INVESTMENT ADVISER:

AMUNDI SMITH BREEDEN LLC

This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") is not a prospectus. This SAI is intended to provide additional information regarding the activities and operations of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund III (the "Trust") and the Amundi Smith Breeden Total Return Bond Fund (the "Fund"). This SAI is incorporated by reference into and should be read in conjunction with the Fund's prospectus dated August 26, 2015 (the "Prospectus"). Capitalized terms not defined herein are defined in the Prospectus. Shareholders may obtain copies of the Prospectus or Annual or Semi-Annual Reports, when available, free of charge by writing to the Fund at Amundi Smith Breeden Funds, P.O. Box 588, Portland, ME 04112 (Express Mail Address: Amundi Smith Breeden Funds, c/o Atlantic Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Ground Floor, Portland, ME 04101) or calling the Fund toll-free at 1-855-ASB-7250 (1-855-272-7250).

THE TRUST ................................................................S-1
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS .....................................S-1
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS ...................................................S-34
THE ADVISER ..............................................................S-37
THE PORTFOLIO MANAGER ....................................................S-38
THE ADMINISTRATOR ........................................................S-40
THE DISTRIBUTOR ..........................................................S-40
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES .....................................................S-41
PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES .....................................S-41
THE TRANSFER AGENT .......................................................S-42
THE CUSTODIAN ............................................................S-42
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM ............................S-42
LEGAL COUNSEL ............................................................S-42
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST .......................................S-42
PURCHASING AND REDEEMING SHARES ..........................................S-49
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE .........................................S-50
TAXES ....................................................................S-52
FUND TRANSACTIONS ........................................................S-59
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS .......................................................S-61
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES ....................................................S-62
LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY ........................................S-62
PROXY VOTING .............................................................S-63
CODES OF ETHICS ..........................................................S-63
5% AND 25% SHAREHOLDERS ..................................................S-63
APPENDIX A -- DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS .....................................A-1
APPENDIX B -- PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES .......................B-1

ASB-SX-001-0100

THE TRUST

GENERAL. The Fund is a separate series of the Trust. The Trust is an open-end investment management company established under Delaware law as a Delaware statutory trust under a Declaration of Trust dated December 4, 2013 (the "Declaration of Trust"). The Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to offer separate series ("funds") of shares of beneficial interest ("shares"). The Trust reserves the right to create and issue shares of additional funds. Each fund is a separate mutual fund, and each share of each fund represents an equal proportionate interest in that fund. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any fund, and all assets of such fund, belong solely to that fund and would be subject to any liabilities related thereto. Each fund of the Trust pays its (i) operating expenses, including fees of its service providers, expenses of preparing prospectuses, proxy solicitation material and reports to shareholders, costs of custodial services and registering its shares under federal and state securities laws, pricing and insurance expenses, brokerage costs, interest charges, taxes and organization expenses and (ii) pro rata share of the fund's other expenses, including audit and legal expenses. Expenses attributable to a specific fund shall be payable solely out of the assets of that fund. Expenses not attributable to a specific fund are allocated across all of the funds on the basis of relative net assets. The other funds of the Trust are described in one or more separate statements of additional information.

DESCRIPTION OF MULTIPLE CLASSES OF SHARES. The Trust is authorized to offer shares of the Fund in Service Class shares and Institutional Class shares. The different classes provide for variations in distribution and shareholder servicing fees and minimum investment requirements. Minimum investment requirements and investor eligibility are described in the Prospectus. The Trust reserves the right to create and issue additional classes of shares. For more information on distribution and shareholder servicing expenses, see "The Distributor" and "Shareholder Services" sections in this SAI.

VOTING RIGHTS. Each shareholder of record is entitled to one vote for each share held on the record date for the meeting. The Fund will vote separately on matters relating solely to it. As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is not required, and does not intend, to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Approval of shareholders will be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of members of the Board of Trustees (each, a "Trustee" and collectively, the "Trustees" or the "Board") under certain circumstances. Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to liquidate the Fund without shareholder approval. While the Trustees have no present intention of exercising this power, they may do so if the Fund fails to reach a viable size within a reasonable amount of time or for such other reasons as may be determined by the Board.

In addition, a Trustee may be removed by the remaining Trustees or by shareholders at a special meeting called upon written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders requesting the meeting.

Any series of the Trust may reorganize or merge with one or more other series of the Trust or of another investment company. Any such reorganization or merger shall be pursuant to the terms and conditions specified in an agreement and plan of reorganization authorized and approved by the Trustees and entered into by the relevant series in connection therewith. In addition, such reorganization or merger may be authorized by vote of a majority of the Trustees then in office and, to the extent permitted by applicable law and the Declaration of Trust, without the approval of shareholders of any series.

DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS

The Fund's investment objective and principal investment strategies are described in the Prospectus. The Fund is classified as a "diversified" investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. The following are descriptions of the permitted investments and investment practices of the Fund and the

associated risk factors. The Fund may invest in any of the following instruments or engage in any of the following investment practices unless such investment or activity is inconsistent with or is not permitted by the Fund's stated investment policies, including those stated below.

FIXED INCOME SECURITIES

Fixed income securities, otherwise known as debt securities, consistent primarily of debt obligations issued by governments, corporations, municipalities and other borrowers, but may also include structured securities that provide for participation interests in debt obligations. Issuers use debt securities to borrow money from investors. Most debt securities promise a variable or fixed rate of return and repayment of the amount borrowed at maturity. Some debt securities, such as zero-coupon bonds, do not pay current interest and are purchased at a discount from their face value.

TYPES OF FIXED INCOME SECURITIES:

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES -- The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities. Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities include U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury and which differ only in their interest rates, maturities, and times of issuance. U.S. Treasury bills have initial maturities of one-year or less; U.S. Treasury notes have initial maturities of one to ten years; and U.S. Treasury bonds generally have initial maturities of greater than ten years. U.S. Treasury notes and bonds typically pay coupon interest semi-annually and repay the principal at maturity. Certain U.S. government securities are issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government including, but not limited to, obligations of U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities such as the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), the Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae"), the Small Business Administration, the Federal Farm Credit Administration, the Federal Home Loan Banks, Banks for Cooperatives (including the Central Bank for Cooperatives), the Federal Land Banks, the Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Federal Financing Bank, the Student Loan Marketing Association, the National Credit Union Administration and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation ("Farmer Mac").

Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, including, for example, Ginnie Mae pass-through certificates, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those securities issued by Fannie Mae, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the federal agency. Additionally, some obligations are issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, which are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. While the U.S. government provides financial support to such U.S. government-sponsored federal agencies, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will always do so, since the U.S. government is not so obligated by law. Guarantees of principal by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities may be a guarantee of payment at the maturity of the obligation so that in the event of a default prior to maturity there might not be a market and thus no means of realizing on the obligation prior to maturity. Guarantees as to the timely payment of principal and interest do not extend to the value or yield of these securities nor to the value of the Fund's shares.

On September 7, 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced a federal takeover of Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"), placing the two federal instrumentalities in conservatorship. Under the takeover, the U.S. Treasury agreed to acquire $1 billion of senior preferred stock of each instrumentality and obtained warrants for the purchase of common stock of each instrumentality (the "Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement" or "Agreement"). Under the Agreement, the U.S. Treasury pledged to provide up to $200 billion per instrumentality as needed, including the contribution of cash capital to the instrumentalities in the event their liabilities exceed their assets. This was intended to ensure that the instrumentalities maintain a positive net worth and meet their financial obligations, preventing mandatory triggering of receivership. On

December 24, 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was amending the Agreement to allow the $200 billion cap on the U.S. Treasury's funding commitment to increase as necessary to accommodate any cumulative reduction in net worth through the end of 2012. The unlimited support the U.S. Treasury extended to the two companies expired at the beginning of 2013 -- Fannie Mae's support is now capped at $125 billion and Freddie Mac has a limit of $149 billion.

On August 17, 2012, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was again amending the Agreement to terminate the requirement that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each pay a 10% annual dividend. Instead, the companies will transfer to the U.S. Treasury on a quarterly basis all profits earned during a quarter that exceed a capital reserve amount of $3 billion. It is believed that the new amendment puts Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a better position to service their debt because the companies no longer have to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to make fixed dividend payments. As part of the new terms, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also will be required to reduce their investment portfolios at an annual rate of 15 percent instead of the previous 10 percent, which puts each of them on track to cut their portfolios to a targeted $250 billion in 2018.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the subject of several continuing class action lawsuits and investigations by federal regulators over certain accounting, disclosure or corporate governance matters, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may adversely affect the guaranteeing entities. Importantly, the future of the entities is in serious question as the U.S. Government reportedly is considering multiple options, ranging from nationalization, privatization, consolidation, or abolishment of the entities.

SOVEREIGN DEBT -- The cost of servicing external debt will also generally be adversely affected by rising international interest rates because many external debt obligations bear interest at rates that are adjusted based upon international interest rates. The ability to service external debt will also depend on the level of the relevant government's international currency reserves and its access to foreign exchange. Currency devaluations may affect the ability of a sovereign obligor to obtain sufficient foreign exchange to service its external debt.

As a result of the foregoing or other factors, a governmental obligor may default on its obligations. If such an event occurs, the Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. Remedies must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the ability of the holder of foreign sovereign debt securities to obtain recourse may be subject to the political climate in the relevant country. In addition, no assurance can be given that the holders of commercial bank debt will not contest payments to the holders of other foreign sovereign debt obligations in the event of default under their commercial bank loan agreements.

CORPORATE BONDS -- Corporations issue bonds and notes to raise money for working capital or for capital expenditures such as plant construction, equipment purchases and expansion. In return for the money loaned to the corporation by investors, the corporation promises to pay investors interest and repay the principal amount of the bond or note.

MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES -- Mortgage-backed securities are interests in pools of mortgage loans that various governmental, government-related and private organizations assemble as securities for sale to investors. Unlike most debt securities, which pay interest periodically and repay principal at maturity or on specified call dates, mortgage-backed securities make monthly payments that consist of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a "pass-through" of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Since homeowners usually have the option of paying either part or all of the loan balance before maturity, the effective maturity of a mortgage-backed security is often shorter than is stated.

Governmental entities, private insurers and mortgage poolers may insure or guarantee the timely payment of interest and principal of these pools through various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan,

title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The Adviser will consider such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets its investment quality standards. It is possible that the private insurers or guarantors will not meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements.

Although the market for such securities is becoming increasingly liquid, securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable.

RISKS OF MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES -- Yield characteristics of mortgage-backed securities differ from those of traditional debt securities in a variety of ways, the most significant differences of mortgage-backed securities are:

o Payments of interest and principal are more frequent (usually monthly); and

o Falling interest rates generally cause individual borrowers to pay off their mortgage earlier than expected, which results in prepayments of principal on the securities, thus forcing the Fund to reinvest the money at a lower interest rate.

In addition to risks associated with changes in interest rates described in "Factors Affecting the Value of Debt Securities," a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors, such as the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, can cause investors to repay the loans underlying a mortgage-backed security sooner than expected. If the prepayment rates increase, the Fund may have to reinvest its principal at a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on existing mortgage-backed securities.

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES -- These securities are interests in pools of a broad range of assets other than mortgages, such as automobile loans, computer leases and credit card receivables. Like mortgage-backed securities, these securities are pass-through. In general, the collateral supporting these securities is of shorter maturity than mortgage loans and is less likely to experience substantial prepayments with interest rate fluctuations, but may still be subject to prepayment risk.

Asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. Primarily, these securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets, which raises the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities. For example, credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which allow debtors to reduce their balances by offsetting certain amounts owed on the credit cards. Most issuers of asset-backed securities backed by automobile receivables permit the servicers of such receivables to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related asset-backed securities. Due to the quantity of vehicles involved and requirements under state laws, asset-backed securities backed by automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in all of the obligations backing such receivables.

To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, the entity administering the pool of assets may agree to ensure the receipt of payments on the underlying pool occurs in a timely fashion ("liquidity protection"). In addition, asset-backed securities may obtain insurance, such as guarantees, policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, for some or all of the assets in the pool ("credit support"). Delinquency or loss more than that anticipated or failure of the credit support could adversely affect the return on an investment in such a security.

The Fund may also invest in residual interests in asset-backed securities, which is the excess cash flow remaining after making required payments on the securities and paying related administrative expenses. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a particular issue of asset-backed securities depends in part on the characteristics of the underlying assets, the coupon rates on the securities, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative

expenses and the actual prepayment experience on the underlying assets.

MORTGAGE DOLLAR ROLLS Mortgage "dollar rolls" or "covered rolls," are transactions in which the Fund sells securities (usually mortgage-backed securities) and simultaneously contracts to repurchase typically in 30 or 60 days, substantially similar, but not identical, securities on a specified future date. The Fund may invest in mortgage dollar rolls. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on such securities. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the "drop") as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale. At the end of the roll commitment period, the Fund may or may not take delivery of the securities it has contracted to purchase. Mortgage dollar rolls may be renewed prior to cash settlement and initially may involve only a firm commitment agreement by the Fund to buy a security. A "covered roll" is a specific type of mortgage dollar roll for which there is an offsetting cash position or cash equivalent securities position that matures on or before the forward settlement date of the mortgage dollar roll transaction. As used herein the term "mortgage dollar roll" refers to mortgage dollar rolls that are not "covered rolls." If the broker-dealer to whom the Fund sells the security becomes insolvent, the Fund's right to repurchase the security may be restricted. Other risks involved in entering into mortgage dollar rolls include the risk that the value of the security may change adversely over the term of the mortgage dollar roll and that the security the Fund is required to repurchase may be worth less than the security that the Fund originally held. To avoid senior security concerns, the Fund will "cover" any mortgage dollar roll as required by the 1940 Act.

MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH SECURITIES -- The Fund may invest in mortgage pass-through securities. In the basic mortgage pass-through structure, mortgages with similar issuer, term and coupon characteristics are collected and aggregated into a "pool" consisting of multiple mortgage loans. The pool is assigned a CUSIP number and undivided interests in the pool are traded and sold as pass-through securities. The holder of the security is entitled to a pro rata share of principal and interest payments (including unscheduled prepayments) from the pool of mortgage loans.

An investment in a specific pool of pass-through securities requires an analysis of the specific prepayment risk of mortgages within the covered pool (since mortgagors typically have the option to prepay their loans). The level of prepayments on a pool of mortgage securities is difficult to predict and can impact the subsequent cash flows and value of the mortgage pool. In addition, when trading specific mortgage pools, precise execution, delivery and settlement arrangements must be negotiated for each transaction. These factors combine to make trading in mortgage pools somewhat cumbersome.

Most transactions in mortgage pass-through securities occur through the use of "to-be-announced" or "TBA transactions." "TBA" refers to a commonly used mechanism for the forward settlement of U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities, and not to a separate type of mortgage-backed security. TBA transactions generally are conducted in accordance with widely-accepted guidelines which establish commonly observed terms and conditions for execution, settlement and delivery. In a TBA transaction, the buyer and seller decide on general trade parameters, such as agency, settlement date, par amount, and price. The actual pools delivered generally are determined two days prior to settlement date. The Fund may use TBA transactions in several ways. For example, the Fund may enter into TBA agreements and "roll over" such agreements prior to the settlement date stipulated in such agreements. This type of TBA transaction is sometimes known as a "TBA roll." In a "TBA roll" the Fund generally will sell the obligation to purchase the pools stipulated in the TBA agreement prior to the stipulated settlement date and will enter into a new TBA agreement for future delivery of pools of mortgage pass-through securities. In addition, the Fund may enter into TBA agreements and settle such transactions on the stipulated settlement date by accepting actual receipt or delivery of the pools of mortgage pass-through securities stipulated in the TBA agreement.

Default by or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the Fund to possible loss because of adverse market action, expenses or delays in connection with the purchase or sale of the pools of mortgage

pass-through securities specified in the TBA transaction. To minimize this risk, the Fund will enter into TBA transactions only with established counterparties (such as major broker-dealers) and the Adviser will monitor the creditworthiness of such counterparties. The Fund's use of "TBA rolls" may cause the Fund to experience higher portfolio turnover, higher transaction costs and to pay higher capital gain distributions to shareholders (which may be taxable) than other funds.

COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS ("CMOS") -- CMOs are one type of mortgage-backed security, which were first introduced in the early 1980's. CMOs generally retain many of the yield and credit quality characteristics as mortgage pass-through securities, while reducing some of the disadvantages of pass-throughs. CMOs may be backed by several types of varying mortgage collateral. The most prevalent types of collateral are: U.S. agency (e.g., Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac) guaranteed mortgage pass-through securities, nonagency guaranteed mortgage loans, and commercial mortgage loans.

Some CMOs are also characterized as a Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit ("REMIC"). A REMIC is a CMO that qualifies for special tax treatment under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") and invests in certain mortgages primarily secured by interests in real property and other permitted investments.

A key difference between traditional mortgage pass-through securities and CMOs is the mechanics of the principal payment process. Unlike pass-through securities, which simply pay a pro rata distribution of any principal and interest payments from the underlying mortgage collateral, CMOs are structured into multiple classes, each bearing a different stated maturity and each potentially having different credit rating levels. Each class of CMO, often referred to as a "tranche", may be issued with a specific fixed interest rate or may pay a variable interest rate, which may change monthly. Each tranche must be fully retired by its final distribution date. Generally, all classes of CMOs pay or accrue interest monthly similar to pass-through securities.

The credit risk of all CMOs is not identical and must be assessed on a security by security basis. Generally, the credit risk of CMOs is heavily dependent upon the type of collateral backing the security. For example, a CMO collateralized by U.S. agency guaranteed pass-through securities will have a different credit risk profile compared to a CMO collateralized by commercial mortgage loans. Investing in the lowest tranche of CMO or REMIC certificates often involves risk similar to those associated with investing in non-investment grade rated corporate bonds. Additionally, CMOs may at times be less liquid than a regular mortgage pass-through security.

GOVERNMENT NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION -- Ginnie Mae is the principal governmental guarantor of mortgage-related securities. Ginnie Mae is a wholly owned corporation of the U.S. government within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Securities issued by Ginnie Mae are treasury securities, which means the full faith and credit of the U.S. government backs them. Ginnie Mae guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by Ginnie Mae and backed by pools of Federal Housing Administration-insured or Veterans Administration-guaranteed mortgages.
Ginnie Mae does not guarantee the market value or yield of mortgage-backed securities or the value of the Fund's shares. To buy Ginnie Mae securities, the Fund may have to pay a premium over the maturity value of the underlying mortgages, which the Fund may lose if prepayment occurs.

FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION -- Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders. Fannie Mae is regulated by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Fannie Mae purchases conventional mortgages from a list of approved sellers and service providers, including state and federally-chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Securities issued by Fannie Mae are agency securities, which means Fannie Mae, but not the U.S. government, guarantees their timely payment of principal and interest.

FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION -- Freddie Mac is stockholder-owned corporation established by the

U.S. Congress to create a continuous flow of funds to mortgage lenders. Freddie Mac supplies lenders with the money to make mortgages and packages the mortgages into marketable securities. The system is designed to create a stable mortgage credit system and reduce the rates paid by homebuyers. Freddie Mac, not the U.S. government, guarantees timely payment of principal and interest.

COMMERCIAL BANKS, SAVINGS AND LOAN INSTITUTIONS, PRIVATE MORTGAGE INSURANCE COMPANIES, MORTGAGE BANKERS AND OTHER SECONDARY MARKET ISSUERS -- Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional mortgage loans. In addition to guaranteeing the mortgage-related security, such issuers may service and/or have originated the underlying mortgage loans. Pools created by these issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than pools created by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because they are not guaranteed by a government agency.

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS -- To earn a return on uninvested assets, meet anticipated redemptions, or for temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the short-term securities listed below, U.S. government securities and investment-grade corporate debt securities. Unless otherwise specified, a short-term debt security has a maturity of one year or less.

BANK OBLIGATIONS -- The Fund may invest in obligations issued by banks and other savings institutions. Investments in bank obligations include obligations of domestic branches of foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks. Such investments in domestic branches of foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks may involve risks that are different from investments in securities of domestic branches of U.S. banks. These risks may include future unfavorable political and economic developments, possible withholding taxes on interest income, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, currency controls, interest limitations, or other governmental restrictions which might affect the payment of principal or interest on the securities held by the Fund. Additionally, these institutions may be subject to less stringent reserve requirements and to different accounting, auditing, reporting and recordkeeping requirements than those applicable to domestic branches of U. S. banks. Bank obligations include the following:

o BANKERS' ACCEPTANCES -- Bankers' acceptances are bills of exchange or time drafts drawn on and accepted by a commercial bank. Corporations use bankers' acceptances to finance the shipment and storage of goods and to furnish dollar exchange. Maturities are generally six months or less.

o CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT -- Certificates of deposit are interest-bearing instruments with a specific maturity. They are issued by banks and savings and loan institutions in exchange for the deposit of funds and normally can be traded in the secondary market prior to maturity. Certificates of deposit with penalties for early withdrawal will be considered illiquid.

o TIME DEPOSITS -- Time deposits are non-negotiable receipts issued by a bank in exchange for the deposit of funds. Like a certificate of deposit, it earns a specified rate of interest over a definite period of time; however, it cannot be traded in the secondary market. Time deposits with a withdrawal penalty or that mature in more than seven days are considered to be illiquid securities.

COMMERCIAL PAPER -- Commercial paper is a short-term obligation with a maturity ranging from one to 270 days issued by banks, corporations and other borrowers. Such investments are unsecured and usually discounted. The Fund may invest in commercial paper rated A-1 or A-2 by Standard and Poor's Ratings Service ("S&P") or Prime-1 or Prime-2 by Moody's Investor Service ("Moody's") or, if not rated, issued by a corporation having an outstanding unsecured debt issue rated A or better by Moody's or by S&P. See "Appendix A -- Description of Ratings" for a description of commercial paper ratings.

YANKEE BONDS -- Yankee bonds are dollar-denominated bonds issued inside the United States by foreign entities.

Investments in these securities involve certain risks that are not typically associated with investing in domestic securities. See "Foreign Securities."

ZERO COUPON BONDS -- These securities are sold at a (usually substantial) discount and redeemed at face value at their maturity date without interim cash payments of interest or principal. When held to maturity, their entire income, which consists of accretion of discount, comes from the difference between the issue price and their value at maturity. The amount of the discount rate varies depending on factors including the time remaining until maturity, prevailing interest rates, the security's liquidity and the issuer's credit quality. The market prices of zero coupon securities are generally more volatile than the market prices of securities that have similar maturity but that pay interest periodically. Zero coupon securities are likely to respond to a greater degree to interest rate changes than are non-zero coupon securities with similar maturity and credit qualities. The Fund's investments in pay-in-kind, delayed and zero coupon bonds may require it to sell certain of its securities to generate sufficient cash to satisfy certain income distribution requirements.

These securities may include treasury securities, such as Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities ("STRIPS"), that have had their interest payments ("coupons") separated from the underlying principal ("corpus") by their holder, typically a custodian bank or investment brokerage firm. Once the holder of the security has stripped or separated corpus and coupons, it may sell each component separately. The principal or corpus is then sold at a deep discount because the buyer receives only the right to receive a future fixed payment on the security and does not receive any rights to periodic interest (cash) payments. Typically, the coupons are sold separately or grouped with other coupons with like maturity dates and sold bundled in such form. The underlying treasury security is held in book-entry form at the Federal Reserve Bank or, in the case of bearer securities (I.E., unregistered securities which are owned ostensibly by the bearer or holder thereof), in trust on behalf of the owners thereof. Purchasers of stripped obligations acquire, in effect, discount obligations that are economically identical to the zero coupon securities that the Treasury sells itself.

TERMS TO UNDERSTAND:

MATURITY -- Every debt security has a stated maturity date when the issuer must repay the amount it borrowed (principal) from investors. Some debt securities, however, are callable, meaning the issuer can repay the principal earlier, on or after specified dates (call dates). Debt securities are most likely to be called when interest rates are falling because the issuer can refinance at a lower rate, similar to a homeowner refinancing a mortgage. The effective maturity of a debt security is usually its nearest call date.

A fund that invests in debt securities has no real maturity. Instead, it calculates its weighted average maturity. This number is an average of the stated maturity of each debt security held by the fund, with the maturity of each security weighted by the percentage of the assets of the fund it represents.

DURATION -- Duration is a calculation that seeks to measure the price sensitivity of a debt security, or the fund that invests in debt securities, to changes in interest rates. It measures sensitivity more accurately than maturity because it takes into account the time value of cash flows generated over the life of a debt security. Future interest payments and principal payments are discounted to reflect their present value and then are multiplied by the number of years they will be received to produce a value expressed in years -- the duration. Effective duration takes into account call features and sinking fund prepayments that may shorten the life of a debt security.

An effective duration of four years, for example, would suggest that for each 1% reduction in interest rates at all maturity levels, the price of a security is estimated to increase by 4%. An increase in rates by the same magnitude is estimated to reduce the price of the security by 4%. By knowing the yield and the effective duration of a debt security, one can estimate total return based on an expectation of how much interest rates, in general, will change. While serving as a good estimator of prospective returns, effective duration is an imperfect measure.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE VALUE OF DEBT SECURITIES -- The total return of a debt instrument is composed of two elements: the percentage change in the security's price and interest income earned. The yield to maturity of a debt security estimates its total return only if the price of the debt security remains unchanged during the holding period and coupon interest is reinvested at the same yield to maturity. The total return of a debt instrument, therefore, will be determined not only by how much interest is earned, but also by how much the price of the security and interest rates change.

o INTEREST RATES

The price of a debt security generally moves in the opposite direction from interest rates (I.E., if interest rates go up, the value of the bond will go down, and vice versa).

o PREPAYMENT RISK

This risk affects mainly mortgage-backed securities. Unlike other debt securities, falling interest rates can adversely affect the value of mortgage-backed securities, which may cause your share price to fall. Lower rates motivate borrowers to pay off the instruments underlying mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities earlier than expected, resulting in prepayments on the securities. The Fund may then have to reinvest the proceeds from such prepayments at lower interest rates, which can reduce its yield. The unexpected timing of mortgage and asset-backed prepayments caused by the variations in interest rates may also shorten or lengthen the average maturity of the Fund. If left unattended, drifts in the average maturity of the Fund can have the unintended effect of increasing or reducing the effective duration of the Fund, which may adversely affect the expected performance of the Fund.

o EXTENSION RISK

The other side of prepayment risk occurs when interest rates are rising. Rising interest rates can cause the Fund's average maturity to lengthen unexpectedly due to a drop in mortgage prepayments. This relationship would increase both the sensitivity of the Fund to rising rates as well as the potential for price declines. Extending the average life of a mortgage-backed security increases the risk of depreciation due to future increases in market interest rates. For these reasons, mortgage-backed securities may be less effective than other types of U.S. government securities as a means of "locking in" interest rates.

o CREDIT RATING

Coupon interest is offered to investors of debt securities as compensation for assuming risk, although short-term treasury securities, such as three-month treasury bills, are considered "risk free." Corporate securities offer higher yields than treasury securities because their payment of interest and complete repayment of principal is less certain. The credit rating or financial condition of an issuer may affect the value of a debt security. Generally, the lower the quality rating of a security, the greater the risks that the issuer will fail to pay interest and return principal. To compensate investors for taking on increased risk, issuers with lower credit ratings usually offer their investors a higher "risk premium" in the form of higher interest rates than those available from comparable treasury securities.

Changes in investor confidence regarding the certainty of interest and principal payments of a corporate debt security will result in an adjustment to this "risk premium." Since an issuer's outstanding debt carries a fixed coupon, adjustments to the risk premium must occur in the price, which affects the yield to maturity of the bond. If an issuer defaults or becomes unable to honor its financial obligations, the bond may lose some or all of its value.

A security rated within the four highest rating categories by a rating agency is called investment-grade because its

issuer is more likely to pay interest and repay principal than an issuer of a lower rated bond. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances, however, may weaken the capacity of the issuer to pay interest and repay principal. If a security is not rated or is rated under a different system, the Adviser may determine that it is of investment-grade. The Adviser may retain securities that are downgraded, if it believes that keeping those securities is warranted.

Debt securities rated below investment-grade ("junk bonds") are highly speculative securities that are usually issued by smaller, less credit worthy and/or highly leveraged (indebted) companies. A corporation may issue a junk bond because of a corporate restructuring or other similar event. Compared with investment-grade bonds, junk bonds carry a greater degree of risk and are less likely to make payments of interest and principal. Market developments and the financial and business condition of the corporation issuing these securities influence their price and liquidity more than changes in interest rates, when compared to investment-grade debt securities. Insufficient liquidity in the junk bond market may make it more difficult to dispose of junk bonds and may cause the Fund to experience sudden and substantial price declines. A lack of reliable, objective data or market quotations may make it more difficult to value junk bonds accurately.

Rating agencies are organizations that assign ratings to securities based primarily on the rating agency's assessment of the issuer's financial strength. The Fund currently uses ratings compiled by Moody's, S&P and Fitch Ratings ("Fitch"). Credit ratings are only an agency's opinion, not an absolute standard of quality, and they do not reflect an evaluation of market risk.

The section "Appendix A -- Description of Ratings" contains further information concerning the ratings of certain rating agencies and their significance.

The Adviser may use ratings produced by ratings agencies as guidelines to determine the rating of a security at the time the Fund buys it. A rating agency may change its credit ratings at any time. The Adviser monitors the rating of the security and will take such action, if any, it believes appropriate when it learns that a rating agency has reduced the security's rating. The Fund is not obligated to dispose of securities whose issuers subsequently are in default or which are downgraded below the above-stated ratings.

EQUITY SECURITIES

Equity securities represent ownership interests in a company or partnership and consist of common stocks, preferred stocks, warrants and rights to acquire common stock, securities convertible into common stock, and investments in master limited partnerships ("MLPs"). Investments in equity securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund to fluctuate. The Fund purchases equity securities traded on global securities exchanges or the over-the-counter market. Equity securities are described in more detail below:

o COMMON STOCK. Common stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.

o PREFERRED STOCK. Preferred stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock.

o ALTERNATIVE ENTITY SECURITIES. Alternative entity securities are the securities of entities that are formed as limited partnerships, limited liability companies, business trusts or other non-corporate entities that are similar to common or preferred stock of corporations.

o WARRANTS. Warrants are instruments that entitle the holder to buy an equity security at a specific price for a specific period of time. Changes in the value of a warrant do not necessarily correspond to changes in the value of its underlying security. The price of a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a warrant may offer greater potential for capital appreciation as well as capital loss. Warrants do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying security and do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. A warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. These factors can make warrants more speculative than other types of investments.

o CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio. A convertible security may also be called for redemption or conversion by the issuer after a particular date and under certain circumstances (including a specified price) established upon issue. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption or conversion, the Fund could be required to tender it for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party.

Convertible securities generally have less potential for gain or loss than common stocks. Convertible securities generally provide yields higher than the underlying common stocks, but generally lower than comparable non-convertible securities. Because of this higher yield, convertible securities generally sell at a price above their "conversion value," which is the current market value of the stock to be received upon conversion. The difference between this conversion value and the price of convertible securities will vary over time depending on changes in the value of the underlying common stocks and interest rates. When the underlying common stocks decline in value, convertible securities will tend not to decline to the same extent because of the interest or dividend payments and the repayment of principal at maturity for certain types of convertible securities. However, securities that are convertible other than at the option of the holder generally do not limit the potential for loss to the same extent as securities convertible at the option of the holder. When the underlying common stocks rise in value, the value of convertible securities may also be expected to increase. At the same time, however, the difference between the market value of convertible securities and their conversion value will narrow, which means that the value of convertible securities will generally not increase to the same extent as the value of the underlying common stocks. Because convertible securities may also be interest-rate sensitive, their value may increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. Convertible securities are also subject to credit risk, and are often lower-quality securities.

GENERAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN STOCKS - While investing in stocks allows investors to participate in the benefits of owning a company, such investors must accept the risks of ownership. Unlike bondholders, who have preference to a company's earnings and cash flow, preferred stockholders, followed by common stockholders in order of priority, are entitled only to the residual amount after a company meets its other obligations. For this reason, the value of a company's stock will usually react more strongly to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects than its debt obligations. Stockholders of a company that fares poorly can lose money.

Stock markets tend to move in cycles with short or extended periods of rising and falling stock prices. The value of a company's stock may fall because of:

o Factors that directly relate to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company's products or services;

o Factors affecting an entire industry, such as increases in production costs; and

o Changes in general financial market conditions that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates or inflation rates.

Because preferred stock is generally junior to debt securities and other obligations of the issuer, deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer will cause greater changes in the value of a preferred stock than in a more senior debt security with similar stated yield characteristics.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS ("REITS"). A REIT is a corporation or business trust (that would otherwise be taxed as a corporation) which meets the definitional requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The Code permits a qualifying REIT to deduct from taxable income the dividends paid, thereby effectively eliminating corporate level federal income tax and making the REIT a pass-through vehicle for federal income tax purposes. To meet the definitional requirements of the Code, a REIT must, among other things: invest substantially all of its assets in interests in real estate (including mortgages and other REITs), cash and government securities; derive most of its income from rents from real property or interest on loans secured by mortgages on real property; and distribute annually 90% or more of its otherwise taxable income to shareholders.

REITs are sometimes informally characterized as Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. An Equity REIT invests primarily in the fee ownership or leasehold ownership of land and buildings; a Mortgage REIT invests primarily in mortgages on real property, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans.

REITs may be affected by changes in underlying real estate values, which may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that REITs in which the Fund invests may concentrate investments in particular geographic regions or property types. Certain REITs have relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of securities issued by such REITs. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause investors in REITs to demand a higher annual yield from future distributions, which may in turn decrease market prices for equity securities issued by REITs. Rising interest rates also generally increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could cause the value of the Fund's investments to decline. During periods of declining interest rates, certain Mortgage REITs may hold mortgages that the mortgagors elect to prepay, which prepayment may diminish the yield on securities issued by such Mortgage REITs. Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, Mortgage REITs may be affected by the ability of borrowers to repay when due the debt extended by the REIT and Equity REITs may be affected by the ability of tenants to pay rent. The above factors may adversely affect a borrower's or a lessee's ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments.

Furthermore, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder will bear not only his proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of the REITs. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for tax free pass-through of income under the Code or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act.

REAL ESTATE COMPANIES' SECURITIES. The Funds may be subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. For example, real estate values may fluctuate as a result of general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, demographic trends and variations in rental income, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, regulatory limitations on rents, changes in neighborhood values, related party risks, changes in how appealing properties are to tenants, changes in interest rates and other real estate capital market influences.

MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM CAPITALIZATION ISSUERS. Investing in equity securities of micro, small and medium capitalization companies often involves greater risk than is customarily associated with investments in larger capitalization companies. This increased risk may be due to the greater business risks of smaller size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines and frequent lack of depth of management. The securities of micro and smaller companies are often traded in the over-the-counter market and even if listed on a national securities exchange may not be traded in volumes typical for that exchange. Consequently, the securities of micro and smaller companies are less likely to be liquid, may have limited market stability, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than securities of larger, more established growth companies or the market averages in general.

INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS ("IPOS"). The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities of companies offering shares in IPOs. IPOs may have a magnified performance impact on a fund with a small asset base. The Fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time, which may increase the turnover of the Fund's portfolio and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. By selling IPO shares, the Fund may realize taxable gains it will subsequently distribute to shareholders. In addition, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Holders of IPO shares can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders.

The Fund's investment in IPO shares may include the securities of unseasoned companies (companies with less than three years of continuous operations), which presents risks considerably greater than common stocks of more established companies. These companies may have limited operating histories and their prospects for profitability may be uncertain. These companies may be involved in new and evolving businesses and, compared to their better-established, larger cap peers, may be more vulnerable to competition and changes in technology, markets and economic conditions. They may be more dependent on key managers and third parties and may have limited product lines.

MASTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS. MLPs are limited partnerships or limited liability companies, whose partnership units or limited liability interests are listed and traded on a U.S. securities exchange, and are treated as publicly traded partnerships for federal income tax purposes. To qualify to be treated as a partnership for tax purposes, an MLP must receive at least 90% of its income from qualifying sources as set forth in Section 7704(d) of the Code. These qualifying sources include activities such as the exploration, development, mining, production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and marketing of mineral or natural resources. MLPs that are formed as limited partnerships generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners, while MLPs that are formed as limited liability companies generally have two analogous classes of owners, the managing member and the members. For purposes of this section, references to general partners also apply to managing members and references to limited partners also apply to members.

The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund, the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly traded corporation or other entity. The general partner typically controls the operations and management of the MLP through an equity interest of as much as 2% in the MLP plus, in many cases, ownership of common units and subordinated units. A holder of general partner interests can be liable under certain circumstances for amounts greater than the amount of the holder's investment in the general partner interest. General partner interests are not publicly traded and generally cannot be converted into common units. The general partner interest can be redeemed by the MLP if the MLP unitholders choose to remove the general partner, typically with a supermajority vote by limited partner unitholders.

Limited partners own the remainder of the MLP through ownership of common units and have a limited role in the MLP's operations and management. Common units are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges, with their value fluctuating predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. Unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, owners of common units have limited voting rights and have no ability annually to elect directors. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP.

MLPs are typically structured such that common units and general partner interests have first priority to receive quarterly cash distributions up to an established minimum amount ("minimum quarterly distributions" or "MQD"). Common and general partner interests also accrue arrearages in distributions to the extent the MQD is not paid. Once common and general partner interests have been paid, subordinated units receive distributions of up to the MQD; however, subordinated units do not accrue arrearages. Distributable cash in excess of the MQD paid to both common and subordinated units is distributed to both common and subordinated units generally on a pro rata basis. The general partner is also eligible to receive incentive distributions if the general partner operates the business in a manner which results in distributions paid per common unit surpassing specified target levels. As the general partner increases cash distributions to the limited partners, the general partner receives an increasingly higher percentage of the incremental cash distributions. A common arrangement provides that the general partner can reach a tier where it receives 50% of every incremental dollar paid to common and subordinated unit holders. These incentive distributions encourage the general partner to streamline costs, increase capital expenditures and acquire assets in order to increase the partnership's cash flow and raise the quarterly cash distribution in order to reach higher tiers. Such results benefit all security holders of the MLP.

FOREIGN SECURITIES

Foreign securities include equity securities of foreign entities, obligations of foreign branches of U.S. banks and of foreign banks, including, without limitation, European Certificates of Deposit, European Time Deposits, European Bankers' Acceptances, Canadian Time Deposits, Europaper and Yankee Certificates of Deposit, and investments in Canadian Commercial Paper and foreign securities. These instruments have investment risks that differ in some respects from those related to investments in obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks include future adverse political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes on interest or other income, possible seizure, nationalization, or expropriation of foreign deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source, greater fluctuations in value due to changes in exchange rates, or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on such obligations. Such investments may also entail higher custodial fees and sales commissions than domestic investments. Foreign issuers of securities or obligations are often subject to accounting treatment and engage in business practices different from those respecting domestic issuers of similar securities or obligations. Foreign branches of U.S. banks and foreign banks may be subject to less stringent reserve requirements than those applicable to domestic branches of U.S. banks.

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ("ADRS"). ADRs, as well as other "hybrid" forms of ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs") and Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs"), are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. Depositary receipts are securities that evidence ownership interests in a security or a pool of securities that have been deposited with a "depository" and may be sponsored or unsponsored. These certificates are issued by depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the United States or elsewhere. The underlying shares are held in trust by a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities.

For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a foreign issuer. For other depositary receipts, the depository may be a foreign or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may have a foreign or a U.S. issuer. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs are issued in registered form, denominated in U.S. dollars, and designed for use in the U.S. securities markets. Other depositary receipts, such as GDRs and EDRs, may be issued in bearer form and denominated in other currencies, and are generally designed for use in securities markets outside the U.S. While the two types of depositary receipt facilities (unsponsored or sponsored) are similar, there are differences regarding a holder's rights and obligations and the practices of market participants. A depository may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by (or acquiescence of) the underlying issuer; typically, however, the depository requests a letter of non-objection from the underlying issuer prior to establishing the facility. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of the facility. The depository usually charges fees upon deposit and withdrawal of the underlying securities, the conversion of dividends into U.S. dollars or other currency, the disposition of non-cash distributions, and the performance of other services. The depository of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the underlying issuer or to pass through voting rights to depositary receipt holders with respect to the underlying securities.

Sponsored depositary receipt facilities are created in generally the same manner as unsponsored facilities, except that sponsored depositary receipts are established jointly by a depository and the underlying issuer through a deposit agreement. The deposit agreement sets out the rights and responsibilities of the underlying issuer, the depository, and the depositary receipt holders. With sponsored facilities, the underlying issuer typically bears some of the costs of the depositary receipts (such as dividend payment fees of the depository), although most sponsored depositary receipts agree to distribute notices of shareholders meetings, voting instructions, and other shareholder communications and information to the depositary receipt holders at the underlying issuer's request. The depositary of an unsponsored facility frequency is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through, to the holders of the receipts, voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.

For purposes of the Fund's investment policies, investments in depositary receipts will be deemed to be investments in the underlying securities. Thus, a depositary receipt representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock. Depositary receipts do not eliminate all of the risks associated with directly investing in the securities of foreign issuers.

Investments in the securities of foreign issuers may subject the Fund to investment risks that differ in some respects from those related to investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Such risks include future adverse political and economic developments, possible imposition of withholding taxes on income, possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of foreign deposits, possible establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source or greater fluctuation in value due to changes in exchange rates. Foreign issuers of securities often engage in business practices different from those of domestic issuers of similar securities, and there may be less information publicly available about foreign issuers. In addition, foreign issuers are, generally speaking, subject to less government supervision and regulation and different accounting treatment than are those in the United States.

EMERGING MARKETS. An "emerging market" country is generally a country that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) and the International Finance Corporation would consider to be an emerging or developing country. Typically, emerging markets are in countries that are in the process of industrialization, with lower gross national products ("GNPs") than more developed countries. There are currently over 130 countries that the international financial community generally considers to be emerging or developing countries, approximately 40 of which currently have stock markets. These countries generally include every nation in the world except the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most nations located in Western Europe.

INVESTMENT FUNDS. Some emerging countries currently prohibit direct foreign investment in the securities of their companies. Certain emerging countries, however, permit indirect foreign investment in the securities of companies listed and traded on their stock exchanges through investment funds that they have specifically authorized. Investments in these investment funds are subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act. If the Fund invests in such investment funds, shareholders will bear not only their proportionate share of the expenses (including operating expenses and the fees of the Adviser), but also will indirectly bear similar expenses of the underlying investment funds. In addition, these investment funds may trade at a premium over their NAV.

RISKS OF FOREIGN SECURITIES:

Foreign securities, foreign currencies, and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS -- Local political, economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments may affect the value of foreign investments. Listed below are some of the more important political and economic factors that could negatively affect an investment in foreign securities:

o The economies of foreign countries may differ from the economy of the United States in such areas as growth of GNP, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, budget deficits and national debt;

o Foreign governments sometimes participate to a significant degree, through ownership interests or regulation, in their respective economies. Actions by these governments could significantly influence the market prices of securities and payment of dividends;

o The economies of many foreign countries are dependent on international trade and their trading partners and they could be severely affected if their trading partners were to enact protective trade barriers and economic conditions;

o The internal policies of a particular foreign country may be less stable than in the United States. Other countries face significant external political risks, such as possible claims of sovereignty by other countries or tense and sometimes hostile border clashes; and

o A foreign government may act adversely to the interests of U.S. investors, including expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation and other restrictions on U.S. investment. A country may restrict or control foreign investments in its securities markets. These restrictions could limit the Fund's ability to invest in a particular country or make it very expensive for the Fund to invest in that country. Some countries require prior governmental approval, limit the types or amount of securities or companies in which a foreigner can invest or may restrict the ability of foreign investors to repatriate their investment income and capital gains.

INFORMATION AND SUPERVISION -- There is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than companies based in the United States. For example, there are often no reports and ratings published about foreign companies comparable to the ones written about U.S. companies. Foreign companies are typically not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. The lack of comparable information makes investment decisions concerning foreign companies more difficult and less reliable than those concerning domestic companies.

STOCK EXCHANGE AND MARKET RISK -- The Fund's investment managers anticipate that in most cases an exchange or over-the-counter market located outside of the United States will be the best available market for foreign securities. Foreign stock markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as the markets in the United States. Foreign stock markets tend to differ from those in the United States in a number of ways.

Foreign stock markets:

o Are generally more volatile than, and not as developed or efficient as, those in the United States;

o Have substantially less volume;

o Trade securities that tend to be less liquid and experience rapid and erratic price movements;

o Have generally higher commissions and are subject to set minimum rates, as opposed to negotiated rates;

o Employ trading, settlement and custodial practices less developed than those in U.S. markets; and

o May have different settlement practices, which may cause delays and increase the potential for failed settlements.

Foreign markets may offer less protection to shareholders than U.S. markets because:

o Foreign accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements may render a foreign corporate balance sheet more difficult to understand and interpret than one subject to U.S. law and standards;

o Adequate public information on foreign issuers may not be available, and it may be difficult to secure dividends and information regarding corporate actions on a timely basis;

o In general, there is less overall governmental supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers, and listed companies than in the United States;

o Over-the-counter markets tend to be less regulated than stock exchange markets and, in certain countries, may be totally unregulated;

o Economic or political concerns may influence regulatory enforcement and may make it difficult for shareholders to enforce their legal rights; and

o Restrictions on transferring securities within the United States or to U.S. persons may make a particular security less liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject to such restrictions.

FOREIGN CURRENCY RISK -- While the Fund denominates its NAV in U.S. dollars, the securities of foreign companies are frequently denominated in foreign currencies. Thus, a change in the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in value of securities denominated in that currency. Some of the factors that may impair the investments denominated in a foreign currency are:

o It may be expensive to convert foreign currencies into U.S. dollars and vice versa;

o Complex political and economic factors may significantly affect the values of various currencies, including the U.S. dollar, and their exchange rates;

o Government intervention may increase risks involved in purchasing or selling foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures contracts, since exchange rates may not be free to fluctuate in response to other market forces;

o There may be no systematic reporting of last sale information for foreign currencies or regulatory requirement that quotations available through dealers or other market sources be firm or revised on a timely basis;

o Available quotation information is generally representative of very large round-lot transactions in the inter-bank market and thus may not reflect exchange rates for smaller odd-lot transactions (less than $1 million) where rates may be less favorable; and

o The inter-bank market in foreign currencies is a global, around-the-clock market. To the extent that a market is closed while the markets for the underlying currencies remain open, certain markets may not always reflect significant price and rate movements.

TAXES -- Certain foreign governments levy withholding taxes on dividend and interest income. Although in some countries it is possible for the Fund to recover a portion of these taxes, the portion that cannot be recovered will reduce the income the Fund receives from its investments.

EMERGING MARKETS -- Investing in emerging markets may magnify the risks of foreign investing. Security prices in emerging markets can be significantly more volatile than those in more developed markets, reflecting the

greater uncertainties of investing in less established markets and economies. In particular, countries with emerging markets may:

o Have relatively unstable governments;

o Present greater risks of nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets;

o Offer less protection of property rights than more developed countries; and

o Have economies that are based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates.

Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times.

MONEY MARKET SECURITIES

Money market securities include short-term U.S. government securities; custodial receipts evidencing separately traded interest and principal components of securities issued by the U.S. Treasury; commercial paper rated in the highest short-term rating category by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization ("NRSRO"), such as Standard & Poor's Rating Services ("S&P") or Moody's Investor Services, Inc. ("Moody's"), or determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase; short-term bank obligations (certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers' acceptances) of U.S. commercial banks with assets of at least $1 billion as of the end of their most recent fiscal year; and repurchase agreements involving such securities. Each of these money market securities are described below. For a description of ratings, see "Appendix A -- Description of Ratings" to this SAI.

SENIOR LOANS AND BANK LOANS

Senior loans and bank loans typically are arranged through private negotiations between a borrower and several financial institutions or a group of lenders which are represented by one or more lenders acting as agent. The agent is often a commercial bank that originates the loan and invites other parties to join the lending syndicate. The agent will be primarily responsible for negotiating the loan agreement and will have responsibility for the documentation and ongoing administration of the loan on behalf of the lenders after completion of the loan transaction. The Fund can invest in a senior loan or bank loan either as a direct lender or through an assignment or participation.

When the Fund acts as a direct lender, it will have a direct contractual relationship with the borrower and may participate in structuring the loan, enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement and may have voting, consent and set-off rights under the loan agreement.

Loan assignments are investments in all or a portion of certain senior loans or bank loans purchased from the lenders or from other third parties. The purchaser of an assignment typically will acquire direct rights against the borrower under the loan. While the purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning lender under the loan agreement, because assignments are arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and assignors, or other third parties whose interests are being assigned, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund may differ from and be more limited than those held by the assigning lender.

A holder of a loan participation typically has only a contractual right with the seller of the participation and not with the borrower or any other entities interpositioned between the seller of the participation and the borrower. As such, the purchaser of a loan participation assumes the credit risk of the seller of the participation, and any intermediary entities between the seller and the borrower, in addition to the credit risk of the borrower. When the Fund holds a loan participation, it will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and fees to which it

may be entitled only from the seller of the participation and only upon receipt of the seller of such payments from the borrower or from any intermediary parties between the seller and the borrower. Additionally, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, will have no voting, consent or set-off rights under the loan agreement and may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the loan although lenders that sell participations generally are required to distribute liquidation proceeds received by them pro rata among the holders of such participations. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the borrower, a loan participation may be subject to certain defenses that can be asserted by the borrower as a result of improper conduct by the seller or intermediary. If the borrower fails to pay principal and interest when due, the Fund may be subject to greater delays, expenses and risks that those that would have been involved if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation of such borrower.

Direct loans, assignments and loan participations may be considered liquid, as determined by the advisers based on criteria approved by the Board. The Adviser may from time to time have the opportunity to receive material, non-public information ("Confidential Information") about the issuers of bank loans and related investments being considered for acquisition by the Fund or held in the Fund's portfolio. For example, a bank issuer of privately placed bank loans considered by the Fund may offer to provide the Adviser with financial information and related documentation regarding the bank issuer that is not publicly available. Pursuant to applicable policies and procedures, the Adviser may (but is not required to) seek to avoid receipt of Confidential Information from the issuer so as to avoid possible restrictions on its ability to purchase and sell investments on behalf of the Fund and other clients to which such Confidential Information relates (e.g., other securities issued by the bank used in the example above). In such circumstances, the Fund (and other clients of the Adviser) may be disadvantaged in comparison to other investors, including with respect to the price the Fund pays or receives when it buys or sells an investment. Further, the Adviser's and the Fund's abilities to assess the desirability of proposed consents, waivers or amendments with respect to certain investments may be compromised if they are not privy to available Confidential Information. The Adviser may also determine to receive such Confidential Information in certain circumstances under its applicable policies and procedures. If the Adviser intentionally or unintentionally comes into possession of Confidential Information, it may be unable, potentially for a substantial period of time, to purchase or sell investments to which such Confidential Information relates.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with financial institutions. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which the Fund acquires a fixed income security (generally a security issued by the U.S. government or an agency thereof, a banker's acceptance, or a certificate of deposit) from a commercial bank, broker, or dealer, and simultaneously agrees to resell such security to the seller at an agreed upon price and date (normally, the next business day). Because the security purchased constitutes collateral for the repurchase obligation, a repurchase agreement may be considered a loan that is collateralized by the security purchased. The acquisition of a repurchase agreement may be deemed to be an acquisition of the underlying securities as long as the obligation of the seller to repurchase the securities is collateralized fully. The Fund follows certain procedures designed to minimize the risks inherent in such agreements. These procedures include effecting repurchase transactions only with creditworthy financial institutions whose condition will be continually monitored by the Adviser. The repurchase agreements entered into by the Fund will provide that the underlying collateral at all times shall have a value at least equal to 102% of the resale price stated in the agreement and consist only of securities permissible under
Section 101(47)(A)(i) of the Bankruptcy Code (the Adviser monitors compliance with this requirement). Under all repurchase agreements entered into by the Fund, the custodian or its agent must take possession of the underlying collateral. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the Fund will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercising of the Fund's right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss. The Fund may enter into "tri-party" repurchase agreements. In "tri-party" repurchase agreements, an unaffiliated third party custodian maintains accounts to hold collateral for the Fund and its counterparties and, therefore, the Fund may be

subject to the credit risk of those custodians. It is the current policy of the Fund not to invest in repurchase agreements that do not mature within seven days if any such investment, together with any other illiquid assets held by the Fund, amounts to more than 15% of the Fund's total assets. The investments of the Fund in repurchase agreements, at times, may be substantial when, in the view of the portfolio managers, liquidity or other considerations so warrant.

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS

Reverse repurchase agreements are transactions in which the Fund sells portfolio securities to financial institutions, such as banks and broker-dealers, and agrees to repurchase them at a mutually agreed-upon date and price that is higher than the original sale price. Reverse repurchase agreements are similar to a fully collateralized borrowing by the Fund. At the time the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will earmark on the books of the Fund or place in a segregated account cash or liquid securities having a value equal to the repurchase price (including accrued interest) and will subsequently monitor the account to ensure that such equivalent value is maintained.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve risks. Reverse repurchase agreements are a form of leverage, and the use of reverse repurchase agreements by the Fund may increase the Fund's volatility. Reverse repurchase agreements are also subject to the risk that the other party to the reverse repurchase agreement will be unable or unwilling to complete the transaction as scheduled, which may result in losses to the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund may decline below the price at which it is obligated to repurchase the securities. In addition, when the Fund invests the proceeds it receives in a reverse repurchase transaction, there is a risk that those investments may decline in value. In this circumstance, the Fund could be required to sell other investments in order to meet its obligations to repurchase the securities.

SECURITIES OF OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES

The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies, including exchange traded funds ("ETFs") to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to certain restrictions. These investment companies typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by the Fund. The Fund's purchase of such investment company securities results in the layering of expenses, such that shareholders would indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of such investment companies, including advisory fees, in addition to paying the Fund's expenses. Unless an exception is available, Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act prohibits a fund from (i) acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of any one investment company, (ii) investing more than 5% of its total assets in any one investment company, and (iii) investing more than 10% of its total assets in all investment companies combined, including its ETF investments.

An ETF is a fund whose shares are bought and sold on a securities exchange as if it were a single security. An ETF may hold a portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market segment or index, or it may be actively managed. The Fund could purchase an ETF to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the U.S. or foreign market while awaiting an opportunity to purchase securities directly. Similarly, the Fund may establish a short position in an ETF to gain inverse exposure to a portion of the U.S. or foreign markets. As with other investment companies, the risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities and ETFs have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly.

Pursuant to orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") to certain ETFs and procedures approved by the Board, the Fund may invest in such ETFs in excess of the 3% limit described above, provided that the Fund otherwise complies with the conditions of the SEC order, as it may be amended, and any other applicable investment limitations. Neither the ETFs nor their investment advisers make any representations

regarding the advisability of investing in the ETFs.

DERIVATIVES

Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is based on an underlying asset (such as a stock or a bond), an underlying economic factor (such as interest rates) or a market benchmark. Unless otherwise stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may use derivatives for a number of purposes including managing risk, gaining exposure to various markets in a cost-efficient manner, reducing transaction costs, remaining fully invested and speculating. The Fund may also invest in derivatives with the goal of protecting itself from broad fluctuations in market prices, interest rates or foreign currency exchange rates (a practice known as "hedging"). When hedging is successful, the Fund will have offset any depreciation in the value of its portfolio securities by the appreciation in the value of the derivative position. Although techniques other than the sale and purchase of derivatives could be used to control the exposure of the Fund to market fluctuations, the use of derivatives may be a more effective means of hedging this exposure. In the future, to the extent such use is consistent with the Fund's investment objective and is legally permissible, the Fund may use instruments and techniques that are not presently contemplated, but that may be subsequently developed.

There can be no assurance that a derivative strategy, if employed, will be successful. Because many derivatives have a leverage or borrowing component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Accordingly, certain derivative transactions may be considered to constitute borrowing transactions for purposes of the 1940 Act. Such a derivative transaction will not be considered to constitute the issuance of a "senior security" by the Fund, and therefore such transaction will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Fund, if the Fund covers the transaction or segregates sufficient liquid assets (or such assets are "earmarked" on the Fund's books) in accordance with the requirements and interpretations of the SEC and its staff. The Fund may enter into agreements with broker-dealers that require the broker-dealers to accept physical settlement for certain types of derivatives instruments. If this occurs, the Fund would treat such derivative instruments as being cash settled for purposes of determining the Fund's coverage requirements.

As a result of recent amendments to rules under the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA") by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"), the Fund must either operate within certain guidelines and restrictions with respect to the Fund's use of futures, options on such futures, commodity options and certain swaps, or the Adviser will be subject to registration with the CFTC as a "commodity pool operator" ("CPO").

Consistent with the CFTC's new regulations, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has filed a notice of exclusion from the definition of the term CPO under the CEA pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5 and, therefore, the Fund is not subject to registration or regulation as a CPO under the CEA. As a result, the Fund will be limited in its ability to use futures, options on such futures, commodity options and certain swaps. Complying with the limitations may restrict the Adviser's ability to implement the Fund's investment strategies and may adversely affect the Fund's performance.

TYPES OF DERIVATIVES:

FUTURES. A futures contract is an agreement between two parties whereby one party agrees to sell and the other party agrees to buy a specified amount of a financial instrument at an agreed upon price and time. The financial instrument underlying the contract may be a stock, stock index, bond, bond index, interest rate, foreign exchange rate or other similar instrument. Agreeing to buy the underlying financial instrument is called buying a futures contract or taking a long position in the contract. Likewise, agreeing to sell the underlying financial instrument is called selling a futures contract or taking a short position in the contract.

Futures contracts are traded in the United States on commodity exchanges or boards of trade (known as "contract markets") approved for such trading and regulated by the CFTC. These contract markets standardize the terms, including the maturity date and underlying financial instrument, of all futures contracts.

Unlike other securities, the parties to a futures contract do not have to pay for or deliver the underlying financial instrument until some future date (the delivery date). Contract markets require both the purchaser and seller to

deposit "initial margin" with a futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant or custodian bank, when they enter into the contract. Initial margin deposits are typically equal to a percentage of the contract's value. Initial margin is similar to a performance bond or good faith deposit on a contract and is returned to the depositing party upon termination of the futures contract if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. After they open a futures contract, the parties to the transaction must compare the purchase price of the contract to its daily market value. If the value of the futures contract changes in such a way that a party's position declines, that party must make additional "variation margin" payments so that the margin payment is adequate. On the other hand, the value of the contract may change in such a way that there is excess margin on deposit, possibly entitling the party that has a gain to receive all or a portion of this amount. This process is known as "marking to the market." Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a party but is instead a settlement between the party and the futures broker of the amount one party would owe the other if the futures contract terminated. In computing daily NAV, each party marks to market its open futures positions.

Although the terms of a futures contract call for the actual delivery of and payment for the underlying security, in many cases the parties may close the contract early by taking an opposite position in an identical contract. If the sale price upon closing out the contract is less than the original purchase price, the party closing out the contract will realize a loss. If the sale price upon closing out the contract is more than the original purchase price, the party closing out the contract will realize a gain. Conversely, if the purchase price upon closing out the contract is more than the original sale price, the party closing out the contract will realize a loss. If the purchase price upon closing out the contract is less than the original sale price, the party closing out the contract will realize a gain.

The Fund may incur commission expenses when it opens or closes a futures position.

OPTIONS. An option is a contract between two parties for the purchase and sale of a financial instrument for a specified price (known as the "strike price" or "exercise price") at any time during the option period. Unlike a futures contract, an option grants a right (not an obligation) to buy or sell a financial instrument. Generally, a seller of an option can grant a buyer two kinds of rights: a "call" (the right to buy the security) or a "put" (the right to sell the security). Options have various types of underlying instruments, including specific securities, indices of securities prices, foreign currencies, interest rates and futures contracts. Options may be traded on an exchange (exchange-traded options) or may be customized agreements between the parties (over-the-counter or "OTC" options). Like futures, a financial intermediary, known as a clearing corporation, financially backs exchange-traded options. However, OTC options have no such intermediary and are subject to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligations under the contract. The principal factors affecting the market value of an option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current market value of the underlying instrument relative to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until the option expires.

o PURCHASING PUT AND CALL OPTIONS

When the Fund purchases a put option, it buys the right to sell the instrument underlying the option at a fixed strike price. In return for this right, the Fund pays the current market price for the option (known as the "option premium"). The Fund may purchase put options to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of its securities ("protective puts") or to benefit from a decline in the price of securities that it does not own. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and transaction costs. However, if the price of the underlying instrument does not fall enough to offset the cost of purchasing the option, a put buyer would lose the premium and related transaction costs.

Call options are similar to put options, except that the Fund obtains the right to purchase, rather than sell, the underlying instrument at the option's strike price. The Fund would normally purchase call options in anticipation of an increase in the market value of securities it owns or wants to buy. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain

if, during the option period, the value of the underlying instrument exceeded the exercise price plus the premium paid and related transaction costs. Otherwise, the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.

The purchaser of an option may terminate its position by:

o Allowing it to expire and losing its entire premium;

o Exercising the option and either selling (in the case of a put option) or buying (in the case of a call option) the underlying instrument at the strike price; or

o Closing it out in the secondary market at its current price.

o SELLING (WRITING) PUT AND CALL OPTIONS

When the Fund writes a call option it assumes an obligation to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a fixed strike price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. Similarly, when the Fund writes a put option it assumes an obligation to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a fixed strike price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. The Fund may terminate its position in an exchange-traded put option before exercise by buying an option identical to the one it has written. Similarly, it may cancel an OTC option by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counterparty to the option.

The Fund could try to hedge against an increase in the value of securities it would like to acquire by writing a put option on those securities. If security prices rise, the Fund would expect the put option to expire and the premium it received to offset the increase in the security's value. If security prices remain the same over time, the Fund would hope to profit by closing out the put option at a lower price. If security prices fall, the Fund may lose an amount of money equal to the difference between the value of the security and the premium it received. Writing covered put options may deprive the Fund of the opportunity to profit from a decrease in the market price of the securities it would like to acquire.

The characteristics of writing call options are similar to those of writing put options, except that call writers expect to profit if prices remain the same or fall. The Fund could try to hedge against a decline in the value of securities it already owns by writing a call option. If the price of that security falls as expected, the Fund would expect the option to expire and the premium it received to offset the decline of the security's value. However, the Fund must be prepared to deliver the underlying instrument in return for the strike price, which may deprive it of the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the securities it holds.

The Fund is permitted to write only "covered" options. At the time of selling a call option, the Fund may cover the option by owning, among other things:

o The underlying security (or securities convertible into the underlying security without additional consideration), index, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract;

o A call option on the same security or index with the same or lesser exercise price;

o A call option on the same security or index with a greater exercise price, provided that the Fund also segregates cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise prices;

o Cash or liquid securities equal to at least the market value of the optioned securities, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract; or

o In the case of an index, the portfolio of securities that corresponds to the index.

At the time of selling a put option, the Fund may cover the option by, among other things:

o Entering into a short position in the underlying security;

o Purchasing a put option on the same security, index, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract with the same or greater exercise price;

o Purchasing a put option on the same security, index, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract with a lesser exercise price and segregating cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise prices; or

o Maintaining the entire exercise price in liquid securities.

o OPTIONS ON SECURITIES INDICES

Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash settlement payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.

o OPTIONS ON CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS

An option on a credit default swap ("CDS") option gives the holder the right to enter into a CDS at a specified future date and under specified terms in exchange for a purchase price or premium. The writer of the option bears the risk of any unfavorable move in the value of the CDS relative to the market value on the exercise date, while the purchaser may allow the option to expire unexercised.

o OPTIONS ON FUTURES

An option on a futures contract provides the holder with the right to buy a futures contract (in the case of a call option) or sell a futures contract (in the case of a put option) at a fixed time and price. Upon exercise of the option by the holder, the contract market clearing house establishes a corresponding short position for the writer of the option (in the case of a call option) or a corresponding long position (in the case of a put option). If the option is exercised, the parties will be subject to the futures contracts. In addition, the writer of an option on a futures contract is subject to initial and variation margin requirements on the option position. Options on futures contracts are traded on the same contract market as the underlying futures contract.

The buyer or seller of an option on a futures contract may terminate the option early by purchasing or selling an option of the same series (i.e., the same exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously purchased or sold. The difference between the premiums paid and received represents the trader's profit or loss on the transaction.

The Fund may purchase put and call options on futures contracts instead of selling or buying futures contracts. The Fund may buy a put option on a futures contract for the same reasons it would sell a futures contract. It also may purchase such a put option in order to hedge a long position in the underlying futures contract. The Fund may buy a call option on a futures contract for the same purpose as the actual purchase of a futures contract, such as in anticipation of favorable market conditions.

The Fund may write a call option on a futures contract to hedge against a decline in the prices of the instrument underlying the futures contracts. If the price of the futures contract at expiration were below the exercise price, the Fund would retain the option premium, which would offset, in part, any decline in the value of its portfolio securities.

The writing of a put option on a futures contract is similar to the purchase of the futures contracts, except that, if the market price declines, the Fund would pay more than the market price for the underlying instrument. The premium received on the sale of the put option, less any transaction costs, would reduce the net cost to the Fund.

o OPTIONS ON FOREIGN CURRENCIES

A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. The Fund may purchase or write put and call options on foreign currencies for the purpose of hedging against changes in future currency exchange rates.

The Fund may use foreign currency options given the same circumstances under which it could use forward foreign currency exchange contracts. For example, a decline in the U.S. dollar value of a foreign currency in which the Fund's securities are denominated would reduce the U.S. dollar value of the securities, even if their value in the foreign currency remained constant. In order to hedge against such a risk, the Fund may purchase a put option on the foreign currency. If the value of the currency then declined, the Fund could sell the currency for a fixed amount in U.S. dollars and thereby offset, at least partially, the negative effect on its securities that otherwise would have resulted. Conversely, if the Fund anticipates a rise in the U.S. dollar value of a currency in which securities to be acquired are denominated, the Fund may purchase call options on the currency in order to offset, at least partially, the effects of negative movements in exchange rates. If currency exchange rates do not move in the direction or to the extent anticipated, the Fund could sustain losses on transactions in foreign currency options.

o COMBINED POSITIONS

The Fund may purchase and write options in combination with each other, or in combination with futures or forward contracts or swap agreements, to adjust the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. For example, the Fund could construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract by purchasing a put option and writing a call option on the same underlying instrument. Alternatively, the Fund could write a call option at one strike price and buy a call option at a lower price to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.

FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS. A forward foreign currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific amount of currency at a future date or date range at a specific price. In the case of a cancelable forward contract, the holder has the unilateral right to cancel the contract at maturity by paying a specified fee. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts differ from foreign currency futures contracts in certain respects. Unlike futures contracts, forward contracts:

o Do not have standard maturity dates or amounts (i.e., the parties to the contract may fix the maturity date and the amount);

o Are typically traded directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers in the inter-bank markets, as opposed to on exchanges regulated by the CFTC (note, however, that under new definitions adopted by the CFTC and SEC, many non-deliverable foreign currency

forwards will be considered swaps for certain purposes, including determination of whether such instruments must be traded on exchanges and centrally cleared);

o Do not require an initial margin deposit; and

o May be closed by entering into a closing transaction with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract, as opposed to with a commodities exchange.

o FOREIGN CURRENCY HEDGING STRATEGIES

A "settlement hedge" or "transaction hedge" is designed to protect the Fund against an adverse change in foreign currency values between the date a security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale of the amount of foreign currency involved in an underlying security transaction for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars "locks in" the U.S. dollar price of the security. The Fund may also use forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency when it anticipates purchasing or selling securities denominated in foreign currency, even if it has not yet selected the specific investments.

The Fund may use forward contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in foreign currency. Such a hedge, sometimes referred to as a "position hedge," would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Fund could also hedge the position by selling another currency expected to perform similarly to the currency in which the Fund's investment is denominated. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a "proxy hedge," could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a direct hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated.

Transaction and position hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities that the Fund owns or intends to purchase or sell. They simply establish a rate of exchange that one can achieve at some future point in time. Additionally, these techniques tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency and to limit any potential gain that might result from the increase in value of such currency.

The Fund may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another. Such transactions may call for the delivery of one foreign currency in exchange for another foreign currency, including currencies in which its securities are not then denominated. This may include shifting exposure from U.S. dollars to a foreign currency, or from one foreign currency to another foreign currency. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a "cross-hedge," will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased. Cross-hedges may protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency but will cause the Fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases. Cross-hedging transactions also involve the risk of imperfect correlation between changes in the values of the currencies involved.

It is difficult to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward or futures contract. Accordingly, the Fund may have to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot (cash) market if the market value of a security it is hedging is less than the amount of foreign currency it is obligated to deliver. Conversely, the Fund may have to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency it received upon the sale of a security if the market value of such security exceeds the amount of foreign currency it is obligated to deliver.

EQUITY-LINKED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in privately issued securities whose investment results are designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified stock index or "basket" of securities, or sometimes a single stock (referred to as "equity-linked securities"). These securities are used for many of the same purposes as derivative instruments and share many of the same risks. Equity-linked securities may be considered illiquid and thus subject to the Fund's restrictions on investments in illiquid securities.

SWAP AGREEMENTS. A swap agreement is a financial instrument that typically involves the exchange of cash flows between two parties on specified dates (settlement dates), where the cash flows are based on agreed-upon prices, rates, indices, etc. The nominal amount on which the cash flows are calculated is called the notional amount. Swap agreements are individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors, such as interest rates, foreign currency rates, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, security prices or inflation rates.

Swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the investments of the Fund and its share price. The performance of swap agreements may be affected by a change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund. If a swap agreement calls for payments by the Fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, if the counterparty's creditworthiness declined, the value of a swap agreement would be likely to decline, potentially resulting in losses.

Generally, swap agreements have a fixed maturity date that will be agreed upon by the parties. The agreement can be terminated before the maturity date under certain circumstances, such as default by one of the parties or insolvency, among others, and can be transferred by a party only with the prior written consent of the other party. The Fund may be able to eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or by other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party. If the counterparty is unable to meet its obligations under the contract, declares bankruptcy, defaults or becomes insolvent, the Fund may not be able to recover the money it expected to receive under the swap agreement. The Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless the investment managers believe that the counterparty to the transaction is creditworthy.

A swap agreement can be a form of leverage, which can magnify the Fund's gains or losses. In order to reduce the risk associated with leveraging, the Fund may cover its current obligations under swap agreements according to guidelines established by the SEC. If the Fund enters into a swap agreement on a net basis, it will segregate assets with a daily value at least equal to the excess, if any, of the Fund's accrued obligations under the swap agreement over the accrued amount the Fund is entitled to receive under the agreement. If the Fund enters into a swap agreement on other than a net basis, it will segregate assets with a value equal to the full amount of the Fund's accrued obligations under the swap agreement.

o EQUITY SWAPS

In a typical equity swap, one party agrees to pay another party the return on a stock, stock index or basket of stocks in return for a specified interest rate.
By entering into an equity index swap, for example, the index receiver can gain exposure to stocks making up the index of securities without actually purchasing those stocks. Equity index swaps involve not only the risk associated with investment in the securities represented in the index, but also the risk that the performance of such securities, including dividends, will not exceed the return on the interest rate that the Fund will be committed to pay.

o TOTAL RETURN SWAPS

Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return from a reference instrument--which may be a single asset, a pool of assets or an index of assets--during a specified period, in

return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another underlying reference instrument. The total return includes appreciation or depreciation on the underlying asset, plus any interest or dividend payments. Payments under the swap are based upon an agreed upon principal amount but, since the principal amount is not exchanged, it represents neither an asset nor a liability to either counterparty, and is referred to as notional. Total return swaps are marked to market daily using different sources, including quotations from counterparties, pricing services, brokers or market makers. The unrealized appreciation or depreciation related to the change in the valuation of the notional amount of the swap is combined with the amount due to the Fund at termination or settlement. The primary risks associated with total return swaps are credit risks (if the counterparty fails to meet its obligations) and market risk (if there is no liquid market for the swap or unfavorable changes occur to the underlying reference instrument).

o INTEREST RATE SWAPS

Interest rate swaps are financial instruments that involve the exchange of one type of interest rate for another type of interest rate cash flow on specified dates in the future. Some of the different types of interest rate swaps are "fixed-for-floating rate swaps," "termed basis swaps" and "index amortizing swaps." Fixed-for floating rate swaps involve the exchange of fixed interest rate cash flows for floating rate cash flows. Termed basis swaps entail cash flows to both parties based on floating interest rates, where the interest rate indices are different. Index amortizing swaps are typically fixed-for-floating rate swaps where the notional amount changes if certain conditions are met.

As with a traditional investment in a debt security, the Fund could lose money by investing in an interest rate swap if interest rates change adversely. For example, if the Fund enters into a swap where it agrees to exchange a floating rate of interest for a fixed rate of interest, the Fund may have to pay more money than it receives. Similarly, if the Fund enters into a swap where it agrees to exchange a fixed rate of interest for a floating rate of interest, the Fund may receive less money than it has agreed to pay.

o CURRENCY SWAPS

A currency swap is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to make interest rate payments in one currency and the other promises to make interest rate payments in another currency. The Fund may enter into a currency swap when it has one currency and desires a different currency. Typically, the interest rates that determine the currency swap payments are fixed, although occasionally one or both parties may pay a floating rate of interest. Unlike an interest rate swap, however, the principal amounts are exchanged at the beginning of the agreement and returned at the end of the agreement. Changes in foreign exchange rates and changes in interest rates, as described above, may negatively affect currency swaps.

o INFLATION SWAPS

Inflation swaps are fixed-maturity, over-the-counter derivatives where one party pays a fixed rate in exchange for payments tied to an inflation index, such as the Consumer Price Index. The fixed rate, which is set by the parties at the initiation of the swap, is often referred to as the "breakeven inflation" rate and generally represents the current difference between treasury yields and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities yields of similar maturities at the initiation of the swap agreement. Inflation swaps are typically designated as "zero coupon," where all cash flows are exchanged at maturity. The value of an inflation swap is expected to fluctuate in response to changes in the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. An inflation swap can lose value if the realized rate of inflation over the life of the swap is less than the fixed market implied inflation rate (the breakeven inflation rate) the investor agreed to pay at the initiation of the swap.

o CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS

A credit default swap is an agreement between a "buyer" and a "seller" for credit protection. The credit default swap agreement may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not then held by the Fund. The protection buyer is generally obligated to pay the protection seller an upfront payment and/or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the agreement until a credit event on a reference obligation has occurred. If no default occurs, the seller would keep the stream of payments and would have no payment obligations. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the full notional amount (the "par value") of the swap.

o CAPS, COLLARS AND FLOORS

Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for payment of a fee by the other party. For example, the buyer of an interest rate cap obtains the right to receive payments to the extent that a specified interest rate exceeds an agreed-upon level. The seller of an interest rate floor is obligated to make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an agreed-upon level. An interest rate collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.

RISKS OF DERIVATIVES:

While transactions in derivatives may reduce certain risks, these transactions themselves entail certain other risks. For example, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance of the Fund than if it had not entered into any derivatives transactions. Derivatives may magnify the Fund's gains or losses, causing it to make or lose substantially more than it invested.

When used for hedging purposes, increases in the value of the securities the Fund holds or intends to acquire should offset any losses incurred with a derivative. Purchasing derivatives for purposes other than hedging could expose the Fund to greater risks.

Use of derivatives involves transaction costs, which may be significant, and may also increase the amount of taxable income to shareholders.

CORRELATION OF PRICES. The Fund's ability to hedge its securities through derivatives depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index or instrument correlate with price movements in the relevant securities. In the case of poor correlation, the price of the securities the Fund is hedging may not move in the same amount, or even in the same direction as the hedging instrument. The investment managers will try to minimize this risk by investing in only those contracts whose behavior they expect to correlate with the behavior of the portfolio securities they are trying to hedge. However, if the investment managers' prediction of interest and currency rates, market value, volatility or other economic factors is incorrect, the Fund may lose money, or may not make as much money as it expected.

Derivative prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the characteristics of the underlying instruments are very similar to the derivative. Listed below are some of the factors that may cause such a divergence:

o Current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract;

o A difference between the derivatives and securities markets, including different levels of demand, how the instruments are traded, the imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or discontinued trading of an instrument; and

o Differences between the derivatives, such as different margin requirements, different liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.

Derivatives based upon a narrower index of securities, such as those of a particular industry group, may present greater risk than derivatives based on a broad market index. Since narrower indices are made up of a smaller number of securities, they are more susceptible to rapid and extreme price fluctuations because of changes in the value of those securities.

While currency futures and options values are expected to correlate with exchange rates, they may not reflect other factors that affect the value of the investments of the Fund. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a yen-denominated security from a decline in the yen, but will not protect the Fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer's creditworthiness. Because the value of the Fund's foreign-denominated investments changes in response to many factors other than exchange rates, it may not be possible to match the amount of currency options and futures to the value of the Fund's investments precisely over time.

LACK OF LIQUIDITY. Before a futures contract or option is exercised or expires, the Fund can terminate it only by entering into a closing purchase or sale transaction. Moreover, the Fund may close out a futures contract only on the exchange the contract was initially traded. Although the Fund intends to purchase options and futures only where there appears to be an active market, there is no guarantee that such a liquid market will exist. If there is no secondary market for the contract, or the market is illiquid, the Fund may not be able to close out its position. In an illiquid market, the Fund may:

o Have to sell securities to meet its daily margin requirements at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so;

o Have to purchase or sell the instrument underlying the contract;

o Not be able to hedge its investments; and/or

o Not be able to realize profits or limit its losses.

Derivatives may become illiquid (i.e., difficult to sell at a desired time and price) under a variety of market conditions. For example:

o An exchange may suspend or limit trading in a particular derivative instrument, an entire category of derivatives or all derivatives, which sometimes occurs because of increased market volatility;

o Unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations of an exchange;

o The facilities of the exchange may not be adequate to handle current trading volume;

o Equipment failures, government intervention, insolvency of a brokerage firm or clearing house or other occurrences may disrupt normal trading activity; or

o Investors may lose interest in a particular derivative or category of derivatives.

MANAGEMENT RISK. Successful use of derivatives by the Fund is subject to the ability of the investment managers to forecast stock market and interest rate trends. If the investment managers incorrectly predict stock market and interest rate trends, the Fund may lose money by investing in derivatives. For example, if the Fund were to write a call option based on the investment managers' expectation that the price of the underlying security would fall, but the price were to rise instead, the Fund could be required to sell the security upon exercise at a price below the current market price. Similarly, if the Fund were to write a put option based on the investment managers'

expectation that the price of the underlying security would rise, but the price were to fall instead, the Fund could be required to purchase the security upon exercise at a price higher than the current market price.

PRICING RISK. At times, market conditions might make it hard to value some investments. For example, if the Fund has valued its securities too high, shareholders may end up paying too much for Fund shares when they buy into the Fund. If the Fund underestimates its price, shareholders may not receive the full market value for their Fund shares when they sell.

MARGIN. Because of the low margin deposits required upon the opening of a derivative position, such transactions involve an extremely high degree of leverage. Consequently, a relatively small price movement in a derivative may result in an immediate and substantial loss (as well as gain) to the Fund and it may lose more than it originally invested in the derivative.

If the price of a futures contract changes adversely, the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so to meet its minimum daily margin requirement. The Fund may lose its margin deposits if a broker-dealer with whom it has an open futures contract or related option becomes insolvent or declares bankruptcy.

VOLATILITY AND LEVERAGE. The Fund's use of derivatives may have a leveraging effect. Leverage generally magnifies the effect of any increase or decrease in value of an underlying asset and results in increased volatility, which means the Fund will have the potential for greater gains, as well as the potential for greater losses, than if the Fund does not use derivative instruments that have a leveraging effect. The prices of derivatives are volatile (i.e., they may change rapidly, substantially and unpredictably) and are influenced by a variety of factors, including:

o Actual and anticipated changes in interest rates;

o Fiscal and monetary policies; and

o National and international political events.

Most exchanges limit the amount by which the price of a derivative can change during a single trading day. Daily trading limits establish the maximum amount that the price of a derivative may vary from the settlement price of that derivative at the end of trading on the previous day. Once the price of a derivative reaches this value, the Fund may not trade that derivative at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a given day and does not limit potential gains or losses. Derivative prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days, preventing prompt liquidation of the derivative.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION. The regulation of derivatives markets in the U.S. is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed into law in 2010, grants significant new authority to the SEC and the CFTC to impose comprehensive regulations on the over-the-counter and cleared derivatives markets. These regulations include, but are not limited to, mandatory clearing of certain derivatives and requirements relating to disclosure, margin and trade reporting. The new law and regulations may negatively impact the Fund by increasing transaction and/or regulatory compliance costs, limiting the availability of certain derivatives or otherwise adversely affecting the value or performance of the derivatives the Fund trades. Other potentially adverse regulatory obligations can develop suddenly and without notice.

ILLIQUID SECURITIES

Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business (i.e. within

seven days) at approximately the prices at which they are valued. Because of their illiquid nature, illiquid securities must be priced at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to procedures approved by the Board. Despite such good faith efforts to determine fair value prices, the Fund's illiquid securities are subject to the risk that the security's fair value price may differ from the actual price which the Fund may ultimately realize upon its sale or disposition. Difficulty in selling illiquid securities may result in a loss or may be costly to the Fund. Under the supervision of the Board, the Adviser determines the liquidity of the Fund's investments. In determining the liquidity of the Fund's investments, the Adviser may consider various factors, including (1) the frequency and volume of trades and quotations, (2) the number of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace, (3) dealer undertakings to make a market, and (4) the nature of the security and the market in which it trades (including any demand, put or tender features, the mechanics and other requirements for transfer, any letters of credit or other credit enhancement features, any ratings, the number of holders, the method of soliciting offers, the time required to dispose of the security, and the ability to assign or offset the rights and obligations of the security). The Fund will not hold more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities.

SECURITIES LENDING

The Fund may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations that meet capital and other credit requirements or other criteria established by the Board. These loans, if and when made, may not exceed 33 1/3% of the total asset value of the Fund (including the loan collateral). The Fund will not lend portfolio securities to the Adviser or its affiliates unless permissible under the 1940 Act and the rules and promulgations thereunder. Loans of portfolio securities will be fully collateralized by cash, letters of credit or U.S. government securities, and the collateral will be maintained in an amount equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the loaned securities by marking to market daily, although the borrower will be required to deliver collateral of 102% and 105% of the market value of borrowed securities for domestic and foreign issuers, respectively. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would be for the account of the Fund.

The Fund may pay a part of the interest earned from the investment of collateral, or other fee, to an unaffiliated third party for acting as the Fund's securities lending agent, but will bear all of any losses from the investment of collateral.

By lending its securities, the Fund may increase its income by receiving payments from the borrower that reflect the amount of any interest or any dividends payable on the loaned securities as well as by either investing cash collateral received from the borrower in short-term instruments or obtaining a fee from the borrower when U.S. government securities or letters of credit are used as collateral. Investing cash collateral subjects the Fund to market risk. The Fund remains obligated to return all collateral to the borrower under the terms of its securities lending arrangements, even if the value of investments made with the collateral decline. Accordingly, if the value of a security in which the cash collateral has been invested declines, the loss would be borne by the Fund, and the Fund may be required to liquidate other investments in order to return collateral to the borrower at the end of the loan. The Fund will adhere to the following conditions whenever its portfolio securities are loaned: (i) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral or equivalent securities of the type discussed in the preceding paragraph from the borrower;
(ii) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (iii) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan on demand; (iv) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities and any increase in market value; (v) the Fund may pay only reasonable fees in connection with the loan (which fees may include fees payable to the lending agent, the borrower, the Fund's administrator and the custodian); and (vi) voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, provided, however, that if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs, the Fund must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities. In such instances, the Adviser will vote the securities in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures. The Board has adopted procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the foregoing criteria will be met. Loan agreements involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the borrower, including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund's ability to recover the loaned securities or dispose of the collateral for the loan, which could give rise to loss because of adverse market action, expenses and/or delays in

connection with the disposition of the underlying securities.

RESTRICTED SECURITIES

The Fund may purchase restricted securities. Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold freely to the public absent registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or an exemption from registration. This generally includes securities that are unregistered that can be sold to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act or securities that are exempt from registration under the 1933 Act, such as commercial paper. Institutional markets for restricted securities have developed as a result of the promulgation of Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, which provides a "safe harbor" from 1933 Act registration requirements for qualifying sales to institutional investors. When Rule 144A restricted securities present an attractive investment opportunity and meet other selection criteria, the Fund may make such investments whether or not such securities are "illiquid" depending on the market that exists for the particular security. The Board has delegated the responsibility for determining the liquidity of Rule 144A restricted securities that the Fund may invest in to the Adviser.

SHORT SALES

The Fund may engage in short sales that are either "uncovered" or "against the box." A short sale is "against the box" if at all times during which the short position is open, the Fund owns at least an equal amount of the securities or securities convertible into, or exchangeable without further consideration for, securities of the same issue as the securities that are sold short. A short sale against the box is a taxable transaction to the Fund with respect to the securities that are sold short. The Fund will not sell a security short if, as a result of such short sale, the aggregate market value of all securities sold short exceeds 10% of the Fund's total assets. This limitation does not apply to short sales against the box.

Uncovered short sales are transactions under which the Fund sells a security it does not own. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of the replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay the lender amounts equal to any dividends or interest that accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.

Until the Fund closes its short position or replaces the borrowed security, the Fund may: (a) segregate cash or liquid securities at such a level that the amount segregated plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the security sold short; or (b) otherwise cover the Fund's short position.

WHEN-ISSUED, DELAYED--DELIVERY AND FORWARD TRANSACTIONS

A when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which a market exists, but which have not been issued. In a forward delivery transaction, the Fund contracts to purchase securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time. "Delayed-delivery" refers to securities transactions on the secondary market where settlement occurs in the future. In each of these transactions, the parties fix the payment obligation and the interest rate that they will receive on the securities at the time the parties enter the commitment; however, they do not pay money or deliver securities until a later date. Typically, no income accrues on securities the Fund has committed to purchase before the securities are delivered, although the Fund may earn income on securities it has in a segregated account to cover its position. The Fund will only enter into these types of transactions with the intention of actually acquiring the securities, but may sell them before the settlement date.

The Fund may use when-issued, delayed-delivery and forward delivery transactions to secure what it considers an advantageous price and yield at the time of purchase. When the Fund engages in when-issued, delayed-delivery or forward delivery transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the sale. If the other party fails to complete the sale, the Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the security at a favorable price or yield.

When purchasing a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward delivery basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield changes. At the time of settlement, the market value of the security may be more or less than the purchase price. The yield available in the market when the delivery takes place also may be higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. Because the Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other investments.

The Fund will segregate cash or liquid securities equal in value to commitments for the when-issued, delayed delivery or forward delivery transactions. The Fund will segregate additional liquid assets daily so that the value of such assets is equal to the amount of the commitments.

SPECIAL RISKS OF CYBER ATTACKS

As with any entity that conducts business through electronic means in the modern marketplace, the Fund, and its service providers, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber attacks. Cyber attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized monitoring, release, misuse, loss, destruction or corruption of confidential information, unauthorized access to relevant systems, compromises to networks or devices that the Fund and its service providers use to service the Fund's operations, operational disruption or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers, or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber attacks affecting the Fund or the Adviser, the Fund's distributor, custodian, or any other of the Fund's intermediaries or service providers may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders, potentially resulting in, among other things, financial losses or the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business. For instance, cyber attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential business information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses and/or cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes designed to mitigate or prevent the risk of cyber attacks. Such costs may be ongoing because threats of cyber attacks are constantly evolving as cyber attackers become more sophisticated and their techniques become more complex. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund may invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund's investments in such companies to lose value. There can be no assurance that the Fund, the Fund's service providers, or the issuers of the securities in which the Fund invests will not suffer losses relating to cyber attacks or other information security breaches in the future.

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES

The following investment limitations are fundamental, which means that the Fund cannot change them without approval by the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The phrase "majority of the outstanding shares" means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Fund's shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares, whichever is less.

The Fund may not:

1. Purchase securities of an issuer that would cause the Fund to fail to satisfy the diversification requirement for a diversified management company under the 1940 Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

2. Concentrate investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as concentration is defined under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

3. Borrow money or issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

4. Make loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

5. Purchase or sell commodities or real estate, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

6. Underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.

NON-FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES

The following limitations are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

The Fund may not:

1. Purchase securities of any issuer (except securities of other investment companies, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements involving such securities) if, as a result, more than 5% of the total assets of the Fund would be invested in the securities of such issuer; or (ii) acquire more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer. This restriction applies to 75% of the Fund's total assets.

2. Purchase any securities which would cause 25% or more of the total assets of the Fund to be invested in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, provided that this limitation does not apply to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements involving such securities. For purposes of this limitation, (i) utility companies will be classified according to their services, for example, gas distribution, gas transmission, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate industry; and (ii) financial service companies will be classified according to the end users of their services, for example, automobile finance, bank finance and diversified finance will each be considered a separate industry.

3. Borrow money from a bank in an amount exceeding 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets, provided that, for purposes of this limitation, investment strategies that either obligate the Fund to purchase securities or require the Fund to segregate assets are not considered to be borrowing.

4. Make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, except that the Fund may: (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements; and (iii) engage in securities lending as described in the SAI.

5. Purchase or sell real estate or real estate limited partnership interests, except that the Fund may purchase marketable securities issued by companies which own or invest in real estate (including REITs).

6. Purchase an investment if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of the Fund's net assets would be invested in illiquid securities.

7. Change its policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds without 60 days prior notice to shareholders.

The following descriptions of certain provisions of the 1940 Act may assist investors in understanding the above policies and restrictions:

BORROWING. The 1940 Act presently allows a fund to borrow from any bank in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) and to borrow for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of its total assets. Transactions that are fully collateralized in a manner that does not involve the prohibited issuance of a "senior security" within the meaning of Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act, shall not be regarded as borrowings for the purposes of the Fund's investment restriction. Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act permits an investment company to borrow only from banks.

CONCENTRATION. The SEC has defined concentration as investing 25% or more of an investment company's total assets in any particular industry or group of industries, with certain exceptions. For purposes of the Fund's concentration policy, the Fund may classify and re-classify companies in a particular industry and define and redefine industries in any reasonable manner.

DIVERSIFICATION. Under the 1940 Act and the rules, regulations and interpretations thereunder, a "diversified company," as to 75% of its total assets, may not purchase securities of any issuer (other than obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. government or its agencies, or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer, or more than 10% of the issuer's voting securities would be held by a fund.

LENDING. Under the 1940 Act, an investment company may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies.

SENIOR SECURITIES. Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by a fund evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligation.

UNDERWRITING. Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities involves an investment company purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not make any commitment as underwriter, if immediately thereafter the amount of its outstanding underwriting commitments, plus the value of its investments in securities of issuers (other than investment companies) of which it owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities, exceeds 25% of the value of its total assets.

REAL ESTATE AND COMMODITIES. The 1940 Act does not directly restrict an investment company's ability to invest in real estate or commodities, but does require that every investment company have a fundamental investment policy governing such investments.

Except with respect to Fund policies concerning borrowing and illiquid securities, if a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from changes in values or assets will not constitute a violation of such restriction. With respect to the limitation on illiquid securities, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other circumstances causes the Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to bring the aggregate amount of illiquid instruments back within the limitations as soon as reasonably practicable. With respect to the limitation on borrowing, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other circumstances cause the Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to bring the aggregate amount of borrowing back within the limitations within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays).

THE ADVISER

GENERAL. Smith Breeden Associates, Inc. was founded in 1982 as a privately owned company and was acquired by Amundi USA, Inc. (the asset management arm of Credit Agricole and Societe General) on September 30, 2013 to form Amundi Smith Breeden LLC (the "Adviser"), a Delaware limited liability company, located at 280 South Mangum Street, Suite 301, Durham NC 27701, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. As of March 31, 2015, the Adviser had approximately $8.9 billion in assets under management.

ADVISORY AGREEMENT. The Trust and the Adviser have entered into an investment advisory agreement dated August 5, 2015 (the "Advisory Agreement") with respect to the Fund. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser serves as the investment adviser and makes investment decisions for the Fund and continuously reviews, supervises and administers the investment program of the Fund, subject to the supervision of, and policies established by, the Board.

After its initial two year term, the continuance of the Advisory Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually: (i) by the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund or by the Trustees; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to such Advisory Agreement or "interested persons" (as defined under the 1940 Act) of any party thereto, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees or, with respect to the Fund, by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, on not less than 30 days' nor more than 60 days' written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser on 90 days' written notice to the Trust.

ADVISORY FEES PAID TO THE ADVISER. For its services to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.40% based on the average daily net assets of the Fund. The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding any interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, and non-routine expenses) regarding Institutional Class shares from exceeding 0.45% of the average daily net assets of the Fund's Institutional Class shares and regarding the Service Class shares from exceeding 0.65% of the average daily net assets of the Fund's Service Class shares until February 28, 2017 (the "Expense Limitation"). The Adviser may recover all or a portion of its fee reductions or expense reimbursements within a three-year period from the year in which it reduced its fee or reimbursed expenses if the Fund's Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are below the Expense Limitation. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board for any reason at any time, or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days' prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2017.

THE PORTFOLIO MANAGER

This section includes information about the Fund's portfolio managers, including information about other accounts they manage, the dollar range of Fund shares they own and how they are compensated.

COMPENSATION. Amundi Smith Breeden portfolio managers are compensated with a base salary, bonus, and "phantom equity." The factors the Adviser uses in evaluating a portfolio manager's compensation include:

o risk-adjusted investment performance for all accounts managed by the portfolio manager relative to benchmarks and peers;

o overall contributions to investment ideas;

o proportion of total firm assets managed by the portfolio manager and revenue attributable to these accounts;

o client service;

o contribution to marketing efforts; and

o operational efficiency.

In general, a portfolio manager's compensation will be higher when the specific accounts managed by that portfolio manager do well. However, while the Adviser does consider portfolio returns and metrics when evaluating a portfolio manager for the purposes of determining compensation, it does not use formulas to set compensation. In evaluating portfolio manager compensation the Adviser seeks to treat all types of client accounts and all types of products similarly. The Adviser considers the totality of the portfolio manager's performance in awarding compensation, and the Adviser bases compensation on both short-term and long-term successes. The Adviser also compensates senior employees with equity-like grants, which have multi-year vesting periods. This "phantom equity", whose value is a function of the Adviser's revenues and profits, will generally be worth more when the firm is successful and is providing superior results to its clients. The Adviser believes that this equity provides appropriate incentives to act in the long term interests of the firm and its clients.

The Adviser's approach to compensation is intended to help align the interests of its clients with its portfolio managers. The Adviser is, however, aware of potential conflicts of interest associated with portfolio manager compensation, and therefore monitors compliance with its Trade Allocation Policy as described below.

FUND SHARES OWNED BY PORTFOLIO MANAGERS. The Fund is required to show the dollar amount range of each portfolio manager's "beneficial ownership" of shares of the Fund as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. "Beneficial ownership" is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"). Because the Fund is new, as of the date of this SAI, the portfolio manager did not beneficially own shares of the Fund.

OTHER ACCOUNTS. In addition to the Fund, the portfolio managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts, as listed below. The information below is provided as of June 30, 2015.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                REGISTERED                 OTHER POOLED
                          INVESTMENT COMPANIES          INVESTMENT VEHICLES            OTHER ACCOUNTS
                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       NUMBER OF    TOTAL ASSETS     NUMBER OF    TOTAL ASSETS    NUMBER OF    TOTAL ASSETS
     NAME              ACCOUNTS     (IN MILLIONS)    ACCOUNTS     (IN MILLIONS)   ACCOUNTS     (IN MILLIONS)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Timothy D. Rowe           0            $0            1(1)          $31            6           $3,857
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(1) This account is the only account managed by Mr. Rowe that includes a performance-based fee.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. To help mitigate the risk that the Adviser or a portfolio manager will favor one account over another account, the Adviser has adopted a "Trade Allocation Policy."

The Trade Allocation policy establishes guidelines for allocating investment opportunities in a manner so as not to consciously or consistently favor or disfavor a client or class of clients over time and for allocating investment opportunities on a fair and equitable basis over time, to the extent practical.

Trading opportunities are allocated considering various factors, including:

o the relative investment objectives of, and investment limitations imposed upon, the particular accounts;

o the availability of funds for investment in the particular accounts;

o the investment composition of each of the accounts and the composition of the accounts' benchmarks;

o the relationship between the size of the block to be allocated and the cost of trading or restriction against trading such block size;

o the portfolio manager's tactics for achieving the investment objectives of the particular accounts; and

o in the case of a sale, the relative holdings of the asset to be sold and the amount of the sale order filled.

Generally speaking, these considerations being equal, trading opportunities are allocated based on the relative gross assets of the accounts.

Orders for the same security entered on behalf of more than one account will generally be aggregated subject to the aggregation being in the best interests of all participating accounts.

For futures and options, if the Adviser receives fewer contracts than requested, all at the same price, the contracts will be allocated to eligible accounts on a proportional basis based on the total number of contracts the Adviser wants to trade for each account. If different prices are received, an average price may be determined and the Adviser may allocate the order to each account based on the average price.

For other instruments, if the Adviser is not able to receive one price for an order large enough to satisfy all participants at the same price, additional prices may be sought until all eligible accounts are able to participate in the transaction. The final orders will be allocated to each account pro-rata to adhere as closely as possible to an average price determined from the weighted average of all orders. Under normal market conditions the time period to fill all accounts will not span longer than one trading day.

The Adviser may also use allocation credits. The need for allocation credits may arise when demand for a security outstrips the purchase size. When the amount of the security to be purchased is relatively small, precise pro-rata allocations often result in accounts receiving allocation amounts smaller than the DTCC minimum trade amount or minimum trade amount preferred by the portfolio manager. An account that would have received a pro-rata allocation below the targeted trade size may receive an allocation credit instead of the amount it would have received in a pro-rata allocation. At the discretion of the portfolio manager, accounts that accumulate credits may receive an allocation of the next similar purchase if the next similar purchase is in line with portfolio guidelines and portfolio strategy.

The Adviser tests compliance with its Trade Allocation Policy on a daily and quarterly basis. Daily, its Compliance Department reviews an allocation report of trades by strategy to confirm that allocations are consistent with this policy. Quarterly, the Adviser's Compliance Department reviews a random sample of allocated trades across all strategies to confirm that allocations are consistent with this policy. In addition, the

Adviser's Compliance Department reviews the dispersion of returns by investment strategy to help identify patterns that might suggest that a client or class of clients is being consciously or consistently favored or disfavored over time. The Adviser's Composite Committee also reviews performance dispersion in its regular meetings.

The Adviser's Director of the Investment Management Group reviews the performance and daily trade activity for the Adviser's accounts, including the Fund's. The Adviser's Chief Investment Officer reviews the performance for all accounts and the daily trade activity of the Director of the Investment Management Group.

The reviews of performance dispersion also serve to test whether accounts with similar objectives are managed with similar risks. In addition, the Adviser's Risk Department sets risk budgets for each account and monitors compliance with those risk limits and reviews daily performance.

Portfolio manager compensation practices present another potential conflict of interest with side-by-side management. The Adviser believes that its compensation structure set forth above is designed to mitigate such conflicts.

THE ADMINISTRATOR

GENERAL. SEI Investments Global Funds Services (the "Administrator"), a Delaware statutory trust, has its principal business offices at One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456. SEI Investments Management Corporation ("SIMC"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEI Investments Company ("SEI Investments"), is the owner of all beneficial interest in the Administrator. SEI Investments and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including the Administrator, are leading providers of fund evaluation services, trust accounting systems, and brokerage and information services to financial institutions, institutional investors, and money managers. The Administrator and its affiliates also serve as administrator or sub-administrator to other mutual funds.

ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT WITH THE TRUST. The Trust and the Administrator have entered into an administration agreement dated February 12, 2014 (the "Administration Agreement"). Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides the Trust with administrative services, including regulatory reporting and all necessary office space, equipment, personnel and facilities.

The Administration Agreement provides that the Administrator shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the matters to which the Administration Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Administrator in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its duties and obligations thereunder.

THE DISTRIBUTOR

GENERAL. The Trust and SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the "Distributor"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEI Investments, and an affiliate of the Administrator, are parties to a distribution agreement dated February 12, 2014 ("Distribution Agreement"), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Trust's shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456.

The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the majority of the shareholders of the Trust and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act), and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Board

or by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Trust, upon not more than 60 days' written notice by either party.

SHAREHOLDER SERVICES

SHAREHOLDER SERVICING PLAN. The Fund has adopted a shareholder servicing plan (the "Service Plan") under which a shareholder servicing fee of up to 0.20% of average daily net assets of Service Class Shares of the Fund will be paid to other service providers. Under the Service Plan, other service providers may perform, or may compensate other service providers for performing certain shareholder and administrative services as discussed below.

DESCRIPTION OF SHAREHOLDER SERVICES. Shareholder services may include: (i) maintaining accounts relating to clients that invest in shares; (ii) arranging for bank wires; (iii) responding to client inquiries relating to the services performed by the services provider; (iv) responding to inquiries from clients concerning their investment in shares; (v) assisting clients in changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; (vi) providing information periodically to clients showing their position in shares; (vii) forwarding shareholder communications from the Fund such as proxies, shareholder reports, annual reports, and dividend distribution and tax notices to clients; and (viii) processing dividend payments from the Fund on behalf of clients.

PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

The Adviser and/or its affiliates, at their discretion, may make payments from their own resources and not from Fund assets to affiliated or unaffiliated brokers, dealers, banks (including bank trust departments), trust companies, registered investment advisers, financial planners, retirement plan administrators, insurance companies, and any other institution having a service, administration, or any similar arrangement with the Fund, its service providers or their respective affiliates, as incentives to help market and promote the Fund and/or in recognition of their distribution, marketing, administrative services, and/or processing support.

These additional payments may be made to financial intermediaries that sell Fund shares or provide services to the Fund, the Distributor or shareholders of the Fund through the financial intermediary's retail distribution channel and/or fund supermarkets. Payments may also be made through the financial intermediary's retirement, qualified tuition, fee-based advisory, wrap fee bank trust, or insurance (e.g., individual or group annuity) programs. These payments may include, but are not limited to, placing the Fund in a financial intermediary's retail distribution channel or on a preferred or recommended fund list; providing business or shareholder financial planning assistance; educating financial intermediary personnel about the Fund; providing access to sales and management representatives of the financial intermediary; promoting sales of Fund shares; providing marketing and educational support; maintaining share balances and/or for sub-accounting, administrative or shareholder transaction processing services. A financial intermediary may perform the services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform the services.

The Adviser and/or its affiliates may also make payments from their own resources to financial intermediaries for costs associated with the purchase of products or services used in connection with sales and marketing, participation in and/or presentation at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs, client and investor entertainment and other sponsored events. The costs and expenses associated with these efforts may include travel, lodging, sponsorship at educational seminars and conferences, entertainment and meals to the extent permitted by law.

Revenue sharing payments may be negotiated based on a variety of factors, including the level of sales, the amount of Fund assets attributable to investments in the Fund by financial intermediaries customers, a flat fee or other measures as determined from time to time by the Adviser and/or their affiliates. A significant purpose of these payments is to increase the sales of Fund shares, which in turn may benefit the Adviser through increased

fees as Fund assets grow.

THE TRANSFER AGENT

Atlantic Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Portland, Maine 04101, serves as the Fund's transfer agent.

THE CUSTODIAN

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (the "Custodian"), 40 Water Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109-3661, acts as custodian of the Fund. The Custodian holds cash, securities and other assets of the Fund as required by the 1940 Act.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Ernst & Young LLP, 2005 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, serves as the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm.

LEGAL COUNSEL

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 1701 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2921, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.