investment companies, including ETFs, that have their own expenses. These fees and expenses are not used to calculate the Fund’s net asset value. |
4. Annual Fund Operating Expenses reflect that, as of the date of this Prospectus, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive or limit its fees and to assume other expenses of the Fund until May 31, 2010, so that the ratio of total annual operating expenses does not exceed 1.25%. This contractual arrangement my only be terminated by mutual consent of the Adviser and the Fund, and it will automatically terminate upon the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Fund and the Adviser. This operating expense limitation does not apply to: (i) interest, (ii) taxes, (iii) brokerage commissions, (iv) other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, (v) other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business, (vi) dividend expense on short sales, and (vii) expenses that the Fund has incurred but did not actually pay because of an expense offset arrangement, if applicable, incurred by the Fund in any fiscal year. The operating expense limitation also excludes any “Fees and Expense of Acquired Funds” as that term is described above. The Adviser may be entitled to the reimbursement of any fees waived or expenses reimbursed pursuant to the agreement provided overall expenses fall below the limitations set forth above. The Adviser may recoup the sum of all fees previously waived or expenses reimbursed during any of the previous three (3) years, less any reimbursement previously paid, provided total expenses do not exceed the limitation set forth above. The Fund has adopted a 12b-1 Plan that permits the Fund to pay 0.25% of its average daily net assets to financial institutions that provide distribution and/or shareholder servicing. The Plan will not be activated prior to May 31, 2010.
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, based on the costs above. This example assumes the expenses above remain the same and that the expenses were maintained for one year at rates described above. It also assumes that you invested $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, earned 5% annual returns each year, and reinvested all dividends and distributions. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
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1 year |
3 years |
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$132 |
$515 |
HOW TO BUY SHARES
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. This means that when you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask for other identifying documents or information.
The minimum initial investment in the Fund is $2,500 for all account types. The Adviser may, in its sole discretion, waive these minimums for accounts participating in an automatic investment program and in certain other circumstances. The Fund may waive or lower investment minimums for investors who invest in the Fund through an asset-based fee program made available through a financial intermediary. If your investment is aggregated into an omnibus account established by an investment adviser, broker or other intermediary, the account minimums apply to the omnibus account, not to your individual investment. The financial intermediary may also impose minimum requirements that are different from those set forth in this Prospectus. If you choose to purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund, you will not incur charges on purchases and redemptions. However, if you purchase or redeem Shares through a broker-dealer or another intermediary, you may be charged a fee by that intermediary.
Initial Purchase
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By Mail - To be in proper form, your initial purchase request must include: |
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a completed and signed investment application form (which accompanies this Prospectus); and |
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a check (subject to the minimum amount) made payable to the Fund. |
Mail the application and check to:
U.S. Mail: |
Overnight: |
Golub Group Equity Fund c/o Unified Fund Services, Inc. P.O. Box 6110 Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6110 |
Golub Group Equity Fund c/o Unified Fund Services, Inc. 2960 N. Meridian Street, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana 46208 |
By Wire - You may also purchase shares of the Fund by wiring federal funds from your bank, which may charge you a fee for doing so. To wire money, you must call Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682 to obtain instructions on how to set up your account and to obtain an account number.
You must provide a signed application to Unified Fund Services Inc., the Fund’s transfer agent, at the above address in order to complete your initial wire purchase. Wire orders will be accepted only on a day on which the Fund and its custodian and transfer agent are open for business. A wire purchase will not be considered made until the wired money is received and the purchase is accepted by the Fund. The purchase price per share will be the net asset value next determined after the wire purchase is accepted by the Fund. Any delays, which may occur in wiring money, including delays that may occur in processing by the banks, are not the responsibility of the Fund or the transfer agent. There is presently no fee for the receipt of wired funds, but the Fund may charge shareholders for this service in the future.
Additional Investments
You may purchase additional shares of the Fund at any time by mail, wire, or automatic investment. Each additional mail purchase request must contain:
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1. Your name |
2. The name on your account(s)
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3. Your account number(s) |
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4. A check made payable to Golub Group Equity Fund
Checks should be sent to the Fund at the address listed under the heading “Initial Purchase – By Mail” in this Prospectus. To send a bank wire, call Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682 to obtain instructions.
Distribution Plan
The Fund has adopted a plan under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act that allows the Fund to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its shares and allows the Fund to pay for services provided to Fund shareholders (the 12b-1 Plan”). The 12b-1 Plan allows shareholders of the Fund to pay annual 12b-1 expenses of 0.25%. Over time, 12b-1 fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on-going basis. The Trust and the Distributor have agreed to waive the 12b-1 fees, and the 12b-1 Plan is currently not active.
Automatic Investment Plan
You may make regular investments in the Fund with an Automatic Investment Plan by completing the appropriate section of the account application and attaching a voided personal check. Investments may be made monthly to allow dollar-cost averaging by automatically deducting $100 or more from your bank checking account. You may change the amount of your monthly purchase at any time. If an Automatic Investment Plan purchase is rejected by your bank, your shareholder account will be charged a fee to defray bank charges.
Tax Sheltered Retirement Plans
Shares of the Fund may be an appropriate investment for tax-sheltered retirement plans, including: individual retirement plans (IRAs); simplified employee pension plans (SEPs); 401(k) plans; qualified corporate pension and profit-sharing plans (for employees); tax deferred investment plans (for employees of public school systems and certain types of charitable organizations); and other qualified retirement plans. You should contact Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682 for the procedure to open an IRA or SEP plan, as well as more specific information regarding these retirement plan options. Please consult with an attorney or tax adviser regarding these plans. You must pay custodial fees for your IRA by redemption of sufficient shares of the Fund from the IRA unless you pay the fees directly to the IRA custodian. Call Shareholder Services about the IRA custodial fees at (866) 954-6682.
Other Purchase Information
The Fund may limit the amount of purchases and refuse to sell shares to any person. If your check or wire does not clear, you will be responsible for any loss incurred by the Fund. You may be prohibited or restricted from making future purchases in the Fund. Checks should be made payable to the Fund. The Fund and its transfer agent may refuse any purchase order for any reason. Cash, third party checks (except for properly endorsed IRA rollover checks), counter checks, starter checks, traveler’s checks, money orders, credit card checks, and checks drawn on non-U.S. financial institutions will not be accepted. Cashier’s checks and bank official checks may be accepted in amounts greater than $10,000. In such cases, a fifteen (15) calendar day hold will be applied to the funds, (which means that you may not redeem your shares until the holding period has expired).
The Fund has authorized certain broker-dealers and other financial institutions (including their designated intermediaries) to accept on its behalf purchase and sell orders. The Fund is deemed to have received an order when the authorized person or designee accepts the order, and the order is processed at the net asset value next calculated thereafter. It is the responsibility of the broker-dealer or other financial institution to transmit orders promptly to the Fund’s transfer agent.
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES
You may receive redemption payments by check or federal wire transfer. The proceeds may be more or less than the purchase price of your shares, depending on the market value of the Fund’s securities at the time of your redemption. If you redeem your shares through a broker/dealer or other financial institution, you may be charged a fee by that institution. You should consult with your broker-dealer or other financial institution for more information on these fees.
By Mail - You may redeem any part of your account in the Fund at no charge by mail. Your request should be addressed to:
U.S. Mail: |
Overnight: |
Golub Group Equity Fund c/o Unified Fund Services, Inc. P.O. Box 6110 Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6110 |
Golub Group Equity Fund c/o Unified Fund Services, Inc. 2960 N. Meridian Street, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana 46208 |
Your request for a redemption must include your letter of instruction, including the Fund name, account number, account names, the address, and the dollar amount or number of shares you wish to redeem. Requests to sell shares that are received in good order are processed at the net asset value next calculated after the Fund receives your order in proper form. To be in good order, your request must be signed by all registered share owner(s) in the exact name(s) and any special capacity in which they are registered. The Fund may require that signatures be guaranteed if you request the redemption check be made payable to any person other than the shareholder(s) of record or mailed to an address other than the address of record, or if the mailing address has been changed within 30 days of the redemption request. The Fund may also require a signature guarantee for redemptions of $25,000 or more. Signature guarantees are for the protection of shareholders. You can obtain a signature guarantee from most banks and securities dealers, but not from a notary public. All documentation requiring a signature guarantee must utilize a New Technology Medallion Stamp. Please call Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682 if you have questions. At the discretion of the Fund or its transfer agent, you may be required to furnish additional legal documents to insure proper authorization.
By Telephone - You may redeem any part of your account in the Fund by calling Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682. You must first complete the optional Telephone Redemption section of the investment application to institute this option. The Fund, and its transfer agent and custodian are not liable for following redemption or exchange instructions communicated by telephone to the extent that they reasonably believe the telephone instructions to be genuine. However, if they do not employ reasonable procedures to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine, they may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. Procedures employed may include recording telephone instructions and requiring a form of personal identification from the caller.
The Fund or its transfer agent may terminate the telephone redemption procedures at any time. During periods of extreme market activity, it is possible that shareholders may encounter some difficulty in telephoning the Fund, although neither the Fund nor the transfer agent has ever experienced difficulties in receiving and in a timely fashion responding to telephone requests for redemptions or exchanges. If you are unable to reach the Fund by telephone, you may request a redemption or exchange by mail.
By Wire - A wire transfer fee of $15 is charged to defray custodial charges for redemptions paid by wire transfer. This fee is subject to change. Any charges for wire redemptions will be deducted from your Fund account by redemption of shares.
Redemptions in Kind
The Fund does not intend to redeem shares in any form except cash. However, if the amount you are redeeming is over the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net asset value, the Fund has the right to redeem your shares by giving you the amount that exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net asset value in securities instead of cash. In the event that an in-kind distribution is made, a shareholder may incur additional expenses, such as the payment of brokerage commissions, on the sale or other disposition of the securities received from the Fund.
Fund Policy on Market Timing
The Fund discourages market timing and does not accommodate frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by Fund shareholders. Market timing is an investment strategy using frequent purchases, redemptions and/or exchanges in an attempt to profit from short-term market movements. Market timing can result in dilution of the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders, disrupt portfolio management and increase Fund expenses for all shareholders. The Board of Trustees has adopted a policy directing the Fund to reject any purchase order with respect to any investor, a related group of investors or their agent(s), where it detects a pattern of purchases and sales of the Fund that indicates market timing or trading that it determines is abusive. This policy generally applies to all Fund shareholders.
While the Fund attempts to deter market timing, there is no assurance that the Fund will be able to identify and eliminate all market timers. For example, omnibus accounts typically provide the Fund with a net purchase or redemption request on any given day where purchasers and redeemers of Fund shares are netted against one another and the identities of individual purchasers and redeemers whose orders are aggregated is not known by the Fund. Despite the Fund’s efforts to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, it may be difficult for the Fund to identify such activity in certain omnibus accounts traded through financial intermediaries since the Fund may not have knowledge of the identity of individual investors and their transactions in such accounts. Under a federal rule, the Fund is required to have an agreement with many of its intermediaries obligating the intermediaries to provide, upon the Fund’s request, information regarding the intermediaries’ customers and their transactions. However, there can be no guarantee that all excessive, short-term or other abusive trading activities will be detected, even if such an agreement is in place. Certain intermediaries, in particular retirement plan sponsors and administrators, may have less restrictive policies regarding short-term trading. The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order for any reason, including purchase orders that it does not think are in the best interest of the Fund or its shareholders, or if the Fund thinks that trading is abusive. The Fund has not entered into any arrangements with any person to permit frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares.
Additional Information
If you are not certain of the requirements for a redemption please call Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682. Redemptions specifying a certain date or share price cannot be accepted and will be returned. You will be mailed the proceeds on or before the fifth business day following the redemption. However, payment for redemption made against shares purchased by check will be made only after the check has been collected, which normally may take up to fifteen calendar days. Also, when the New York Stock Exchange is closed (or when trading is restricted) for any reason other than its customary weekend or holiday closing or under any emergency circumstances, as determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund may suspend redemptions or postpone payment dates. You may be assessed a fee if the Fund incurs bank charges because you request that the Fund re-issue a redemption check.
Redemption proceeds sent via check by the Fund and not cashed within 180 days will be reinvested in the Fund at the current day’s NAV. Redemption proceeds that are reinvested are subject to the risk of loss like any other investment in the Fund.
Because the Fund incurs certain fixed costs in maintaining shareholder accounts, the Fund may redeem all of your shares in the Fund on 30 days’ written notice if the value of your shares in the Fund is less than $1,000 due to redemption, or such other minimum amount as the Fund may determine from time to time. You may increase the value of your shares in the Fund to the minimum amount within the 30 day period. All shares of the Fund also are subject to involuntary redemption if the Board of Trustees determines to liquidate the Fund. In such event, the Board may close the Fund with notice to shareholders but without obtaining shareholder approval. An involuntary redemption will create a capital gain or capital loss, which may have tax consequences about which you should consult your tax adviser.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The price you pay for your shares is based on the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”). The Fund’s NAV is calculated at the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business (the Stock Exchange is closed on weekends, most federal holidays and Good Friday). The Fund’s NAV is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund’s total assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of shares outstanding. Requests to purchase and sell shares are processed at the NAV next calculated after the Fund receives your order in proper form.
The Fund’s assets generally are valued at their market value. If market prices are not available (including when they are not reliable), or if an event occurs after the close of the trading market but before the calculation of the NAV that materially affects the values, assets may be valued by the Adviser at a fair value, pursuant to guidelines established by the Board of Trustees. For example, the Adviser may be obligated to fair value a foreign security because many foreign markets operate at times that do not coincide with those of the major U.S. markets. Events that could affect the values of foreign portfolio holdings may occur between the close of the foreign market and the time of determining the NAV, and would not otherwise be reflected in the NAV. When pricing securities using the fair value guidelines established by the Board of Trustees, the Adviser seeks to assign the value that represents the amount that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon a current sale of the securities. However, given the subjectivity inherent in fair valuation and the fact that events could occur after NAV calculation, the actual market prices for a security may differ from the fair value of that security as determined by the Adviser at the time of NAV calculation. Thus, discrepancies between fair values and actual market prices may occur on a regular and recurring basis. These discrepancies do not necessarily indicate that the Adviser’s fair value methodology is inappropriate. The Adviser will adjust the fair values assigned to securities in the Fund’s portfolio, to the extent necessary, as soon as market prices become available. The Adviser continually monitors and evaluates the appropriateness of its fair value methodologies through systematic comparisons of fair values to the actual next available market prices of securities contained in the Fund’s portfolio. To the extent the Fund invests in other mutual funds, the Fund’s NAV is calculated based, in part, upon the net asset values of such mutual funds; the prospectuses for those mutual funds in which the Fund will invest describe the circumstances under which those mutual funds will use fair value pricing, which, in turn, affects their net asset values.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Dividends and Distributions. The Fund typically distributes to its shareholders as dividends substantially all of its net investment income and any realized net capital gains. These distributions are automatically reinvested in the Fund unless you request cash distributions on your application or through a written request to the Fund. The Fund expects that its distributions will consist primarily of income and net realized capital gains. The Fund declares and pays dividends at least annually. Net investment income distributed by the Fund generally will consist of interest income, if any, and dividends received on investments, less expenses. The dividends you receive, whether or not reinvested, will be taxed as ordinary income except as described below.
Unless you indicate another option on your account application, any dividends and capital gain distributions paid to you by the Fund automatically will be invested in additional shares of the Fund. Alternatively, you may elect to have: (1) dividends paid to you in cash and the amount of any capital gain distributions reinvested; or (2) the full amount of any dividends and capital gain distributions paid to you in cash. The Fund will send dividends and capital gain distributions elected to be received as cash to the address of record or bank of record on the applicable account. Your distribution option will automatically be converted to having all dividends and other distributions reinvested in additional shares if any of the following occur:
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Postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to the address of record; |
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Dividend and capital gain distribution checks are not cashed within 180 days; or |
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Bank account of record is no longer valid. |
Dividend and capital gain distribution checks issued by the Fund that are not cashed within 180 days will be reinvested in the Fund at the current day’s NAV. When reinvested, those amounts are subject to risk of loss like any other investment in the Fund.
Selling shares (including redemptions) and receiving distributions (whether reinvested or taken in cash) usually are taxable events to the Fund’s shareholders. These transactions typically create the following tax liabilities for taxable accounts:
Summary of Certain Federal Income Tax Consequences. The following information is meant as a general summary of the federal income tax provisions regarding the taxation of the Fund’s shareholders. Additional tax information appears in the SAI. Shareholders should rely on their own tax adviser for advice about the federal, state, and local tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
The Fund expects to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net realized gains to its shareholders at least annually. Shareholders may elect to take dividends from net investment income or capital gain distributions, if any, in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares. Although the Fund will not be taxed on amounts it distributes, shareholders will generally be taxed on distributions, regardless of whether distributions are paid by the Fund in cash or are reinvested in additional Fund shares. Distributions to non-corporate investors attributable to ordinary income and short-term capital gains are generally taxed as ordinary income, although certain income dividends may be taxed to non-corporate shareholders as qualified dividend income at long-term capital gains rates provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied. Absent further legislation, such long-term capital gains rate will not apply to qualified dividend income distributed after December 31, 2010. Distributions of long-term capital gains are generally taxed as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long a shareholder has held Fund shares. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as federal taxes.
The Fund may invest in foreign securities against which foreign tax may be withheld. If more than 50% of the Fund’s assets are invested in foreign ETFs or index mutual funds at the end of the year, the Fund's shareholders might be able to claim a foreign tax credit with respect to foreign taxes withheld.
Taxable distributions paid by the Fund to corporate shareholders will be taxed at corporate tax rates. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction (“DRD”) for a portion of the dividends paid and designated by the Fund as qualifying for the DRD provided certain holding period requirements are met.
In general, a shareholder who sells or redeems Fund shares will realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the Fund shares, provided that any loss recognized on the sale of Fund shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain dividends received with respect to such shares. An exchange of shares may be treated as a sale and any gain may be subject to tax.
The Fund may be required to withhold U.S federal income tax (presently at the rate of twenty-eight percent (28%)) on all taxable distributions payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification numbers or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, rather, it is a way in which the Internal Revenue Service ensures it will collect taxes otherwise due. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
Shareholders should consult with their own tax adviser to ensure that distributions and sales of Fund shares are treated appropriately on their income tax returns.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
Adviser. Golub Group, LLC, 2929 Campus Drive, Suite 145, San Mateo, CA 94403, serves as investment adviser to the Fund. The Adviser has overall supervisory management responsibility for the general management and investment of the Fund’s portfolio. The Adviser was formed in 2003 by Michael Golub, who currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. The Golub Group serves high net-worth individuals and institutional clients, and as of July 31, 2008, had assets under management of approximately $650 million. Although the Adviser has no prior experience managing a mutual fund, the Adviser has been managing other discretionary accounts using the same style it anticipates utilizing with the Fund since the Adviser’s inception. The Golub Group is controlled by Mr. Golub, the firm’s majority shareholder.
The Fund is required to pay the Adviser a fee equal to 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. A discussion of the factors that the Board of Trustees considered in approving the Fund’s advisory agreement will be contained in the Fund’s initial semi-annual report. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or reimburse certain Fund operating expenses, but only to the extent necessary so that the Fund’s net expenses, excluding brokerage fees and commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expenses on securities sold short), taxes, extraordinary expenses and indirect expenses (such as fees and expenses of acquired funds) do not exceed 1.25% of net assets. The contractual agreement is effective through May 31, 2010. Each waiver or reimbursement of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within the three fiscal years following the fiscal year in which the particular expense was incurred, provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the applicable expense limitation.
If you invest in the Fund through an investment adviser, bank, broker-dealer, 401(k) plan, trust company or other financial intermediary, the policies and fees for transacting business may be different than those described in this Prospectus. Some financial intermediaries may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investments or limitations on buying or selling shares. Some financial intermediaries do not charge a direct transaction fee, but instead charge a fee for services such as sub-transfer agency, accounting and/or shareholder services that the financial intermediary provides on the Fund’s behalf. This fee may be based on the number of accounts or may be a percentage of the average value of the Fund’s shareholder accounts for which the financial intermediary provides services. The Fund may pay a portion of this fee, which is intended to compensate the financial intermediary for providing the same services that would otherwise be provided by the Fund’s transfer agent or other service providers if the shares were purchased directly from the Fund. To the extent that these fees are not paid by the Fund, the Adviser may pay a fee to financial intermediaries for such services.
To the extent that the Adviser, not the Fund, pays a fee to a financial intermediary for distribution or shareholder servicing, the Adviser may consider a number of factors in determining the amount of payment associated with such services, including the amount of sales, assets invested in the Fund and the nature of the services provided by the financial intermediary. Although neither the Fund nor the Adviser pays for the Fund to be included in a financial intermediary’s “preferred list” or other promotional program, some financial intermediaries that receive compensation as described above may have such programs in which the Fund may be included. Financial intermediaries that receive these types of payments may have a conflict of interest in recommending or selling the Fund’s shares rather than other mutual funds, particularly where such payments exceed those associated with other funds. The Fund may from time to time purchase securities issued by financial intermediaries that provide such services; however, in selecting investments for the Fund, no preference will be shown for such securities.
Portfolio Managers. The Adviser utilizes a team approach in managing the Fund. The members of the Adviser’s Investment Committee are jointly responsible for making the investment decisions for the Fund, and decisions are made by consensus opinion.
Michael Golub – Chairman and CEO of the Adviser. Mr. Golub began his career in the securities industry in 1967. His principal responsibility is to direct the firm’s activities and to serve as its Senior Portfolio Manager. Mr. Golub is a 1964 graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Prior to founding the Golub Group in 2003, he was Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for Hoefer & Arnett, Inc. from 1993 to 2003.
Colin Higgins – President and Director of Research of the Adviser. Mr. Higgins has over 10 years of investment analysis, equity research and portfolio management experience. As president of the Golub Group, he directs all business and investment activities for the firm. Prior to joining the firm in 2003, Mr. Higgins served as a research analyst and portfolio manager with regional investment firms Hoefer & Arnett, Inc. from 1998 to 2003, and Branch, Cabell & Co. from 1996 to 1998. He is a 1994 graduate of Washington & Lee University.
Kurt Hoefer, CFA – Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst of the Adviser. Mr. Hoefer has over 17 years of investment analysis, equity research and portfolio management experience. Prior to joining the Golub Group in 2004, he founded and built Hoefer Capital Management, LLC to counsel families and individuals on investment and financial matters. He served as that firm’s President from 2002 to 2004. He served as an Investment Banker with Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC from 2000 to 2002, and with Bank of America Securities, LLC from 1995 to 2000. Mr. Hoefer received his MBA from the UCLA-Anderson School of Management in 1994 and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University in 1987. In addition, he achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1991.
Timothy Rich, CFA – Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst of the Adviser. Mr. Rich joined the Golub Group in 2005, and currently performs company and industry research, fundamental analysis and portfolio management duties. He also serves as the firm’s lead fixed income manager and its Chief Compliance Officer. From 2002 through 2004, Mr. Rich was obtaining his MBA from UCLA. From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Rich served as a Vice President in the Capital Markets Intelligence practice at Thomson Financial. He began his career in Washington, DC, as an analyst and lobbyist for the wireless telecommunications industry. Mr. Rich received an MBA from the UCLA – Anderson School of Management in 2004 and his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Duke University in 1994. He achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2006.
John Dowling, CFA – Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst of the Adviser. Mr. Dowling has over eight years of experience in securities and financial analysis. Prior to joining the Golub Group, he was a generalist analyst covering North American markets for Peters MacGregor Capital Management, a value investment firm headquartered in Australia, from 2004 to 2006. He also served as a Senior Valuation Associate at Standard & Poor’s from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Dowling received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1998, and achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2003.
The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Fund’s portfolio managers, including their compensation structure, other accounts managed, and ownership of shares of the Fund.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Because the Fund recently commenced operations, there are no financial highlights available at this time.
Appendix
ADVISER’S PRIOR PERFORMANCE
The data below is provided to illustrate the past performance of Golub Group, LLC, the Fund’s adviser, in managing substantially similar equity accounts as measured against market indices, and does not represent the performance of the Fund, nor should it be considered a substitute for the Fund’s performance. You should not consider this performance data as a prediction or an indication of future performance of the Fund or the performance that one might achieve by investing in the Fund.
The Golub Group Core Equity Composite (the “Composite”) represents all fully discretionary advisory accounts with assets greater than $250,000 that are managed in accordance with the Golub Group Core Equity investment strategy – the Fund will be managed in a manner that is substantially similar to the manner in which these discretionary advisory accounts are managed. The Composite was created on November 16, 2006. Performance shown prior to December 1, 2003 occurred while the portfolio management team was affiliated with a prior firm, and the team members were the only individuals responsible for selecting the securities to buy and sell.
In certain cases, the calculation methodologies prescribed by GIPS may be different from the standard SEC formula used by mutual funds for presenting their performance returns. The returns of the accounts presented were calculated on a total return basis and include all dividends and interest and realized and unrealized gains and losses. All returns are presented after the deduction of investment advisory fees, brokerage commissions and execution costs paid by the adviser’s separate accounts without provision for federal or state income taxes. Securities transactions are accounted for on the trade date and accrual accounting is used. Cash and equivalents are included in performance returns. The Golub Group, LLC’s compliance with the GIPS standards has been verified for the period December 1, 2003 through March 31, 2008 by Ashland Partners & Company LLP. In addition, a performance examination was conducted on the Core Equity Composite beginning December 1, 2003. See below for performance disclosure.
The private accounts for which results are reported are not subject to the same types of expenses as the Fund or to the diversification requirements, specific tax restrictions and investment limitations imposed on the Fund by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Consequently, the performance results for such private accounts could have been adversely affected if they had been subject to mutual fund regulations. In addition, the operating expenses incurred by the accounts included were lower than the anticipated operating expenses of the Fund, and, accordingly, those expenses generally have less of an adverse effect on the performance results of the Composite.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
You can find additional information about the Fund in the following documents:
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports : While this Prospectus describes the Fund’s potential investments, the Annual and Semi-Annual Reports detail the Fund’s actual investments as of their report dates. The Annual report will include a discussion by Fund management of recent market conditions, economic trends, and investment strategies that significantly affected Fund performance during the reporting period.
Statement of Additional Information (SAI) : The SAI supplements the Prospectus and contains detailed information about the Fund and its investment restrictions, risks, policies, and operations, including the Fund’s policies and procedures relating to the disclosure of portfolio holdings by the Fund’s affiliates. A current SAI for the Fund is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference, which means it is considered part of this Prospectus.
How to Obtain Copies of Other Fund Documents
You can obtain free copies of the current SAI and, when available, the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, and request other information about the Fund or make shareholder inquiries, in any of the following ways:
You can get free copies of the current Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, as well as the SAI, by contacting Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682. You may also request other information about the Fund and make shareholder inquiries. The Fund’s SAI and Annual and Semi-Annual reports are not made available on a website, because the Fund currently does not have a website. The requested documents will be sent within three business days of receipt of the request.
You may review and copy information about the Fund (including the SAI and other reports) at the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Call the SEC at 1-202-551-8090 for room hours and operation. You may also obtain reports and other information about the Fund on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov , and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov , or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, D.C. 20549-0109.
Investment Company Act #811-22208
Golub Group Equity Fund
A Series of the Valued Advisers Trust
Statement of Additional Information
March 10, 2009
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus (the “Prospectus”) of the Golub Group Equity Fund (the “Fund”) dated March 10, 2009. A free copy of the Prospectus can be obtained by writing Unified Fund Services, Inc., the Fund’s transfer agent, at P.O. Box 6110, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6110, or by calling Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND |
1 |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT FUND INVESTMENTS AND
RISK CONSIDERATIONS |
2 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER |
4 |
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS |
5 |
INVESTMENT ADVISER |
6 |
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS |
9 |
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES |
12 |
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE PROGRAM |
12 |
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE |
13 |
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS |
14 |
PROXY VOTING POLICY |
15 |
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE |
16 |
REDEMPTION IN-KIND |
17 |
STATUS AND TAXATION OF THE FUND |
17 |
CUSTODIAN |
23 |
FUND SERVICES |
24 |
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM |
24 |
LEGAL COUNSEL |
25 |
DISTRIBUTOR |
25 |
DISTRIBUTION PLAN |
25 |
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
26 |
EXHIBIT A (VALUED ADVISERS TRUST PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURE) |
27 |
EXHIBIT B (ADVISER’S PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURE) |
30 |
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND
The Golub Group Equity Fund (the “Fund”) is an open-end diversified series of the Valued Advisers Trust (the “Trust”). The Trust is a management investment company established under the laws of Delaware by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated June 13, 2008 (the “Trust Agreement”). The Trust Agreement permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest of separate series without par value. The Fund is one of a series of funds authorized by the Trustees. The Fund’s investment adviser is Golub Group, LLC (the “Adviser”).
The Fund does not issue share certificates. All shares are held in non-certificate form registered on the books of the Fund and its transfer agent for the account of the shareholders. Each share of a series represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets and liabilities belonging to that series with each other share of that series and is entitled to such dividends, and distributions out of income belonging to the series as are declared by the Trustees. The shares do not have cumulative voting rights or any preemptive or conversion rights, and the Trustees have the authority from time to time to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that series so long as the proportionate beneficial interest in the assets belonging to that series and the rights of shares of any other series are in no way affected. In case of any liquidation of a series, the holders of shares of the series being liquidated will be entitled to receive as a class a distribution out of the assets, net of the liabilities, belonging to that series. Expenses attributable to any series are borne by that series. Any general expenses of the Trust not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular series are allocated by or under the direction of the Trustees in such manner as the Trustees determine to be fair and equitable. No shareholder is liable to further calls or to assessment by the Trust without his or her express consent.
Any Trustee of the Trust may be removed by vote of the shareholders holding not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust. The Trust does not hold an annual meeting of shareholders. When matters are submitted to shareholders for a vote, each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each whole share he or she owns and fractional votes for fractional shares he or she owns. All shares of the Fund have equal voting rights and liquidation rights. The Trust Agreement can be amended by the Trustees, except that certain amendments that adversely affect the rights of shareholders must be approved by the shareholders affected. All shares of the Fund are subject to involuntary redemption if the Trustees determine to liquidate the Fund. An involuntary redemption will create a capital gain or a capital loss, which may have tax consequences about which you should consult your tax adviser.
For information concerning the purchase and redemption of shares of the Fund, see “How to Buy Shares” and “How to Redeem Shares” in the Fund’s Prospectus. For a description of the methods used to determine the share price and value of the Fund’s assets, see “Determination of Net Asset Value” in the Prospectus and this SAI. The Fund has authorized one or more brokers to receive on its behalf purchase and redemption orders. Such brokers are authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf. The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized broker or, if applicable, a broker’s authorized designee, receives the order.
Customer orders will be priced at the Fund’s net asset value next computed after they are received by an authorized broker or the broker’s authorized designee and accepted by the Fund. The performance of the Fund may be compared in publications to the performance of various indices and investments for which reliable performance data is available.
The performance of the Fund may be compared in publications to averages, performance rankings, or other information prepared by recognized mutual fund statistical services. The annual report contains additional performance information and will be made available to investors upon request and without charge.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT FUND
INVESTMENTS AND RISK CONSIDERATIONS
This section contains additional information about the investments the Fund may make and some of the techniques it may use. It is not the Fund’s policy to invest in illiquid securities.
A. Equity Securities. Equity securities include common stock and common stock equivalents (such as rights and warrants, and convertible securities). Warrants are options to purchase equity securities at a specified price valid for a specific time period. Rights are similar to warrants, but normally have a short duration and are distributed by the issuer to its shareholders. Warrants are instruments that entitle the holder to buy underlying equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. A warrant tends to be more volatile than its underlying securities and ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. In addition, changes in the value of a warrant do not necessarily correspond to changes in the value of its underlying securities.
B. Real Estate Investment Trusts. The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs manage portfolios of real estate investments that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans to real estate developers and companies with substantial real estate holdings. These investments may be either equity or debt instruments. Equity REITs are companies that directly own real estate and realize income primarily from renting properties and selling them for capital gains. Mortgage REITs specialize in lending money to building developers and realize income by earning interest income on those loans. Hybrid REITs have a mix of both types of investments. There are certain risks regarding investing in REITs due to the cyclical nature of real estate and its sensitivity to changes in interest rates, economic conditions, property tax rates, changes in real estate values, changes in rental income, creditworthiness of the issuer, overbuilding, increased competition, and other factors. In the short-term, stock prices can fluctuate dramatically in response to these factors. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow generated by the REIT, and REITs may not have diversified holdings. Investments in securities of REITs entail additional risks because REITs depend on specialized management skills, may invest in a limited number of properties and may concentrate in a particular region or property type. Because REITs are pooled investment vehicles that have expenses of their own, the fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of those expenses. REITs must also satisfy specific Internal Revenue Code provisions before they are qualified to pass income through to shareholders without paying taxes.
C. Depository Receipts. The Fund may invest in foreign securities either directly or by purchasing depository receipts, including American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depository Receipts (“GDRs”) and other similar instruments. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, while GDRs, in bearer form, may be denominated in other currencies and are designed for use in multiple foreign securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. GDRs are foreign receipts
evidencing a similar arrangement.
For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, ADRs and GDRs are deemed to have the same classification as the underlying securities they represent, except that ADRs and GDRs shall be treated as indirect foreign investments. For example, an ADR or GDR representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
ADRs are denominated in U.S. dollars and represent an interest in the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a U.S. Bank or correspondent bank. ADRs do not eliminate all the risk inherent in investing in the securities of foreign issuers. However, by investing in ADRs rather than directly in equity securities of foreign issuers, the Fund will avoid currency risks during the settlement period for either purchases or sales. GDRs are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities which they represent.
Depository receipt facilities may be established as either “unsponsored” or “sponsored”. While depository receipts issued under these two types of facilities are in some respects similar, there are distinctions between them relating to the rights and obligations of depository receipt holders and the practices of market participants.
A depository may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by (or even necessarily the permission of) the issuer of the deposited securities, although typically the depository requests a letter of non-objection from such issuer prior to the establishment of the facility. Holders of unsponsored depository receipts generally bear all the costs of such facility. The depository usually charges fees upon the deposit and withdrawal of the deposited securities, the conversion of dividends into U.S. dollars, the disposition of non-cash distributions, and the performance of other services. The depository of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to pass through voting rights to depository receipt holders in respect of the deposited securities. In addition, an unsponsored facility is generally not obligated to distribute communications received from the issuer of the deposited securities or to disclose material information about such issuer in the U.S. and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depository receipts.
Sponsored depository receipt facilities are created in generally the same manner as unsponsored facilities, except that the issuer of the deposited securities enters into a deposit agreement with the depository. The deposit agreement sets out the rights and responsibilities of the issuer, the depository, and the depository receipt holders. With sponsored facilities, the issuer of the deposited securities generally will bear some of the costs relating to the facility (such as dividend payment fees of the depository), although depository receipt holders continue to bear certain other costs (such as deposit and withdrawal fees). Under the terms of most sponsored arrangements, depositories agree to distribute notices of shareholder meetings and voting instructions, and to provide shareholder communications and other information to the depository receipt holders at the request of the issuer of the deposited securities. Risks associated with direct investments in foreign securities, rather than through depository receipts, are described below under “Foreign Securities.”
D. Foreign Securities . The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities. Investing in securities of foreign companies and countries involves certain considerations and risks that are not typically associated with investing in U.S. government securities and securities of domestic companies. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than a domestic one, and foreign companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. There may also be less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers and listed companies than exists in the United States.
Interest and dividends paid by foreign issuers may be subject to withholding and other foreign taxes, which may decrease the net return on such investments as compared to dividends and interest paid to the Fund by domestic companies or the U.S. government. There may be the possibility of expropriations, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, confiscatory taxation, political, economic or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect assets of the Fund held in foreign countries. The establishment of exchange controls or other foreign governmental laws or restrictions could adversely affect the payment of obligations. In addition, investing in foreign securities will generally result in higher commissions than investing in similar domestic securities.
Decreases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund will invest relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding decrease in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in those currencies (and possibly a corresponding increase in the amount of securities required to be liquidated to meet distribution requirements). Conversely, increases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund invests relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding increase in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets (and possibly a corresponding decrease in the amount of securities to be liquidated).
E. Investment Company Securities . The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, such as other mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) or money market funds, subject to the restrictions and limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). When the Fund invests in other investment companies, it will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses payable directly by the investment company. In connection with its investments in other investment companies, the Fund will incur higher expenses, many of which may be duplicative.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Although the Fund generally will not invest for short-term trading purposes, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Adviser, investment considerations warrant such action. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is a measure of the Fund’s portfolio activity, and is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of securities by the average value of the portfolio securities held during the period. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions. Although the Fund’s annual portfolio turnover rate cannot be accurately predicted, the Adviser anticipates that the Fund will experience a portfolio turnover rate below 100%.
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
Fundamental . The investment limitations described below have been adopted by the Trust with respect to the Fund and are fundamental (“Fundamental”), i.e. , they may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. As used in the Prospectus and this SAI, the term “majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund” means the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented at such meeting; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
1. Borrowing Money . The Fund will not borrow money, except from: (a) a bank, provided that immediately after such borrowing there is an asset coverage of 300% for all borrowings of the Fund; or (b) a bank or other persons for temporary purposes only, provided that such temporary borrowings are in an amount not exceeding 5% of the Fund’s total assets at the time when the borrowing is made. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from entering into reverse repurchase transactions, provided that the Fund has an asset coverage of 300% for all borrowings and repurchase commitments of the Fund pursuant to reverse repurchase transactions.
2. Senior Securities . The Fund will not issue senior securities. This limitation is not applicable to activities that may be deemed to involve the issuance or sale of a senior security by the Fund, provided that the Fund’s engagement in such activities is consistent with or permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or interpretations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or its staff.
3. Underwriting . The Fund will not act as underwriter of securities issued by other persons. This limitation is not applicable to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities (including restricted securities), the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under certain federal securities laws.
4. Real Estate . The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate. This limitation is not applicable to investments in marketable securities that are secured by or represent interests in real estate. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from investing in mortgage-related securities or investing in companies engaged in the real estate business or that have a significant portion of their assets in real estate (including real estate investment trusts).
5. Commodities . The Fund will not purchase or sell commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from purchasing or selling options or futures contracts, from investing in securities or other instruments backed by commodities or from investing in companies that are engaged in a commodities business or have a significant portion of their assets in commodities.
6. Loans . The Fund will not make loans to other persons, except: (a) by loaning portfolio securities; (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements; or (c) by purchasing non-publicly offered debt securities. For purposes of this limitation, the term “loans” shall not include the purchase of a portion of an issue of publicly distributed bonds, debentures or other securities.
7. Concentration . The Fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in any one particular industry. This limitation is not applicable to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities or repurchase agreements with respect thereto.
Non-Fundamental. The investment limitation described below has been adopted by the Trust with respect to the Fund and is non-fundamental (“Non-Fundamental”). A Non-Fundamental policy may be changed by the Board of Trustees without the approval of shareholders to the extent permitted by applicable law, regulation or regulatory policy.
1. Name Rule. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (including borrowings for investment purposes, if any) in equity securities. This investment policy may not be changed without at least 60 days prior written notice in plain English to the Fund’s shareholders.
With respect to the percentages adopted by the Trust as maximum limitations on its investment policies and limitations, an excess above the fixed percentage will not be a violation of the policy or limitation unless the excess results immediately and directly from the acquisition of any security or the action taken. This paragraph does not apply to the borrowing policy set forth in paragraph 1 above.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing limitations, any investment company, whether organized as a trust, association or corporation, or a personal holding company, may be merged or consolidated with or acquired by the Trust, provided that if such merger, consolidation or acquisition results in an investment in the securities of any issuer prohibited by said paragraphs, the Trust shall, within ninety days after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or acquisition, dispose of all of the securities of such issuer so acquired or such portion thereof as shall bring the total investment therein within the limitations imposed by said paragraphs above as of the date of consummation.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
The Fund’s Adviser is Golub Group, LLC, 2929 Campus Drive, Suite 145, San Mateo, CA 94403. Golub Group, LLC was formed in 2003 by Michael Golub, its majority owner. The Adviser provides investment advice primarily to high net worth individuals and institutional clients. The Fund is the first mutual fund managed by the Adviser.
Under the terms of the management agreement (the “Agreement”), the Adviser manages the Fund’s investments subject to oversight by the Board of Trustees. As compensation for its management services, the Fund is obligated to pay the Adviser a fee computed and accrued daily and paid monthly at an annual rate of 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.
The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive or limit its fee and reimburse certain Fund operating expenses, until May 31, 2010, so that the ratio of total annual operating expenses does not exceed 1.25%. This operating expense limitation does not apply to: (i) interest, (ii) taxes, (iii) brokerage commissions, (iv) other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, (v) other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business, (vi) dividend expense on short sales, and
(vii) expenses that the Fund has incurred but did not actually pay because of an expense offset arrangement, if applicable, incurred by the Fund in any fiscal year. The operating expense limitation also excludes any "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses." Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses represent the pro rata expense indirectly incurred by the Fund as a result of investing in other investment companies, including ETFs, closed-end funds and money market funds that have their own expenses. The Adviser may be entitled to the reimbursement of any fees waived or expenses reimbursed pursuant to the agreement provided overall expenses fall below the limitations set forth above. The Adviser may recoup the sum of all fees previously waived or expenses reimbursed during any of the previous three (3) years, less any reimbursement previously paid, provided total expenses do not exceed the limitation set forth above.
The Adviser retains the right to use the name “Golub Group” in connection with another investment company or business enterprise with which the Adviser is or may become associated. The Trust’s right to use the name “Golub Group” automatically ceases 90 days after termination of the Agreement and may be withdrawn by the Adviser on 90 days’ written notice.
The Adviser may make payments to banks or other financial institutions that provide shareholder services and administer shareholder accounts. If a bank or other financial institution were prohibited from continuing to perform all or a part of such services, management of the Fund believes that there would be no material impact on the Fund or shareholders. Banks and other financial institutions may charge their customers fees for offering these services to the extent permitted by applicable regulatory authorities, and the overall return to those shareholders availing themselves of the bank services will be lower than to those shareholders who do not. The Fund may from time to time purchase securities issued by banks and other financial institutions that provide such services; however, in selecting investments for the Fund, no preference will be shown for such securities.
About the Portfolio Managers
The Adviser’s Investment Committee is responsible for managing the Fund. The members of the Investment Committee are: Michael Golub, Colin Higgins, Kurt Hoefer, Timothy Rich, and John Dowling (“Portfolio Managers”). As of October 31, 2008, the Portfolio Managers, as a group, were responsible for managing the following types of accounts, in addition to the Fund:
Account Type |
Number of Accounts by Account Type |
Total Assets By Account Type |
Number of Accounts by Type Subject to a Performance Fee |
Total Assets By Account Type Subject to a Performance Fee |
Registered Investment Companies |
0 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
0 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Other Accounts |
1,454 |
$535 million |
0 |
N/A |
Compensation : Each of the Portfolio Managers receives an annual base salary from the Adviser. The Portfolio Managers’ current compensation may include a bonus tied to the Adviser’s profits or a portion of the Adviser’s profits through the Adviser’s profit sharing plan. Mr. Golub, Mr. Higgins, and Mr. Hoefer each have ownership interests in the Adviser. They may receive distributions from the Adviser, which may come from profits generated by the Adviser.
Potential Conflicts of Interest : Potential conflicts of interest may arise because the Portfolio Managers use the same proprietary investment methodology for the Fund as they use for other clients. This means that the Portfolio Managers will make the investment strategies used to manage the Fund available to other clients. As a result, there may be circumstances under which the Fund and other clients of the Adviser may compete in purchasing available investments and, to the extent that the demand exceeds the supply, may result in driving the prices of such investments up, resulting in higher costs to the Fund. There also may be circumstances under which the Portfolio Managers recommend the purchase or sale of various investments to other clients and do not purchase or sell the same investments for the Fund, or purchase or sell an investment for the Fund and do not include such investment in recommendations provided to other clients. This is because the Adviser’s portfolio recommendations among clients differ based on each client’s investment policy guidelines and/or prevailing market conditions at the time such recommendation is made. Each Portfolio Manager may also carry on investment activities for his own account(s) and/or the accounts of family members. As a result of these activities, each Portfolio Manager is engaged in substantial activities other than on behalf of the Fund, and may have differing economic interests in respect of such activities.
Ownership of Fund Shares : As of the date of this SAI, the Portfolio Managers did not own any shares of the Fund.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
The Board of Trustees supervises the business activities of the Trust and is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced businesspersons who meet throughout the year to oversee the Trust’s activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund and review performance. Each Trustee serves as a trustee until termination of the Trust unless the Trustee dies, resigns, retires or is removed.
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The following table provides information regarding the Independent Trustees. |
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* |
The address for each trustee and officer is 2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46208. |
** As of the date of this SAI, the Trust consists of 2 series.
The Trust’s Audit Committee consists of the Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, its internal controls and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service providers; overseeing the quality and objectivity of the Fund’s financial statements and the independent audit of the financial statements; and acting as a liaison between the Fund’s independent auditors and the full Board of Trustees.
The Pricing Committee of the Board of Trustees is responsible for reviewing and approving the Adviser’s fair valuation determinations, if any. The members of the Pricing Committee are all of the Trustees, except that any one member of the Pricing Committee constitutes a quorum for purposes of reviewing and approving a fair value.
The following table provides information regarding each Trustee who is an “interested person” of the Trust, within the meaning of the 1940 Act on the basis of their affiliation with the Fund or Fund’s Adviser, or its affiliated entities.
Name, Address*, (Age), Position with Trust,** Term of Position with Trust |
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years and Other Directorships |
Anthony J. Ghoston, 49, Interested Trustee, August 2008 to present. |
President of Unified Fund Services, Inc., the Trust’s administrator, since June 2005, Executive Vice President from June 2004 to June 2005, Senior Vice President from April 2003 to June 2004; President of the Unified Series Trust since July 2004; Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Unified Financial Services, Inc., the parent company of the Trust’s administrator and distributor, from 1997 to November 2004; President of AmeriPrime Advisors Trust from July 2004 to September 2005; President of AmeriPrime Funds from July 2004 to July 2005; President of CCMI Funds from July 2004 to March 2005.
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|
* |
The address for each trustee and officer is 2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46208. |
** As of the date of this SAI, the Trust consists of 2 series.
The following table provides information regarding the other Officers of the Trust.
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* |
The address for each trustee and officer is 2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46208. |
** As of the date of this SAI, the Trust consists of 2 series.
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*** Steve Highsmith and Carol Highsmith are husband and wife. |
The table below shows for each Trustee, the amount of Fund equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee, and the aggregate value of all investments in equity securities of the Funds of the Trust, as of December 31, 2007 and stated as one of the following ranges: A = None; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000.
Name of Trustee |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by the Trustees in Family of Investment Companies |
Non-Interested Trustees |
||
R. Jeffrey Young |
A |
A |
Dr. Merwyn R. Vanderlind |
A |
A |
Interested Trustees |
||
Anthony J. Ghoston |
A |
A |
Compensation . Set forth below are estimates of the annual compensation to be paid to the Trustees by the Fund on an individual basis and by the Trust on an aggregate basis. Trustees’ fees and expenses are Trust expenses and the Fund incurs its pro rata share of expenses based on the number of existing series in the Trust. As a result, the amount paid by the Fund will increase or decrease as series are added or removed from the Trust.
Independent Trustees |
Aggregate Compensation from the Fund |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Fund Expenses |
Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total Compensation from Trust * |
R. Jeffrey Young |
$2000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$4000 |
Dr. Merwyn R. Vanderlind |
$2000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$4000 |
Interested Trustees and Officers |
Aggregate Compensation from the Fund |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Fund Expenses |
Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total Compensation from Trust * |
Anthony J. Ghoston |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
*As of the date of this SAI, the Trust consists of 2 series. Amounts given are estimates for the Fund’s initial fiscal period ended January 31, 2010.
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of such control. As a controlling shareholder, each of these persons could control the outcome of any proposal submitted to the shareholders for approval, including changes to the Fund’s fundamental policies or the terms of the management agreement with the Adviser. As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and officers of the Trust own beneficially none of the outstanding shares of the Fund. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund had no principal shareholders or control persons.
ANTI MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE PROGRAM
Customer identification and verification is part of the Fund’s overall obligation to prevent money laundering under federal law. The Trust has, on behalf of the Fund, adopted an anti-money laundering compliance program designed to prevent the Fund from being used for money laundering or financing of terrorist activities (the “AML Compliance Program”). The Trust has delegated the responsibility to implement the AML Compliance Program to the Fund’s transfer agent, Unified Fund Services, Inc., subject to oversight by the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer and, ultimately, by the Board of Trustees.
When you open an account with the Fund, the Fund’s transfer agent will request that you provide your name, physical address, date of birth, and Social Security number or tax identification number. You may also be asked for other information that, in the transfer agent’s discretion, will allow the Fund to verify your identity. Entities are also required to provide additional documentation. This information will be verified to ensure the identity of all persons opening an account with the Fund. The Fund reserves the right to (i) refuse, cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order, (ii) freeze any account and/or suspend account activities, or (iii) involuntarily redeem your account in cases of threatening conduct or suspected fraudulent or illegal activity. These actions will be taken when, in the sole discretion of the Fund’s transfer agent, they are deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund, or in cases where the Fund is requested or compelled to do so by governmental or law enforcement authority.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Subject to policies established by the Board of Trustees, the Adviser is responsible for the Fund’s portfolio decisions and the placing of the Fund’s portfolio transactions. In placing portfolio transactions, the Adviser seeks the best qualitative execution for the Fund, taking into account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), the execution capability, financial responsibility and responsiveness of the broker or dealer and the brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. The Adviser generally seeks favorable prices and commission rates that are reasonable in relation to the benefits received.
The Adviser is specifically authorized to select brokers or dealers who also provide brokerage and research services to the Fund and/or the other accounts over which the Adviser exercises investment discretion and to pay such brokers or dealers a commission in excess of the commission another broker or dealer would charge if the Adviser determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided. The determination may be viewed in terms of a particular transaction or the Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund and to other accounts over which it exercises investment discretion.
Research services include supplemental research, securities and economic analyses, statistical services and information with respect to the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities and analyses of reports concerning performance of accounts. The research services and other information furnished by brokers through whom the Fund effects securities transactions may also be used by the Adviser in servicing all of its accounts. Similarly, research and information provided by brokers or dealers serving other clients may be useful to the Adviser in connection with its services to the Fund. Although research services and other information are useful to the Fund and the Adviser, it is not possible to place a dollar value on the research and other information received. It is the opinion of the Board of Trustees and the Adviser that the review and study of the research and other information will not reduce the overall cost to the Adviser of performing its duties to the Fund under the Agreement.
Over-the-counter transactions will be placed either directly with principal market makers or with broker-dealers, if the same or a better price, including commissions and executions, is available. Fixed income securities are normally purchased directly from the issuer, an underwriter or a market maker. Purchases include a concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter and the purchase price paid to a market maker may include the spread between the bid and asked prices. When the broker acts as agent, a commission will be charged on the transaction; when the broker acts as principal, the markup is included in the bond price.
When the Fund and another of the Adviser’s clients seek to purchase or sell the same security at or about the same time, the Adviser may execute the transaction on a combined (“blocked”) basis. Blocked transactions can produce better execution for the Fund because of the increased volume of the transaction. If the entire blocked order is not filled, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a position in such security as it desires, or it may have to pay a higher price for the security. Similarly, the Fund may not be able to obtain as large an execution of an order to sell, or as high a price for any particular portfolio security, if the other client desires to sell the same portfolio security at the same time. In the event that the entire blocked order is not filled, the purchase or sale will normally be allocated on a pro rata basis.
The Trust, the Distributor, and the Adviser have each adopted a Code of Ethics (each a “Code” and collectively, the “Codes”) pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, and the Adviser’s Code of Ethics also conforms to Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The personnel subject to the Codes are permitted to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. You may obtain a copy of the Codes from the Fund, free of charge, by calling the Fund at (866) 954-6682. You may also obtain copies of the Trust’s Code from documents filed with the SEC and available on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov .
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Fund is required to include a schedule of portfolio holdings in its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, which is sent to shareholders within 60 days of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters and which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on Form N-CSR. The Fund also is required to file a schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q within 60 days of the end of the first and third fiscal quarters. The Fund must provide a copy of the complete schedule of portfolio holdings as filed with the SEC to any shareholder of the Fund, upon request, free of charge. This policy is applied uniformly to all shareholders of the Fund without regard to the type of requesting shareholder (i.e., regardless of whether the shareholder is an individual or institutional investor). The Fund releases portfolio holdings to third party servicing agents on a daily basis in order for those parties to perform their duties on behalf of the Fund. These third party servicing agents include the Adviser, Distributor, Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting Agent, Administrator and Custodian. The Fund also may disclose portfolio holdings, as needed, to auditors, legal counsel, proxy voting services (if applicable), printers, pricing services, parties to merger and reorganization agreements and their agents, and prospective or newly hired investment advisers or sub-advisers. The lag between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed will vary based on the identity of the party to whom the information is disclosed. For instance, the information may be provided to auditors within days of the end of an annual period, while the information may be given to legal counsel or prospective advisers at any time. This information is disclosed to all such third parties under conditions of confidentiality. “Conditions of confidentiality” include (i) confidentiality clauses in written agreements, (ii) confidentiality implied by the nature of the relationship (e.g., attorney-client relationship), (iii) confidentiality required by fiduciary or regulatory principles (e.g., custodial relationships) or (iv) understandings or expectations between the parties that the information will be kept confidential.
Additionally, the Fund has ongoing arrangements to release portfolio holdings to Morningstar, Inc., Lipper, Inc., Bloomberg, Standard & Poor’s, Thompson Financial and Vickers-Stock (“Rating Agencies”) in order for those organizations to assign a rating or ranking to the Fund. In these instances portfolio holdings will be supplied within approximately 25 days after the end of the month. The Rating Agencies may make the Fund’s top portfolio holdings available on their websites and may make the Fund’s complete portfolio holdings available to their subscribers for a fee. Neither the Fund, the Adviser nor any of their affiliates receive any portion of this fee. Information released to Rating Agencies is not released under conditions of confidentiality nor is it subject to prohibitions on trading based on the information. The Fund
also may post its complete portfolio holdings to its website, if applicable, within approximately 25 days after the end of the month. The information will remain posted on the website until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. If the Fund does not have a website or the website is for some reason inoperable, the information will be supplied no more frequently then quarterly and on a delayed basis.
Except as described above, the Fund is prohibited from entering into any arrangements with any person to make available information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings without the prior authorization of the Chief Compliance Officer and the specific approval of the Board. The Adviser must submit any proposed arrangement pursuant to which the Adviser intends to disclose the Fund’s portfolio holdings to the Board, which will review such arrangement to determine whether the arrangement is in the best interests of Fund shareholders. Additionally, the Adviser, and any affiliated persons of the Adviser, are prohibited from receiving compensation or other consideration, for themselves or on behalf of the Fund, as a result of disclosing the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Finally, the F und will not disclose portfolio holdings as described above to third parties that the Fund knows will use the information for personal securities transactions.
The Trust maintains written policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of its portfolio holdings to ensure that such disclosure is for a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. The Board reviews these policies and procedures on an annual basis. Compliance will be periodically assessed by the Board in connection with a report from the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer. There may be instances where the interests of the Trust’s shareholders respecting the disclosure of information about portfolio holdings may conflict or appear to conflict with the interests of the Adviser, any principal underwriter for the Trust or an affiliated person of the Trust (including such affiliated person’s investment adviser or principal underwriter). In such situations, the conflict must be disclosed to the Board.
PROXY VOTING POLICY
The Trust and the Adviser each have adopted proxy voting policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in shareholders’ best interests. As a brief summary, the Trust’s policy delegates responsibility regarding proxy voting to the Adviser, subject to the Adviser’s proxy voting policy and the supervision of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser votes the Fund’s proxies in accordance with its proxy voting policy, subject to the provisions of the Trust’s policy regarding conflicts of interests. The Fund’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedure is attached as Exhibit A. The Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedure is attached as Exhibit B.
The Trust’s policy provides that, if a conflict of interest between the Adviser or its affiliates and the Fund arises with respect to any proxy, the Adviser must fully disclose the conflict to the Board of Trustees and vote the proxy in accordance with the Board’s instructions. The Board shall make the proxy voting decision that in its judgment, after reviewing the recommendation of the Adviser, is most consistent with the Adviser’s proxy voting policies and in the best interests of Fund shareholders.
You may also obtain a copy of the Trust’s and the Adviser’s proxy voting policy by calling Shareholder Services at (866) 954-6682 to request a copy, or by writing to Unified Fund Services, Inc., the Fund’s transfer agent, at 2960 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208. A copy of the policies will be mailed to you within three days of receipt of your request.
You also may obtain a copy from Fund documents filed with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. A copy of the votes cast by the Fund with respect to portfolio securities for each year ended June 30 th will be filed by the Fund with the SEC on Form N-PX. The Fund’s proxy voting record will be available to shareholders free of charge upon request by calling or writing the Fund as described above or from the SEC’s web site.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value of the shares of the Fund is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day the Trust, its custodian, and transfer agent are open for business and on any other day on which there is sufficient trading in the Fund’s securities to materially affect the net asset value. The Trust is open for business on every day on which the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading. The NYSE is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For a description of the methods used to determine the net asset value (share price), see “Determination of Net Asset Value” in the Prospectus.
Equity securities generally are valued by using market quotations furnished by a pricing service when the Adviser believes such prices accurately reflect the fair market value of such securities. Securities that are traded on any stock exchange are generally valued by the pricing service at the last quoted sale price. Lacking
a last sale price, an exchange-traded security is generally valued by the pricing service at its last bid price. Securities traded in the NASDAQ over-the
-
counter market are generally valued by the pricing service at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price. When market quotations are not readily available, when the Adviser determines that the market quotation or the price provided by the pricing service does not accurately reflect
the current market value or when restricted or illiquid securities are being valued, such securities are valued at a fair value as determined by the Adviser in good faith according to procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees annually approves the pricing services used by the fund accounting agent. Fair valued securities held by the Fund (if any) are reviewed by the Board of Trustees on a quarterly basis.
The Fund’s net asset value per share is computed by dividing the value of the securities held by the Fund plus any cash or other assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus all liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of shares in the Fund outstanding at such time, as shown below:
|
Net Assets |
= Net Asset Value Per Share |
|
Shares Outstanding |
REDEMPTION IN-KIND
The Fund does not intend to redeem shares in any form except cash. However, if the redemption amount is over the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net asset value, pursuant to an election under Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, the Fund has the right to redeem your shares by giving you the amount that exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net asset value in securities instead of cash. In the event that an in-kind distribution is made, a shareholder may incur additional expenses such as the payment of brokerage commissions on the sale or other disposition of the securities received from the Fund.
STATUS AND TAXATION OF THE FUND
The following discussion is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders. The discussion reflects applicable federal income tax laws of the U.S. as of the date of this SAI, which tax laws may be changed or subject to new interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), possibly with retroactive effect. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. income, estate or gift tax, or foreign, state or local tax concerns affecting the Fund and its shareholders (including shareholders owning large positions in the Fund). The discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
In addition, no attempt is made to address tax concerns applicable to an investor with a special tax status such as a financial institution, real estate investment trust, insurance company, regulated investment company (“RIC”), individual retirement account, other tax-exempt entity, dealer in securities or non-U.S. investor. Furthermore, this discussion does not reflect possible application of the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”). Unless otherwise noted, this discussion assumes shares of the Fund are held by U.S. shareholders and that such shares are held as capital assets.
A U.S. shareholder is a beneficial owner of shares of the Fund that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
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● |
a citizen or individual resident of the United States (including certain former citizens and former long-term residents); |
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● |
a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
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● |
an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
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● |
a trust with respect to which a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more U.S. shareholders have the authority to control all of its substantial decisions or the trust have made a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person. |
A “Non-U.S. shareholder” is a beneficial owner of shares of the Fund that is an individual, corporation, trust or estate and is not a U.S. shareholder. If a partnership (including any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds shares of the Fund, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depends upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A prospective shareholder who is a partner of a partnership holding the Fund shares should consult its tax advisors with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of its Fund shares.
Intended Election to Be Taxed as a RIC
The Fund was organized as a series of a Delaware statutory trust, and in its first taxable year after it becomes registered under the 1940 Act it intends to elect to be treated as, and to qualify each year thereafter for treatment as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). There can be no assurance that it actually will so qualify. In order to so qualify, the Fund must satisfy certain requirements regarding its source of income, diversification of assets and distribution of earnings that are discussed further below. In addition, by the end of the Fund’s first taxable year as a RIC, it also must eliminate any earnings and profits accumulated before the intended RIC election became effective. The Fund intends to accomplish this by paying its shareholders one or more cash dividends representing substantially all of its accumulated earnings and profits, if any, for the period from the Fund’s inception through the date on which the intended RIC election becomes effective. The amount of these dividends will be based on a number of factors, including the Fund’s results of operations through the date on which the intended RIC election becomes effective. The Fund will need to manage its cash or have access to cash to enable it to pay any such dividend or dividends. Any dividend of accumulated earnings and profits would be taxable to shareholders as discussed further below. These dividends, if any, would be in addition to the dividends the Fund intends to pay to satisfy the RIC distribution of earnings requirement.
The Fund anticipates that, on the effective date of the RIC election, it may hold assets (including intangible assets not reflected on the balance sheet, such as goodwill) with “built-in gain,” which are assets whose fair market value as of the effective date of the RIC election exceeds their tax basis. In general, any entity taxable as a corporation that converts to taxation as a RIC must pay corporate-level federal income tax on any of the net built-in gains it recognizes during the 10-year period beginning on the effective date of its election to be treated as a RIC. Alternatively, the corporation may elect to recognize all of its built-in gain at the time of its conversion and pay such tax on the built-in gain at that time. The Fund may or may not make this election. If it does make this election, the Fund will mark its portfolio to market at the time of the intended RIC election, pay corporate-level federal income tax on any resulting taxable income, and distribute resulting earnings at that time or before the end of the first taxable year in which the Fund qualifies as a RIC. If the Fund does not make this election, it will pay such corporate-level federal income tax as is payable at the time the built-in gains are recognized (which generally will be the years in which the built-in gain assets are actually sold in taxable transactions). The amount of this tax will vary depending on the assets that are actually sold by the Fund in this 10-year period, the actual amount of the net built-in gain or loss present in those assets as of the effective date of the RIC election and effective tax rates. Recognized built-in gains that are ordinary in character and the excess of short-term capital gains over long-term capital losses will be included in the Fund’s investment company taxable income, and generally the Fund must distribute annually at least 90% of any such amounts (net of corporate taxes paid on those gains) in order to be eligible for RIC tax treatment. Any such amount distributed will be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income. Built-in gains (net of taxes) that are recognized within the 10-year period and that are long term capital gains will also be distributed (or deemed distributed) annually to the shareholders. Any such amount distributed (or deemed distributed) will be taxable to the shareholders as capital gains.
Taxation as a RIC
The Fund will qualify as a RIC if, among other things, it meets the source-of-income and the asset-diversification requirements. With respect to the source-of-income requirement, the Fund must derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income (including tax-exempt interest) from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such shares, securities or currencies and (ii) net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership.” A “qualified publicly traded partnership” is generally defined as a publicly traded partnership under Internal Revenue Code section 7704. However, for these purposes, a qualified publicly traded partnership does not include a publicly traded partnership if 90% or more of its income is described in (i) above. Income derived from a partnership (other than a qualified publicly traded partnership) or trust is qualifying income to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership or trust which would be qualifying income if realized by the Fund in the same manner as realized by the partnership or trust.
With respect to the asset-diversification requirement, the Fund must diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, the securities of other RICs and other securities, if such other securities of any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested in the securities other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs of (a) one issuer, (b) two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (c) one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.
If the Fund qualifies as a RIC and distributes to its shareholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of the sum of (i) its “investment company taxable income” as that term is defined in the Internal Revenue Code (which includes, among other things, dividends, taxable interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses and certain net foreign exchange gains as reduced by certain deductible expenses) without regard to the deduction for dividends paid, and (ii) the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest, if any, over certain deductions attributable to such interest that are otherwise disallowed, the Fund will be relieved of U.S. federal income tax on any income of the Fund, including long-term capital gains, distributed to shareholders. However, any ordinary income or capital gain retained by the Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate federal income tax rates (currently at a maximum rate of 35%). The Fund intends to distribute at least annually substantially all of its investment company taxable income, net tax-exempt interest, and net capital gain.
The Fund will generally be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on the portion of its undistributed ordinary income with respect to each calendar year and undistributed capital gains if it fails to meet certain distribution requirements with respect to the one-year period ending on October 31 in that calendar year. In order to avoid the 4% federal excise tax, the required minimum distribution is generally equal to the sum of (i) 98% of the Fund’s ordinary income (computed on a calendar year basis), (ii) 98% of the Fund’s capital gain net income (generally computed for the one-year period ending on October 31) and (iii) any income realized, but not distributed, and on which we paid no federal income tax in preceding years. The Fund generally intends to make distributions in a timely manner in an amount at least equal to the required minimum distribution and therefore, under normal market conditions, does not expect to be subject to this excise tax.
The Fund may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which it does not receive cash. For example, if the Fund holds debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with payment in kind interest or, in certain cases, with increasing interest rates or that are issued with warrants), the Fund must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the life of the obligation regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by the Fund in the same taxable year. Because any original issue discount accrued will be included in the Fund’s “investment company taxable income” (discussed below) for the year of accrual, the Fund may be required to make a distribution to its shareholders to satisfy the distribution requirement, even though it will not have received an amount of cash that corresponds with the income earned.
Gain or loss realized by the Fund from the sale or exchange of warrants acquired by the Fund as well as any loss attributable to the lapse of such warrants generally will be treated as capital gain or loss. Such gain or loss generally will be long-term or short-term, depending on how long the Fund held a particular warrant. Upon the exercise of a warrant acquired by the Fund, the Fund’s tax basis in the stock purchased under the warrant will equal the sum of the amount paid for the warrant plus the strike price paid on the exercise of the warrant. Except as set forth in “Failure to Qualify as a RIC,” the remainder of this discussion assumes that the Fund will qualify as a RIC for each taxable year.
Failure to Qualify as a RIC
If the Fund is unable to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement or otherwise fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it will be subject to corporate level income tax on all of its income and gain, regardless of whether or not such income was distributed. Distributions to the Fund’s shareholders of such income and gain will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In such event, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, would constitute ordinary dividends, which would generally be eligible for the dividends received deduction available to corporate shareholders, and non-corporate shareholders would generally be able to treat such distributions as “qualified dividend income” eligible for reduced rates of U.S. federal income taxation in taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, provided in each case that certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholders’ tax basis in their Fund shares, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. To qualify as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the source-of-income, the asset diversification, and the annual distribution requirements for that year and dispose of any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. Subject to a limited exception applicable to RICs that qualified as such under the Internal Revenue Code for at least one year prior to disqualification and that re-qualify as a RIC no later than the second year following the non-qualifying year, the Fund would be subject to tax on any unrealized built-in gains in the assets held by it during the period in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC that are recognized within the subsequent 10 years, unless the Fund made a special election to pay corporate-level tax on such built-in gain at the time of its re-qualification as a RIC.
Taxation for U.S. Shareholders
Distributions paid to U.S. shareholders by the Fund from its investment company taxable income (which is, generally, the Fund’s ordinary income plus net realized short-term capital gains in excess of net realized long-term capital losses) are generally taxable to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. Such distributions (if designated by the Fund) may qualify (i) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders under Section 243 of the Internal Revenue Code to the extent that the Fund’s income consists of dividend income from U.S. corporations, excluding distributions from tax-exempt organizations, exempt farmers’ cooperatives or real estate investment trusts or (ii) in the case of individual shareholders for taxable years beginning on or prior to December 31, 2010, as qualified dividend income eligible to be taxed at reduced rates under Section 1(h)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code (which provided for a minimum 15% rate) to the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income, and provided in each case certain holding period and other requirements are met. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations (e.g., generally, foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a qualified comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, or the stock with respect to which such dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). A qualified foreign corporation generally excludes any foreign corporation, which for the taxable year of the corporation in which the dividend was paid, or the preceding taxable year, is a passive foreign investment company. Distributions made to a U.S. shareholder from an excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses (“capital gain dividends”), including capital gain dividends credited to such shareholder but retained by the Fund, are taxable to such shareholder as long-term capital gain if they have been properly designated by the Fund, regardless of the length of time such shareholder owned the shares of the Fund. The maximum tax rate on capital gain dividends received by individuals is generally 15% (5% for individuals in lower brackets) for such gain realized before January 1, 2011. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will be treated by the U.S. shareholder, first, as a tax-free return of capital, which is applied against and will reduce the adjusted tax basis of the U.S. shareholder’s shares and, after such adjusted tax basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain to the U.S. shareholder (assuming the shares are held as a capital asset). Under current law, the maximum 15% tax rate on long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income will cease to apply for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010; beginning in 2011, the maximum rate on long-term capital gains is scheduled to revert
to 20%, and all ordinary dividends (including amounts treated as qualified dividends under the law currently in effect) would be taxed as ordinary income. Generally, not later than sixty days after the close of its taxable year, the Fund will provide the shareholders with a written notice designating the amount of any qualified dividend income or capital gain dividends and other distributions.
As a RIC, the Fund will be subject to the AMT, but any items that are treated differently for AMT purposes must be apportioned between the Fund and the shareholders and this may affect the shareholders’ AMT liabilities. Although regulations explaining the precise method of apportionment have not yet been issued by the IRS, the Fund intends in general to apportion these items in the same proportion that dividends paid to each shareholder bear to the Fund’s taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction), unless the Fund determines that a different method for a particular item is warranted under the circumstances.
For purpose of determining (i) whether the annual distribution requirement is satisfied for any year and (ii) the amount of capital gain dividends paid for that year, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, elect to treat a dividend that is paid during the following taxable year as if it had been paid during the taxable year in question. If the Fund makes such an election, the U.S. shareholder will still be treated as receiving the dividend in the taxable year in which the distribution is made. However, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following year, will be treated as if it had been received by the U.S. shareholders on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.
If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets at the close of the taxable year consist of stock or securities in foreign corporations and certain other requirements are met, the Fund may elect to have its foreign tax deduction or credit for such withholding taxes be taken by its investors instead of claiming it on its tax return. If such an election is made, each investor will include in gross income his proportional share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Investors may claim the amount of such taxes paid as a foreign tax credit in order to reduce the amount of U.S. federal income tax liability that an investor incurs on his or her foreign source in come, including foreign source income from the Fund. If the Fund makes the election, it will furnish the shareholders with a written notice after the close of its taxable year.
The Fund intends to distribute all realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. If, however, the Fund were to retain any net capital gain, the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to shareholders who, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the federal income tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. If such an event occurs, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, generally be increased by the difference between the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholders.
Sales and other dispositions of the shares of the Fund shares generally are taxable events. U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax adviser with reference to their individual circumstances to determine whether any particular transaction in the shares of the Fund is properly treated as a sale or exchange for federal income tax purposes, as the following discussion assumes, and the tax treatment of any gains or losses recognized in such transactions. The sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund will generally result in capital gain or loss to the shareholder equal to the difference between the amount realized and his adjusted tax basis in the shares sold or exchanged, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year at the time of sale. Any loss upon the sale or exchange of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) by such shareholder with respect to such shares. A loss realized on a sale or exchange of shares of the Fund generally will be disallowed if other substantially identical shares are acquired within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date that the shares are disposed. In such case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Present law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates applicable to ordinary income of corporations. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain will currently be taxed at the rate applicable to ordinary income, currently a maximum of 35%, while long-term capital gain generally will be taxed at a maximum rate of 15%. Capital losses are subject to certain limitations.
The Fund is required in certain circumstances to backup withhold at a current rate of 28% on taxable distributions and certain other payments paid to non-corporate holders of the Fund’s shares who do not furnish the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number (in the case of individuals, their social security number) and certain certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld from payments made to you may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS.
The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Fund and its shareholders. These provisions are subject to change by legislative and administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal income, estate or gift taxes, or foreign, state, local taxes or other taxes.
CUSTODIAN
Huntington National Bank, 41 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, is Custodian of the Fund’s investments. The Custodian acts as the Fund’s depository, safekeeps its portfolio securities, collects all income and other payments with respect thereto, disburses funds at the Fund’s request and maintains records in connection with its duties. The Custodian’s parent company, Huntington Bancshares, Inc., is also the parent company of Unified Fund Services, Inc. (“Unified”), the Trust’s transfer agent, fund accountant and administrator, and of Unified Financial Securities, Inc. (the “Distributor”), the Trust’s distributor.
For its custodial services, the Custodian receives a monthly fee from the Fund based on the market value of assets under custody. The monthly fee is equal to an annual rate of 0.0125% of the first $75 million of market value; 0.0100% of the next $75 million of market value; and 0.0075% of market value in excess of $150 million. The Custodian also receives various transaction-based fees. Custodial fees are subject to a $250 monthly minimum fee per Fund account.
FUND SERVICES
Unified Fund Services, Inc. (“Unified”), 2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46208, acts as the Fund’s transfer agent, fund accountant, and administrator. Unified is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares, the parent company of the Custodian and the Distributor. Certain officers of the Trust also are officers of Unified.
Unified maintains the records of each shareholder’s account, answers shareholders’ inquiries concerning their accounts, processes purchases and redemptions of the Fund’s shares, acts as dividend and distribution disbursing agent and performs other transfer agent and shareholder service functions. Unified receives a monthly fee from the Fund of $1.50 per shareholder account (subject to a minimum annual fee of $30,000) for these transfer agency services.
In addition, Unified provides the Fund with fund accounting services, which includes certain monthly reports, record-keeping and other management-related services. For its services as fund accountant, Unified receives a monthly fee from the Fund at an annual rate equal to 0.04% of the Fund’s average daily net assets up to $100 million, 0.02% of the Fund’s average daily net assets from $100 million to $250 million, and 0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets over $250 million (subject to a minimum annual fee of $35,000).
Unified also provides the Fund with administrative services, including all regulatory reporting and necessary office equipment, personnel and facilities. Unified receives a monthly fee from the Fund equal to an annual rate of 0.09% of the Fund’s average daily net assets under $100 million, 0.06% of the Fund’s average daily net assets from $100 million to $250 million, and 0.030% of the Fund’s average daily net assets over $250 million (subject to a minimum annual fee of $45,000). Unified also receives a compliance program services fee of $800 per month from the Fund
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The firm of Briggs, Bunting & Doughterty, LLP (“BBD”), 1835 Market Street, 26th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, has been selected as independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund for its initial fiscal period ending January 31, 2010. BBD will perform an annual audit of the Fund’s financial statements and will provide financial, tax and accounting consulting services as requested.
LEGAL COUNSEL
The firm of Husch Blackwell Sanders, LLP (“HBS”), 4801 Main Street, Suite 1000, Kansas City, MO 64112, serves as legal counsel for the Trust and Fund.
DISTRIBUTOR
Unified Financial Securities, Inc., 2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46208 (the “Distributor”), is the exclusive agent for distribution of shares of the Fund. Certain officers of the Trust are also officers of the Distributor. As a result, such persons are affiliates of the Distributor.
The Distributor is obligated to sell the shares of the Fund on a best efforts basis only against purchase orders for the shares. Shares of the Fund are offered to the public on a continuous basis.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The Plan was approved by a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust or the Fund, and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any other Rule 12b-1 agreement.
The Plan provides that the Fund will pay the Adviser and/or any registered securities dealer, financial institution or any other person (the “Recipient”) a shareholder servicing fee of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund in connection with the promotion and distribution of the Fund’s shares or the provision of personal services to shareholders, including, but not necessarily limited to, advertising, compensation to underwriters, dealers and selling personnel, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than current Fund shareholders, the printing and mailing of sales literature and servicing shareholder accounts (“12b-1 Expenses”). The Fund or Adviser may pay all or a portion of these fees to any Recipient who renders assistance in distributing or promoting the sale of shares, or who provides certain shareholder services, pursuant to a written agreement. The Plan is a compensation plan, which means that compensation is provided regardless of 12b-1 Expenses actually incurred. It is anticipated that the Plan will benefit shareholders because an effective sales program typically is necessary in order for the Fund to reach and maintain a sufficient size to achieve efficiently its investment objectives and to realize economies of scale. The Trust and the Distributor have agreed to waive the 12b-1 fees, and the 12b-1 Plan is currently not active.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, has no financial statements. You can receive free copies of reports (once available), request other information and discuss your questions about the Fund by contacting the Trust directly at:
Unified Fund Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 6110
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6110
(866) 954-6682
EXHIBIT A
VALUED ADVISERS TRUST
PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURE
Valued Advisers Trust (the “Trust”) is a registered open-end investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”). The Trust offers multiple series (each a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”). Effective April 14, 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted rule and form amendments under the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the 1940 Act to require registered management investment companies to provide disclosure about how they vote proxies for their portfolio securities (collectively, the rule and form amendments are referred to herein as the “Proxy Rule”).
Consistent with its fiduciary duties and pursuant to the Proxy Rule, the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has adopted this proxy voting policy on behalf of the Trust (the “Policy”) to reflect its commitment to ensure that proxies are voted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Funds’ shareholders. While decisions about how to vote must be determined on a case-by-case basis, proxy voting decisions will be made considering these guidelines and following the procedures recited herein. This policy may be amended, from time to time, as determined by the Board.
The Proxy Rule requires that each series of shares of the Trust listed on Exhibit A, attached hereto, (each a “Fund”), disclose the policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies for portfolio securities. The Proxy Rule also requires each Fund to file with the SEC and to make available to their shareholders the specific proxy votes cast for portfolio securities.
Delegation of Proxy Voting Authority to Fund Advisors
The Board believes that the investment advisor of each Fund (each an “Advisor”), as the entity that selects the individual securities that comprise its Fund’s portfolio, is the most knowledgeable and best-suited entity to make decisions on how to vote proxies of portfolio companies held by that Fund. Therefore, subject to the oversight of the Board, the Trust shall defer to and rely on the Advisor of each Fund to make decisions on how to cast proxy votes on behalf of such Fund.
The Trust hereby designates the Advisor of each Fund as the entity responsible for exercising proxy voting authority with regard to securities held in the Fund’s investment portfolio. Consistent with its duties under this Policy, each Advisor shall monitor and review corporate transactions of corporations in which the Fund has invested, obtain all information sufficient to allow an informed vote on all proxy solicitations, ensure that all proxy votes are cast in a timely fashion, and maintain all records required to be maintained by the Fund under the Proxy Rule and the 1940 Act. Each Advisor shall perform these duties in accordance with the Advisor’s proxy voting policy (each an “Advisor’s Voting Policy”), a copy of which shall be presented to the Board for its review. Each Advisor shall promptly provide to the Board updates to its proxy voting policy as they are adopted and implemented.
The Board, including a majority of the independent trustees of the Board, shall approve each Advisor’s Voting Policy as it relates to each Fund. The Board shall also approve any material changes to the Advisor’s Voting Policy no later than four (4) months after adoption by the Advisor.
Conflict of Interest Transactions
In some instances, an Advisor may be asked to cast a proxy vote that presents a conflict between the interests of a Fund’s shareholders, and those of the Advisor or an affiliated person of the Advisor. In such case, the Advisor is instructed to abstain from making a voting decision and to forward all necessary proxy voting materials to the Trust to enable the Board to make a voting decision. In addition, provided the Advisor is not affiliated with a Fund’s principal underwriter or an affiliated person of the principal underwriter and neither the Fund’s principal underwriter nor an affiliated person of the principal underwriter has influenced the Advisor with respect to a matter to which the Fund is entitled to vote, a vote by the Advisor shall not be considered a conflict between the Fund’s shareholders and the Fund’s principal underwriter or affiliated person of the principal underwriter. When the Board is required to make a proxy voting decision, only the Trustees without a conflict of interest with regard to the security in question or the matter to be voted upon shall be permitted to participate in the decision of how the Fund’s vote will be cast. In the event that the Board is required to vote a proxy because an Advisor has a conflict of interest with respect to the proxy, the Board will vote such proxy in accordance with the Advisor’s proxy voting policy, to the extent consistent with the shareholders’ best interests, as determined by the Board in its discretion. The Board shall notify the Advisor of its final decision on the matter and the Advisor shall vote in accordance with the Board’s decision.
Oversight of the Advisors’ Proxy Voting Compliance Activities
Each Advisor shall present to the Trust’s administrator a quarterly report summarizing its proxy voting compliance activities for the preceding quarter. The administrator shall review the report to ensure compliance with the Proxy Rule and with this Policy, and shall determine the steps and procedures, if any, that must be undertaken or adopted by the Trust and any Advisor to ensure further compliance with the relevant laws.
Availability of Proxy Voting Policy and Records Available to Fund Shareholders
Each Fund shall disclose this Policy, or a description of the Policy, to its shareholders by including it as an appendix to its Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) on Form N-1A. Each Fund will also notify its shareholders in the Fund’s shareholder reports that a description of this Policy is available upon request, without charge, by calling a specified toll-free telephone number. The Fund will send this description of the Policy within three business days of receipt of any shareholder request, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery.
In accordance with the Proxy Rule, each Advisor shall provide a complete voting record, for each series of the Trust for which it acts as advisor, to the Trust’s administrator within 15 days following the end of each calendar quarter. The Trust’s administrator will file Form N-PX with the SEC on an annual basis with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than August 31 st of each year.
Each Fund, subject to oversight of the Board, shall disclose the Fund’s complete proxy voting record to its shareholders on Form N-PX, as required by the Proxy Rule, for the twelve-month period ended June 30th . Each Fund shall disclose the following information on Form N-PX for each matter relating to a portfolio
security considered at any shareholder meeting held during the period covered by the report and with respect to which to the Fund was entitled to vote: (i) The name of the issuer of the portfolio security; (ii) The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security (if available through reasonably practicable means); (iii) The Council on Uniform Security Identification Procedures (“CUSIP”) number for the portfolio security (if available through reasonably practicable means); (iv) The shareholder meeting date; (v) A brief identification of the matter voted on; (vi) Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder; (vii) Whether the Fund cast its vote on the matter; (viii) How the Fund cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of directors); and (ix) Whether the Fund cast its vote for or against management.
Each Fund shall make its proxy voting record available to shareholders either upon request or by making available an electronic version on or through the Fund’s website, if applicable. If the Fund discloses its proxy voting record on or through its website, the Fund shall post the information disclosed in the Fund’s most recently filed report on Form N-PX on the website beginning the same day it files such information with the SEC.
Each Fund shall also include in its annual reports, semi-annual reports and SAI a statement that information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30th is available (1) without charge upon request, by calling a specified toll-free (or collect) telephone number, or (if applicable) on or through the Fund’s website at a specified Internet address; and (2) on the SEC’s website. If the Fund discloses that its proxy voting record is available by calling a toll-free (or collect) telephone number, it shall send the information disclosed in the Fund’s most recently filed report on Form N-PX within three business days of receipt of a request for this information, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery.
If a Fund has a website, the Fund may post of copy of its Advisor’s proxy voting policy and this Policy on such website. A copy of such policies and of each Fund’s proxy voting record shall also be made available, without charge, upon request of any shareholder of the Fund, by calling the applicable Fund’s toll-free telephone number as printed in the Fund’s prospectus. The Trust’s administrator shall reply to any Fund shareholder request within three business days of receipt of the request, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery.
EXHIBIT B
The Golub Group
Proxy Voting and Corporate Action Policy and Procedures
(b) |
Background |
|
1. |
Golub Group has established and will enforce the following policies and procedures designed to prevent any violation of the rules and regulations governing the voting of proxies. |
New
2. Rule 206(4)-6 and related amendments under the Advisers Act became effective March 10, 2003, and advisers must be in compliance by August 6, 2003. Advisers to be in compliance must accomplish the following:
|
a) |
Adopt and implement written policies and procedures to ensure proxies are voted in the best interests of clients; |
|
b) |
Disclose to clients information about the firm's proxy policies and procedures; |
|
c) |
Provide information to clients about how their proxies were voted; and |
|
d) |
Retain certain records related to proxy voting practices. |
Advisers as fiduciaries and investment managers have responsibility for voting proxies for the securities managed for clients. The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued releases and guidelines for investment managers as fiduciaries to ERISA plans (See Section 8 ERISA Matters).
|
3. |
The SEC under the Securities Acts and Investment Company Act adopted a similar rule and amendments. |
(c) |
Company Policy & Rules |
|
1. |
Golub Group has adopted the policy where, if authorized by its clients, it will make voting decisions in connection with corporate reorganizations and other actions. |
|
a) |
Clients who use Charles Schwab & Co. as custodian may elect to receive and vote proxies themselves or to authorize Golub Group to exercise that power on their behalf. To meet its own regulatory obligations, Schwab requires account holders to make separate elections with respect to (a) Proxy Voting Authorization, and (b) Corporate Reorganizations and Other Corporate Actions. The decision as to whether an issuer communication falls into category (a) or category (b) is made by the issuer, not by Schwab or by Golub Group. We understand those in group (a) to include what are typically considered by the securities industry and legal community to be “proxies,” i.e. ballots, on which to convey a vote . We understand those in group (b) to include communications regarding such actions as tender offers, mergers, rights offerings, exchange offers and warrants, among other actions, which request shareholders (or where authorized, Golub Group) to issue instructions with respect to the corporate action. |
2. As is the case with all communications from issuers requiring shareholder response, (i.e. proxies), these corporate actions have material financial ramifications to the issuer and its shareholders.
|
3. |
Golub Group’s policy with respect to its voting decision when faced with corporate reorganizations and other corporate actions will be to serve Golub Group’s clients best interests strictly from a financial point of view. Such determination will be made following an analysis of the terms of the corporate action and other due diligence, and will be documented. Golub Group typically consults with third-party experts, including Institutional Shareholder Services, for guidance on how to vote certain proxies. |
(d) |
Procedures |
Any conflicts of interest, to the extent they exist, will be disclosed to clients. In an effort to resolve a conflict, Golub Group will then grant the client the option to vote its own proxy regarding the matter.
Golub Group will maintain records concerning all proxy votes, including supporting documentation. These records include Golub Group’s policies and procedures, Golub Group’s records of votes cast on behalf of clients, any written client requests for proxy voting information and Golub Group’s response thereto, and any documents created by Golub Group to make a voting decision or memorialize a voting decision. Golub Group will direct clients to the SEC’s EDGAR website to retrieve the issuers’ proxy statements.
Golub Group will conduct an annual review of its proxy voting policy and record keeping.
PART C
FORM N-1A
OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 23. |
Exhibits . |
(a)(1) |
Certificate of Trust. 1 |
(a)(2) |
Agreement and Declaration of Trust. 2 |
(a)(3) |
Amended Schedule A to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust. 7 |
(b) |
Bylaws. 2 |
(c) |
Certificates for shares are not issued. Provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust define the rights of holders of shares of the Trust. 2 |
(d)(1) |
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and IndexEdge Investment Consulting, LLC. 2 |
(d)(2) |
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Golub Group, LLC. 7 |
(d)(3) |
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Luminent Capital Management, Inc. 6 |
(e)(1) |
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Unified Financial Securities, Inc. 2 |
(e)(2) |
Amended Exhibit A to the Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Unified Financial Securities, Inc. 7 |
(f) |
Not applicable. |
(g)(1) |
Custody Agreement between the Trust and Huntington National Bank. 2 |
(g)(2) |
Amended Appendix B to the Custody Agreement between the Trust and Huntington National Bank. 7 |
(h)(1) |
Mutual Fund Services Agreement between the Trust and Unified Fund Services, Inc. 2 |
(h)(2) |
Amended Exhibit A to the Mutual Fund Services Agreement between the Trust and Unified Fund Services, Inc. 7 |
(h)(3) |
Expense Limitation Agreement between the Trust and IndexEdge Investment Consulting, LLC. 2 |
(h)(4) |
Expense Limitation Agreement between the Trust and Golub Group, LLC. 7 |
(h)(5) |
Expense Limitation Agreement between the Trust and Luminent Capital Management, Inc. 6 |
(i)(1) |
Opinion and Consent of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, Legal Counsel, with respect to IndexEdge® Long-Term Portfolio Fund. 2 |
(i)(2) |
Opinion and Consent of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, Legal Counsel, with respect to Golub Group Equity Fund. 7 |
(i)(3) |
Opinion and Consent of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, Legal Counsel, with respect to Arrowhead Money Market Fund. 6 |
(j)(1) |
Consent of Briggs, Bunting & Doughterty, LLP, Independent Public Accountants, with respect to IndexEdge® Long-Term Portfolio Fund. 2 |
(j)(2) |
Consent of Briggs, Bunting & Doughterty, LLP, Independent Public Accountants, with respect to Golub Group Equity Fund. 7 |
(j)(3) |
Consent of Briggs, Bunting & Doughterty, LLP, Independent Public Accountants, with respect to Arrowhead Money Market Fund. 5 |
(j)(4) |
Consent of Ashland Partners, with respect to Golub Group Equity Fund. 7 |
(k) |
Not applicable. |
(l) |
Initial Capital Agreement. 2 |
(m)(1) |
Distribution Plan under Rule 12b-1 for IndexEdge® Long-Term Portfolio Fund Class A Shares. 2 |
(m)(2) |
Distribution Plan under Rule 12b-1 for Golub Group Equity Fund. 7 |
(n)(1) |
Rule 18f-3 Multi-Class Plan, with respect to IndexEdge® Long-Term Portfolio Fund. 2 |
(o) |
Reserved. |
(p)(1) |
Code of Ethics for the Trust. 2 |
(p)(2) |
Code of Ethics for IndexEdge Investment Consulting, LLC. 2 |
(p)(3) |
Code of Ethics for Golub Group, LLC. 7 |
(p)(4) |
Code of Ethics for Luminent Capital Management, Inc. 6 |
(p)(5) |
Code of Ethics for Unified Financial Securities, Inc. 2 |
(q) |
Powers of Attorney. 2 |
-----------------------
1. |
Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed June 16, 2008(File No. 811-22208). |
2. |
Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 filed October 6, 2008 (File No. 811-22208). |
3. |
Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 filed December 5, 2008 (File No. 811-22208). |
4. |
Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filed February 27, 2009 (File No. 811-22208). |
5. |
Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 4 filed March 4, 2009 (File No. 811-22208). |
6. |
To be filed by amendment. |
7. |
Filed herewith. |
ITEM 24. |
Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Registrant . |
No person is controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.
ITEM 25. |
Indemnification . |
Reference is made to the Registrant's Declaration of Trust, which is filed herewith. The following is a summary of certain indemnification provisions therein.
A person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the Trustees as a director, trustee, partner, officer, employee or agent of a corporation, trust, partnership, joint venture or other enterprise shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, as such may be amended from time to time, the Registrant’s Bylaws and other applicable law. In case any shareholder or former shareholder of the Registrant shall be held to be personally liable solely by reason of his being or having been a shareholder of the Registrant or any series or class of the Registrant and not because of his acts or omissions or for some other reason, the shareholder or former shareholder (or his heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives, or, in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or general successor) shall be entitled, out of the assets belonging to the applicable series (or allocable to the applicable class), to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability in accordance with the Registrant’s Bylaws and applicable law.
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defenses of any action, suite or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
ITEM 26. |
Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser . |
See the Prospectuses section entitled “Management of the Fund–Adviser” and the Statement of Additional Information section entitled “Investment Adviser” for the activities and affiliations of the officers and directors of the investment advisers of the Registrant (the “Advisers”). Except as so provided, to the knowledge of Registrant, none of the directors or executive officers of the Advisers is or has been at any time during the past two fiscal years engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature. The Advisers currently serves as investment advisers to other institutional and individual clients.
ITEM 27. |
Principal Underwriters . |
|
(a) |
Unified Financial Securities, Inc. also serves as a principal underwriter for the following investment companies: American Pension Investors Trust, Dividend Growth Trust, LCM Landmark Series Trust, RiverNorth Funds, Skyhawk Funds Trust, TrendStar Investment Trust, The Penn Street Fund, Inc. and Unified Series Trust. |
(b) The directors and officers of Unified Financial Securities, Inc. are as follows:
Name |
Title |
Position with Trust |
Daniel B. Benhase* |
Director |
None |
Melissa K. Gallagher** |
President |
None |
Stephen D. Highsmith, Jr.** |
Senior Vice President and Treasurer |
None |
John C. Swhear** Edward J. Kane* A. Dawn Story* |
Chief Compliance Officer Vice President Vice President |
None None None |
Anna Maria Spurgin** |
Assistant Vice President |
None |
D. Eric McKenzie** |
Assistant Vice President |
None |
Karyn E. Cunningham** Richard A. Cheap* Larry D. Case* |
Controller Secretary Assistant Secretary |
None None None |
|
* |
The principal business address of these individuals is 41 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 |
|
** |
The principal business address of these individuals is 2960 N. Meridian Street, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46208 |
(c) Not Applicable.
ITEM 28. |
Location Of Accounts And Records . |
The accounts, books or other documents of the Registrant required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder are kept in several locations:
|
(a) |
Huntington National Bank, 41 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215 (records relating to its functions as custodian for the Fund). |
|
(b) |
IndexEdge Investment Consulting, LLC, 650 Poydras Street, Suite 1400, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to IndexEdge® Long-Term Portfolio Fund). |
|
(c) |
Golub Group, LLC, 2929 Campus Drive, Suite 145, San Mateo, CA 94403 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to Golub Group Equity Fund). |
|
(d) |
Luminent Capital Management, Inc., 4700 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80237 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to Arrowhead Money Market Fund). |
|
(e) |
Unified Financial Securities, Inc., 2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208 (records relating to its function as distributor to the Fund). |
|
(f) |
Unified Fund Services, Inc., 2960 N. Meridian St., Suite 300, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208 (records relating to its function as transfer agent, fund accountant, and administrator for the Fund). |
ITEM 29. |
Management Services . |
There are no management-related service contracts not discussed in Parts A or B of this Form.
ITEM 30. |
Undertakings . |
None.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant's Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, there unto duly authorized, in the City of Indianapolis, and State of Indiana on this 10th day of March 2009.
VALUED ADVISERS TRUST
|
By: /s/ Anthony J. Ghoston* |
|
Anthony J. Ghoston, President |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
____________________ * _____________________ |
March 10, 2009 |
R. Jeffrey Young, Trustee, Chairman |
Date |
____________________ * _____________________ |
March 10, 2009 |
Stephen D. Highsmith, Jr., Treasurer and Principal |
Date |
Financial Officer
____________________ * _____________________ |
March 10, 2009 |
Anthony J. Ghoston, Trustee, President and Principal |
Date |
|
Executive Officer |
____________________ * _____________________ |
March 10, 2009 |
Dr. Merwyn Vernerlind, Trustee Date
__________________________________________________________________________
* By: /s/ Carol J. Highsmith |
March 10, 2009 |
Carol J. Highsmith, Vice President, Attorney in Fact |
Date |
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
(FOR REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 AND THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940)
------------------------------------------------------------
EXHIBIT NO. |
UNDER PART C
OF FORM N-1A |
NAME OF EXHIBIT |
-------------------- ------------------------------------ |
(a)(3) |
Amended Schedule A to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust. |
(d)(2) |
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Golub Group, LLC. |
(e)(2) |
Amended Exhibit A to the Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Unified Financial Securities, Inc. |
(g)(2) |
Amended Appendix B to the Custody Agreement between the Trust and Huntington National Bank. 7 |
(h)(2) |
Amended Exhibit A to the Mutual Fund Services Agreement between the Trust and Unified Fund Services, Inc. |
(h)(4) |
Expense Limitation Agreement between the Trust and Golub Group, LLC. |
(i)(2) |
Opinion and Consent of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, Legal Counsel, with respect to Golub Group Equity Fund. |
(j)(2) |
Consent of Briggs, Bunting & Doughterty, LLP, Independent Public Accountants, with respect to Golub Group Equity Fund. |
(j)(4) |
Consent of Ashland Partners, with respect to Golub Group Equity Fund. |
(m)(2) |
Distribution Plan under Rule 12b-1 for Golub Group Equity Fund. |
(p)(3) |
Code of Ethics for Golub Group, LLC. |
SCHEDULE A
VALUED ADVISERS TRUST
PORTFOLIOS AND CLASSES THEREOF
As amended on December 17, 2008
PORTFOLIO/CLASSES
IndexEdge Long-Term Portfolio Fund
Class A Shares
Investor Shares
Golub Group Equity Fund
EXHIBIT A
to
Distribution Agreement
FUNDS AND INVESTMENT ADVISERS
NAME OF FUND |
INVESTMENT ADVISER |
DATE ADDED TO THE AGREEMENT |
IndexEdge Long-Term Portfolio Fund |
IndexEdge Investment Consulting LLC
650 Poydras Street, Suite 1400
|
September 4, 2008 |
Golub Group Equity Fund |
Golub Group, LLC
|
December 17, 2008 |
APPENDIX B
Series of the Trust
IndexEdge
®
Long-Term Portfolio Fund
Golub Group Equity Fund
EXHIBIT A
to
Mutual Fund Services Agreement
List of Portfolios Date Added to the Agreement
IndexEdge Long-Term Portfolio Fund September 4, 2008
Golub Group Equity Fund December 17, 2008
|
DIRECT 816.983.8000 • FAX 816.983.8080 4801 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000 • KANSAS CITY, MO 64112 www.huschblackwell.com |
|
|
|
Exhibit 23(i)(2)
March 10, 2009
Valued Advisers Trust
2960 North Meridian Street, Suite 300
RE: Opinion of Counsel regarding the Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (File Nos. 333-151672 and 811-22208) |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Valued Advisers Trust (the “Trust”), a statutory trust organized under the laws of the state of Delaware and registered under the 1940 Act as an open-end series management investment company.
This opinion relates to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (the “Registration Statement and is given in connection with the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 under the Securities Act and Amendment No. 6 under the 1940 Act (collectively, the “Amendment”), each to the Registration Statement. The Amendment relates to the registration of an indefinite number of shares of beneficial interest (collectively, the “Shares”), with no par value per share, of the Golub Group Equity Fund (the “Fund”), a new series portfolio of the Trust. We understand that the Amendment will be filed with the Commission under the Securities Act and that our opinion is required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
In reaching the opinions set forth below, we have examined, among other things, copies of the Trust's Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, applicable resolutions of the Board of Trustees, and originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such other documents, records and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for purposes of this opinion. We have also examined the prospectus and statement of additional information for the Fund, substantially in the form in which they are to be filed in the Amendment (collectively, the "Prospectus").
As to any facts or questions of fact material to the opinions set forth below, we have relied exclusively upon the aforesaid documents and upon representations and declarations of the officers or other representatives of the Trust. We have made no independent investigation whatsoever as to such factual matters.
KCP-1666338-1
Valued Advisers Trust
March 10, 2009
Page 2
The Prospectus provides for issuance of the Shares from time to time at the net asset value thereof, plus any applicable sales charge. In reaching the opinions set forth below, we have assumed that upon sale of the Shares, the Trust will receive the net asset value thereof. We have also assumed, without independent investigation or inquiry, that:
(a) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic; all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the original documents; all signatures on all documents submitted to us for examination are genuine; and all documents and public records reviewed are accurate and complete; and
(b) all representations, warranties, certifications and statements with respect to matters of fact and other factual information (i) made by public officers; or (ii) made by officers or representatives of the Trust are accurate, true, correct and complete in all material respects.
The Delaware Statutory Trust Act provides that shareholders of the Trust shall be entitled to the same limitation on personal liability as is extended under the Delaware General Corporation Law to stockholders of private corporations for profit. There is a remote possibility, however, that, under certain circumstances, shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust may be held personally liable for that trust’s obligations to the extent that the courts of another state which does not recognize such limited liability were to apply the laws of such state to a controversy involving such obligations. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides that neither the Trust nor the Trustees, nor any officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall have any power to bind personally any shareholder, or to call upon any shareholder for the payment of any sum of money or assessment whatsoever other than such as the shareholder may at any time agree to pay. Therefore, the risk of any shareholder incurring financial loss beyond his investment due to shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund is unable to meet its obligations and the express limitation of shareholder liabilities is determined not to be effective.
Based on our review of the foregoing and subject to the assumptions and qualifications set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date of this letter:
1. The Shares to be offered for sale pursuant to the Prospectus are duly and validly authorized by all necessary actions on the part of the Trust; and
2. The Shares, when issued and sold by the Trust for consideration pursuant to and in the manner contemplated by the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and the Trust’s Registration Statement, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable, subject to
Valued Advisers Trust
March 10, 2009
Page 3
compliance with the Securities Act, the 1940 Act, and the applicable state laws regulating the sale of securities
We express no opinion concerning the laws of any jurisdiction other than the federal law of the United States of America and the Delaware Statutory Trust Act.
We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name and to the reference to our firm under the caption "Legal Counsel" in the Statement of Additional Information for the Fund, which is included in the Registration Statement.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP
Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the reference to our firm in the Post Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the Golub Group Equity Fund, a series of shares of beneficial interest of the Valued Advisers Trust, under the caption “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Statement of Additional Information.
|
BRIGGS, BUNTING & DOUGHERTY, LLP |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 10, 2009
VALUED ADVISERS TRUST
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION PURSUANT TO RULE 12b-1
OF GOLUB GROUP EQUITY FUND
WHEREAS, This Plan of Distribution (this "Plan") has been adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") by Valued Advisers Trust (the "Trust") for shares of the Trust’s series portfolio (the "Fund"), that is listed on Schedule A hereto. This Plan has been approved by a majority of the Trust's Board of Trustees, including a majority of the trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of this Plan (the "12b-1 Trustees"), by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on this Plan. 1 This Plan shall operate as a compensation Plan, which means that the fees payable pursuant to this Plan shall be paid regardless of the amount of expenses actually incurred in providing the services contemplated hereunder. All expenses incurred by the Distributor and others, such as broker-dealers (the latter referred to herein as “Financial Intermediaries”), in excess of the amount paid by the Fund under the Plan will be borne by such persons without any reimbursement from the Fund.
NOW THEREFORE, This Plan provides that:
1. Subject to the limits on payments under this Plan set forth herein, or in any annual budget approved by the Trust and Unified Financial Securities, Inc. (the “Distributor”), the Trust shall pay to the Distributor and/or Financial Intermediaries, the amounts called for under this Plan. Such payments shall be applied by the Distributor and/or Financial Intermediaries for all expenses incurred by such parties in the promotion and distribution of the Fund's shares. For this purpose, expenses authorized under this Plan include, but are not limited to, printing of prospectuses and reports used for sales purposes, expenses of preparation of sales literature and related expenses, advertisements, salaries and benefits of employees involved in sales of shares, telephone expenses, meeting and space rental expenses, underwriter's spreads, interest charges on funds used to finance activities under this Plan, and other distribution-related expenses, as well as any service fees paid to securities dealers or others who have executed an agreement with the Trust or its affiliates.
2. The Funds will pay the Distributor and/or Financial Intermediaries 0.25% per annum of the average daily net assets of the Fund's shares (the “Distribution Fee”). Of the Distribution Fee, the Trust may pay up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s shares for shareholder services. Shareholder servicing fees are paid for providing services to customers, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following shareholder support services: (i) aggregating and processing purchase and redemption requests and placing net purchase and redemption orders with the Distributor; (ii) processing dividend payments from the Fund; (iii) providing sub-accounting or the information necessary for sub-accounting; (iv) providing periodic mailings to customers; (v) providing customers with information as to their positions in the Fund; and (vi) responding to customer inquiries. The amount so paid shall be accrued daily, and payment thereon shall be made monthly by the Trust.
3. The Distributor may use all or any portion of the Distribution Fee received pursuant to this Plan to compensate securities dealers who have engaged in the sale of the Fund's shares or in shareholder support services with respect to the Fund pursuant to agreements with the Distributor or to pay expenses associated with other activities authorized under paragraph 1 herein.
4. The Distributor shall collect and disburse payments made under this Plan, and shall furnish to the Board of Trustees of the Trust for its review on a quarterly basis, a written report of the monies reimbursed to the Distributor and others under this Plan, and shall furnish the Board of Trustees of the Trust with such other information as the Board may reasonably request in connection with the payments made under this Plan in order to enable the Board of Trustees to make an informed determination of whether this Plan should be continued.
5. This Plan, or any agreements entered into pursuant to this Plan, shall continue in effect for a period of more than one year only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trust's Board of Trustees, including the 12b-1 Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on this Plan, or any agreements entered into pursuant to this Plan.
6. This Plan, or any agreements entered into pursuant to this Plan, may be terminated at any time with respect to a Fund, without penalty, by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the shares of such Fund, or by vote of a majority of the 12b-1 Trustees, on not more than sixty (60) days' written notice. Agreements entered into pursuant to this Plan shall terminate automatically upon their assignment.
7. This Plan and any agreements entered into pursuant to this Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount to be spent by the Trust for distribution pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Plan without approval by a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities.
8. All material amendments to this Plan, or any agreements entered into pursuant to this Plan, shall be approved by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the 12b-1 Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on any such amendment.
9. So long as this Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of the Trust's trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, shall be committed to the discretion of the 12b-1 Trustees. 2
SCHEDULE A
to the
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION PURSUANT TO RULE 12b-1
Dated December __, 2008
Fund
Golub Group Equity Fund
1 . In its consideration of this Plan, the Board of Trustees considered the proposed schedule and nature of payments under this Plan. The Board of Trustees concluded that the proposed payments to be made to the Trust's principal underwriter, Unified Financial Securities, Inc. (the "Distributor"), for distribution expenses under this Plan is fair and not excessive. Accordingly, the Board of Trustees determined that this Plan should provide for such payments and that adoption of this Plan would be prudent and in the best interests of the Trust and the Fund's shareholders. Such approval included a determination that in the exercise of their reasonable business judgment and in light of their fiduciary duties, there is a reasonable likelihood that this Plan will benefit the Trust, the Fund and the Fund’s shareholders.
2 . It is the current position of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that a Trust adopting a plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act commit to having a majority of its Board of Trustees comprised of trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust. The Trust currently complies with such provision and has undertaken to comply with such provision of Rule 12b-1 so long as it is in effect.
Code of Ethics
1. |
All personnel of Golub Group shall act with integrity, competence, dignity, and in an ethical manner when dealing with the public, clients, prospects, employer, and employees. |
2. |
Golub Group has a duty to exercise its authority and responsibility for the benefit of its clients, to place the interests of its clients first and to refrain from having outside interests that conflict with the interests of its clients. Golub Group must avoid any circumstances that might adversely affect or appear to affect its duty of loyalty to its clients. |
3. |
Golub Group will not disclose any nonpublic personal information about a client to any nonaffiliated third party unless the client expressly gives permission to Golub Group to do so. All client information will otherwise be treated as confidential. |
4. |
Golub Group will maintain the physical security of nonpublic information, including information stored on computers. |
5. |
Prohibited Acts include: |
|
a) |
Employing any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; |
|
b) |
Making any untrue statement of a material fact; |
|
c) |
Omitting to state a material fact necessary in order to make a statement, in light of the circumstances under which it is made, not misleading; |
|
d) |
Engaging in any fraudulent or deceitful act, practice or course of business; or, |
|
e) |
Engaging in any manipulative practices. |
6. |
Golub Group has a duty to disclose potential and actual conflicts of interest to their clients. All Invesment Adviser Representatives (IARs) and solicitors have a duty to report potential and actual conflicts of interest to the Company. |
7. |
Golub Group has a duty of loyalty to clients that requires that Golub Group will act in the best interests of the clients and always place the clients' interests first by: |
|
a) |
Prohibiting inappropriate favoritism of one client over another client that would constitute a breach of fiduciary duty. |
|
b) |
Prohibiting investment personnel from recommending, implementing or considering any securities transaction for a client without having disclosed any material beneficial ownership, business or personal relationship, or other material interest in the issuer or its affiliates, to the chief investment officer or, with respect to the chief investment officer’s interests, to the Chief Compliance Officer. |
8. |
Golub Group shall only recommend those investments that it has a reasonable basis for believing are suitable for a client, based upon the client s particular situation and circumstances. In addition, clients should be instructed to immediately notify Golub Group of any significant changes in their situation or circumstances so that Golub Group can respond appropriately. |
9. |
All personnel of Golub Group are required to comply with all applicable state and federal securities laws. |
10. |
All personnel of Golub Group are required to comply with the Golub Group policy on the acceptance of gifts: |
|
a) |
The Chief Compliance Officer must approve any revision to this policy. |
|
b) |
Prohibited transactions: |
(1) Employees may not solicit gifts or gratuities;
(2) Gifts of an extraordinary or extravagant nature (exceeding $100.00 in value) to an employee are to be declined or returned. Exception: gifts such as meals, entertainment, etc. are appropriate;
(3) Any cash or cash equivalent gift from a client, prospective client, or any entity that does business with Golub Group, except where the client is a member of a Golub Group employee’s family and the gift is between family members.
|
(4) |
Any form of a loan by an employee to a client or by a client to an employee; |
(5) Political contributions to an elected official, who could, directly or indirectly, influence the selection of the advisory firm for services;
|
(6) |
Receipt of referral fees by the Company or any employee; |
|
(7) |
Any rebate of fees to clients as a means of paying a referral fee; |
(8) Payment of referral fees to anyone or any company not disclosed in the Company’s ADV, and regulatory required supporting documents; and
(9) Payment of excess fees to anyone or any company as a means of paying a referral fee.
11. |
All personnel of Golub Group are required to report their personal securities holdings and transactions. This requirement includes the employee’s immediate family (including any relative by blood or marriage living in the employee’s household), and any account in which he or she has a direct or indirect beneficial interest (such as a trust). |
12. |
All Golub Group personnel must report their personal securities holdings within 10 days of becoming an employee and annually thereafter. This information must be current as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date the individual becomes an employee or, for an annual report, the date the report is submitted. |
13. |
Golub Group requires each employee to custody his or her personal accounts at Charles Schwab & Co. |
14. |
All personal securities transactions shall be conducted in such a manner as to be consistent with this Code of Ethics. |
15. |
Golub Group requires each employee to obtain the approval of Golub Group’s Chief Compliance Officer or Colin Higgins prior to placing any trades, investing in initial public offerings and limited (private) offerings.. |
16. |
Securities covered by this Code: Covered Security means any stock, bond, future, investment contract or any other instrument that is considered a “security” under the Investment Advisers Act. The term “covered security” is very broad and includes items you might not ordinarily think of as “securities,” such as: |
|
a) |
Options on securities, on indexes, and on currencies; |
|
b) |
All forms of limited partnership; |
|
c) |
Foreign unit trusts and foreign mutual funds; and |
|
d) |
Private investment funds, hedge funds, and investment clubs. |
Covered Security does not include:
|
e) |
Direct obligations of the U.S. government ( e.g., treasury securities); |
|
f) |
Bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, and high quality short-term debt obligations, including repurchase agreements; |
|
g) |
Shares issued by money market funds; |
|
h) |
Shares of open-end mutual funds that are not advised or sub-advised by the firm (or certain affiliates, where applicable); and |
|
i) |
Shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end funds, none of which are funds advised or sub-advised by the firm (or certain affiliates, where applicable). |
17. |
All personnel are prohibited from trading, either personally or on behalf of others, while in possession of material, nonpublic information. All personnel are prohibited from communicating material nonpublic information to others in violation of the law. |
|
a) |
Penalties. These may include civil injunctions, permanent bars from employment in the securities industry, civil penalties up to three times the profits made or losses avoided, criminal fines, and jail sentences. The prohibition on insider trading and potential sanctions apply to all employees, officers, and directors. |
Policy & Procedures
1. |
Golub Group shall on a quarterly basis determine which of its personnel are Access Persons. |
2. |
The following are Access Persons: |
|
a) |
Michael Golub |
|
b) |
Colin Higgins |
|
c) |
Kurt Hoefer |
|
d) |
Joe Martin |
|
e) |
Ayse Pehlivan |
|
f) |
Claire Silverman |
|
g) |
Tim Rich |
|
h) |
Cynthia Duncan |
|
i) |
Fannie Tsui |
|
j) |
Jennifer Rouse |
|
k) |
John Dowling |
|
l) |
Eric Jungling |
|
m) |
Sherry Williams |
|
n) |
Corenne Carlson |
|
o) |
Diane Johnson |
|
p) |
David Ogburn |
|
q) |
Jessica Serrano |
|
r) |
Deb Baur |
3. |
Jennifer Rouse shall maintain records of the personal securities transactions of Golub Group, its officers, employees, the spouses, minor children, and members of the households of those officers, employees, as well as any securities transactions in which an officer, or employee may have a direct or indirect beneficial interest. The records shall contain the following information: |
|
a) |
Title and amount of the security involved; |
|
b) |
Date of the transaction; |
|
c) |
Nature of the transaction (purchase or sale); |
|
d) |
Price at which the trade was effected; and |
|
e) |
Name of the broker-dealer or bank that executed the transaction. |
4. |
Golub Group shall conduct an annual review of trading reports in order to identify improper trades and patterns by access persons. |
5. |
All personnel shall receive a copy of the Code of Ethics and any amendments thereto. |
6. |
All personnel shall receive annual training in the Code of Ethics, and shall certify annually that they have received a copy of the Code of Ethics, have read and understand all of its provisions, and agree to comply with its terms. |
7. |
A record shall be maintained of any violation of the code and any action taken as a result of such violation. |
8. |
All violations of Golub Group’s Code of Ethics shall be reported to the Chief Compliance Officer. |
|
a) |
All violations shall be treated confidentially to the extent permitted by law and investigated promptly and appropriately. |
|
b) |
Retaliation against a person who reports a violation is prohibited and constitutes a further violation of the code. |
9. |
A copy of the code shall be provided to any client or prospective client upon request. |
Personal Trading by Access Persons
1. |
Golub Group will prevent conflicts of interest when Access Persons invest for their own accounts, conflicts of interest may arise between the client's and the employee's interests. Such conflicts may include taking an investment opportunity from the client for an employee's own portfolio, using an employee's advisory position to take advantage of available investments, or front-running, which may be an employee trading before making client transactions, thereby taking advantage of information or using client portfolio assets to have an effect on the market which is used to the employee's benefit. |
2. |
Golub Group has adopted the following policies with respect to personal trading by Access Persons: |
|
a) |
Access Persons shall obtain pre-clearance of any trade for his or her own account; |
|
b) |
Access Persons shall obtain pre-clearance of any investment in initial public offerings, or in private placements; |
|
c) |
Access Persons shall not invest in any securities placed on the restricted list; |
|
d) |
Accounts of Access Persons shall be maintained at Charles Schwab & Co. within Golub Group’s employee master account; |
|
e) |
Access Persons shall aggregate personal transactions in securities with client transactions, and such transactions will be executed at the same cost as the client transactions except for the imposition of minimum transaction costs by the executing broker/dealer; |
|
f) |
Access Persons may not execute trades of greater than 1,000 shares in their personal accounts within 24 hours following the purchase or sale of a security from the same issuer in a client account (“blackout period”). |
|
g) |
Access persons may not serve as directors of publicly traded companies without prior approval based on the interests of the clients. |
Penalties for Violation
1. |
Sanctions shall be imposed for failure to follow these policies and procedures including but not limited to: canceling of the offending trade(s), or termination of employment, or reporting to regulatory authorities. |
2. |
In addition, Golub Group may utilize any of the penalties available in its Compliance Manual, under Chapter 1. Penalties for Violation. |