STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

[     ], 2018

NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS

Nationwide Mutual Funds (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, is a registered open-end investment company currently consisting of 51 series as of the date hereof. This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) relates to the 34 series of the Trust which are listed above (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”).

This SAI is not a prospectus but is incorporated by reference into the following Prospectus. It contains information in addition to and more detailed than that set forth in the Prospectus for the Nationwide Fund and should be read in conjunction with the following Prospectus:

Terms not defined in this SAI have the meanings assigned to them in the Prospectus. The Prospectus may be obtained from Nationwide Mutual Funds, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701 or by calling toll free 800-848-0920.

The Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and Financial Statements of the Trust for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017 included in the Trust’s Annual Report are incorporated herein by reference. Copies of the Annual Report are available without charge upon request by writing the Trust or by calling toll free 800-848-0920.

The Trust’s Investment Company Act File No.: 811-08495

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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GENERAL INFORMATION AND HISTORY

Nationwide Mutual Funds (the “Trust”) is an open-end management investment company formed under the laws of the state of Delaware on September 1, 2004 pursuant to a Declaration of Trust dated September 30, 2004, as amended and restated October 28, 2004 and June 17, 2009 (the “Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust”). The Trust currently consists of 51 separate series, each with its own investment objective.

Except for the Nationwide Emerging Markets Debt Fund and Nationwide Ziegler Wisconsin Tax Exempt Fund, each of the Funds featured herein is a diversified fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Each of the Nationwide Emerging Markets Debt Fund and the Nationwide Ziegler Wisconsin Tax Exempt Fund is a non-diversified fund, as defined in the 1940 Act.

The Nationwide Global Sustainable Equity Fund commenced operations on November 19, 2012 as a result of a reorganization in which the Nationwide Global Sustainable Equity Fund acquired all of the assets, subject to stated liabilities, of the UBS Global Equity Fund, a former series of The UBS Funds. The Nationwide Global Sustainable Equity Fund has adopted the historical performance of the UBS Global Equity Fund and had substantially similar investment goals and strategies as the UBS Global Equity Fund at the time of the reorganization.

The Nationwide Core Plus Bond Fund commenced operations on April 22, 2013, as a result of a reorganization in which the Nationwide Core Plus Bond Fund acquired all of the assets, subject to stated liabilities, of the TS&W Fixed Income Portfolio, a former series of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (the “AIC Predecessor Fund”). The Nationwide Core Plus Bond Fund has adopted the historical performance of the AIC Predecessor Fund and had substantially similar investment goals and strategies as the AIC Predecessor Fund at the time of the reorganization.

Each of the Nationwide Bailard Cognitive Value Fund, Nationwide Bailard Technology & Science Fund, Nationwide Ziegler Equity Income Fund, Nationwide Geneva Mid Cap Growth Fund, Nationwide Geneva Small Cap Growth Fund, Nationwide Bailard International Equities Fund, Nationwide Large Cap Equity Fund, Nationwide Ziegler NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index Fund, Nationwide WCM Focused Small Cap Fund, Nationwide Loomis Core Bond Fund, Nationwide Loomis Short Term Bond Fund, Nationwide California Intermediate Tax Free Bond Fund, Nationwide National Intermediate Tax Free Bond Fund and Nationwide Ziegler Wisconsin Tax Exempt Fund commenced operations on September 16, 2013, as a result of a reorganization in which the Nationwide Bailard Cognitive Value Fund, Nationwide Bailard Technology & Science Fund, Nationwide Ziegler Equity Income Fund, Nationwide Geneva Mid Cap Growth Fund, Nationwide Geneva Small Cap Growth Fund, Nationwide Bailard International Equities Fund, Nationwide Large Cap Equity Fund, Nationwide Ziegler NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index Fund, Nationwide WCM Small Cap Equity Fund, Nationwide Loomis Core Bond Fund, Nationwide Loomis Short Term Bond Fund, Nationwide California Intermediate Tax Free Bond Fund, Nationwide National Intermediate Tax Free Bond Fund and Nationwide Ziegler Wisconsin Tax Exempt Fund acquired all of the assets, subject to stated liabilities, of the HighMark Cognitive Value Fund, HighMark Enhanced Growth Fund, HighMark Equity Income Fund, HighMark Geneva Mid Cap Growth Fund, HighMark Geneva Small Cap Growth Fund, HighMark International Opportunities Fund, HighMark Large Cap Core Equity Fund, HighMark NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index Fund, HighMark Small Cap Core Fund, HighMark Bond Fund, HighMark Short Term Bond Fund, HighMark California Intermediate Tax-Free Bond Fund, HighMark National Intermediate Tax-Free Bond Fund and HighMark Wisconsin Tax-Exempt Fund, respectively, each a former series of HighMark Funds (each a “Predecessor Fund,” and collectively the “Predecessor Funds”). Each of these Funds have adopted the historical performance of its corresponding Predecessor Fund. Each such Fund and its corresponding Predecessor Fund had substantially similar investment goals and strategies at the time of the reorganization.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON PORTFOLIO INSTRUMENTS, STRATEGIES

AND INVESTMENT POLICIES

The Funds invest in a variety of securities and employ a number of investment techniques, which involve certain risks. The Prospectuses discuss each Fund’s principal investment strategies, investment techniques and risks. Therefore, you should carefully review a Fund’s Prospectus. This SAI contains information about non-principal investment strategies the Funds may use, as well as further information about certain principal strategies that are discussed in the Prospectuses.

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For purposes of this SAI, each of the following Funds (either singly or collectively) is referred to as the “Equity Funds”:

For purposes of this SAI, each of the following Funds (either singly or collectively) is referred to as the “Fixed-Income Funds”:

For purposes of this SAI, each of the following Funds (either singly or collectively) is referred to as the “ Index Funds ” :

Bank and Corporate Loans

With the exception of the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in bank and corporate loans. Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make bank or corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on bank or corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of bank and corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. The loan instruments in which a Fund may invest may involve borrowers, agents, co-lenders and collateral located both within and outside the United States, including in emerging market countries. Bank and corporate loans may include, but are not limited to, interests in trade finance loan transactions, pre-export/import finance transactions, factoring, syndicated loan transactions and forfeiting transactions.

Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of lenders, generally referred to as a syndicate. The syndicate’s agent arranges the bank or corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. By investing in a corporate or bank loan, a Fund may become a member of the syndicate. A financial institution’s appointment as agent might be terminated in the event that it fails to observe a requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent. A successor agent would generally be appointed to replace the terminated agent, and assets held by the agent under the loan agreement should remain available to holders of such indebtedness. However, if assets held by the agent for the benefit of a Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent’s general creditors, a Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a bank or corporate loan and could suffer a loss of principal and/or interest.

The bank and corporate loans in which a Fund invests are subject to the risks that generally apply to fixed-income securities, such as interest rate risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, as well as, where applicable, foreign securities risk, emerging markets risk, and lower quality or high-yield risk. Although borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations, they do not always do so. If they do provide collateral, the value of the collateral may not completely cover the borrower’s obligations at the time of a default. Collateral may include security interests in receivables, goods, commodities, or real property. For trade finance loan transactions, the collateral itself may be the source of proceeds to repay the loan (i.e., the borrower’s ability to repay the loan will be dependent on the borrower’s ability to sell, and the purchaser’s ability to buy, the goods or commodities that are collateral for the loan). Interests in loan instruments may be tranched or

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tiered with respect to collateral rights. If a borrower files for protection from its creditors under the U.S. bankruptcy laws, these laws may limit a Fund’s rights to its collateral. In addition, the value of collateral may erode during a bankruptcy case. In the event of a bankruptcy, the holder of a bank or corporate loan may not recover its principal, may experience a long delay in recovering its investment and may not receive interest during the delay. Unsecured loans expose the lenders, and thus a Fund, to increased credit risk.

The trading market for many bank and corporate loans, including those relating to trade finance, may be limited or less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes. Therefore, a Fund may experience difficulties in selling its bank or corporate loans. In many cases, loans and loan-related instruments may be considered to be illiquid due to the length of time required to transfer an interest in a loan or a related instrument.

Borrowing

Each Fund may borrow money from banks, limited by each Fund’s fundamental investment restriction (generally, 33  ¹ ⁄ ₃ % of its total assets (including the amount borrowed)), including borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes. In addition to borrowings that are subject to 300% asset coverage and are considered by the SEC to be permitted “senior securities,” each Fund is also permitted under the 1940 Act to borrow for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of its total assets at the time when the loan is made. A loan will be presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within 60 days and is not extended or renewed. Each Fund may engage in mortgage dollar roll and reverse repurchase agreements which may be considered a form of borrowing unless the Fund covers its exposure by segregating or earmarking liquid assets.

Asset Segregation . Pursuant to current guidance from the staff of the SEC, financial instruments that involve a Fund’s obligation to make future payments to third parties will not be deemed to be creating any “senior security” provided that a Fund “covers” its obligations. Financial instruments that involve an obligation to make future payments to third parties can include, among others, (i) securities purchased on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or to be announced basis, (ii) futures contracts, (iii) forward currency contracts, (iv) swaps, (v) written options, (vi) unfunded commitments, (vii) securities sold short, and (viii) reverse repurchase agreements. A Fund is deemed to have “covered” its obligations involving such a financial instrument when the Fund enters into an offsetting financial position, or segregates liquid assets (such as cash, cash equivalents or other liquid portfolio securities) equal to the Fund’s exposures relating to the financial instrument, as determined on a daily basis. Segregated assets are not required to be physically segregated from other Fund assets, but may be segregated through appropriate notation on the books of a Fund or a Fund’s custodian.

The obligation to cover a financial instrument may require a Fund to sell a portfolio security or exit a transaction, including a transaction in a financial instrument, at a disadvantageous time or price in order to segregate the required amount of assets. Should segregated assets decline in value, a Fund will be required to segregate additional assets or reduce its position in the financial instrument. In addition, segregated assets may not be available to satisfy redemptions or for other purposes, until a Fund’s obligations under the financial instruments have been satisfied.

Consistent with current SEC staff positions, the segregated amount for futures and forward contracts that require only cash settlement, and swap agreements that call for periodic netting between a Fund and its counterparty, is the net amount due under the contract, as determined daily on a mark-to-market basis. For other kinds of futures, forwards and swaps, more assets will be required to cover a Fund’s obligations, which essentially limits the Fund’s ability to use these instruments, to the extent that more assets will be required to cover a Fund’s obligations.

Leverage . The use of leverage by a Fund creates an opportunity for greater total return, but, at the same time, creates special risks. For example, leveraging may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the yield on a Fund’s portfolio. Although the principal of such borrowings will be fixed, a Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowings are outstanding. Borrowings will create interest expenses for the Fund which can exceed the income from the assets purchased with the borrowings. To the extent the income or capital appreciation derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest a Fund will have to pay on the borrowings, the Fund’s return will be greater than if leverage had not been used. Conversely, if the income or capital appreciation from the securities purchased with such borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of borrowing, the return to a Fund will be less than if leverage had not been used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends and other distributions

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will be reduced. In the latter case, a Fund’s subadviser in its best judgment nevertheless may determine to maintain the Fund’s leveraged position if it expects that the benefits to the Fund’s shareholders of maintaining the leveraged position will outweigh the current reduced return.

Certain types of borrowings by a Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede the Fund’s subadviser from managing a Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding indebtedness and require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

Brady Bonds

Except for the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds are debt securities, generally denominated in U.S. dollars, issued under the framework of the Brady Plan. The Brady Plan is an initiative announced by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas F. Brady in 1989 as a mechanism for debtor nations to restructure their outstanding external commercial bank indebtedness. In restructuring its external debt under the Brady Plan framework, a debtor nation negotiates with its existing bank lenders as well as multilateral institutions such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “World Bank”) and the International Monetary Fund (the “IMF”). The Brady Plan framework, as it has developed, contemplates the exchange of external commercial bank debt for newly issued bonds known as “Brady Bonds.” Brady Bonds may also be issued in respect of new money being advanced by existing lenders in connection with the debt restructuring. The World Bank and/or the IMF support the restructuring by providing funds pursuant to loan agreements or other arrangements that enable the debtor nation to collateralize the new Brady Bonds or to repurchase outstanding bank debt at a discount. Under these arrangements with the World Bank and/or the IMF, debtor nations have been required to agree to the implementation of certain domestic monetary and fiscal reforms. Such reforms have included the liberalization of trade and foreign investment, the privatization of state- owned enterprises and the setting of targets for public spending and borrowing. These policies and programs seek to promote the debtor country’s economic growth and development. Investors should also recognize that the Brady Plan only sets forth general guiding principles for economic reform and debt reduction, emphasizing that solutions must be negotiated on a case- by-case basis between debtor nations and their creditors. A Fund’s subadviser may believe that economic reforms undertaken by countries in connection with the issuance of Brady Bonds may make the debt of countries which have issued or have announced plans to issue Brady Bonds an attractive opportunity for investment. However, there can be no assurance that the subadviser’s expectations with respect to Brady Bonds will be realized.

Agreements implemented under the Brady Plan to date are designed to achieve debt and debt-service reduction through specific options negotiated by a debtor nation with its creditors. As a result, the financial packages offered by each country differ. The types of options have included the exchange of outstanding commercial bank debt for bonds issued at 100% of face value of such debt which carry a below-market stated rate of interest (generally known as par bonds), bonds issued at a discount from the face value of such debt (generally known as discount bonds), bonds bearing an interest rate which increases over time and bonds issued in exchange for the advancement of new money by existing lenders. Regardless of the stated face amount and stated interest rate of the various types of Brady Bonds, a Fund will purchase Brady Bonds in secondary markets, as described below, in which the price and yield to the investor reflect market conditions at the time of purchase. Certain sovereign bonds are entitled to “value recovery payments” in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Certain Brady Bonds have been collateralized as to principal due date at maturity (typically 30 years from the date of issuance) by U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds with a maturity equal to the final maturity of such Brady Bonds. The U.S. Treasury bonds purchased as collateral for such Brady Bonds are financed by the IMF, the World Bank and the debtor nations’ reserves. In addition, interest payments on certain types of Brady Bonds may be collateralized by cash or high-grade securities in amounts that typically represent between 12 and 18 months of interest accruals on these instruments with the balance of the interest accruals being uncollateralized. In the event of a default with respect to collateralized Brady Bonds as a result of which the payment obligations of the issuer are accelerated, the U.S. Treasury zero coupon obligations held as collateral for the payment of principal will not be distributed to investors, nor will such obligations be sold and the proceeds distributed. The collateral will be held by the collateral agent to the scheduled maturity of the defaulted Brady Bonds, which will continue to be outstanding, at which time the face amount of the collateral will equal the principal payments that would have then been due on the Brady Bonds in the normal course. However, in light of the residual risk of the Brady Bonds and, among other factors, the history of default with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds, investments in Brady Bonds are considered speculative. A

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Fund may purchase Brady Bonds with no or limited collateralization, and, for payment of interest and (except in the case of principal collateralized Brady Bonds) principal, will be relying primarily on the willingness and ability of the foreign government to make payment in accordance with the terms of the Brady Bonds.

Collateralized Debt Obligations

Except for the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in collateralized debt obligations. Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are a type of asset-backed security and include, among other things, collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other similarly structured securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans.

The cash flows from the CDO trust are split generally into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. Senior tranches are paid from the cash flows from the underlying assets before the junior tranches and equity or “first loss” tranches. Losses are first borne by the equity tranches, next by the junior tranches, and finally by the senior tranches. Senior tranches pay the lowest interest rates but generally are safer investments than more junior tranches because, should there be any default, senior tranches typically are paid first. The most junior tranches, such as equity tranches, would attract the highest interest rates but suffer the highest risk should the holder of an underlying loan default. If some loans default and the cash collected by the CDO is insufficient to pay all of its investors, those in the lowest, most junior tranches suffer losses first. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CDO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than the underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, more senior CDO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults and aversion to CDO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the quality and type of the collateral and the tranche of the CDO in which a Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by a Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market, or other relevant measures of liquidity, may exist for CDOs allowing a CDO potentially to be deemed liquid by the subadviser under liquidity policies approved by the Board. In addition to the risks associated with debt instruments (e.g., interest rate risk and credit risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to:(i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that a Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

Collateralized Loan Obligations (“CLOs”)

Except for the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in collateralized loan obligations. A CLO is a financing company (generally called a Special Purpose Vehicle or “SPV”), created to reapportion the risk and return characteristics of a pool of assets. While the assets underlying CLOs are typically senior loans, the assets also may include (i) unsecured loans, (ii) other debt securities that are rated below investment grade, (iii) debt tranches of other CLOs and (iv) equity securities incidental to investments in senior loans. When investing in CLOs, a Fund will not invest in equity tranches, which are the lowest tranche. However, a Fund may invest in lower debt tranches of CLOs, which typically experience a lower recovery, greater risk of loss or deferral or non-payment of interest than more senior debt tranches of the CLO. In addition, a Fund intends to invest in CLOs consisting primarily of individual senior loans of borrowers and not repackaged CLO obligations from other high risk pools. The underlying senior loans purchased by CLOs generally are performing at the time of purchase but may become non-performing, distressed or defaulted. CLOs with underlying assets of non-performing, distressed or defaulted loans are not contemplated to comprise a significant portion of a Fund’s investments in CLOs. The key feature of the CLO structure is the prioritization of the cash flows from a pool of debt securities among the several classes of the CLO. The SPV is a company founded solely for the purpose of securitizing payment claims arising out of this diversified asset pool. On this basis, marketable securities are issued by the SPV which,

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due to the diversification of the underlying risk, generally represent a lower level of risk than the original assets. The redemption of the securities issued by the SPV typically takes place at maturity out of the cash flow generated by the collected claims. Holders of CLOs bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk.

A Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the CLOs, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. While certain CLOs enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in CLOs generally pay their share of the CLO’s administrative and other expenses. Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of indices and securities underlying a CLO will rise or fall, these prices (and, therefore, the prices of CLOs) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect issuers of securities and capital markets generally. If the issuer of a CLO uses shorter term financing to purchase longer term securities, the issuer may be forced to sell its securities at below market prices if it experiences difficulty in obtaining short-term financing, which may adversely affect the value of the CLOs owned by a Fund.

Certain CLOs may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. CLOs typically are offered and sold privately. As a result, investments in CLOs may be characterized by a Fund as illiquid securities. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed below, CLOs carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that the investments in CLOs are subordinate to other classes or tranches thereof; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

Debt Obligations

Debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations when due (“credit risk”) and are subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer, and general market liquidity. Lower-rated securities are more likely to react to developments affecting these risks than are more highly rated securities, which react primarily to movements in the general level of interest rates. Although the fluctuation in the price of debt securities is normally less than that of common stocks, in the past there have been extended periods of cyclical increases in interest rates that have caused significant declines in the price of debt securities in general and have caused the effective maturity of securities with prepayment features to be extended, thus effectively converting short or intermediate securities (which tend to be less volatile in price) into long-term securities (which tend to be more volatile in price). In addition, a corporate event such as a restructuring, merger, leveraged buyout, takeover, or similar action may cause a decline in market value of its securities or credit quality of the company’s bonds due to factors including an unfavorable market response or a resulting increase in the company’s debt. Added debt may significantly reduce the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds, and may thereby affect the value of its equity securities as well.

Recent market data indicates that primary dealer inventories of corporate bonds appear to be at an all-time low, relative to the market size. A significant reduction in dealer market-making capacity has the potential to decrease liquidity and increase volatility in the fixed-income markets.

Duration . Duration is a measure of the average life of a fixed-income security that was developed as a more precise alternative to the concepts of “term to maturity” or “average dollar weighted maturity” as measures of “volatility” or “risk” associated with changes in interest rates. Duration incorporates a security’s yield, coupon interest payments, final maturity and call features into one measure.

Most debt obligations provide interest (“coupon”) payments in addition to final (“par”) payment at maturity. Some obligations also have call provisions. Depending on the relative magnitude of these payments and the nature of the call provisions, the market values of debt obligations may respond differently to changes in interest rates.

Traditionally, a debt security’s “term-to-maturity” has been used as a measure of the sensitivity of the security’s price to changes in interest rates (which is the “interest rate risk” or “volatility” of the security). However, “term-to-maturity” measures only the time until a debt security provides its final payment, taking no account of the pattern of the security’s payments prior to maturity. Average dollar weighted maturity is calculated by averaging the terms of maturity of each debt

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security held with each maturity “weighted” according to the percentage of assets that it represents. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a debt security on a present value basis and reflects both principal and interest payments. Duration takes the length of the time intervals between the present time and the time that the interest and principal payments are scheduled or, in the case of a callable security, expected to be received, and weights them by the present values of the cash to be received at each future point in time. For any debt security with interest payments occurring prior to the payment of principal, duration is ordinarily less than maturity. In general, all other factors being the same, the lower the stated or coupon rate of interest of a debt security, the longer the duration of the security; conversely, the higher the stated or coupon rate of interest of a debt security, the shorter the duration of the security.

There are some situations where the standard duration calculation does not properly reflect the interest rate exposure of a security. For example, floating- and variable-rate securities often have final maturities of ten or more years; however, their interest rate exposure corresponds to the frequency of the coupon reset. Another example where the interest rate exposure is not properly captured by duration is the case of mortgage pass-through securities. The stated final maturity of such securities is generally 30 years, but current prepayment rates are more critical in determining the securities’ interest rate exposure. In these and other similar situations, a Fund’s subadviser will use more sophisticated analytical techniques to project the economic life of a security and estimate its interest rate exposure. Since the computation of duration is based on predictions of future events rather than known factors, there can be no assurance that a Fund will at all times achieve its targeted portfolio duration.

The change in market value of U.S. government fixed-income securities is largely a function of changes in the prevailing level of interest rates. When interest rates are falling, a portfolio with a shorter duration generally will not generate as high a level of total return as a portfolio with a longer duration. When interest rates are stable, shorter duration portfolios generally will not generate as high a level of total return as longer duration portfolios (assuming that long-term interest rates are higher than short-term rates, which is commonly the case.) When interest rates are rising, a portfolio with a shorter duration will generally outperform longer duration portfolios. With respect to the composition of a fixed-income portfolio, the longer the duration of the portfolio, generally, the greater the anticipated potential for total return, with, however, greater attendant interest rate risk and price volatility than for a portfolio with a shorter duration.

Ratings as Investment Criteria . High-quality, medium-quality and non-investment grade debt obligations are characterized as such based on their ratings by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”), such as Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“Standard & Poor’s”) or Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”). In general, the ratings of NRSROs represent the opinions of these agencies as to the quality of securities that they rate. Such ratings, however, are relative and subjective, are not absolute standards of quality and do not evaluate the market value risk of the securities. Further, credit ratings do not provide assurance against default or other loss of money. These ratings are considered in the selection of a Fund’s portfolio securities, but the Fund also relies upon the independent advice of its subadviser(s) to evaluate potential investments. This is particularly important for lower-quality securities. Among the factors that will be considered is the long-term ability of the issuer to pay principal and interest and general economic trends, as well as an issuer’s capital structure, existing debt and earnings history. Appendix A to this SAI contains further information about the rating categories of NRSROs and their significance. If a security has not received a credit rating, the Fund must rely entirely on the credit assessment of the subadviser(s).

Subsequent to its purchase by a Fund, an issuer of securities may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below the minimum required for purchase by such Fund. In addition, it is possible that an NRSRO might not change its rating of a particular issuer to reflect subsequent events. None of these events generally will require sale of such securities, but a Fund’s subadviser will consider such events in its determination of whether the Fund should continue to hold the securities.

In addition, to the extent that the ratings change as a result of changes in an NRSRO or its rating systems, or due to a corporate reorganization, a Fund will attempt to use comparable ratings as standards for its investments in accordance with its investment objective and policies.

Eligible Securities (Nationwide Government Money Market Fund) . All investments made by the Fund must be Eligible Securities as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act. Eligible Securities include: U.S. government securities; securities with a remaining maturity of 397 calendar days or less that the Fund’s subadviser, subject to oversight by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, determines presents minimal credit risks to the Fund; and securities issued by other money market funds. The determination of whether a security presents minimal credit risks to the Fund must include an analysis of the capacity of the security’s issuer or guarantor (including for the provider of a conditional demand feature, when applicable) to meet its

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financial obligations, and such analysis must include, to the extent appropriate, consideration of the following factors with respect to the security’s issuer or guarantor: (i) financial condition; (ii) sources of liquidity; (iii) ability to react to future market-wide and issuer- or guarantor-specific events, including ability to repay debt in a highly adverse situation; and (iv) strength of the issuer or guarantor’s industry within the economy and relative to economic trends, and issuer or guarantor’s competitive position within its industry.

In determining whether a security presents minimal credit risks, the subadviser may take into account credit quality determinations prepared by outside sources, including NRSROs that the subadviser considers reliable in assessing credit risk.

Derivative Instruments

Each Fund, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may use instruments referred to as derivative instruments (“derivatives”). A derivative is a financial instrument the value of which is derived from a security, a commodity (such as gold or oil), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500 Index or the prime lending rate). Derivatives allow a Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. Each Fund may use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in a security, a group of securities or a securities index as well as for hedging purposes. Certain Funds, as noted in their respective prospectuses, also may use derivatives for speculative purposes to seek to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if a Fund is primarily seeking to achieve gains, rather than offset the risk of other positions. When a Fund invests in a derivative for speculative purposes, the Fund will be fully exposed to the risks of loss of that derivative, which may sometimes be greater than the derivative’s cost. No Fund may use any derivative to gain exposure to an asset or class of assets that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.

Derivatives generally have investment characteristics that are based upon either forward contracts (under which one party is obligated to buy and the other party is obligated to sell an underlying asset at a specific price on a specified date) or option contracts (under which the holder of the option has the right but not the obligation to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specified price on or before a specified date). Consequently, the change in value of a forward-based derivative generally is roughly proportional to the change in value of the underlying asset. In contrast, the buyer of an option-based derivative generally will benefit from favorable movements in the price of the underlying asset but is not exposed to the corresponding losses that result from adverse movements in the value of the underlying asset. The seller (writer) of an option-based derivative generally will receive fees or premiums but generally is exposed to losses resulting from changes in the value of the underlying asset. Depending on the change in the value of the underlying asset, the potential for loss may be limitless. Derivative transactions may include elements of leverage and, accordingly, the fluctuation of the value of the derivative transaction in relation to the underlying asset may be magnified.

The use of these derivatives is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the several options and futures exchanges upon which they may be traded, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). Nationwide Fund Advisors (“NFA” or the “Adviser”), with respect to its management and operation of the Funds, has claimed exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.

Special Risks of Derivative Instruments . The use of derivatives involves special considerations and risks as described below. Risks pertaining to particular instruments are described in the sections that follow.

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For a discussion of the federal income tax treatment of a Fund’s derivative instruments, see “Additional General Tax Information for All Funds.”

Options . A Fund may purchase or write put and call options on securities and indices, and may purchase options on foreign currencies, and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position. The purchase of call options can serve as a long hedge (i.e., taking a long position in the underlying security), and the purchase of put options can serve as a short hedge (i.e., taking a short position in the underlying security). Writing put or call options can enable a Fund to enhance income by reason of the premiums paid by the purchaser of such options. Writing call options serves as a limited short hedge because declines in the value of the hedged investment would be offset to the extent of the premium received for writing the option. However, if the security appreciates to a price higher than the exercise price of the call option, it can be expected that the option will be exercised, and a Fund will be obligated to sell the security at less than its market value or will be obligated to purchase the security at a price greater than that at which the security must be sold under the option. All or a portion of any assets used as cover for over-the-counter (“OTC”) options written by a Fund would be considered illiquid to the extent described under “Restricted, Non-Publicly Traded and Illiquid Securities” below. Writing put options serves as a limited long hedge because increases in the value of the hedged investment would be offset to the extent of the premium received for writing the option. However, if the security depreciates to a price lower than the exercise price of the put option, it can be expected that the put option will be exercised, and the Fund will be obligated to purchase the security at more than its market value.

The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the historical price volatility of the underlying investment, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration of the option, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment, and general market conditions. Options that expire unexercised have no value. Options used by a Fund may include European-style options, which can be exercised only at expiration. This is in contrast to American-style options which can be exercised at any time prior to the expiration date of the option.

A Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, a Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option; this is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, a Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option; this is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit the Fund to realize the profit or limit the loss on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.

A Fund may purchase or write both OTC options and options traded on foreign and U.S. exchanges. Exchange-traded options are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. OTC options are contracts between the Fund and the counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when the Fund purchases or writes an OTC option, it relies on the counterparty to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by the Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.

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A Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-listed options depends on the existence of a liquid market. A Fund generally intends to purchase or write only those exchange-traded options for which there appears to be a liquid secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counterparty, or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. Although a Fund will enter into OTC options only with counterparties that are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with a Fund, there is no assurance that such Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, a Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration.

If a Fund is unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by a Fund could cause material losses because the Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as a cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.

A Fund may engage in options transactions on indices in much the same manner as the options on securities discussed above, except that index options may serve as a hedge against overall fluctuations in the securities markets in general.

The writing and purchasing of options is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Imperfect correlation between the options and securities markets may detract from the effectiveness of attempted hedging.

Transactions using OTC options (other than purchased options) expose a Fund to counterparty risk. To the extent required by SEC regulations and guidance, a Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities, other options, or futures or (2) cash and liquid obligations with a value sufficient at all times to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. A Fund also will earmark or set aside cash and/or appropriate liquid assets in a segregated custodial account if required to do so by SEC and CFTC regulations. Assets used as cover or held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding option or futures contract is open, unless they are replaced with similar assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of the Fund’s assets to earmarking or segregated accounts as a cover could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

An interest rate option is an agreement with a counterparty giving the buyer the right but not the obligation to buy or sell one of an interest rate hedging vehicle (such as a Treasury future or interest rate swap) at a future date at a predetermined price. The option buyer would pay a premium at the inception of the agreement. An interest rate option can be used to actively manage a Fund’s interest rate risk with respect to either an individual bond or an overlay of the entire portfolio.

Spread Transactions . A Fund may purchase covered spread options from securities dealers. Such covered spread options are not presently exchange-listed or exchange-traded. The purchase of a spread option gives a Fund the right to put, or sell, a security that it owns at a fixed dollar spread or fixed yield spread in relationship to another security that the Fund does not own, but which is used as a benchmark. The risk to a Fund in purchasing covered spread options is the cost of the premium paid for the spread option and any transaction costs. In addition, there is no assurance that closing transactions will be available. The purchase of spread options will be used to protect a Fund against adverse changes in prevailing credit quality spreads, i.e., the yield spread between high-quality and lower-quality securities. Such protection is only provided during the life of the spread option.

Futures Contracts . A Fund may enter into futures contracts, including interest rate, index, and currency futures and purchase and write (sell) related options. The purchase of futures or call options thereon can serve as a long hedge, and the sale of futures or the purchase of put options thereon can serve as a short hedge. Writing covered call options on futures contracts can serve as a limited short hedge, and writing covered put options on futures contracts can serve as a limited long hedge, using a strategy similar to that used for writing covered options in securities. A Fund’s hedging may include purchases of futures as an offset against the effect of expected increases in securities prices or currency exchange rates and sales of futures as an offset against the effect of expected declines in securities prices or currency exchange rates. A Fund may write put options on futures contracts while at the same time purchasing call options on the same futures contracts in order to create synthetically a long futures contract position. Such options would have the same strike prices and expiration dates. A Fund will engage in this strategy only when a Fund’s subadviser believes it is more advantageous to a Fund than purchasing the futures contract.

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To the extent required by regulatory authorities, a Fund will only enter into futures contracts that are traded on U.S. or foreign exchanges or boards of trade approved by the CFTC and are standardized as to maturity date and underlying financial instrument. These transactions may be entered into for “bona fide hedging” purposes as defined in CFTC regulations and other permissible purposes including increasing return, substituting a position in a security, group of securities or an index, and hedging against changes in the value of portfolio securities due to anticipated changes in interest rates, currency values and/or market conditions. There is no overall limit on the percentage of a Fund’s assets that may be at risk with respect to futures activities. Although techniques other than sales and purchases of futures contracts could be used to obtain or reduce a Fund’s exposure to market, currency, or interest rate fluctuations, such Fund may be able to obtain or hedge its exposure more effectively and perhaps at a lower cost through using futures contracts.

A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific financial instrument (e.g., debt security), asset, commodity or currency for a specified price at a designated date, time, and place. An index futures contract is an agreement pursuant to which the parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified multiplier times the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index futures contract was originally written. Transaction costs are incurred when a futures contract is bought or sold and margin deposits must be maintained. A futures contract may be satisfied by delivery or purchase, as the case may be, of the instrument, the currency, or by payment of the change in the cash value of the index. More commonly, futures contracts are closed out prior to delivery by entering into an offsetting transaction in a matching futures contract. Although the value of an index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, no physical delivery of those securities is made. If the offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, a Fund realizes a gain; if it is more, a Fund realizes a loss. Conversely, if the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, a Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, a Fund realizes a loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. There can be no assurance, however, that a Fund will be able to enter into an offsetting transaction with respect to a particular futures contract at a particular time. If a Fund is not able to enter into an offsetting transaction, the Fund will continue to be required to maintain the margin deposits on the futures contract.

No price is paid by a Fund upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with the futures broker or in a segregated account with its custodian, in the name of the futures broker through whom the transaction was effected, “initial margin” consisting of cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid obligations, in an amount generally equal to 10% or less of the contract value. Margin must also be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Unlike margin in securities transactions, initial margin on futures contracts does not represent a borrowing, but rather is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to a Fund at the termination of the transaction if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, a Fund may be required by an exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.

Subsequent “variation margin” payments are made to and from the futures broker daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking to market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing, but rather represents a daily settlement of a Fund’s obligations to or from a futures broker. When a Fund purchases an option on a future, the premium paid plus transaction costs is all that is at risk. In contrast, when a Fund purchases or sells a futures contract or writes a call or put option thereon, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If a Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous. Purchasers and sellers of futures positions and options on futures can enter into offsetting closing transactions by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument held or written. Positions in futures and options on futures may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade on which they were entered into (or through a linked exchange). Although the Funds generally intend to enter into futures transactions only on exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be an active market, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time.

Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a future or option on a futures contract can vary from the previous day’s settlement price; once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.

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If a Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract or option on a futures contract position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses, because it would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain the position being hedged by the future or option or to maintain cash or securities in a segregated account.

Certain characteristics of the futures market might increase the risk that movements in the prices of futures contracts or options on futures contracts might not correlate perfectly with movements in the prices of the investments being hedged. For example, all participants in the futures and options on futures contracts markets are subject to daily variation margin calls and might be compelled to liquidate futures or options on futures contracts positions whose prices are moving unfavorably to avoid being subject to further calls. These liquidations could increase price volatility of the instruments and distort the normal price relationship between the futures or options and the investments being hedged. Also, because initial margin deposit requirements in the futures markets are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities markets, there might be increased participation by speculators in the future markets. This participation also might cause temporary price distortions. In addition, activities of large traders in both the futures and securities markets involving arbitrage, “program trading” and other investment strategies might result in temporary price distortions.

A Fund that invests in a futures contract is subject to the risk of loss of the initial and variation margin in the event of bankruptcy of the futures commission merchant (“FCM”) with which the Fund has an open futures position. A Fund’s assets may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin segregated on behalf of the FCM’s customers. If the FCM fails to provide accurate reporting, a Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund’s assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM’s other customers, to satisfy its own obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty.

Indexed and Inverse Securities . A Fund may invest in securities the potential return of which is based on an index or interest rate. As an illustration, a Fund may invest in a debt security that pays interest based on the current value of an interest rate index, such as the prime rate. A Fund also may invest in a debt security that returns principal at maturity based on the level of a securities index or a basket of securities, or based on the relative changes of two indices. In addition, certain Funds may invest in securities the potential return of which is based inversely on the change in an index or interest rate (that is, a security the value of which will move in the opposite direction of changes to an index or interest rate). For example, a Fund may invest in securities that pay a higher rate of interest when a particular index decreases and pay a lower rate of interest (or do not fully return principal) when the value of the index increases. If a Fund invests in such securities, it may be subject to reduced or eliminated interest payments or loss of principal in the event of an adverse movement in the relevant interest rate, index or indices. Indexed and inverse securities involve credit risk, and certain indexed and inverse securities may involve leverage risk, liquidity risk and currency risk. When used for hedging purposes, indexed and inverse securities involve correlation risk. (Furthermore, where such a security includes a contingent liability, in the event of an adverse movement in the underlying index or interest rate, a Fund may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain the position.)

Credit Linked Notes . (Fixed-Income Funds only) A credit linked note (“CLN”) is a type of hybrid instrument in which a special purpose entity issues a structured note (the “Note Issuer”) that is intended to replicate a corporate bond or a portfolio of corporate bonds. The purchaser of the CLN (the “Note Purchaser”) invests a par amount and receives a payment during the term of the CLN that equals a fixed or floating rate of interest equivalent to a highly rated funded asset (such as a bank certificate of deposit) plus an additional premium that relates to taking on the credit risk of an identified bond (the “Reference Bond”). Upon maturity of the CLN, the Note Purchaser will receive a payment equal to: (i) the original par amount paid to the Note issuer, if there is neither a designated event of default (an “Event of Default”) with respect to the Reference Bond nor a restructuring of the issuer of the Reference Bond (a “Restructuring Event”); or (ii) the value of the Reference Bond if an Event of Default or a Restructuring Event has occurred. Depending upon the terms of the CLN, it is also possible that the Note Purchaser may be required to take physical delivery of the Reference Bond in the event of an Event of Default or a Restructuring Event.

Swap Agreements . The Nationwide Amundi Global High Yield Fund, Nationwide Amundi Strategic Income Fund and Nationwide Emerging Markets Debt Fund may enter into securities index, interest rate, total return or security and currency exchange rate swap agreements for any lawful purpose consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, such as (but not limited to) for the purpose of attempting to obtain or preserve a particular desired return or spread at a lower cost to the Fund than if the Fund had invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return or spread. A Fund also may enter into

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swaps in order to protect against an increase in the price of, or the currency exchange rate applicable to, securities that the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from one or more days to several years. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between the two parties (for an uncleared swap) or, with respect to swaps that have been designated by the CFTC for mandatory clearing (cleared swaps), through an FCM and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. See “Uncleared Swaps” and “Cleared Swaps” below for additional explanation of cleared and uncleared swaps. Swap agreements may include interest rate caps, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates exceed a specified rate, or “cap”; interest rate floors under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates fall below a specified level, or “floor”; and interest rate collars, under which a party sells a cap and purchases a floor, or vice versa, in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels. “Total return swaps” are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return from the underlying asset during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another underlying asset. But see, “Swaps Regulation” below.

The “notional amount” of the swap agreement is the agreed upon basis for calculating the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. Under most swap agreements entered into by the Fund, the obligations of the parties would be exchanged on a “net basis.” Consequently, the Fund’s obligation (or rights) under a swap agreement generally will be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). The Fund’s obligation under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against amounts owed to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be covered by the maintenance of a segregated account consisting of cash or liquid assets. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The swaps market is largely unregulated.

Whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend, in part, on the Fund’s subadviser’s ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments or otherwise replicate a particular benchmark index. Swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid.

Swaps regulation . The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and related regulatory developments have imposed comprehensive regulatory requirements on swaps and swap market participants. The regulatory framework includes: (1) registration and regulation of swap dealers and major swap participants; (2) central clearing and execution of standardized swaps; (3) margin requirements in swap transactions; (4) position limits and large trader reporting requirements; and (5) record keeping and centralized and public reporting requirements, on an anonymous basis, for most swaps. The CFTC is responsible for the regulation of most swaps, and has completed most of its rules implementing the Dodd-Frank Act swap regulations. The SEC has jurisdiction over a small segment of the market referred to as “security-based swaps,” which includes swaps on single securities or credits, or narrow-based indices of securities or credits.

Uncleared swaps . In an uncleared swap, the swap counterparty is typically a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. The Fund customarily enters into uncleared swaps based on the standard terms and conditions of an International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) Master Agreement. ISDA is a voluntary industry association of participants in the over-the-counter derivatives markets that has developed standardized contracts used by such participants that have agreed to be bound by such standardized contracts.

In the event that one party to a swap transaction defaults and the transaction is terminated prior to its scheduled termination date, one of the parties may be required to make an early termination payment to the other. An early termination payment may be payable by either the defaulting or non-defaulting party, depending upon which of them is “in-the-money” with respect to the swap at the time of its termination. Early termination payments may be calculated in various ways, but are intended to approximate the amount the “in-the-money” party would have to pay to replace the swap as of the date of its termination.

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The Fund will enter uncleared swap agreements only with counterparties that the Fund’s subadviser reasonably believes are capable of performing under the swap agreements. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have to rely on its contractual remedies (which may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws) pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction.

Cleared swaps . Certain swaps have been designated by the CFTC for mandatory central clearing. The Dodd-Frank Act and implementing rules will ultimately require the clearing and exchange-trading of many swaps. Mandatory exchange- trading and clearing will occur on a phased-in basis based on the type of market participant and CFTC approval of contracts for central clearing. To date, the CFTC has designated only certain of the most common types of credit default index swaps and interest rate swaps for mandatory clearing, but it is expected that the CFTC will designate additional categories of swaps for mandatory clearing. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not necessarily eliminate these risks and may involve additional risks not involved with uncleared swaps.

In a cleared swap, a Fund’s ultimate counterparty is a central clearinghouse rather than a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. The Fund initially will enter into cleared swaps through an executing broker. Such transactions will then be submitted for clearing and, if cleared, will be held at regulated FCMs that are members of the clearinghouse that serves as the central counterparty.

When a Fund enters into a cleared swap, it must deliver to the central counterparty (via the FCM) an amount referred to as “initial margin.” Initial margin requirements are determined by the central counterparty, but an FCM may require additional initial margin above the amount required by the central counterparty. During the term of the swap agreement, a “variation margin” amount also may be required to be paid by the Fund or may be received by the Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts, depending upon changes in the price of the underlying reference instrument subject to the swap agreement. At the conclusion of the term of the swap agreement, if the Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If the Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the Fund. If the Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain is paid to the Fund.

Recently adopted CFTC rules require the trading and execution of certain cleared swaps on Swap Execution Facilities (“SEFs”), which are trading systems on platforms in which multiple participants have the ability to execute or trade swaps by accepting bids and offers made by multiple participants on the facility or system, through any means of interstate commerce. Moving trading to an exchange-type system may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require a Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps that it has used in the past.

Rules adopted under the Dodd-Frank Act require centralized reporting of detailed information about many swaps, whether cleared or uncleared. This information is available to regulators and also, to a more limited extent and on an anonymous basis, to the public. Reporting of swaps data is intended to result in greater market transparency. This may be beneficial to funds that use swaps in their trading strategies. However, public reporting imposes additional recordkeeping burdens on these funds, and the safeguards established to protect anonymity are not yet tested and may not provide protection of trader identities as intended.

Certain Internal Revenue Service positions may limit a Fund’s ability to use swap agreements in a desired tax strategy. It is possible that developments in the swap markets and/or the laws relating to swap agreements, including potential government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to benefit from using swap agreements, or could have adverse tax consequences.

Risks of cleared swaps. As noted above, under recent financial reforms, certain types of swaps are, and others eventually are expected to be, required to be cleared through a central counterparty, which may affect counterparty risk and other risks faced by a Fund. Central clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity compared to bilateral swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap, but it does not eliminate those risks completely. There is also a risk of loss by a Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the Fund has an open position in a swap contract. The assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM’s customers. If the FCM

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does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund’s assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM’s other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty.

With cleared swaps, the Fund may not be able to obtain as favorable terms as it would be able to negotiate for a bilateral, uncleared swap. In addition, an FCM may unilaterally amend the terms of its agreement with the Fund, which may include the imposition of position limits or additional margin requirements with respect to the Fund’s investment in certain types of swaps. Central counterparties and FCMs generally can require termination of existing cleared swap transactions at any time, and can also require increases in margin above the margin that is required at the initiation of the swap agreement.

Additionally, depending on a number of factors, the margin required under the rules of the clearinghouse and FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a Fund to support its obligations under a similar uncleared swap. However, regulators are expected to adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could change this comparison.

Finally, the Fund is subject to the risk that, after entering into a cleared swap with an executing broker, no FCM or central counterparty is willing or able to clear the transaction. In such an event, the Fund may be required to break the trade and make an early termination payment to the executing broker.

Credit Default Swaps . The Nationwide Amundi Global High Yield Fund, Nationwide Amundi Strategic Income Fund and Nationwide Emerging Markets Debt Fund may enter into credit default swap contracts for any lawful purpose consistent with such Fund’s investment objective, such as for the purpose of attempting to obtain or preserve a particular desired return or spread at a lower cost to the Fund than if the Fund had invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return or spread (e.g., to create direct or synthetic short or long exposure to domestic or foreign corporate or sovereign debt securities). The Funds also may enter into credit default swaps in order to protect against an increase in the price of, or the currency exchange rate applicable to, securities that the Funds anticipate purchasing at a later date, or for other hedging purposes.

As the seller in a credit default swap contract, a Fund would be required to pay the par (or other agreed-upon) value of a referenced debt obligation to the counterparty in the event of a default (or similar event) by a third party, such as a U.S. or foreign issuer, on the debt obligation. In return, the Fund would receive from the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided that no event of default (or similar event) occurs. If no event of default (or similar event) occurs, the Fund would keep the stream of payments and would have no payment of obligations. As the seller in a credit default swap contract, the Fund effectively would add economic leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

As the purchaser in a credit default swap contract, a Fund would function as the counterparty referenced in the preceding paragraph. This would involve the risk that the investment might expire worthless. It also would involve credit risk – that the seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to a Fund in the event of a default (or similar event). As the purchaser in a credit default swap contract, a Fund’s investment would generate income only in the event of an actual default (or similar event) by the issuer of the underlying obligation.

Total Rate of Return Swaps . The Nationwide Amundi Global High Yield Fund, Nationwide Amundi Strategic Income Fund and Nationwide Emerging Markets Debt Fund may enter into total rate of return swaps. Total rate of return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return from the underlying asset during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another underlying asset. A total rate of return swap will allow the Fund to quickly and cost effectively invest cash flows into a diversified basket of assets which has the risk/return prospect of the Fund’s (or a sleeve thereof) stated benchmark.

Interest Rate Swaps . The Nationwide Amundi Global High Yield Fund, Nationwide Amundi Strategic Income Fund and Nationwide Emerging Markets Debt Fund may enter into interest rate swaps. In an interest rate swap, the parties exchange their rights to receive interest payments on a security or other reference rate. For example, they might swap the right to receive floating rate payments for the right to receive for fixed rate payments. Interest rate swaps entail both interest rate risk and credit risk. There is a risk that based on movements of interest rates, the payments made under a swap agreement will be greater than the payments received, as well as the risk that the counterparty will fail to meet its obligations.

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Hybrid Instruments . Hybrid instruments combine elements of derivative contracts with those of another security (typically a fixed-income security). All or a portion of the interest or principal payable on a hybrid security is determined by reference to changes in the price of an underlying asset or by reference to another benchmark (such as interest rates, currency exchange rates or indices). Hybrid instruments also include convertible securities with conversion terms related to an underlying asset or benchmark.

The risks of investing in hybrid instruments reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies, and depend upon the terms of the instrument. Thus, an investment in a hybrid instrument may entail significant risks in addition to those associated with traditional fixed-income or convertible securities. Hybrid instruments are also potentially more volatile and carry greater interest rate risks than traditional instruments. Moreover, depending on the structure of the particular hybrid, it may expose a Fund to leverage risks or carry liquidity risks.

Foreign Currency-Related Derivative Strategies - Special Considerations . A Fund may use futures and options on futures on foreign currencies and forward currency contracts to increase returns, to manage the Fund’s average portfolio duration, or to hedge against movements in the values of the foreign currencies in which a Fund’s securities are denominated. Currency contracts also may be purchased such that net exposure to an individual currency exceeds the value of the Fund’s securities that are denominated in that particular currency. A Fund may engage in currency exchange transactions to protect against uncertainty in the level of future exchange rates and also may engage in currency transactions to increase income and total return. Such currency hedges can protect against price movements in a security the Fund owns or intends to acquire that are attributable to changes in the value of the currency in which it is denominated. Such hedges do not, however, protect against price movements in the securities that are attributable to other causes.

A Fund might seek to hedge against changes in the value of a particular currency when no hedging instruments on that currency are available or such hedging instruments are more expensive than certain other hedging instruments. In such cases, a Fund may hedge against price movements in that currency by entering into transactions using hedging instruments on another foreign currency or a basket of currencies, the values of which a subadviser believes will have a high degree of positive correlation to the value of the currency being hedged. The risk that movements in the price of the hedging instrument will not correlate perfectly with movements in the price of the currency being hedged is magnified when this strategy is used.

The value of derivative instruments on foreign currencies depends on the value of the underlying currency relative to the U.S. dollar. Because foreign currency transactions occurring in the interbank market might involve substantially larger amounts than those involved in the use of such hedging instruments, a Fund could be disadvantaged by having to deal in the odd lot market (generally consisting of transactions of less than $1 million) for the underlying foreign currencies at prices that are less favorable than for round lots.

There is no systematic reporting of last sale information for foreign currencies or any regulatory requirement that quotations available through dealers or other market sources be firm or revised on a timely basis. Quotation information generally is representative of very large transactions in the interbank market and thus might not reflect odd-lot transactions where rates might be less favorable. The interbank market in foreign currencies is a global, round-the-clock market. To the extent the U.S. options or futures markets are closed while the markets for the underlying currencies remain open, significant price and rate movements might take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the markets for the derivative instruments until they reopen.

Settlement of derivative transactions involving foreign currencies might be required to take place within the country issuing the underlying currency. Thus, a Fund might be required to accept or make delivery of the underlying foreign currency in accordance with any U.S. or foreign regulations regarding the maintenance of foreign banking arrangements by U.S. residents and might be required to pay any fees, taxes and charges associated with such delivery assessed in the issuing country.

Permissible foreign currency options will include options traded primarily in the OTC market. Although options on foreign currencies are traded primarily in the OTC market, a Fund will normally purchase OTC options on foreign currency only when a Fund’s subadviser believes a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular option at any specific time.

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Forward Currency Contracts . A forward currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are entered into in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.

At or before the maturity of a forward currency contract, a Fund may either sell a portfolio security and make delivery of the currency, or retain the security and fully or partially offset its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing a second contract. If a Fund retains the portfolio security and engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund, at the time of execution of the offsetting transaction, will incur a gain or a loss to the extent that movement has occurred in forward currency contract prices.

The precise matching of forward currency contract amounts and the value of the securities involved generally will not be possible because the value of such securities, measured in the foreign currency, will change after the foreign currency contract has been established. Thus, the Fund might need to purchase or sell foreign currencies in the spot (cash) market to the extent such foreign currencies are not covered by forward currency contracts. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain.

Markets for trading foreign forward currency contracts offer less protection against defaults than is available when trading in currency instruments on an exchange. Forward contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to such contract will default on its obligations. Since a forward foreign currency exchange contract is not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on the contract would deprive a Fund of unrealized profits or the benefits of a currency hedge, impose transaction costs or force the Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price. In addition, the institutions that deal in forward currency contracts are not required to continue to make markets in the currencies they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity. To the extent that a substantial portion of a Fund’s total assets, adjusted to reflect the Fund’s net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.

Currency Hedging . While the values of forward currency contracts, currency options, currency futures and options on futures may be expected to correlate with exchange rates, they will not reflect other factors that may affect the value of a Fund’s investments. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a Yen-denominated bond against a decline in the Yen, but will not protect a Fund against price decline if the issuer’s creditworthiness deteriorates. Because the value of a Fund’s investments denominated in a foreign currency will change in response to many factors other than exchange rates, a currency hedge may not be entirely successful in mitigating changes in the value of a Fund’s investments denominated in that currency over time.

A decline in the dollar value of a foreign currency in which a Fund’s securities are denominated will reduce the dollar value of the securities, even if their value in the foreign currency remains constant. The use of currency hedges does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities, but it does establish a rate of exchange that can be achieved in the future. In order to protect against such diminutions in the value of securities it holds, a Fund may purchase put options on the foreign currency. If the value of the currency does decline, the Fund will have the right to sell the currency for a fixed amount in dollars and will thereby offset, in whole or in part, the adverse effect on its securities that otherwise would have resulted. Conversely, if a rise in the dollar value of a currency in which securities to be acquired are denominated is projected, thereby potentially increasing the cost of the securities, a Fund may purchase call options on the particular currency. The purchase of these options could offset, at least partially, the effects of the adverse movements in exchange rates. Although currency hedges limit the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of a hedged currency, at the same time, they also limit any potential gain that might result should the value of the currency increase.

A Fund may enter into foreign currency exchange transactions to hedge its currency exposure in specific transactions or portfolio positions. Currency contracts also may be purchased such that net exposure to an individual currency exceeds the value of the Fund’s securities that are denominated in that particular currency. Transaction hedging is the purchase or sale of forward currency with respect to specific receivables or payables of a Fund generally accruing in connection with the purchase or sale of its portfolio securities. Position hedging is the sale of forward currency with respect to portfolio security positions. A Fund may not position hedge to an extent greater than the aggregate market value (at the time of making such sale) of the hedged securities.

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Non-Deliverable Forwards . A Fund may, from time to time, engage in non-deliverable forward transactions to manage currency risk or to gain exposure to a currency without purchasing securities denominated in that currency. A non-deliverable forward is a transaction that represents an agreement between a Fund and a counterparty (usually a commercial bank) to buy or sell a specified (notional) amount of a particular currency at an agreed upon foreign exchange rate on an agreed upon future date. Unlike other currency transactions, there is no physical delivery of the currency on the settlement of a non- deliverable forward transaction. Rather, the Fund and the counterparty agree to net the settlement by making a payment in U.S. dollars or another fully convertible currency that represents any differential between the foreign exchange rate agreed upon at the inception of the non-deliverable forward agreement and the actual exchange rate on the agreed upon future date. Thus, the actual gain or loss of a given non-deliverable forward transaction is calculated by multiplying the transaction’s notional amount by the difference between the agreed upon forward exchange rate and the actual exchange rate when the transaction is completed.

When a Fund enters into a non-deliverable forward transaction, the Fund’s custodian will maintain segregated assets in an amount not less than the value of the Fund’s unrealized loss under such non-deliverable forward transaction. If the additional segregated assets decline in value or the amount of the Fund’s commitment increases because of changes in currency rates, additional cash or securities will be designated as segregated assets on a daily basis so that the value of the account will equal the amount of the Fund’s unrealized loss under the non-deliverable forward agreement.

Since a Fund generally may only close out a non-deliverable forward with the particular counterparty, there is a risk that the counterparty will default on its obligation under the agreement. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction, but there is no assurance that contract counterparties will be able to meet their obligations pursuant to such agreements or that, in the event of a default, the Fund will succeed in pursuing contractual remedies. A Fund thus assumes the risk that it may be delayed or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to non-deliverable forward transactions.

In addition, where the currency exchange rates that are the subject of a given non-deliverable forward transaction do not move in the direction or to the extent anticipated, the Fund could sustain losses on the non-deliverable forward transaction. A Fund’s investment in a particular non-deliverable forward transaction will be affected favorably or unfavorably by factors that affect the subject currencies, including economic, political and legal developments that impact the applicable countries, as well as exchange control regulations of the applicable countries. These risks are heightened when a non-deliverable forward transaction involves currencies of emerging market countries because such currencies can be volatile and there is a greater risk that such currencies will be devalued against the U.S. dollar or other currencies.

The SEC and CFTC consider non-deliverable forwards as swaps, and they are therefore included in the definition of “commodity interests.”Non-deliverable forwards have historically been traded in the OTC market. However, as swaps, non- deliverable forwards may become subject to central clearing and trading on public facilities. Currency and cross currency forwards that qualify as deliverable forwards are not regulated as swaps for most purposes, and thus are not deemed to be commodity interests. However, such forwards are subject to some requirements applicable to swaps, including reporting to swap data repositories, documentation requirements, and business conduct rules applicable to swap dealers. CFTC regulation of currency and cross currency forwards, especially non-deliverable forwards, may restrict the Fund’s ability to use these instruments in the manner described above or subject NFA to CFTC registration and regulation as a commodity pool operator.

Foreign Commercial Paper . A Fund may invest in commercial paper which is indexed to certain specific foreign currency exchange rates. The terms of such commercial paper provide that its principal amount is adjusted upward or downward (but not below zero) at maturity to reflect changes in the exchange rate between two currencies while the obligation is outstanding. A Fund will purchase such commercial paper with the currency in which it is denominated and, at maturity, will receive interest and principal payments thereon in that currency, but the amount or principal payable by the issuer at maturity will change in proportion to the change (if any) in the exchange rate between two specified currencies between the date the instrument is issued and the date the instrument matures. While such commercial paper entails the risk of loss of principal, the potential for realizing gains as a result of changes in the foreign currency exchange rate enables a Fund to hedge or cross-hedge against a decline in the U.S. dollar value of investments denominated in foreign currencies while providing an attractive money market rate of return. A Fund will purchase such commercial paper either for hedging purposes or in order to seek investment gain. The Funds believe that such investments do not involve the creation of a senior

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security, but nevertheless will earmark or establish a segregated account with respect to its investments in this type of commercial paper and maintain in such account cash not available for investment or other liquid assets having a value equal to the aggregate principal amount of outstanding commercial paper of this type.

The SEC has recently proposed a new rule which, if adopted, would replace current SEC and staff guidance with respect to asset segregation requirements for derivatives and other instruments such as reverse repurchase agreements, short sales, firm or standby commitment agreements and similar agreements. While it is not possible to fully predict the effects of the proposed regulation, the investment adviser will continue to monitor developments as they apply to the Funds.

Equity Participation Notes or Equity Linked Notes

The Nationwide Global Sustainable Equity Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in equity participation notes or equity linked notes (collectively, “EPNs”). An EPN is a debt instrument whose return is determined by the performance of a single equity security, a basket of securities, or an equity index (collectively, “underlying security”). When purchasing an EPN, the Fund pays the counterparty the current value of the underlying security plus a commission. During the time that the EPN is owned, the price of the EPN will fluctuate in accordance with the price fluctuation of the underlying security, with a currency adjustment to reflect the fact that EPNs are generally priced in U.S. dollars whereas the underlying security is generally denominated in a foreign currency. At maturity or sale, the EPN owner’s profit or loss is the sum of the appreciation/depreciation of the underlying security, plus the appreciation/depreciation of the underlying security’s currency relative to the U.S. dollar, less any commissions paid. The Fund only invests in EPNs for which the underlying security is a permissible investment pursuant to the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions.

The Nationwide Global Sustainable Equity Fund invests in EPNs only to gain exposure to equities in foreign markets where direct investments in equity securities are not easily accessible or otherwise obtainable. The Fund only may invest in EPNs that are unleveraged and that do not have a “cap” or a “floor” on the maximum principal amount to be repaid to the Fund at maturity. In addition, the Fund only may invest in EPNs that are based on the performance of a single underlying equity security; that have no premium or discount in relation to the underlying asset; and that provide for the retention of dividend rights. Investments in EPNs will only be made if the counterparty is a financial institution rated at least A1 by S&P or P1 by Moody’s. EPNs are not considered equity securities for purposes of the Fund’s policy to invest 80% of its net assets in equity securities.

EPNs possess the risks associated with the underlying security, such as market risk, and, with respect to EPNs based on foreign securities, foreign securities and currency risks. EPNs, however, involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the underlying security directly, since, in addition to general market and foreign securities risks, EPNs are subject to counterparty, credit and illiquidity risks. Counterparty risk is the risk that the issuer of the EPN may fail to pay the full amount due at maturity or redemption. In addition, an investment in an EPN creates exposure to the credit risk of the issuing financial institution. Also, the secondary market for EPNs may be limited, and the lack of liquidity in the secondary market may make EPNs difficult to dispose of and to value. In choosing EPNs appropriate for the Fund, the subadviser will select only those EPNs that have demonstrated patterns of brokers willing to provide liquidity on demand to ensure that the EPNs maintain their liquidity.

Floating- and Variable-Rate Securities

Each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in floating- or variable-rate securities. Floating- or variable-rate obligations bear interest at rates that are not fixed, but vary with changes in specified market rates or indices, such as the prime rate, or at specified intervals. The interest rate on floating-rate securities varies with changes in the underlying index (such as the Treasury bill rate), while the interest rate on variable or adjustable rate securities changes at preset times based upon an underlying index. Certain of the floating- or variable-rate obligations that may be purchased by the Funds may carry a demand feature that would permit the holder to tender them back to the issuer of the instrument or to a third party at par value prior to maturity.

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Some of the demand instruments purchased by a Fund may not be traded in a secondary market and derive their liquidity solely from the ability of the holder to demand repayment from the issuer or third party providing credit support. If a demand instrument is not traded in a secondary market, a Fund will nonetheless treat the instrument as “readily marketable” for the purposes of its investment restriction limiting investments in illiquid securities unless the demand feature has a notice period of more than seven days in which case the instrument will be characterized as “not readily marketable” and therefore illiquid.

Such obligations include variable-rate master demand notes, which are unsecured instruments issued pursuant to an agreement between the issuer and the holder that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary and to provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate. A Fund will limit its purchases of floating- and variable-rate obligations to those of the same quality as it is otherwise allowed to purchase. A Fund’s subadviser will monitor on an ongoing basis the ability of an issuer of a demand instrument to pay principal and interest on demand.

A Fund’s right to obtain payment at par on a demand instrument could be affected by events occurring between the date the Fund elects to demand payment and the date payment is due that may affect the ability of the issuer of the instrument or third party providing credit support to make payment when due, except when such demand instruments permit same day settlement. To facilitate settlement, these same day demand instruments may be held in book entry form at a bank other than a Fund’s custodian subject to a subcustodian agreement approved by the Fund between that bank and the Fund’s custodian.

Foreign Securities

Each Fund, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in securities of issuers located outside the United States. Funds that invest in foreign securities offer the potential for more diversification than Funds that invest only in the United States because securities traded on foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities traded in the United States. However, such investments often involve risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that a Fund will lose money. In particular, a Fund is subject to the risk that, because there are generally fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of shares traded each day, it may be difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may fluctuate more than prices of securities traded in the United States. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect security prices, impair a Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect a Fund’s operations. Other potential foreign market risks include changes in foreign currency exchange rates, exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts, and political and social instability. Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other foreign countries. Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes.

Regional Risk . Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of issuers in other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund generally will have more exposure to regional economic risks. In the event of economic or political turmoil or a deterioration of diplomatic relations in a region or country where a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets are invested, the Fund may experience substantial illiquidity.

Eurozone-Related Risk . A number of countries in the European Union (the “EU”) have experienced, and may continue to experience, severe economic and financial difficulties. Additional EU member countries may also fall subject to such difficulties. These events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments in euro-denominated securities and derivatives contracts, as well as securities of issuers located in the EU or with significant exposure to EU issuers or countries. If the euro is dissolved entirely, the legal and contractual consequences for holders of euro-denominated obligations and derivative contracts would be determined by laws in effect at such time. Such investments may continue to be held, or purchased, to the extent consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and permitted under applicable law. These potential developments, or market perceptions concerning these and related issues, could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s shares.

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Certain countries in the EU have had to accept assistance from supra-governmental agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, the European Stability Mechanism, or other supra-governmental agencies. The European Central Bank has also been intervening to purchase Eurozone debt in an attempt to stabilize markets and reduce borrowing costs. There can be no assurance that these agencies will continue to intervene or provide further assistance, and markets may react adversely to any expected reduction in the financial support provided by these agencies. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks, and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest, and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences.

In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, could be significant and far-reaching. In June 2016, the United Kingdom (the “UK”) approved a referendum to leave the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” which sparked depreciation in the value of the British pound, short-term declines in global stock markets, and heightened risk of continued worldwide economic volatility. As a result of Brexit, there is considerable uncertainty as to the arrangements that will apply to the U.K.’s relationship with the EU and other countries leading up to, and following, its withdrawal. This long-term uncertainty may affect other countries in the EU and elsewhere. Further, the UK’s departure from the EU may cause volatility within the EU, triggering prolonged economic downturns in certain European countries or sparking additional member states to contemplate departing the EU. In addition, Brexit can create actual or perceived additional economic stresses for the UK, including potential for decreased trade, capital outflows, devaluation of the British pound, wider corporate bond spreads due to uncertainty, and possible declines in business and consumer spending, as well as foreign direct investment.

Foreign Economy Risk . The economies of certain foreign markets often do not compare favorably with that of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources, and balance of payments position. Certain such economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures.

Currency Risk and Exchange Risk . Unless a Fund’s Prospectus states a policy to invest only in securities denominated in U.S. dollars, a Fund may invest in securities denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. In such case, changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of a Fund’s portfolio. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a stronger U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns.

Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards . Many foreign governments supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities less than does the United States. Some countries may not have laws to protect investors comparable to the U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on nonpublic information about that company. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition. In addition, the U.S. government has from time to time in the past imposed restrictions, through penalties and otherwise, on foreign investments by U.S. investors such as the Fund. If such restrictions should be reinstituted, it might become necessary for the Fund to invest all or substantially all of its assets in U.S. securities.

Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States . A Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on a Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or any of their agents goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for a Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount a Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund as compared to investment companies that invest only in the United States.

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Settlement Risk . Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically generated by the settlement of U.S. investments. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates in markets that still rely on physical settlement. Settlements in certain foreign countries at times have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions; these problems may make it difficult for a Fund to carry out transactions. If a Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If a Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable to that party for any losses incurred.

Investment in Emerging Markets . Each Fund, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in the securities of issuers domiciled in various countries with emerging capital markets. Emerging market countries typically are developing and low- or middle-income countries, such as those that are included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, the FTSE Emerging Index or the JPMorgan Emerging Market Bond Index. Emerging market countries may be found in regions such as Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments; (iv) national policies that may limit a Fund’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors.

Emerging capital markets are developing in a dynamic political and economic environment brought about by events over recent years that have reshaped political boundaries and traditional ideologies. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that any or all of these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for a Fund. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that a Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market.

Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the United States, such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Emerging market securities may be substantially less liquid and more volatile than those of mature markets, and company shares may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the Fund’s acquisition or disposal of securities.

Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because a Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. A Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.

Investment in Frontier Markets . Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies and less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. The economies of frontier market countries are less correlated to global economic cycles than those of their more developed counterparts and their markets have low trading volumes and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further heightened by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a

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substantial increase or decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the price of Fund shares. These factors make investing in frontier market countries significantly riskier than in other countries and any one of them could cause the price of a Fund’s shares to decline.

Governments of many frontier market countries in which a Fund may invest may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some cases, the governments of such frontier market countries may own or control certain companies. Accordingly, government actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in a frontier market country and on market conditions, prices and yields of securities in a Fund’s portfolio. Moreover, the economies of frontier market countries may be heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be, adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.

Investment in equity securities of issuers operating in certain frontier market countries may be restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in equity securities of issuers operating in certain frontier market countries and increase the costs and expenses of a Fund. Certain frontier market countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons, limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the investment by foreign persons only to a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. Certain frontier market countries may also restrict investment opportunities in issuers in industries deemed important to national interests.

Frontier market countries may require governmental approval for the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors, such as a Fund. In addition, if deterioration occurs in a frontier market country’s balance of payments, the country could impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. A Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments. Investing in local markets in frontier market countries may require a Fund to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other actions, each of which may involve additional costs to the Fund.

In addition, investing in frontier markets includes the risk of share blocking. Share blocking refers to a practice, in certain foreign markets, where voting rights related to an issuer’s securities are predicated on these securities being blocked from trading at the custodian or sub-custodian level, for a period of time around a shareholder meeting. These restrictions have the effect of prohibiting securities to potentially be voted (or having been voted), from trading within a specified number of days before, and in certain instances, after the shareholder meeting. Share blocking may prevent a Fund from buying or selling securities for a period of time. During the time that shares are blocked, trades in such securities will not settle. The specific practices may vary by market and the blocking period can last from a day to several weeks, typically terminating on a date established at the discretion of the issuer. Once blocked, the only manner in which to remove the block would be to withdraw a previously cast vote, or to abstain from voting all together. The process for having a blocking restriction lifted can be very difficult with the particular requirements varying widely by country. In certain countries, the block cannot be removed.

There may be no centralized securities exchange on which securities are traded in frontier market countries. Also, securities laws in many frontier market countries are relatively new and unsettled. Therefore, laws regarding foreign investment in frontier market securities, securities regulation, title to securities, and shareholder rights may change quickly and unpredictably.

The frontier market countries in which a Fund invests may become subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations. The value of the securities issued by companies that operate in, or have dealings with these countries may be negatively impacted by any such sanction or embargo and may reduce a Fund’s returns. Banks in frontier market countries used to hold a Fund’s securities and other assets in that country may lack the same operating experience as banks in developed markets. In addition, in certain countries there may be legal restrictions or limitations on the ability of a Fund to recover assets held by a foreign bank in the event of the bankruptcy of the bank. Settlement systems in frontier markets may be less well organized than in the developed markets. As a result, there is greater risk than in developed countries that settlement will take longer and that cash or securities of a Fund may be in jeopardy because of failures of or defects in the settlement systems.

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Restrictions on Certain Investments . A number of publicly traded closed-end investment companies have been organized to facilitate indirect foreign investment in developing countries, and certain of such countries, such as Thailand, South Korea, Chile and Brazil, have specifically authorized such funds. There also are investment opportunities in certain of such countries in pooled vehicles that resemble open-end investment companies. In accordance with the 1940 Act, a Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities of other investment companies, not more than 5% of which may be invested in any one such company. In addition, under the 1940 Act, a Fund may not own more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any investment company. These restrictions on investments in securities of investment companies may limit opportunities for a Fund to invest indirectly in certain developing countries. Shares of certain investment companies may at times be acquired only at market prices representing premiums to their net asset values. If a Fund acquires shares of other investment companies, shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of expenses of the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of such other investment companies.

Depositary Receipts . A Fund may invest in foreign securities by purchasing depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and non- voting depositary receipts (“NVDRs”) or other securities convertible into securities of issuers based in foreign countries. These securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities into which they may be converted. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, GDRs, in bearer form, are issued and designed for use outside the United States and EDRs (also referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts (“CDRs”)), in bearer form, may be denominated in other currencies and are designed for use in European securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. EDRs are European receipts evidencing a similar arrangement. GDRs are receipts typically issued by non-U.S. banks and trust companies that evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic securities. For purposes of a Fund’s investment policies, ADRs, GDRs, EDRs and NVDRs are deemed to have the same classification as the underlying securities they represent. Thus, an ADR, GDR, EDR or NVDR representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.

A Fund may invest in depositary receipts through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. While ADRs issued under these two types of facilities are in some respects similar, there are distinctions between them relating to the rights and obligations of ADR holders and the practices of market participants.

A depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by (or even necessarily the acquiescence of) the issuer of the deposited securities, although typically the depositary requests a letter of non-objection from such issuer prior to the establishment of the facility. Holders of unsponsored ADRs generally bear all the costs of such facilities. The depositary usually charges fees upon the deposit and withdrawal of the deposited securities, the conversion of dividends into U.S. dollars, the disposition of non-cash distributions, and the performance of other services. The depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to pass through voting rights to ADR holders in respect of the deposited securities. In addition, an unsponsored facility is generally not obligated to distribute communications received from the issuer of the deposited securities or to disclose material information about such issuer in the U.S. and thus there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts. Unsponsored ADRs tend to be less liquid than sponsored ADRs.

Sponsored ADR facilities are created in generally the same manner as unsponsored facilities, except that the issuer of the deposited securities enters into a deposit agreement with the depositary. The deposit agreement sets out the rights and responsibilities of the issuer, the depositary, and the ADR holders. With sponsored facilities, the issuer of the deposited securities generally will bear some of the costs relating to the facility (such as dividend payment fees of the depositary), although ADR holders continue to bear certain other costs (such as deposit and withdrawal fees). Under the terms of most sponsored arrangements, depositaries agree to distribute notices of shareholder meetings and voting instructions, and to provide shareholder communications and other information to the ADR holders at the request of the issuer of the deposited securities.

Foreign Sovereign Debt . The Fixed-Income Funds may invest in sovereign debt obligations issued by foreign governments. To the extent that a Fund invests in obligations issued by governments of developing or emerging market countries, these investments involve additional risks. Sovereign obligors in developing and emerging market countries are among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. These obligors have in the past experienced substantial difficulties in servicing their external debt obligations, which led to defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Restructuring

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arrangements have included, among other things, reducing and rescheduling interest and principal payments by negotiating new or amended credit agreements or converting outstanding principal and unpaid interest to Brady Bonds, and obtaining new credit for finance interest payments. Holders of certain foreign sovereign debt securities may be requested to participate in the restructuring of such obligations and to extend further loans to their issuers. There can be no assurance that the foreign sovereign debt securities in which a Fund may invest will not be subject to similar restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings. Furthermore, certain participants in the secondary market for such debt may be directly involved in negotiating the terms of these arrangements and may therefore have access to information not available to other market participants.

Initial Public Offerings

Each of the Equity Funds may participate in initial public offerings (“IPOs”). Securities issued in initial public offerings have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. The volume of IPOs and the levels at which the newly issued stocks trade in the secondary market are affected by the performance of the stock market overall. If IPOs are brought to the market, availability may be limited and a Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. In addition, the prices of securities involved in IPOs are often subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks.

Interfund Borrowing and Lending Program

Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC dated June 13, 2016, the Funds may lend money to, and borrow money for temporary purposes from, other funds advised by the Funds’ investment adviser, NFA. Generally, a Fund will borrow money through the program only when the costs are equal to or lower than the cost of bank loans. Interfund borrowings can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one day’s notice. There is no assurance that a Fund will be able to borrow or lend under the program at any time, and a Fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher interest rate if an interfund loan is unavailable, called, or not renewed.

Investments in California Municipal Securities by the Nationwide California Intermediate Tax-Free Bond Fund

The following information is a general summary, based primarily upon information derived from state official statements, Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, other public documents relating to securities offerings of issuers of the state, and other historically reliable sources. It is only a brief summary of the complex factors affecting the financial situation in California. It has not been independently verified by the Fund. The Fund makes no representation or warranty regarding the completeness or accuracy of such information.

Because the Nationwide California Intermediate Tax Free Bond Fund expects to invest substantially all of its assets in California municipal securities, it will be susceptible to a number of complex factors affecting the issuers of California municipal securities, including national and local political, economic, social, environmental, and regulatory policies and conditions. The Fund cannot predict whether or to what extent such factors or other factors may affect the issuers of California municipal securities, the market value or marketability of such securities or the ability of the respective issuers of such securities to pay interest on, or principal of, such securities. The creditworthiness of obligations issued by a local California issuer may be unrelated to the creditworthiness of obligations issued by the State of California, and there is no responsibility on the part of the State of California to make payments on such local obligations.

General Economic Factors . California’s economy, the largest among the U.S. states and one of the largest and most diverse in the world, has major components in high-technology, trade, entertainment, manufacturing, government, tourism, construction and services. California led the nation’s path (and depth) through the recession, but also led into the recovery. California labor markets deteriorated dramatically during the recession, making unemployment a major concern, and its housing market tumbled tremendously causing a major foreclosure issue. As part of its economic recovery, California’s labor and housing markets have robustly rebounded.

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The State’s population as of July 2016 was about 39.4 million, which represents approximately 12% of the total United States population. California’s population continues to grow, with its population expecting to breach 40 million by July of 2018. California has a younger population than the remainder of the U.S., with a slightly higher percentage under 18 and a lower percentage 65 and older. California’s population is highly concentrated in metropolitan areas, with greater than 60% of its people located in the five-county Los Angeles area and the nine-county San Francisco Bay combined metropolitan areas.

Total personal income in California was in excess of $2.1 trillion in 2015 (a gross increase of 6.4% compared to the previous year), and accounted for 13.6% of all personal income in the nation. Total civilian employment was over 18.16 million in 2016 (surpassing the pre-recession peak employment in 2007 by more than 1.2 million jobs), the majority of which was in the services and trade sectors. The latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor (May 2017) pegs State unemployment at 4.7%, higher than the States’ median, but quit near the national average (4.3% in May). As further discussed herein, the State (and by extension its political subdivisions) had been very hard hit by the national recession at the end of the prior decade. Real property values within the State suffered large declines during the recession, but have seen robust increases, at the top end in the nation, in recent years. Foreclosures, in which California, during the recession became a national leader, are back to normal levels, as has unemployment which had skyrocketed into double digit rates, but is now close to the national average (which is at historically low rates).

Overall, California’s real GDP increased by 4.1 percent in 2015, and totaled $2.46 trillion at current prices, making it the sixth largest economy in the world. Following 5 years of drought, which was one of the most severe in California’s history (and which led to the Governor’s declaration of a State of Emergency), California has experienced rainfall significantly in excess of its average this year, relieving pressure on its agricultural businesses. Personal income continued to increase in 2016, but at lower than expected rates (based in part on the stronger than expected growth in lower wage sectors of the economy). Home prices continued to climb in 2015, increasing 7.8% relative to the prior year’s prices. The median price of existing, single-family homes sold in May 2017 was $550,200, approaching historical highs. California issued 99,975 residential building permits in 2016, almost three times as many as issued in 2009 but still only 61 percent of the 164,187 permits issued in 2006. A slight majority of these permits were for multi-family structures. California’s export of goods has receded in each of the two prior year; by 4.9 percent in 2015 and by an additional 1.1% in 2016. The California economy is expected to continue making steady progress. Despite sustained moderate to rapid growth in the past few years, which appears to be continuing into 2016, there are still risks to the California economy. Economic expansions do not last forever. In the post-war period, the average expansion length is almost five years and the longest expansion was ten years. As of June 2017, the current expansion has lasted in excess of seven years.

Overview of State Financial Condition. During the national recession, which officially ended in California in 2009, the State experienced the most significant economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. As a result, state tax revenues declined precipitously, resulting in large budget gaps and occasional cash shortfalls in the period from 2008 through 2011. To offset these factors, the State enacted and maintained significant spending reductions in recent budget years, and voters in 2012 approved Proposition 30 providing for increased State revenues for several fiscal years going forward (the sales tax increases associated therewith having expired, but the income tax increases have been extended to 2030 pursuant to Proposition 55). The Governor’s Budget, proposes a plan that is projected to remain balanced through the end of fiscal year 2020-21. Voters also approved Proposition 2 in November 2014, which directs specified revenues towards increasing reserves in the California’s rainy day fund and paying down specified debts. This mechanism will save money for the next recession and pay down the state’s debts and liabilities. By the end of fiscal year 2017-18, California’s rainy day fund is projected to have a balance of $7.9 billion. The 2017-18 Governor’s Budget proposes to pay down an additional $887 million in various debts and liabilities, as well as settle up on underfunding of Proposition 98. The administration projects that all loans from special funds and from underfunding Proposition 98 will be entirely repaid by the end of fiscal year 2020-21.

The State has rebounded from the depths of the last national recession and is currently on sound economic and budgetary footing. Despite this major economic and budgetary improvement, there remain a number of risks and pressures that threaten or could threaten the State’s financial condition, including balancing budgets during economic downturns that are bound to occur, retaining enhanced revenue sources, as well as dealing with significant unfunded liabilities of the two main retirement systems managed by state entities, CalPERS and CalSTRS. In addition, the State’s revenues, which are significantly dependent on personal and corporate income tax receipts, are volatile and correlate rather directly to general economic conditions (over which the State has little control), and property taxes, which are generally less volatile, are heavily restricted under the State’s constitutional and statutory schemes. The State is trying to ameliorate this issue by building

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adequate financial reserves during periods of economic expansion. Finally, the State continues to be hampered by the constitutional restrictions imposed on its raising revenues, and equally so by constitutional mandates in respect to certain expenditures, particularly, education.

State Revenues, Expenditures and Cash Management. The State’s moneys are segregated into over 1000 funds, the lion’s share of which are found in the General Fund. The General Fund is credited with all revenues received by the State Treasury and not required by law to be credited to any other fund. The General Fund is the principal operating fund for the majority of governmental activities and is the depository of most of the major revenue sources of the State. The State receives revenues from taxes, fees and other sources, the most significant of which are the personal income tax, sales and use tax, and corporation tax (which collectively constitute over 90 percent of total General Fund revenues and transfers). The State expends money on a variety of programs and services. Significant elements of State expenditures include education (both kindergarten through twelfth grade and higher education), health and human services, and correctional programs. The State maintains two (2) budget reserve funds. The Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties (the “SFEU”) is funded with General Fund revenues, and was established for the purpose of protecting the State from unforeseen revenue reductions and/or unanticipated expenditure increases. The State Controller is authorized to transfer amounts in the SFEU to the General Fund as necessary to meet cash needs of the General Fund; such transfers being characterized as “loans.” The State Controller is required to return moneys so transferred without payment of interest as soon as there are sufficient moneys in the General Fund. At the end of each fiscal year, the State Controller is required to transfer from the SFEU to the General Fund any amount necessary to eliminate any deficit in the General Fund. The SFEU was completely drained of funds in California’s post-recession period, but has come back to viability in light of the State’s continuing economic expansion. It is projected that the SFEU will have a balance of $1.6 billion at the end of fiscal year 2017-18. In addition, Proposition 58 created a second budgetary reserve call the Budget Stabilization Account (the “BSA”). The BSA was to be funded from transfers from the General Fund, such transfers continuing until the BSA reached the greater of $8 billion or 5% of the estimated General Fund revenues for a given fiscal year. Based on the State’s budgetary problems, all funds within the BSA were transferred to the General Fund in January of 2008. No additional deposits to the BSA were made until fiscal year 2015, when a transfer to the BSA in the amount of $3.213 billion was made, half of which is being retained as a “rainy day” fund. The provisions of Proposition 58 have been superseded by Proposition 2, described below, which was approved at the November 4, 2014 election. Proposition 2 provides for a stronger rainy day fund that requires both paying down liabilities and saving for a rainy day by making specified deposits into the BSA. In response to the volatility of capital gains revenues and the resulting boom- and-bust budget cycles, Proposition 2 takes into account the state’s heavy dependence on the performance of the stock market and the resulting capital gains.

Constraints on the Budget Process; Structural Imbalance. Complicating the State’s (and certain of its political subdivision’s) budgetary issues, over the years, a substantial number of laws and constitutional amendments have been enacted, often through voter initiatives, which have increased the difficulty of raising state taxes, restricted the use of the state’s General Fund or special fund revenues, or otherwise limited the Legislature and the Governor’s discretion in enacting budgets. Historic examples of provisions that make it more difficult to raise taxes include Proposition 13, passed in 1978, which, among other things, required that any change in state taxes enacted for the purpose of increasing revenues collected pursuant thereto, whether by increased rates or changes in computation, be approved by a two-thirds vote in each house of the Legislature. Examples of provisions restricting the use of General Fund revenues are Proposition 98, passed in 1988, which mandates that a minimum amount of General Fund revenues be spent on local education, and Proposition 10, passed in 1998, which raised taxes on tobacco products and mandated how the additional revenues would be expended. Constitutional amendments approved by the voters have also affected the budget process. These include Proposition 58, approved in 2004, which requires the adoption of a balanced budget and restricts future borrowing to cover budget deficits; Proposition 49, approved in 2002, which requires the expansion of funding for before and after school programs; Proposition 63, approved in 2004, which imposes a surcharge on taxable income of more than $1 million and earmarks this funding for expanded mental health services; Proposition 1A, approved in 2004, which limits the Legislature’s power over local revenue sources, and Proposition 1A, approved in 2006, which limits the Legislature’s ability to use sales taxes on motor vehicle fuels for any purpose other than transportation. Propositions 22 and 26, approved on November 2, 2010, further limit the state’s fiscal flexibility. Proposition 25, also passed by the voters in November 2010, changed the legislative vote requirement to pass a budget and budget related legislation from two-thirds to a simple majority. It retained the two-thirds vote requirement for taxes. Proposition 30, approved on November 6, 2012, among other things, placed into the state Constitution the current statutory provisions transferring 1.0625% of the state sales tax to local governments to fund realignment; and Proposition 39, approved on November 6, 2012, among other things, dedicates for five years approximately $550 million annually to clean energy projects out of an expected $1 billion annual increase in corporate tax revenue due to reversal of a provision adopted in 2009 that gave corporations an option on how to calculate their state income tax liability. Most recently, Proposition 2

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passed by voters on November 4, 2014 amends the Proposition 58 version of the Budget Stabilization Account, and requires one-half of a calculated amount of money to be put aside in a “rainy day fund,” with the other half to be used to pay down debts and liabilities for the first fifteen years. The effect of these various constitutional and statutory provisions is a structural imbalance in the State’s ability to raise revenues and its obligations to make expenditures, which in turn may impact the ability of California issuers of municipal securities to pay interest and principal on their obligations and may depend, in part, on whether a particular security is a general obligation or limited obligation bond (with limited obligation bonds being generally less affected). Moreover, other measures affecting the taxing and spending authority of California or its political subdivisions may be approved or enacted in the future. However, it is not possible to predict the likelihood of such future legislation or other measures.

State and Local Government Interaction, State Assistance. Property tax revenues received by local governments declined significantly following passage of Proposition 13. Counties, in particular, have had fewer options to raise revenues than many other local government entities and have been required to maintain many services. To offset these tax revenue losses, the State provides aid to local governments from the General Fund, principally for the purpose of funding K-12 schools and community colleges. Legislation and the enactment of Proposition 1A and Proposition 22 dramatically changed the State-local fiscal relationship. These statutory and Constitutional changes implemented an agreement negotiated between the Governor and local government officials (the ‘‘State-local agreement’’). One such change relates to the reduction of the vehicle license fee (‘‘VLF’’) rate from 2% to 0.65% of the market value of the vehicle. In order to protect local governments, which have previously received all VLF revenues, the reduction in VLF revenue to cities and counties from this rate change was replaced by an increase in the amount of property tax they receive. This worked to the benefit of local governments because the backfill amount annually increases in proportion to the growth in property tax revenues, which has historically grown at a higher rate than VLF revenues, although property tax revenues declined between fiscal years 2009-10 and 2011- 12. This arrangement continues without change in the 2017-18 budget. As part of the State-local agreement, Proposition 1A reduces the Legislature’s authority over local government revenue sources by placing restrictions on the State’s access to local governments’ property, sales and VLF revenues. Beginning with the fiscal year ending in 2009, the State was able to borrow up to 8% of local property tax revenues, such borrowed amounts to be repaid within three years. Amounts previously borrowed by the State were fully repaid under the fiscal year 2012-2013 budget. Proposition 22, adopted on November 2, 2010, supersedes Proposition 1A and completely prohibits any future borrowing by the State from local government funds, and generally prohibits the Legislature from making changes in local government funding sources. Proposition 1A also prohibits the State from mandating that cities, counties or special districts undertake certain activities without providing for the funding needed to comply with such mandates. If the State does not provide funding for a mandated activity that mandate would be suspended. In addition, the definition of what constitutes a mandate to encompass State action that transfers financial responsibility to cities, counties and special districts for a required program for which the State previously had partial or complete responsibility. To the extent the State should be constrained by its appropriations limit, or its obligation to conform to Proposition 98, or other fiscal considerations, the absolute level, or the rate of growth, of State assistance to local governments may be reduced. Any such reductions in State aid could compound the serious fiscal constraints already experienced by many local governments, particularly counties.

Current and Adopted Budgets . The budget discussions below are based on estimates and projections of revenues and expenditures as supplied by the State. These estimates and projections are based upon public releases from the California Department of Finance.

Current Fiscal Year 2016-17 Budget. The 2016-17 fiscal year budget, enacted in June 2016, provided for a multi-year plan that was balanced, transferred $3.3 billion (now decreased to $3.2 billion) to reserves, and continued to pay down budgetary debt from past years. When the budget was enacted, General Fund revenues and transfers for fiscal year 2016-17 were projected at $120.3 billion. Current estimates total General Fund revenues of $118.8 billion (net of the $3.2 billion transfer to the BSA) for the year. General Fund expenditures for fiscal year 2016-17 were projected at $122.5 billion, but have been revised up to $122.8 billion. The 2016-17 budget included General Fund expenditures of $51.3 billion for K-12 education, $14.5 billion for Higher Education, $33.2 billion for Health and Human Services and $10.6 billion for Public Safety.

Governor ’ s Proposed Fiscal Year 2017-18 Budget. The 2017-18 budget released by the Governor on January 10, 2017 includes a multi-year plan that is balanced, and continues to pay down budgetary debt from past years and build up reserves for the future. However, the State faces its first budgetary challenge since 2012, with a projected deficit of $1.6 billion absent corrective actions. The Governor’s Budget includes $3.2 billion in proposed solutions to offset such deficits. General Fund revenues and transfers for fiscal year 2017-18 are projected at $124.0 billion, an increase of $5.3 billion or 4.4 percent

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compared with revised estimates for fiscal year 2016-17. These estimates include transfers to the BSA of $3.2 billion for fiscal year 2016-17 and $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2017-18. General Fund expenditures for fiscal year 2017-18 are projected at $122.5 billion, a decrease of $200 million or 0.2 percent compared with revised estimates for fiscal year 2016-17. Major components of the budget include Proposition 98 (K-14 Education) funding totaling $73.5 billion (of which $51.4 billion is from the General Fund); $15.1 billion of funding for higher education (of which $14.6 billion is from the General Fund); $59.8 billion of funding for health and human service programs (of which $34.0 billion is from the General Fund); and $13.8 billion of funding for public safety programs (of which $11.1 billion is from the General Fund). The 2017-2018   budget projects that the State will not have any need to use external cash flow borrowing in this fiscal year.

Bond Ratings . Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings assign ratings to California’s long-term general obligation bonds. The State’s general obligation bond ratings, from all its rating agencies, dropped considerably since the onset of the national recession, and have remained at lowered levels, after coming off their absolute lows, with the agencies all citing liquidity pressures, likelihood of lower revenues and a continuing economic decline. In April of 2016 California issued its general obligation bonds that were rated “Aa3”, “AA-”, and “AA-” by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, respectively.

The obligations of California’s municipalities are generally stand-alone credits, rated on their own, and not affected by the State’s bond ratings. The ratings of certain related debt of other issuers for which California has an outstanding lease purchase, guarantee or other contractual obligation (such as for State-insured hospital bonds) are generally linked directly to California’s rating. Such ratings reflect only the respective views of such rating agencies and an explanation of the significance of a rating may be obtained from such rating agencies. There can be no assurance that the conditions on which these ratings are based will continue, that any such ratings will remain in effect for any given period of time or that they may not be lowered or withdrawn entirely, or that particular bond issues may not be adversely affected by changes in financial, economic, political or other conditions. Any downgrade revision or withdrawal assigned to such debt obligations could have an adverse effect on their market price and liquidity.

Obligations of the State of California

General Obligations. Under the California Constitution, debt service on the most of the State’s outstanding general obligation bonds is appropriated and paid from the General Fund (other than self-liquidating bonds). Such debt service is the second charge to the General Fund after support of the public school system and public institutions of higher education. As of February 1, 2017, California had approximately $74.22 billion aggregate amount of long-term general obligation bonds (and capital leases) outstanding, of which $73.5 are payable primarily from the State’s General Fund (the remainder being self- liquidating), and unused voter authorizations for future issuance of approximately $35.6 billion of long-term general obligation bonds (and capital leases).

California Long Term Lease Obligations. Based on a series of court decisions, certain long-term lease obligations, although typically payable from the General Fund of the State or a municipality, are not considered ‘‘indebtedness’’ requiring voter approval. Such leases, however, are subject to ‘‘abatement’’ in the event that the facility being leased is unavailable for beneficial use and occupancy by the municipality during the term of the lease. Abatement is not a default, and there may be no remedies available to the holders of the certificates evidencing the lease obligation in the event abatement occurs. The most common causes of abatement are failure to complete construction of the facility before the end of the period during which lease payments have been capitalized and uninsured casualty losses to the facility In the event abatement occurs with respect to a lease obligation, lease payments may be interrupted (if all available insurance proceeds and reserves are exhausted) and the certificates may not be paid when due.

Non- Recourse Debt. Certain state agencies and authorities issue revenue obligations for which the General Fund has no liability. Revenue bonds represent obligations payable from state revenue-producing enterprises and projects, which are not payable from the General Fund, and conduit obligations payable only from revenues paid by private users or local governments of facilities financed by the revenue bonds. The enterprises and projects include transportation projects, various public works projects, public and private educational facilities (including the California State University and University of California systems), housing, health facilities and pollution control facilities. State agencies and authorities had approximately $60.6 billion aggregate principal amount of revenue bonds and notes which are non-recourse to the General Fund outstanding as of December 31, 2016.

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Obligations of Other Issuers . There are a number of State agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions of the State that issue municipal obligations, some of which may be conduit revenue obligations payable from payments from private borrowers. The primary units of local government in California are its 58 counties, which are responsible for the provision of many basic services, including indigent health care, welfare, jails, and public safety in unincorporated areas. There are also 482 incorporated cities in California and thousands of special districts formed for education, utilities, and other services.

Recent Developments

Statewide. On January 10, 2017, the Governor released his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. The 2017-18 Governor’s Budget sets forth a structurally balanced budget which continues to pay down debt while it invests in education, healthcare, and builds a strong reserve fund.

Recent Tax Receipts. Though January, 2017 agency cash receipts were $747 million above the 2017-18 Governor’s Budget forecast, fiscal year-to-date cash receipts were $9 million below the forecasted aggregate collections of $68.48 billion.

Local. Within the last decade, the City of Stockton, California (a city located 64 miles to the east of San Francisco), and the City of San Bernardino, California (a city located 65 miles to the east of Los Angeles) filed cases seeking bankruptcy protection and the adjustment of their debts under chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. These two bankruptcies represented two of the five largest municipal bankruptcies in U.S. history. Each of these cities was hit hard by the weak housing market and overly generous public employee salaries and benefits (resulting in structurally imbalanced budgets. These two cities have both emerged from bankruptcy, and bondholders in each instance took substantial losses in the process. Many other California municipalities have structural budgetary imbalances, principally derived from high municipal salary costs and pension obligations. No additional California cities have recently sought protection from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Legal Proceedings

The State is involved in certain legal proceedings that, if decided against the State, may require the State to make significant future expenditures or may substantially impair revenues (or cash flow including through the limitation of certain financing vehicles or budgetary mechanisms). Lawsuits involving issues such as environmental cleanup, state employee retirement benefits, use of certain revenues and repayments of certain mandate costs to municipalities, school financing, healthcare and welfare programs, prison reform, tax refunds, escheated property, Indian tribal issues and privacy rights. If the State eventually loses any of these cases, the final remedies generally will involve multiyear consequences the full impact of which should not be felt in any one year.

Other Considerations

Numerous other factors may adversely affect the State’s and its municipalities’ economies. For example, reductions in federal funding could result in the loss of federal assistance otherwise available to the State. In addition, natural disasters, such as earthquakes, droughts and floods, have caused substantial damage to parts of California or have harmed the State’s economy, and the possibility exists that another natural disaster could create a major dislocation of the California economy.

Investments in Municipal Securities by the Nationwide Ziegler Wisconsin Tax Exempt Fund

Investments in Wisconsin Municipal Securities .The following information is a general summary, based primarily upon information derived from state official statements, Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, other public documents relating to securities offerings of issuers of the state, and other historically reliable sources. It is only a brief summary of the complex factors affecting the financial situation in Wisconsin. It has not been independently verified by the Nationwide Ziegler Wisconsin Tax Exempt Fund. The Fund makes no representation or warranty regarding the completeness or accuracy of such information

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General Economic Factors . In 2014, Wisconsin continued its economic rebound from the recession. Wisconsin’s gross domestic product is projected to rise 4.0% in 2015 and 4.1% in 2016. Total nonfarm employment in Wisconsin is expected to increase 1.5% in 2015 and 1.4% in 2016. Wisconsin personal income growth is projected to increase 3.0% in 2015 and 3.6% in 2016.

Wisconsin’s statewide total property value increased again in 2015 for the second straight year following five years of declines from 2009 through 2013. The recovery in values has been broad-based, reflecting improvements in all major sectors. In 2014, overall property values increased 2.5%, residential real estate values rose 2.3% and commercial real estate values increased 0.6%. In 2015, total property value increased 2.4%, with residential property value growing at 2.3%. In addition, commercial real estate and manufacturing values both increased 3.2%.

In 2014, Wisconsin’s $3.6 billion in agricultural exports ranked 13th among U.S. states, moving up three spots from 2011. Top export markets were Canada, Mexico, China, Korea and Japan; and top product categories included dairy products, miscellaneous food, ethanol and raw fur skins. Wisconsin led the nation in 2014 in exports of bovine genetics, whey, cranberries, sweet corn, and ginseng roots.

In 2015, Wisconsin was home to more than 9,800 dairy farms with more than 1.27 million cows. Wisconsin’s milk production continues to grow as the dairy farms in the State yielded 27.8 billion pounds of milk in 2014, an increase of 0.8% over the all-time record of 27.6 billion set in 2013. Wisconsin accounts for 14% of the nation’s milk production. Dairy production and processing accounts for almost half of all the economic activity associated with agriculture: $43.4 billion in economic activity, accounting for nearly 79,000 jobs. In 2014, Wisconsin was the nation’s top cheese producing state with 2.9 billion pounds of cheese or more than 25% of the nation’s cheese production.

Recent Financial Results and Obligations .In fiscal year 2013, total general fund revenues increased by 4.2% over fiscal year 2012 tax collections, outpacing expectations, with significant strength in Wisconsin’s major general fund tax revenue sources. Individual income tax revenues increased 6.5%, sales and use tax revenues increased 2.8% and corporate tax revenues increased 2.1%. As a result, Wisconsin deposited $153.2 million into the State’s budget stabilization fund.

Wisconsin continued to build its economic recovery through economic development and infrastructure investment, reconciling government spending with revenues without raising taxes and providing $751.1 million more to provide coverage to the Medicaid population over the 2013-15 biennium. Since fiscal year 2011, state funding for the Medicaid program has grown from $1.45 billion to $2.52 billion in fiscal year 2015.

While total general fund revenues in 2014 decreased by 1.0% compared to fiscal year 2013 tax collections, this was mostly driven by tax reductions enacted in the 2013-15 biennial budget as well as changes in income tax withholding tables. Individual income tax revenues decreased 5.8%, sales and use tax revenues increased 4.9% and corporate tax revenues increased 4.5%. 2013 Wisconsin Act 145 prohibited transfers from the General Fund to the budget stabilization appropriation in fiscal year 2014.

Total general fund tax collections increased 4.3% in fiscal year 2015 from fiscal year 2014. Individual income tax collections rose 3.7%, sales and use taxes rose 5.7%, and corporate income taxes increased 3.9%. 2013 Wisconsin Act 145 also prohibited transfers from the General Fund to the budget stabilization appropriation in fiscal year 2015. The balance of the budget stabilization arrangement as of June 30, 2015 was $280.3 million.

The State of Wisconsin Building Commission, an agency of the State, is empowered by law to consider, act upon, authorize, issue and sell all debt obligations of the State. The total general obligation debt outstanding for the State as of June 30, 2015 was $7.4 billion. During fiscal year 2015, $1.5 billion of general obligation bonds and $279.8 million of general obligation long term notes were issued to provide for the acquisition or improvement of land, water, property, highways, buildings, equipment, or facilities for public purposes or to refund outstanding bonds.

The General Fund had an undesignated balance of $331.0 million as of the end of the 2016 fiscal year. General-purpose revenue taxes were $15.098 billion compared to $14.541 billion in the prior year, an increase of $556 million. General- purpose revenue expenditures, excluding fund transfers, were $15.341 billion. No transfers were made to the budget stabilization fund in fiscal year 2016 and as of June 30, 2016 the budget stabilization fund had a balance of $281.2 million.

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General obligations issued by the State are subject to debt limits set forth in the Wisconsin Constitution and the Wisconsin Statutes. There is an annual debt limit of three-quarters of 1%, and a cumulative debt limit of 5%, of the aggregate value of all taxable property in the State. The annual debt limit for calendar year 2016 was $3,788,432,462, and the cumulative debt limit was $25,256,216,413. As of December 15, 2016, general obligations of the State were outstanding in the principal amount of $8,071,307,580.

As of January 2017, the ratings of the State’s general obligation bonds were “Aa2” (with a positive outlook) from Moody’s, “AA” (with a stable outlook) from S&P and “AA” (with a stable outlook) from Fitch. The ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability of, such information, or based on other circumstances. There is no assurance that such ratings will continue for any given period of time or that they will not be revised or withdrawn entirely by any such rating agencies, if in their respective judgments, circumstances so warrant. Any revisions to or withdrawal of a credit rating could have an adverse effect on the market price and liquidity of bonds offered by the State of Wisconsin.

Investments in Municipal Securities of Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands

From time to time the Nationwide California Intermediate Tax Free Bond Fund, Nationwide National Intermediate Tax Free Bond Fund or Nationwide Ziegler Wisconsin Tax-Exempt Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by or on behalf of Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa or the Northern Mariana Islands or their respective agencies or instrumentalities. Accordingly, it will be susceptible to a number of complex factors affecting the issuers of Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands securities, including political, economic, social, environmental, and regulatory policies and conditions. The Funds cannot predict whether or to what extent such factors or other factors may affect the issuers of Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands securities, the market value or marketability of such securities or the ability of the respective issuers of such securities to pay interest on, or principal of, such securities.

Puerto Rico . The following information is a general summary, based primarily upon information derived from information derived from various Commonwealth and local agencies in Puerto Rico including Commonwealth official statements, Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, other public documents relating to securities offerings of issuers of the Commonwealth, and other historically reliable sources. It is only a brief summary of the complex factors affecting the financial situation in Puerto Rico. It has not been independently verified by the Funds. The Funds make no representation or warranty regarding the completeness or accuracy of such information.

Puerto Rico Economy . The Commonwealth currently faces a severe fiscal, economic and liquidity crisis, the culmination of many years of significant governmental deficits, a prolonged economic recession (which commenced in 2006), high unemployment, population decline, and high levels of debt and pension obligations. The Commonwealth’s largest revenue streams are especially vulnerable during times of major economic downturns and have been affected by these same factors. Further stressing the Commonwealth’s liquidity are large healthcare, pension and debt service costs. As the Commonwealth’s tax base has shrunk and its revenues affected by prevailing economic conditions, healthcare, pension, and debt service costs have become an increasing portion of the General Fund budget, which has resulted in reduced funding available for other essential services. The Commonwealth’s very high level of debt and unfunded pension liabilities and the resulting required allocation of revenue to service debt and pension obligations have contributed to significant budget deficits during the past several years, which deficits the Commonwealth has financed, further increasing the amount of its debt.

The economy of Puerto Rico is closely linked to the United States economy as most of the external factors that affect the Puerto Rico economy are determined by the policies and performance of the United States mainland economy. These factors include exports, direct investment, the amount of federal transfer payments, interest rates, inflation rate and tourist expenditures. During fiscal year 2014, approximately 71.8% of Puerto Rico’s exports went to the U.S. mainland, which was also the source of approximately 47.2% of Puerto Rico’s imports.

From fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2014, the manufacturing and service sectors generated the largest portion of gross domestic product. The manufacturing sector has undergone fundamental changes over the years as a result of increased emphasis on higher wage, high technology industries, such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, computers, professional and

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scientific instruments, and certain high technology machinery and equipment. Most of Puerto Rico’s manufacturing output is shipped to the U.S. mainland, which is also the principal source of semi-finished manufactured articles on which further manufacturing operations are performed in Puerto Rico.

According to the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources Household Survey, the number of persons employed in Puerto Rico during fiscal year 2015 averaged 990,113, a decrease of 0.5% when compared to the previous fiscal year; and the unemployment rate averaged 13.0%, as compared to the 14.3% it reached during fiscal year 2014.

According to December 2016 figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of persons employed in Puerto Rico was approximately 989,100 and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 12.4%.

Debt, Revenues and Expenditures . The Constitution of Puerto Rico provides that direct obligations of the Commonwealth evidenced by bonds or notes and backed by the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the Commonwealth shall not be issued if the amounts of the principal and interest on such bonds and notes guaranteed by the Commonwealth exceed 15% of the average annual revenue in the two fiscal years preceding the fiscal year of such proposed issuance. The Constitution of Puerto Rico does not limit the amount of debt that the Commonwealth may guarantee as long as the Commonwealth is in compliance with the 15% limitation at the time of issuance of such guaranteed debt.

As of September 30, 2015, the Commonwealth had outstanding a total of $22.764 billion aggregate principal amount of bonds and notes issued or guaranteed by the Commonwealth or payable directly from General Fund appropriations, equivalent to approximately 33% of the Commonwealth’s gross national product for fiscal year 2014 ($69.202 billion—preliminary). As of September 30, 2015, total public sector debt of the Commonwealth, including its instrumentalities and municipalities, was $69.909 billion.

The General Fund is the chief operating fund of the Commonwealth. For more than a decade, the Commonwealth has experienced significant General Fund budget deficits. These deficits, including the payment of a portion of the Commonwealth’s debt service obligations, have been covered primarily with the net proceeds of bonds issued by the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Authority (“COFINA”) and Commonwealth general obligation bonds, with interim financings provided by the Government Development Bank (“GDB”) and, in some cases, with extraordinary onetime revenue measures or expense adjustment measures. The Commonwealth expects that its ability to finance future budget deficits will be severely limited.

The difference between General Fund operating revenues and operating expenses for fiscal year 2013 was $807 million. The difference between total General Fund resources and total expenditures was $1.353 billion. This amount was funded by (i) $775 million of general obligation and Puerto Rico Public Buildings Authority debt service refunding, (ii) a $332 million debt issuance from COFINA, (iii) a short term line of credit with GDB of $98 million, and (iv) $148 million in cash management measures.

The total deficiency of revenue under expenditures and general obligation debt service payments in the General Fund (budgetary basis) for fiscal year 2014 was approximately $1.2 billion, consisting of the difference between total actual revenue of approximately $8.7 billion (excluding other financing sources), less the sum of total actual expenditures of approximately $9.2 billion and general obligation debt service payments of approximately $738 million (excluding other financing uses).

The Commonwealth’s primary government, which encompasses the Commonwealth’s governmental and business-type activities, reported, in the government-wide financial statements, a net deficit position of approximately $49.7 billion at June 30, 2014, comprising of approximately $15.4 billion in total assets and approximately $538 million in deferred outflows of resources, less approximately $65.5 billion in total liabilities and approximately $103 million in deferred inflows of resources. As noted in the 2014 financial statements there is substantial doubt as to the ability of the primary government and of various component units to continue as a going concern.

The retirement systems comprising the pension trust funds carry a substantial risk of insolvency, if measures are not taken to significantly increase contributions to them. The pension trust funds’ net pension liability and the funded ratio as of June 30, 2014, are approximately $43.7 billion and 4.0%, respectively.

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On April 29, 2016, the Commonwealth filed with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access a notice that the Commonwealth would not file its audited financial statements for fiscal year 2015 by April 30, 2016, as required by its continuing disclosure undertakings. The Commonwealth could not provide an estimate of when it will be able to complete and file its audited financial statements.

The Commonwealth’s continued economic recession, high level of debt and pension obligations, and structural budget deficits, among other factors, have adversely affected its credit ratings and its ability to obtain financing at reasonable interest rates, if at all. As a result, the Commonwealth has relied more heavily on short-term financings and interim loans from the GDB and other component units of the Commonwealth, which reliance has constrained the liquidity of the Commonwealth in general and GDB in particular, and increased near-term refinancing risk. These factors have also resulted in delays in the repayment by the Commonwealth and its component units of outstanding GDB lines of credit, which delays have limited GDB’s ability to continue providing liquidity to the Commonwealth and have caused GDB to fail to make a principal payment on its debt obligations. These factors are reflected in the deterioration of the Commonwealth’s credit ratings.

On June 28, 2014, the Commonwealth enacted the Puerto Rico Public Corporation Debt Enforcement and Recovery Act (the “Recovery Act”). The Recovery Act was intended to provide a legal framework that would allow certain public corporations, including Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (“PREPA”) to seek protection from creditors and to reorganize and restructure their debt. In June and July of 2014, certain holders of bonds issued by PREPA filed lawsuits in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (“District Court”) to enjoin enforcement of the Recovery Act. The complaints alleged, in addition to other claims, that Puerto Rico was prohibited by the United States Bankruptcy Code (“Bankruptcy Code”) from implementing its own bankruptcy scheme. The District Court consolidated the suits and ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor. The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld the judgment of the District Court. On June 13, 2016, the United States Supreme Court held that section 903(1) of the Bankruptcy Code pre-empts the Recovery Act.

The Commonwealth is in the midst of a profound fiscal crisis. Despite various measures that have been undertaken by the current and previous administrations to grow the economy, reduce government expenses, and increase revenues the Commonwealth’s economy continues to shrink and the Commonwealth has been unable to achieve a balanced budget. On June 29, 2015, Governor García Padilla announced that the Commonwealth had no choice but to seek to renegotiate its debt with the goal of achieving a more sustainable debt service, and that if it was unable to do so the Commonwealth could default on its debt.

During fiscal years 2015 and 2016, the Commonwealth has sought additional liquidity through potential bond issues or private financings. Due to its deteriorated financial condition, however, the Commonwealth has been unable to complete these transactions and, is now pursuing a comprehensive debt restructuring that seeks to improve its liquidity position as a result of near-term debt service relief. While the Commonwealth pursues this strategy, it has taken a number of emergency measures to stabilize its liquidity condition that are unsustainable over the long-term. These include, among others, requiring advance payments from the government retirement systems for payments of retirement benefits to participants, suspending for fiscal year 2016 the Commonwealth set-asides for the payment of its general obligation debt, delaying the payments to suppliers and amounts due to component units, financing tax and revenue anticipation notes for fiscal year 2016 through certain intra-governmental transactions, deferring the disbursement of certain budgetary assignments, and delaying the payment of income tax refunds.

In April 2016, the Governor of Puerto Rico signed into law Act 21-2016, known as the “Puerto Rico Emergency Moratorium and Financial Rehabilitation Act.” Act 21 allows the Governor to prioritize essential government services over the financial obligations of the Commonwealth and its instrumentalities by imposing a moratorium on debt service payments, including debt service on general obligation bonds, and staying related creditor remedies for a temporary period. In respect of GDB, Act No. 21 also allows the Governor to take any and all actions that are reasonable and necessary to allow GDB to continue carrying out its operations.

GDB has historically served as the principal source of short-term liquidity for the Commonwealth and its component units and its functions are very important to the operations of the Commonwealth, its public corporations and municipalities. GDB announced that, at present, it is not able to continue to provide such assistance. Act 21 included amendments to the GDB’s Enabling Act to enhance the statutory tools necessary if a resolution, reorganization or restructuring of GDB becomes necessary in the future. GDB faces significant risks and uncertainties and it currently does not have sufficient liquid financial

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resources to meet obligations when they come due, including deposit withdrawals. Pursuant to Act 21, the Governor has ordered the suspension of loan disbursements by GDB, imposed restrictions on the withdrawal and transfer of deposits from GDB, and imposed a moratorium on debt obligations of GDB, among other measures.

On June 30, 2016, the U.S. President signed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), which grants the Commonwealth and its instrumentalities access to an orderly mechanism to restructure their debts, in exchange for significant federal oversight over the Commonwealth’s finances. In broad strokes, PROMESA seeks to provide Puerto Rico with the fiscal and economic discipline through the creation of a control board (“Oversight Board’), relief from creditor lawsuits through the enactment of a temporary stay on litigation, and two alternative methods to adjust unsustainable debt. Since July 1, 2016, Puerto Rico and several of its instrumentalities defaulted on certain of their scheduled debt payments.

On March 13, 2017, the Oversight Board certified the Commonwealth’s 10-year fiscal plan, which now becomes the broad operating framework within which Puerto Rico must develop budgets going forward. The five principles that guided the Oversight Board in its decision to certify the proposed fiscal plan were:

According to the Oversight Board, the fiscal plan provides for meaningful and drastic fiscal and economic measures projected to result in an economic turnaround towards growth after six years. The fiscal plan is a carefully calibrated solution that maintains sufficient infrastructure and governmental services to arrest negative growth after several years, and respects creditors’ rights. The Oversight Board recognizes that Puerto Rico’s residents vehemently believe the Oversight Board has cut government services far too much and that creditors believe the money for debt services is far too little. Both residents and creditors are victims of a crisis situation exponentially getting worse due to the imminent termination of approximately $850 million in Affordable Care Act funding (which will continue to increase substantially year-over-year)  and the dissipation of pension funding of the annual $1.5 billion pension payments needed to save public retirees from federal poverty levels. The fiscal plan cuts as much from government expenditures and raises revenues by as much as the Oversight Board considered feasible. It contemplates measures that will reduce the fiscal gap by $39.6 billion and generate surplus cash flow of approximately $7.9 billion over a ten-year period. It also proposes to repay only 23.5% of debt service between June 2017 and 2026, and does not differentiate as to how various types of debt would be treated in this event.

On May 3, 2017, the Oversight Board filed for Title III (bankruptcy) under PROMESA for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and made similar filings on May 5, 2017 for COFINA and July2, 2017 for PREPA, government owned corporations of Puerto Rico. In its filing, the Oversight Board noted the following statistics:

employed, down 23% from 1,277,559 employed persons in December 2006;

U.S. mainland;

3.41 million people in 2016;

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unfunded pension liabilities. As of 2012, Puerto Rico’s public debt as a percentage of aggregate income was 100.7%, as compared to 29% for New York, which has the highest ratio of public debt to income in the United States (the average is 16.8%).

Given the massive debt load to be addressed, as well as the need to attain pension and operational reform in accordance with the fiscal plan, the Oversight Board determined that the best path forward was to commence a Title III case to protect Puerto Rico and its citizens. Title III was especially compelled by the Commonwealth’s need to restructure $49 billion of pension liabilities because Congress did not authorize pension restructurings in Title VI. The Oversight Board and the Commonwealth will continue efforts to negotiate, preferably through consensual deals with all constituencies, a comprehensive debt restructuring through a Title III plan of adjustment, which can incorporate all consensual agreements reached (including those that could otherwise form a qualifying Title VI modification).

The Commonwealth expects that its ability to finance future budget deficits will be severely limited even when it achieves a comprehensive debt restructuring, and, therefore, that it will be required to, among other measures, reduce the amount of resources that fund important governmental programs and services in order to balance its budget. There is no assurance, however, that budgetary balance will be achieved and, if achieved, that such budgetary balance will be based on recurring revenues or expense reductions or that the revenue or expense measures undertaken to balance the budget will be sustainable on a long-term basis. Moreover, the measures to achieve budgetary balance through austerity may adversely affect the performance of the Commonwealth’s economy which, in turn, may adversely affect governmental revenues. While comprehensive debt restructuring seeks to address these recurring budgetary imbalances and to make debt service payments sustainable, it is at present uncertain when such a restructuring will be consummated or that it will achieve the goals of recurring budgetary balance and debt sustainability.

Bond Ratings .In February 2014 Puerto Rico’s general obligation bonds were downgraded to non-investment grade or “junk” status by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. In July 2014 Moody’s, S&P and Fitch further downgraded their Puerto Rico general obligation ratings following the enactment of the Recovery Act. Following multiple further downgrades, and as of January 2017, the ratings of the Commonwealth’s outstanding general obligation bonds were “Caa3” (with a developing outlook) from Moody’s, “D” from S&P and “D” (with a negative outlook) from Fitch.

The ratings may be further changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability of, such information, or based on other circumstances. There is no assurance that such ratings will continue for any given period of time or that they will not be revised or withdrawn entirely by any such rating agencies, if in their respective judgments, circumstances so warrant. Any revisions to or withdrawal of a credit rating could have an adverse effect on the market price and liquidity of bonds offered by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

It should be noted that the creditworthiness of obligations issued by local Puerto Rican issuers may be unrelated to the creditworthiness of obligations issued by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and there is no obligation on the part of the Commonwealth to make payment on such local obligations in the event of default.

Guam Economy . Tourism revenues and U.S. federal and military spending contribute to Guam’s economy. Guam’s proximity to many of the major cities of Asia and the South Pacific greatly contributes to the diversity of the island’s population and the visitor industry. This geographic advantage also provides U.S. military operations with significant flexibility compared to other locations in the Pacific and Asia. Guam has an international airport, the Antonio B. Won Pat Guam International Air Terminal (the “Airport”), operated by the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority of Guam, a public corporation and autonomous instrumentality of the Government of Guam. The Airport is the only commercial airport serving Guam and is the principal air carrier airport serving the surrounding Micronesian islands. According to the Federal Aviation Authority (the “FAA”), 1,420,500 enplaned passengers were processed through the Airport in calendar year 2015, making the Airport the 74th busiest primary airport within the FAA system. According to data published by U.S. Department

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of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, for calendar year 2015 (based on preliminary data as of December 2015), the Airport was the 9th busiest port of entry to the United States for non-U.S. resident arrivals (excluding arrivals from Canada and Mexico).

In September 2016, the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce (“BEA”) released its estimates of gross domestic product (“GDP”) and gross domestic income (“GDI”) for Guam for 2015 and its estimates of gross domestic product by industry and compensation by industry for Guam for 2014 and revised estimates for prior years. The BEA’s estimates indicate that Guam’s GDP grew from $4.895 billion in 2010 to $5.734 billion in 2015. The 2015 GDP figure consists of approximately $3.240 billion of personal consumption expenditures, $3.295 billion of government consumption expenditures and gross investment, and $1.301 billion of private fixed investment, and is offset by approximately $2.102 billion of net exports. The BEA also estimates that Guam’s real per capital GDP, measured in 2005 dollars adjusted for inflation, grew from $30,621 in 2010 to $31,809 in 2014.

The BEA estimates for Guam’s real GDP increased 0.4% in 2015 after increasing 1.3% in 2014. The growth in the Guam economy reflected increases in consumer spending, exports of services, and federal government spending. These increases were partly offset by a decrease in private fixed investment. Consumer spending continued to increase in 2015, supported by growth in compensation and decreases in consumer prices. Exports of services, consisting primarily of spending by tourists, grew for a second consecutive year. The increase reflected growth in Korean visitor arrivals and average spending by Korean tourists. Federal government spending also increased for a second year. The increase in 2015 reflected growth in defense construction spending, major projects included fuel pipeline and aircraft maintenance hangar construction to support operations at Anderson Air Force Base. Private fixed investment, which is spending by business on construction and equipment, declined in 2015 after posting strong growth in the previous two years. A number of major projects, including the construction of Guam’s first private hospital and a new luxury hotel in Tumon Bay, were near completion early in the year.

Spending by tourists makes up the vast majority of Guam’s exports of services. Guam’s net real exports of services decreased by 1.5% in 2013 and increased 4.8% in 2014. Guam’s real consumer spending on goods and services decreased 0.1% in 2013 and increased 1.4% in 2014. Consumer prices increased 0.3% in 2013 and increased 1.0% in 2014.

Average annual individual income for residents of Guam has increased from $26,730 in 2003 to $32,700 in 2013, a compound annual growth rate of 2.0%, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Most food and goods are imported, and approximately 70% of imports are from the U.S. mainland. Guam’s commercial shipping port is the entry point for more than 90% of Guam’s imports and also serves as a transshipment center for Micronesia. The port handled approximately 2.3 million revenue tons, including the contents of over 90,000 twenty-foot- equivalent unit containers in 2015.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Guam’s 2010 population estimate was 159,358. This represents a 2.9% increase over the 2000 U.S. Census tabulation of 154,805, which was in turn a 16.3% increase over the 1990 population of 133,152. According to the World Bank Group, Guam’s population in 2014 was approximately 167,500.

Approximately 75% of Guam’s workforce is employed in the private sector, with the remainder in government, both local and federal. Guam’s individual and household incomes have fairly equal distributions, as compared to other nations, islands, or territories in similar stages of economic development. Guam’s unemployment was 6.9% as of March 2015, the most recent date for which information is available.

Tourism has represented the primary source of income for Guam’s economy for over twenty-five years. Visitor arrivals first exceeded 1,000,000 travelers for the first time in 1994 and have remained near or above that level ever since. Based on data from the Guam’s Visitors Bureau, the total number of visitors to Guam for fiscal year 2015 was 1,372,531 compared to 1,341,171 fiscal year 2014, representing an increase of approximately 2.3%.

Historically, the tourism industry, both worldwide and on Guam, has correlated closely with the state of the world’s economies and levels of real disposable income. A weak economy, war or threat of terrorist activity, and regional pandemics, among other influences can adversely affect the tourism industry. Also, currency exchange rates, trade balances, political relationships, and conflicts within and between countries are increasingly important influences on tourism. Economic

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conditions in Japan and throughout the Pacific Rim, and the resulting effect on overseas travel from these countries, are a major determinant of tourism on Guam. Like that of many destinations, Guam’s tourism industry is susceptible to the negative impacts of terrorism and other conflicts on the travel industry in general.

The level of active duty military personnel in Guam increased slightly from 2007 to 2010. In 2010, it was anticipated that the military build-up would have three major parts: relocation of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa, Japan, creation of the infrastructure for an aircraft carrier berthing, and installation of an Army Air and Missile Defense Task Force. In the years following 2010, Guam began to experience a decrease in military personnel as a result of the delay in the relocation of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa and Iwakuni, Japan to Guam. Concerns regarding the high cost of the relocation, delays in relocating U.S. military personnel and facilities within Japan and the U.S. budget deficit have extended the implementation timeframe for the relocation of the U.S. Marines from Japan. The proposed U.S. military build-up is now not expected to occur until after 2018. In addition, the expected size of the build-up has decreased. In particular, the relocation of part of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa, Japan is now expected to result in the relocation of approximately 4,700 marines and 1,300 dependents over a 13-year period, rather than approximately 8,600 marines and 9,000 dependents, originally expected. On April 4, 2017, the governor of Guam announced that he no longer supports further progress on the U.S. military alignment to Guam. The U.S. government may choose to relocate military fleets, equipment and personnel from time to time in ways that either increase or decrease the U.S. military presence on Guam, and the Government of Guam cannot predict whether or when such adjustments may occur.

U.S. Virgin Islands Economy . The U.S. Virgin Islands, a territory of the United States, is located in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Virgin Islands consists of dozens of islands, most notably the islands of Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas. Tourism is the primary economic activity of the U.S. Virgin Islands, followed by manufacturing which includes petroleum refining, electronics, rum distilling, watch assembly, textiles and pharmaceuticals. The economy of the U.S. Virgin Islands is also dependent to a significant extent on grants from the federal government. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. A decrease in tourism or manufacturing, or natural disasters, could lead to economic instability and volatility in the U.S. Virgin Islands municipal securities market.

The credit ratings for Virgin Island debt have been downgraded in 2016 and 2017 as a result of the Virgin Island’s extremely weak financial position and liquidity, its failure to access the capital markets in January 2017 for a planned deficit financing which would have balanced the current year budget and bolstered liquidity levels, and an increased possibility that the government may be forced to restructure its debt to address its financial problems. According to Moody’s Investors Service, key characteristics of the government’s general credit profile include: persistent general fund deficits addressed primarily with repeated deficit financings; very high debt levels; declining gross domestic product and population; high unemployment; and an extremely large unfunded pension liability. According to S&P Global Ratings, the negative outlook reflects their view that the continued significant economic, financial, and budgetary challenges the territory currently faces, absent corrective action, could lead to increased deficit financing, and, over time, inadequate capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment to its obligations, especially if liquidity continues to weaken.

After an unsuccessful attempt to access the capital market in January 2017 to sell about $247 million in matching fund revenue bonds, the governor of the Virgin Islands indicated that investors required enactment of revenue enhancements outlined in the governor’s five-year plan to re-establish market access. The five-year plan was passed in March. However, the territory’s ability to access the market remains untested since it has not successfully obtained any external capital since that time.

In December 2016, the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce (“BEA”) released its estimates of gross domestic product (“GDP”) and gross domestic income (“GDI”) for Virgin Islands for 2015 and its estimates of gross domestic product by industry and compensation by industry for Virgin Islands for 2014 and revised estimates for prior years. After declining for four consecutive years, the Virgin Islands economy grew in 2015. The estimates of GDP for the U.S. Virgin Islands show that real GDP — GDP adjusted to remove price changes – increased 0.2% in 2015 after decreasing 1.0% in 2014. For comparison, real GDP for the U.S. (excluding the territories) increased 2.6% percent in 2015 after increasing 2.4% in 2014. The growth in the Virgin Islands economy reflected increases in exports of services and consumer spending. These increases were partly offset by a decrease in government spending. The growth in exports of services, which consists primarily of spending by tourist, reflected increases in air arrivals and hotel revenues. The growth in consumer spending was supporting by an increase in compensation and by lower energy prices. Government spending fell in 2015, as territorial government construction activity decreased. Territorial government spending on capital assets had been elevated in previous years due in part to the development of a fiber optic network.

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In recent years, the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has experienced substantial fluctuations in revenues and expenditures and recurring structural deficits. Since fiscal year 2009, the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has used multiple bond issuances to finance working capital needs and other government obligations. The Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has experienced revenue shortfalls in fiscal years 2012, 2013, and 2014 and anticipates a revenue shortfall for fiscal year 2015. The high level of indebtedness and the resulting allocation of revenues to debt service have contributed to the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands budget deficits during the past several years, some of which deficits the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has been required to finance, further increasing the amount of such debt. Such high level of indebtedness, among other factors, may adversely affect credit ratings and the ability to obtain financing at favorable rates. The effort to achieve budgetary balance may adversely affect the performance of the economy in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has taken a series of actions to reduce its operating budget and address its operating deficits. Currently the Virgin Islands Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) projects a shortfall of revenues under expenditures of $96.3 million for fiscal year 2014, which includes reduced allotments of $28.1 million. The Government of U.S. Virgin Islands expects to meet the balance of revenue shortfall in fiscal year 2014 through continuous cash flow monitoring and the allotment reduction process.

From 2003, when the unemployment rate in the Virgin Islands rose to 7.8%, primarily as a result of the completion of construction of the HOVENSA coker plant, which employed approximately 2,000 construction workers, the unemployment rate steadily declined through 2008 to 5.8%. As a result of the global financial crisis, however, the unemployment rate increased between 2009 and 2011, reaching an annual rate of 8.9% in 2011. The average unemployment rate in 2011 was 9.1%. In January 2012 HOVENSA announced that it would close its oil refining facilities on St. Croix and lay off approximately 1,200 employees and 950 subcontractors. The unemployment rate increased in 2012 to an annual rate of 11.7%. By the end of 2013, the unemployment rate had increased to 13.4%.

In calendar year 2013, employment in all sectors of the Virgin Islands economy was adversely affected by the HOVENSA refinery closure and the aftermath of the global recession, with the majority of the losses concentrated in manufacturing, construction, goods production, and other services. The manufacturing sector was affected most significantly, reflecting a 41.6% decline in the number of persons employed in calendar year 2013, as compared to calendar year 2012. Private sector employment growth is fueled primarily by tourism and related services while public sector employment consists of jobs with the U.S. Virgin Islands government and the U.S. federal government. The U.S. Virgin Islands Government is the largest employer of the public sector, representing 90% of all public sector jobs. Tourism is the Virgin Islands’ largest industry and represents the largest business segment in the private sector. After a decrease in tourism in 2001 and 2002, following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the tourism industry was uneven from 2003 through 2007, and then worsened in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the global economic crisis. The tourism industry began to improve in 2010 and total visitor arrivals in the Virgin Islands in 2011, were 2,687,952, a 5.5% increase over 2010 and was largely attributable to an increase in cruise passenger arrivals. However, for calendar year 2013, total visitor arrivals increased by 1.8% as compared to calendar year 2012.

American Samoa Economy . American Samoa is part of the Samoan Islands chain in the South Pacific Ocean and is the southernmost territory of the United States. The population of American Samoa is approximately 65,000, most of whom live on the largest island of Tutuila. The economy of American Samoa relies on funding from the U.S. government. The largest private sector of the economy is tuna fishing and tuna canning.

Northern Mariana Islands Economy . The Northern Mariana Islands, located in the western Pacific Ocean, consists of 15 islands with a total population of approximately 80,000. The Northern Mariana Islands’ economy relies on funding from the U.S. government. The Northern Mariana Islands’ economy also relies on tourism, garment manufacturing, construction and agriculture, among others.

Lending Portfolio Securities

Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions, provided it receives collateral, with respect to each loan of U.S. securities, equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities loaned, and, with respect to each loan of non-U.S. securities, collateral of at least 105% of the value of the portfolio securities loaned, and at all times thereafter shall require the borrower to mark-to-market such collateral on a daily basis so that the market value of such collateral does not fall below 100% of the market value of the portfolio securities so loaned. By lending its

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portfolio securities, a Fund can increase its income through the investment of the collateral. For the purposes of this policy, a Fund considers collateral consisting of cash, U.S. government securities or letters of credit issued by banks whose securities meet the standards for investment by the Fund to be the equivalent of cash. From time to time, a Fund may return to the borrower or a third party which is unaffiliated with it, and which is acting as a “placing broker,” a part of the interest earned from the investment of collateral received for securities loaned.

The SEC currently requires that the following conditions must be met whenever portfolio securities are loaned: (1) a Fund must receive from the borrower collateral equal to at least 100% of the value of the portfolio securities loaned; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities loaned rises above the level of such collateral; (3) a Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) a Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions payable on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) a Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees in connection with the loan; and (6) while any voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, a Fund’s board of trustees must be able to terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs. In addition, a Fund may not have on loan securities representing more than one-third of its total assets at any given time. The collateral that a Fund receives may be included in calculating the Fund’s total assets.A Fund generally will not seek to vote proxies relating to the securities on loan, unless it is in the best interests of the applicable Fund to do so. These conditions may be subject to future modification. Loan agreements involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the other party including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund’s ability to recover the loaned securities or dispose of the collateral for the loan.

Investment of Securities Lending Collateral . The cash collateral received from a borrower as a result of a Fund’s securities lending activities will be used to purchase both fixed-income securities and other securities with debt-like characteristics that are rated A1 or P1 on a fixed rate or floating rate basis, including: bank obligations; commercial paper; investment agreements, funding agreements, or guaranteed investment contracts entered into with, or guaranteed by an insurance company; loan participations; master notes; medium-term notes; repurchase agreements; and U.S. government securities. Except for the investment agreements, funding agreements or guaranteed investment contracts guaranteed by an insurance company, master notes, and medium-term notes (which are described below), these types of investments are described elsewhere in the SAI. Collateral may also be invested in a money market mutual fund or short-term collective investment trust.

Investment agreements, funding agreements, or guaranteed investment contracts entered into with, or guaranteed by, an insurance company are agreements in which an insurance company either provides for the investment of the Fund’s assets or provides for a minimum guaranteed rate of return to the investor.

Master notes are promissory notes issued usually with large, creditworthy broker-dealers on either a fixed-rate or floating-rate basis. Master notes may or may not be collateralized by underlying securities. If the master note is issued by an unrated subsidiary of a broker-dealer, then an unconditional guarantee is provided by the issuer’s parent.

Medium-term notes are unsecured, continuously offered corporate debt obligations. Although medium-term notes may be offered with a maturity from one to ten years, in the context of securities lending collateral, the maturity of the medium- term note will not generally exceed two years.

Loan Participations and Assignments

The Fixed-Income Funds, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in Loan Participations and Assignments. Loan Participations typically will result in a Fund having a contractual relationship only with the lender, not with the borrower. A Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the Loan Participation and only upon receipt by the lender of the payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing Loan Participations, a Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and a Fund may not benefit directly from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the Loan Participation. As a result, a Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the Loan Participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a Loan Participation, a Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower. When a Fund purchases Assignments from lenders, the Fund will acquire direct rights against the borrower on the loan, except that under certain circumstances such rights may be more limited than those held by the assigning lender.

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A Fund may have difficulty disposing of Assignments and Loan Participations. Because the market for such instruments is not highly liquid, the Fund anticipates that such instruments could be sold only to a limited number of institutional investors. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the value of such instruments and will have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular Assignments or Loan Participations in response to a specific economic event, such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower.

Loans and other forms of indebtedness may be structured such that they are not securities under securities laws. As such, it is unclear whether loans and other forms of direct indebtedness offer securities law protections, such as those against fraud and misrepresentation. In the absence of definitive regulatory guidance, while there can be no assurance that fraud or misrepresentation will not occur with respect to the loans and other investments in which the Fund invests, the Fund relies on the Subadviser’s research in an attempt to seek to avoid situations where fraud or misrepresentation could adversely affect the Fund.

Medium-Quality, Lower-Quality and High-Yield Securities

Except for the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in medium- quality securities and also in lower-quality and high-yield securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”) (hereinafter referred to as “lower-quality securities”).

Medium-Quality Securities . Medium-quality securities are obligations rated in the fourth highest rating category by any NRSRO. Medium-quality securities, although considered investment grade, may have some speculative characteristics and may be subject to greater fluctuations in value than higher-rated securities. In addition, the issuers of medium-quality securities may be more vulnerable to adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances than issuers of higher-rated securities.

Lower-Quality/High-Yield Securities . Non-investment grade debt or lower-quality/rated securities include: (i) bonds rated as low as C by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, or Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”); (ii) commercial paper rated as low as C by Standard & Poor’s, Not Prime by Moody’s or Fitch 4 by Fitch; and (iii) unrated debt securities of comparable quality. Lower- quality securities, while generally offering higher yields than investment grade securities with similar maturities, involve greater risks, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy. There is more risk associated with these investments because of reduced creditworthiness and increased risk of default. Under NRSRO guidelines, lower-quality securities and comparable unrated securities will likely have some quality and protective characteristics that are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions. Lower-quality securities are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing, to have a current identifiable vulnerability to default or to be in default, to be unlikely to have the capacity to make required interest payments and repay principal when due in the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, or to be in default or not current in the payment of interest or principal. They are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The special risk considerations in connection with investments in these securities are discussed below.

Effect of Interest Rates and Economic Changes . Interest-bearing securities typically experience appreciation when interest rates decline and depreciation when interest rates rise. The market values of lower-quality and comparable unrated securities tend to reflect individual corporate developments to a greater extent than do higher-rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Lower-quality and comparable unrated securities also tend to be more sensitive to economic conditions than are higher-rated securities. As a result, they generally involve more credit risks than securities in the higher-rated categories. During an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers of lower-quality and comparable unrated securities may experience financial stress and may not have sufficient revenues to meet their payment obligations. The issuer’s ability to service its debt obligations may also be adversely affected by specific corporate developments, the issuer’s inability to meet specific projected business forecasts or the unavailability of additional financing. The risk of loss due to default by an issuer of these securities is significantly greater than issuers of higher-rated securities also because such securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to other creditors. Further, if the issuer of a lower-quality or comparable unrated security defaulted, a Fund might incur additional expenses to seek recovery. Periods of economic uncertainty and changes would also generally result in increased volatility in the market prices of these securities and thus in a Fund’s net asset value.

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As previously stated, the value of a lower-quality or comparable unrated security will generally decrease in a rising interest rate market, and accordingly so will a Fund’s net asset value. If a Fund experiences unexpected net redemptions in such a market, it may be forced to liquidate a portion of its portfolio securities without regard to their investment merits. Due to the limited liquidity of lower-quality and comparable unrated securities (discussed below), a Fund may be forced to liquidate these securities at a substantial discount which would result in a lower rate of return to the Fund.

Payment Expectations . Lower-quality and comparable unrated securities typically contain redemption, call or prepayment provisions which permit the issuer of such securities containing such provisions to, at its discretion, redeem the securities. During periods of falling interest rates, issuers of these securities are likely to redeem or prepay the securities and refinance them with debt securities at a lower interest rate. To the extent an issuer is able to refinance the securities, or otherwise redeem them, a Fund may have to replace the securities with a lower yielding security, which would result in a lower return for that Fund.

Liquidity and Valuation . A Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain lower-quality and comparable unrated securities because there may be a thin trading market for such securities. Because not all dealers maintain markets in all lower-quality and comparable unrated securities, there may be no established retail secondary market for many of these securities. The Funds anticipate that such securities could be sold only to a limited number of dealers or institutional investors. To the extent a secondary trading market does exist, it is generally not as liquid as the secondary market for higher- rated securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the market price of the security. As a result, a Fund’s net asset value and ability to dispose of particular securities, when necessary to meet such Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, may be impacted. The lack of a liquid secondary market for certain securities may also make it more difficult for a Fund to obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of valuing that Fund’s portfolio. Market quotations are generally available on many lower-quality and comparable unrated issues only from a limited number of dealers and may not necessarily represent firm bids of such dealers or prices for actual sales. During periods of thin trading, the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase significantly. In addition, adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of lower-quality and comparable unrated securities, especially in a thinly traded market.

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities

Each of the Fixed-Income Funds, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property. Mortgage-backed securities come in different forms. The simplest form of mortgage-backed securities is pass-through certificates. Such securities may be issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities or may be issued by private issuers, generally originators in mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, investment bankers, and special purpose entities (collectively, “private lenders”). The purchase of mortgage-backed securities from private lenders may entail greater risk than mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. Mortgage-backed securities issued by private lenders may be supported by pools of mortgage loans or other mortgage- backed securities that are guaranteed, directly or indirectly, by the U.S. government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities, or they may be issued without any governmental guarantee of the underlying mortgage assets but with some form of non- governmental credit enhancement. These credit enhancements may include letters of credit, reserve funds, over- collateralization, or guarantees by third parties. There is no guarantee that these credit enhancements, if any, will be sufficient to prevent losses in the event of defaults on the underlying mortgage loans. Additionally, mortgage-backed securities purchased from private lenders are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, mortgage-backed securities held in a Fund’s portfolio may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loan.

Through its investments in mortgage-backed securities, including those issued by private lenders, a Fund may have some exposure to subprime loans, as well as to the mortgage and credit markets generally. Subprime loans refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their loans. For these reasons, the loans underlying these securities have had, in many cases, higher default rates than those loans that meet government underwriting requirements. The risk of non-payment is greater for mortgage-backed securities issued by private lenders that contain subprime loans, but a level of risk exists for all loans.

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Since privately-issued mortgage certificates are not guaranteed by an entity having the credit status of GNMA or FHLMC (each of which is defined below under “U.S. Government Securities and U.S. Government Agency Securities”), such securities generally are structured with one or more types of credit enhancement. Such credit enhancement falls into two categories: (i) liquidity protection; and (ii) protection against losses resulting from ultimate default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provisions of advances, generally by the entity administering the pool of assets, to ensure that the pass-through of payments due on the underlying pool occurs in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from ultimate default enhances the likelihood of ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. Such protection may be provided through guarantees, insurance policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, through various means of structuring the transaction or through a combination of such approaches.

The ratings of mortgage-backed securities for which third-party credit enhancement provides liquidity protection or protection against losses from default are generally dependent upon the continued creditworthiness of the provider of the credit enhancement. The ratings of such securities could be subject to reduction in the event of deterioration in the creditworthiness of the credit enhancement provider even in cases where the delinquency loss experienced on the underlying pool of assets is better than expected. There can be no assurance that the private issuers or credit enhancers of mortgage- backed securities will meet their obligations under the relevant policies or other forms of credit enhancement.

Examples of credit support arising out of the structure of the transaction include “senior-subordinated securities” (multiple class securities with one or more classes subordinate to other classes as to the payment of principal thereof and interest thereon, with the result that defaults on the underlying assets are borne first by the holders of the subordinated class), creation of “reserve funds” (where cash or investments sometimes funded from a portion of the payments on the underlying assets are held in reserve against future losses) and “over-collateralization” (where the scheduled payments on, or the principal amount of, the underlying assets exceed those required to make payment of the securities and pay any servicing or other fees). The degree of credit support provided for each issue is generally based on historical information with respect to the level of credit risk associated with the underlying assets. Delinquency or loss in excess of that which is anticipated could adversely affect the return on an investment in such security.

Private lenders or government-related entities may also create mortgage loan pools offering pass-through investments where the mortgages underlying these securities may be alternative mortgage instruments, that is, mortgage instruments whose principal or interest payments may vary or whose terms to maturity may be shorter than was previously customary. As new types of mortgage-related securities are developed and offered to investors, a Fund, consistent with its investment objective and policies, may consider making investments in such new types of securities.

The yield characteristics of mortgage-backed securities differ from those of traditional debt obligations. Among the principal differences are that interest and principal payments are made more frequently on mortgage-backed securities, usually monthly, and that principal may be prepaid at any time because the underlying mortgage loans or other assets generally may be prepaid at any time. As a result, if a Fund purchases these securities at a premium, a prepayment rate that is faster than expected will reduce yield to maturity, while a prepayment rate that is slower than expected will have the opposite effect of increasing the yield to maturity. Conversely, if a Fund purchases these securities at a discount, a prepayment rate that is faster than expected will increase yield to maturity, while a prepayment rate that is slower than expected will reduce yield to maturity. Accelerated prepayments on securities purchased by the Fund at a premium also impose a risk of loss of principal because the premium may not have been fully amortized at the time the principal is prepaid in full.

Unlike fixed rate mortgage-backed securities, adjustable rate mortgage-backed securities are collateralized by or represent interest in mortgage loans with variable-rates of interest. These variable-rates of interest reset periodically to align themselves with market rates. A Fund will not benefit from increases in interest rates to the extent that interest rates rise to the point where they cause the current coupon of the underlying adjustable rate mortgages to exceed any maximum allowable annual or lifetime reset limits (or “cap rates”) for a particular mortgage. In this event, the value of the adjustable rate mortgage-backed securities in a Fund would likely decrease. Also, a Fund’s net asset value could vary to the extent that current yields on adjustable rate mortgage-backed securities are different than market yields during interim periods between coupon reset dates or if the timing of changes to the index upon which the rate for the underlying mortgage is based lags behind changes in market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, income to a Fund derived from adjustable rate mortgage-backed securities which remain in a mortgage pool will decrease in contrast to the income on fixed rate mortgage- backed securities, which will remain constant. Adjustable rate mortgages also have less potential for appreciation in value as interest rates decline than do fixed rate investments.

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There are a number of important differences among the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. government that issue mortgage-backed securities and among the securities that they issue. Mortgage-backed securities issued by GNMA include GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Ginnie Maes”), which are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by GNMA, and such guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA certificates also are supported by the authority of GNMA to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under its guarantee. Mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA include FNMA Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Fannie Maes”), which are solely the obligations of FNMA, and are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the United States. Fannie Maes are guaranteed as to timely payment of the principal and interest by FNMA. Mortgage-backed securities issued by FHLMC (which is defined below under “U.S. Government Securities and U.S. Government Agency Securities”) include FHLMC Mortgage Participation Certificates (also known as “Freddie Macs” or “PCs”). FHLMC is a corporate instrumentality of the United States, created pursuant to an Act of Congress, which is owned entirely by Federal Home Loan Banks. Securities issued by FHLMC do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or by any Federal Home Loan Bank. Freddie Macs entitle the holder to timely payment of interest, which is guaranteed by the FHLMC. FHLMC guarantees either ultimate collection or timely payment of all principal payments on the underlying mortgage loans. When the FHLMC does not guarantee timely payment of principal, FHLMC may remit the amount due on account of its guarantee of ultimate payment of principal at any time after default on an underlying mortgage, but in no event later than one year after it becomes payable.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations ( “ CMOs ” ) and Multiclass Pass-Through Securities . CMOs are a more complex form of mortgage-backed security in that they are multi-class debt obligations which are collateralized by mortgage loans or pass-through certificates. As a result of changes prompted by the Tax Reform Act of 1986, most CMOs are today issued as Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”). From the perspective of the investor, REMICs and CMOs are virtually indistinguishable. However, REMICs differ from CMOs in that REMICs provide certain tax advantages for the issuer of the obligation. Multiclass pass-through securities are interests in a trust composed of whole loans or private pass- throughs (collectively hereinafter referred to as “Mortgage Assets”). Unless the context indicates otherwise, all references herein to CMOs include REMICs and multiclass pass-through securities.

Often, CMOs are collateralized by GNMA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac Certificates, but also may be collateralized by Mortgage Assets. Unless the context indicates otherwise, all references herein to CMOs include REMICs and multiclass pass-through securities. Payments of principal and interest on the Mortgage Assets, and any reinvestment income thereon, provide the funds to pay debt service on the CMOs or make scheduled distributions on the multiclass pass-through securities. CMOs may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing.

In order to form a CMO, the issuer assembles a package of traditional mortgage-backed pass-through securities, or actual mortgage loans, and uses them as collateral for a multi-class security. Each class of CMOs, often referred to as a “tranche,” is issued at a specified fixed or floating coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of a series of a CMO in innumerable ways. In one structure, payments of principal, including any principal prepayments, on the Mortgage Assets are applied to the classes of a CMO in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal will be made on any class of CMOs until all other classes having an earlier stated maturity or final distribution date have been paid in full. As market conditions change, and particularly during periods of rapid or unanticipated changes in market interest rates, the attractiveness of the CMO classes and the ability of the structure to provide the anticipated investment characteristics may be significantly reduced. Such changes can result in volatility in the market value, and in some instances reduced liquidity, of the CMO class.

A Fund may also invest in, among others types of CMOs, parallel pay CMOs and Planned Amortization Class CMOs (“PAC Bonds”). Parallel pay CMOs are structured to provide payments of principal on each payment date to more than one class. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the stated maturity date or final distribution date of each class, which, as with other CMO structures, must be retired by its stated maturity date or a final distribution date but may be retired earlier. PAC Bonds are a type of CMO tranche or series designed to provide relatively predictable payments of principal provided that, among other things, the actual prepayment experience on the underlying mortgage loans falls within a predefined range. If the actual prepayment experience on the underlying mortgage loans is at a rate faster or slower than the

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predefined range or if deviations from other assumptions occur, principal payments on the PAC Bond may be earlier or later than predicted. The magnitude of the predefined range varies from one PAC Bond to another; a narrower range increases the risk that prepayments on the PAC Bond will be greater or smaller than predicted. Because of these features, PAC Bonds generally are less subject to the risks of prepayment than are other types of mortgage-backed securities.

Stripped Mortgage Securities . Stripped mortgage securities are derivative multiclass mortgage securities. Stripped mortgage securities may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. Stripped mortgage securities have greater volatility than other types of mortgage securities. Although stripped mortgage securities are purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers, the market for such securities has not yet been fully developed. Accordingly, stripped mortgage securities are generally illiquid.

Stripped mortgage securities are structured with two or more classes of securities that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of stripped mortgage security will have at least one class receiving only a small portion of the interest and a larger portion of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive primarily interest and only a small portion of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (“IO” or interest-only), while the other class will receive the entire principal (“PO” or principal-only class). The yield to maturity on IOs, POs and other mortgage-backed securities that are purchased at a substantial premium or discount generally are extremely sensitive not only to changes in prevailing interest rates but also to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on such securities’ yield to maturity. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, a Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities even if the securities have received the highest rating by an NRSRO.

In addition to the stripped mortgage securities described above, certain Funds may invest in similar securities such as Super POs and Levered IOs which are more volatile than POs, IOs and IOettes. Risks associated with instruments such as Super POs are similar in nature to those risks related to investments in POs. IOettes represent the right to receive interest payments on an underlying pool of mortgages with similar risks as those associated with IOs. Unlike IOs, the owner also has the right to receive a very small portion of the principal. Risks connected with Levered IOs and IOettes are similar in nature to those associated with IOs. Such Funds may also invest in other similar instruments developed in the future that are deemed consistent with its investment objective, policies and restrictions. See “Other Tax Consequences” in this SAI.

A Fund may also purchase stripped mortgage-backed securities for hedging purposes to protect that Fund against interest rate fluctuations. For example, since an IO will tend to increase in value as interest rates rise, it may be utilized to hedge against a decrease in value of other fixed-income securities in a rising interest rate environment. Stripped mortgage- backed securities may exhibit greater price volatility than ordinary debt securities because of the manner in which their principal and interest are returned to investors. The market value of the class consisting entirely of principal payments can be extremely volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on stripped mortgage-backed securities that receive all or most of the interest are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other mortgage-backed obligations because their cash flow patterns are also volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. The market for CMOs and other stripped mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid if these securities lose their value as a result of changes in interest rates; in that case, a Fund may have difficulty in selling such securities.

TBA Commitments . The Funds may enter into “to be announced” or “TBA” commitments. TBA commitments are forward agreements for the purchase or sale of securities, including mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price, with payment and delivery on an agreed upon future settlement date. The specific securities to be delivered are not identified at the trade date. However, delivered securities must meet specified terms, including issuer, rate and mortgage terms. See “When Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Transactions” below.

Asset-Backed Securities . Asset-backed securities have structural characteristics similar to mortgage-backed securities. However, the underlying assets are not first-lien mortgage loans or interests therein; rather the underlying assets are often consumer or commercial debt contracts such as motor vehicle installment sales contracts, other installment loan contracts, home equity loans, leases of various types of property and receivables from credit card and other revolving credit arrangements. However, almost any type of fixed-income assets may be used to create an asset-backed security, including other fixed-income securities or derivative instruments such as swaps. Payments or distributions of principal and interest on

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asset-backed securities may be supported by non-governmental credit enhancements similar to those utilized in connection with mortgage-backed securities. Asset-backed securities, though, present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage- backed securities. The credit quality of most asset-backed securities depends primarily on the credit quality of the assets underlying such securities, how well the entity issuing the security is insulated from the credit risk of the originator or any other affiliated entities, and the amount and quality of any credit enhancement of the securities. To the extent a security interest exists, it may be more difficult for the issuer to enforce the security interest as compared to mortgage-backed securities.

Municipal Securities

Each of the Fixed-Income Funds, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in municipal securities. Municipal securities include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain funds for various public purposes, such as the construction of a wide range of public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to other public institutions and facilities. Private activity bonds that are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to finance various privately-operated facilities are deemed to be municipal securities, only if the interest paid thereon is exempt from federal taxes.

Other types of municipal securities include short-term General Obligation Notes, Tax Anticipation Notes, Bond Anticipation Notes, Revenue Anticipation Notes, Project Notes, Tax-Exempt Commercial Paper, Construction Loan Notes and other forms of short-term tax-exempt loans. Such instruments are issued with a short-term maturity in anticipation of the receipt of tax funds, the proceeds of bond placements or other revenues.

Project Notes are issued by a state or local housing agency and are sold by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. While the issuing agency has the primary obligation with respect to its Project Notes, they are also secured by the full faith and credit of the United States through agreements with the issuing authority which provide that, if required, the federal government will lend the issuer an amount equal to the principal of and interest on the Project Notes.

The two principal classifications of municipal securities consist of “general obligation” and “revenue” issues. The Funds may also acquire “moral obligation” issues, which are normally issued by special purpose authorities. There are, of course, variations in the quality of municipal securities, both within a particular classification and between classifications, and the yields on municipal securities depend upon a variety of factors, including the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. Ratings represent the opinions of an NRSRO as to the quality of municipal securities. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality, and municipal securities with the same maturity, interest rate and rating may have different yields, while municipal securities of the same maturity and interest rate with different ratings may have the same yield. Subsequent to purchase, an issue of municipal securities may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below the minimum rating required for purchase. A Fund’s investment adviser or subadviser will consider such an event in determining whether a Fund should continue to hold the obligation.

General Obligation Bonds . General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. The taxing power of any governmental entity may be limited, however, by provisions of its state constitution or laws, and an entity’s creditworthiness will depend on many factors, including potential erosion of its tax base due to population declines, natural disasters, declines in the state’s industrial base or inability to attract new industries, economic limits on the ability to tax without eroding the tax base, state legislative proposals or voter initiatives to limit ad valorem real property taxes and the extent to which the entity relies on Federal or state aid, access to capital markets or other factors beyond the state’s or entity’s control. Accordingly, the capacity of the issuer of a general obligation bond as to the timely payment of interest and the repayment of principal when due is affected by the issuer’s maintenance of its tax base.

Revenue Bonds . Revenue bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise tax or other specific revenue source such as payments from the user of the facility being financed; accordingly, the timely payment of interest and the repayment of principal in accordance with the terms of the revenue or special obligation bond is a function of the economic viability of such facility or such revenue source.

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Revenue bonds issued by state or local agencies to finance the development of low-income, multi-family housing involve special risks in addition to those associated with municipal bonds generally, including that the underlying properties may not generate sufficient income to pay expenses and interest costs. Such bonds are generally nonrecourse against the property owner, may be junior to the rights of others with an interest in the properties, may pay interest that changes based in part on the financial performance of the property, may be prepayable without penalty and may be used to finance the construction of housing developments which, until completed and rented, do not generate income to pay interest. Increases in interest rates payable on senior obligations may make it more difficult for issuers to meet payment obligations on subordinated bonds.

Private activity bonds . Private activity bonds (“PABs”) are, in most cases, tax-exempt securities issued by states, municipalities or public authorities to provide funds, usually through a loan or lease arrangement, to a private entity for the purpose of financing construction or improvement of a facility to be used by the entity. Such bonds are secured primarily by revenues derived from loan repayments or lease payments due from the entity, which may or may not be guaranteed by a parent company or otherwise secured. PABs generally are not secured by a pledge of the taxing power of the issuer of such bonds. Therefore, an investor should understand that repayment of such bonds generally depends on the revenues of a private entity and be aware of the risks that such an investment may entail. The continued ability of an entity to generate sufficient revenues for the payment of principal and interest on such bonds will be affected by many factors including the size of the entity, its capital structure, demand for its products or services, competition, general economic conditions, government regulation and the entity’s dependence on revenues for the operation of the particular facility being financed.

An issuer’s obligations under its municipal securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the federal bankruptcy code, and laws, if any, which may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations or upon the ability of municipalities to levy taxes. The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on and principal of its municipal securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.

Operational and Technology Risk/Cyber Security Risk

A Fund, its service providers, and other market participants depend on complex information technology and communications systems to conduct business functions. These systems are subject to a number of different threats or risks that could adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders, despite the efforts of a Fund and its service providers to adopt technologies, processes, and practices intended to mitigate these risks.

For example, a Fund, and its service providers, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber incidents. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks also may be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures or breaches by a Fund’s adviser, and other service providers (including, but not limited to, Fund accountants, custodians, subadvisers, transfer agents and administrators), and the issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of a Fund’s shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While a Fund and its service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and systems designed to reduce the risks associated with, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified.

In addition, power or communications outages, acts of God, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors, and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data. Market events also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct a Fund’s operations.

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The Funds cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Funds and issuers in which the Funds invest. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Preferred Stocks, Convertible Securities and Other Equity Securities

Each of the Funds, except for the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in preferred stocks and other forms of convertible securities. In some instances, a Fixed-Income Fund (except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund) may receive common stock, warrants or other types of equity securities resulting from a corporate action by or bankruptcy of an issuer of debt securities held by the Fund. In such instances, unless such equity securities are preferred stocks or convertible securities, the Fund will sell such equity securities as soon as reasonably practicable.

Preferred stocks, like many debt obligations, are generally fixed-income securities. Shareholders of preferred stocks normally have the right to receive dividends at a fixed rate when and as declared by the issuer’s board of directors, but do not participate in other amounts available for distribution by the issuing corporation. In some countries, dividends on preferred stocks may be variable, rather than fixed. Dividends on the preferred stock may be cumulative, and all cumulative dividends usually must be paid prior to common shareholders of common stock receiving any dividends. Because preferred stock dividends must be paid before common stock dividends, preferred stocks generally entail less risk than common stocks. Upon liquidation, preferred stocks are entitled to a specified liquidation preference, which is generally the same as the par or stated value, and are senior in right of payment to common stock. Preferred stocks are, however, equity securities in the sense that they do not represent a liability of the issuer and, therefore, do not offer as great a degree of protection of capital or assurance of continued income as investments in corporate debt securities. Preferred stocks are generally subordinated in right of payment to all debt obligations and creditors of the issuer, and convertible preferred stocks may be subordinated to other preferred stock of the same issuer.

Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks, or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. Convertible securities have general characteristics similar to both debt obligations and equity securities. The value of a convertible security is a function of its “investment value” (determined by its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and its “conversion value” (the security’s worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The investment value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, the credit standing of the issuer and other factors. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, tends to increase as interest rates decline. The conversion value of a convertible security is determined by the market price of the underlying common stock. The market value of convertible securities tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying common stock and therefore will react to variations in the general market for equity securities. If the conversion value is low relative to the investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. Generally, the conversion value decreases as the convertible security approaches maturity. To the extent the market price of the underlying common stock approaches or exceeds the conversion price, the price of the convertible security will be increasingly influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security generally will sell at a premium over its conversion value by the extent to which investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed- income security. While no securities investments are without risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than investments in common stock of the same issuer.

A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest normally paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted, or exchanged. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics in that they generally (i) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities, (ii) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying stock since they have fixed-income characteristics, and (iii) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases. Most convertible securities currently are issued by U.S. companies, although a substantial Eurodollar convertible securities market has developed, and the markets for convertible securities denominated in local currencies are increasing.

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption, a Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party.

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Convertible securities generally are subordinated to other similar but non-convertible securities of the same issuer, although convertible bonds, as corporate debt obligations, generally enjoy seniority in right of payment to all equity securities, and convertible preferred stock is senior to common stock of the same issuer. Because of the subordination feature, however, some convertible securities typically are rated below investment grade or are not rated, depending on the general creditworthiness of the issuer.

Certain Funds may invest in convertible preferred stocks that offer enhanced yield features, such as Preferred Equity Redemption Cumulative Stocks (“PERCS”), which provide an investor, such as a Fund, with the opportunity to earn higher dividend income than is available on a company’s common stock. PERCS are preferred stocks that generally feature a mandatory conversion date, as well as a capital appreciation limit, which is usually expressed in terms of a stated price. Most PERCS expire three years from the date of issue, at which time they are convertible into common stock of the issuer. PERCS are generally not convertible into cash at maturity. Under a typical arrangement, after three years PERCS convert into one share of the issuer’s common stock if the issuer’s common stock is trading at a price below that set by the capital appreciation limit, and into less than one full share if the issuer’s common stock is trading at a price above that set by the capital appreciation limit. The amount of that fractional share of common stock is determined by dividing the price set by the capital appreciation limit by the market price of the issuer’s common stock. PERCS can be called at any time prior to maturity, and hence do not provide call protection. If called early, however, the issuer must pay a call premium over the market price to the investor. This call premium declines at a preset rate daily, up to the maturity date.

A Fund may also invest in other classes of enhanced convertible securities. These include but are not limited to Automatically Convertible Equity Securities (“ACES”), Participating Equity Preferred Stock (“PEPS”), Preferred Redeemable Increased Dividend Equity Securities (“PRIDES”), Stock Appreciation Income Linked Securities (“SAILS”), Term Convertible Notes (“TECONS”), Quarterly Income Cumulative Securities (“QICS”), and Dividend Enhanced Convertible Securities (“DECS”). ACES, PEPS, PRIDES, SAILS, TECONS, QICS, and DECS all have the following features: they are issued by the company, the common stock of which will be received in the event the convertible preferred stock is converted; unlike PERCS they do not have a capital appreciation limit; they seek to provide the investor with high current income with some prospect of future capital appreciation; they are typically issued with three or four-year maturities; they typically have some built-in call protection for the first two to three years; and, upon maturity, they will convert into either cash or a specified number of shares of common stock.

Similarly, there may be enhanced convertible debt obligations issued by the operating company, whose common stock is to be acquired in the event the security is converted, or by a different issuer, such as an investment bank. These securities may be identified by names such as Equity Linked Securities (“ELKS”) or similar names. Typically they share most of the salient characteristics of an enhanced convertible preferred stock but will be ranked as senior or subordinated debt in the issuer’s corporate structure according to the terms of the debt indenture. There may be additional types of convertible securities not specifically referred to herein, which may be similar to those described above in which a Fund may invest, consistent with its goals and policies.

An investment in an enhanced convertible security or any other security may involve additional risks to the Fund. A Fund may have difficulty disposing of such securities because there may be a thin trading market for a particular security at any given time. Reduced liquidity may have an adverse impact on market price and a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular securities, when necessary, to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as the deterioration in the creditworthiness of an issuer. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market for certain securities may also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio. A Fund, however, intends to acquire liquid securities, though there can be no assurances that it will always be able to do so.

Certain Funds may also invest in zero coupon convertible securities. Zero coupon convertible securities are debt securities which are issued at a discount to their face amount and do not entitle the holder to any periodic payments of interest prior to maturity. Rather, interest earned on zero coupon convertible securities accretes at a stated yield until the security reaches its face amount at maturity. Zero coupon convertible securities are convertible into a specific number of shares of the issuer’s common stock. In addition, zero coupon convertible securities usually have put features that provide the holder with the opportunity to sell the securities back to the issuer at a stated price before maturity. Generally, the prices of zero coupon convertible securities may be more sensitive to market interest rate fluctuations than conventional convertible securities. For more information about zero coupon securities generally, see “Zero Coupon Securities, Step-Coupon Securities, Pay-In-Kind Bonds (“PIK Bonds”) and Deferred Payment Securities” below.

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Current federal income tax law requires the holder of zero coupon securities to accrue income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of cash payments. Accordingly, to avoid liability for federal income and excise taxes, a Fund may be required to distribute income accrued with respect to these securities and may have to dispose of portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate cash to satisfy these distribution requirements.

Contingent Convertible Securities. A contingent convertible security (“CoCo”) is a hybrid debt security typically issued by a non-U.S. bank that, upon the occurrence of a specified trigger event, may be (i) convertible into equity securities of the issuer at a predetermined share price; or (ii) written down in liquidation value. Trigger events are identified in the document’s requirements. CoCos are designed to behave like bonds in times of economic health yet absorb losses when the trigger event occurs.

With respect to CoCos that provide for conversion of the CoCo into common shares of the issuer in the event of a trigger event, the conversion would deepen the subordination of the investor, subjecting the Fund to a greater risk of loss in the event of bankruptcy. In addition, because the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, investors in such instruments could experience reduced yields (or no yields at all). With respect to CoCos that provide for the write-down in liquidation value of the CoCo in the event of a trigger event, it is possible that the liquidation value of the CoCo may be adjusted downward to below the original par value or written off entirely under certain circumstances. For instance, if losses have eroded the issuer’s capital levels below a specified threshold, the liquidation value of the CoCo may be reduced in whole or in part. The write-down of the CoCo’s par value may occur automatically and would not entitle holders to institute bankruptcy proceedings against the issuer. In addition, an automatic write-down could result in a reduced income rate if the dividend or interest payment associated with the CoCo is based on par value. Coupon payments on CoCos may be discretionary and may be canceled by the issuer for any reason or may be subject to approval by the issuer’s regulator and may be suspended in the event there are insufficient distributable reserves.

CoCos are subject to the credit, interest rate, high yield securities, foreign securities and market risks associated with bonds and equity securities, and to the risks specified to convertible securities in general. They are also subject to other specific risks. CoCos typically are structurally subordinated to traditional convertible bonds in the issuer’s capital structure, which increases the risk that the Fund may experience a loss. In certain scenarios, investors in CoCos may suffer a loss of capital ahead of equity holders or when equity holders do not. CoCos are generally speculative and the prices of CoCos may be volatile. There is no guarantee that the Fund will receive return of principal on CoCos.

Publicly Traded Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies

Entities such as limited partnerships, limited liability companies, business trusts and companies organized outside the United States may issue securities comparable to common or preferred stock. Each of the Equity Funds may invest in interests in limited liability companies, as well as publicly traded limited partnerships (limited partnership interests or units), which represent equity interests in the assets and earnings of the company’s or partnership’s trade or business. Unlike common stock in a corporation, limited partnership interests have limited or no voting rights. However, many of the risks of investing in common stocks are still applicable to investments in limited partnership interests. In addition, limited partnership interests are subject to risks not present in common stock. For example, income derived from a limited partnership deemed not to be a “qualified publicly traded partnership” will be treated as “qualifying income” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Internal Revenue Code”) only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Funds. See, “Tax Status” below. Also, since publicly traded limited partnerships and limited liability companies are a less common form of organizational structure than corporations, their units may be less liquid than publicly traded common stock. Also, because of the difference in organizational structure, the fair value of limited liability company or limited partnership units in a Fund’s portfolio may be based either upon the current market price of such units, or if there is no current market price, upon the pro rata value of the underlying assets of the company or partnership. Limited partnership units also have the risk that the limited partnership might, under certain circumstances, be treated as a general partnership giving rise to broader liability exposure to the limited partners for activities of the partnership. Further, the general partners of a limited partnership may be able to significantly change the business or asset structure of a limited partnership without the limited partners having any ability to disapprove any such changes. In certain limited partnerships, limited partners may also be required to return distributions previously made in the event that excess distributions have been made by the partnership, or in the event that the general partners, or their affiliates, are entitled to indemnification.

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Put Bonds

Each of the Fixed-Income Funds, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in “put” bonds. “Put” bonds are securities (including securities with variable interest rates) that may be sold back to the issuer of the security at face value at the option of the holder prior to their stated maturity. A Fund’s investment adviser or subadviser intends to purchase only those put bonds for which the put option is an integral part of the security as originally issued. The option to “put” the bond back to the issuer prior to the stated final maturity can cushion the price decline of the bond in a rising interest rate environment. However, the premium paid, if any, for an option to put will have the effect of reducing the yield otherwise payable on the underlying security. For the purpose of determining the “maturity” of securities purchased subject to an option to put, and for the purpose of determining the dollar weighted average maturity of a Fund holding such securities, the Fund will consider “maturity” to be the first date on which it has the right to demand payment from the issuer.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

Although no Fund will invest in real estate directly, the Equity Funds may invest in securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and other real estate industry companies or companies with substantial real estate investments and, as a result, such Funds may be subject to certain risks associated with direct ownership of real estate and with the real estate industry in general. These risks include, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; extended vacancies of properties; risks related to general and local economic conditions; overbuilding; increases in competition, property taxes and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties for damages resulting from, environmental problems; casualty or condemnation losses; uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters; limitations on and variations in rents; and changes in interest rates.

REITs are pooled investment vehicles which invest primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate-related loans or interests. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the investment strategies of equity REITs and mortgage REITs. REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with several requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. The Funds pay the fees and expenses of the REITs, which, ultimately, are paid by a Fund’s shareholders.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. In connection with the purchase by a Fund of a repurchase agreement from member banks of the Federal Reserve System or certain non-bank dealers, the Fund’s custodian, or a subcustodian, will have custody of, and will earmark or segregate securities acquired by the Fund under such repurchase agreement. Repurchase agreements are contracts under which the buyer of a security simultaneously commits to resell the security to the seller at an agreed-upon price and date. Any portion of a repurchase agreement that is not collateralized fully is considered by the staff of the SEC to be a loan by the Fund. To the extent that a repurchase agreement is not collateralized fully, a Fund will include any collateral that the Fund receives in calculating the Fund’s total assets in determining whether a Fund has loaned more than one-third of its assets. Repurchase agreements may be entered into with respect to securities of the type in which the Fund may invest or government securities regardless of their remaining maturities, and will require that additional securities be deposited as collateral if the value of the securities purchased should decrease below resale price. Repurchase agreements involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency by the other party, including possible delays or restrictions upon a Fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities, the risk of a possible decline in the value of the underlying securities during the period in which a Fund seeks to assert its rights to them, the risk of incurring expenses associated with asserting those rights and the risk of losing all or part of the income from the repurchase agreement. A Fund’s investment adviser or subadviser reviews the creditworthiness of those banks and other recognized financial institutions with which a Fund enters into repurchase agreements to evaluate these risks.

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Restricted, Non-Publicly Traded and Illiquid Securities

The Funds, may not invest more than 15% (5% with respect to the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund) of its net assets, in the aggregate, in illiquid securities, including repurchase agreements which have a maturity of longer than seven days, time deposits maturing in more than seven days and securities that are illiquid because of the absence of a readily available market or legal or contractual restrictions on resale or other factors limiting the marketability of the security. Repurchase agreements subject to demand are deemed to have a maturity equal to the notice period.

Historically, illiquid securities have included securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), securities which are otherwise not readily marketable and repurchase agreements having a maturity of longer than seven days. In addition, for purposes of the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, a security is illiquid if it cannot be sold or disposed of within the ordinary course of business within seven calendar days at approximately the value ascribed to it by the Fund. Securities which have not been registered under the Securities Act are referred to as private placements or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Unless subsequently registered for sale, these securities can only be sold in privately negotiated transactions or pursuant to an exemption from registration. The Funds typically do not hold a significant amount of these restricted or other illiquid securities because of the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities, and a Fund might be unable to dispose of restricted or other illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemptions within seven days. A Fund might also have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.

A large institutional market exists for certain securities that are not registered under the Securities Act including repurchase agreements, commercial paper, foreign securities, municipal securities and corporate bonds and notes. Institutional investors depend on an efficient institutional market in which the unregistered security can be readily resold or on an issuer’s ability to honor a demand for repayment. The fact that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of the liquidity of such investments.

The SEC has adopted Rule 144A which allows for a broader institutional trading market for securities otherwise subject to restriction on resale to the general public. Rule 144A establishes a “safe harbor” from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers.

Any such restricted securities will be considered to be illiquid for purposes of a Fund’s limitations on investments in illiquid securities unless, pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees”), the a Fund’s investment adviser or subadviser has determined such securities to be liquid because such securities are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A and are readily saleable, or if such securities may be readily saleable in foreign markets. To the extent that qualified institutional buyers may become uninterested in purchasing Rule 144A securities, a Fund’s level of illiquidity may increase.

A Fund may sell OTC options and, in connection therewith, earmark or segregate assets to cover its obligations with respect to OTC options written by the Fund. The assets used as cover for OTC options written by a Fund will be considered illiquid unless the OTC options are sold to qualified dealers who agree that the Fund may repurchase any OTC option it writes at a maximum price to be calculated by a formula set forth in the option agreement. The cover for an OTC option written subject to this procedure would be considered illiquid only to the extent that the maximum repurchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option.

A Fund’s investment adviser or subadviser will monitor the liquidity of restricted securities in the portion of a Fund it manages. In reaching liquidity decisions, the following factors are considered: (1) the unregistered nature of the security; (2) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; (3) the number of dealers wishing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers; (4) dealer undertakings to make a market in the security and (5) the nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of the transfer).

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Private Placement Commercial Paper . Commercial paper eligible for resale under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act (“Section 4(2) paper”) is offered only to accredited investors. Rule 506 of Regulation D in the Securities Act lists investment companies as an accredited investor.

Section 4(2) paper not eligible for resale under Rule 144A under the Securities Act shall be deemed liquid if (1) the Section 4(2) paper is not traded flat or in default as to principal and interest; (2) the Section 4(2) paper is rated in one of the two highest rating categories by at least two NRSROs, or if only one NRSRO rates the security, it is rated in one of the two highest categories by that NRSRO; and (3) the Fund’s investment adviser or subadviser believes that, based on the trading markets for such security, such security can be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the security.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Mortgage Dollar Rolls

Each Fund may engage in reverse repurchase agreements to facilitate portfolio liquidity, a practice common in the mutual fund industry, or for arbitrage transactions discussed below. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund would sell a security and enter into an agreement to repurchase the security at a specified future date and price. A Fund generally retains the right to interest and principal payments on the security. Since a Fund receives cash upon entering into a reverse repurchase agreement, it may be considered a borrowing under the 1940 Act (see “Borrowing”). When required by guidelines of the SEC, a Fund will segregate or earmark permissible liquid assets to secure its obligations to repurchase the security. At the time a Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will establish and maintain segregated or earmarked liquid assets with an approved custodian having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). The segregated or earmarked liquid assets will be marked-to-market daily and additional assets will be segregated or earmarked on any day in which the assets fall below the repurchase price (plus accrued interest). A Fund’s liquidity and ability to manage its assets might be affected when it sets aside cash or portfolio securities to cover such commitments. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained in lieu of sale may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold but is obligated to repurchase. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such determination.

The Fixed-Income Funds also may invest in mortgage dollar rolls, which are arrangements in which a Fund would sell mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contract to purchase substantially similar securities on a specified future date. While a Fund would forego principal and interest paid on the mortgage-backed securities during the roll period, the Fund would be compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower price for the future purchase as well as by any interest earned on the proceeds of the initial sale. A Fund also could be compensated through the receipt of fee income equivalent to a lower forward price. At the time the Fund would enter into a mortgage dollar roll, it would earmark or set aside permissible liquid assets in a segregated account to secure its obligation for the forward commitment to buy mortgage-backed securities. Depending on whether the segregated or earmarked assets are cash equivalent or some other type of security, entering into mortgage dollar rolls may subject the Fund to additional interest rate sensitivity. If the segregated or earmarked assets are cash equivalents that mature prior to the mortgage dollar roll settlement, there is little likelihood that the sensitivity will increase; however, if the segregated or earmarked assets are subject to interest rate risk because they settle later, then the Fund’s interest rate sensitivity could increase. Mortgage dollar roll transactions may be considered a borrowing by the Funds (See “Borrowing”).

Mortgage dollar rolls and reverse repurchase agreements may be used as arbitrage transactions in which a Fund will maintain an offsetting position in investment grade debt obligations or repurchase agreements that mature on or before the settlement date on the related mortgage dollar roll or reverse repurchase agreements. Since a Fund will receive interest on the securities or repurchase agreements in which it invests the transaction proceeds, such transactions may involve leverage. However, since such securities or repurchase agreements will be high quality and will mature on or before the settlement date of the mortgage dollar roll or reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund’s subadviser believes that such arbitrage transactions do not present the risks to the Fund that are associated with other types of leverage.

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Securities of Investment Companies

As permitted by the 1940 Act, a Fund may generally invest up to 10% of its total assets, calculated at the time of investment, in the securities of other open-end or closed-end investment companies. No more than 5% of a Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one investment company nor may it acquire more than 3% of the voting securities of any other investment company. Notwithstanding these restrictions, each Fund may invest any amount, pursuant to Rule 12d1-1 of the 1940 Act, in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies that hold themselves out as “money market funds” and which operate in accordance with Rule 2a-7 of the 1940 Act. A Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees paid by an investment company in which it invests in addition to the advisory fee paid by the Fund. Some of the countries in which a Fund may invest may not permit direct investment by outside investors. Investments in such countries may only be permitted through foreign government-approved or government-authorized investment vehicles, which may include other investment companies.

Exchange-Traded Funds . The Funds (except for the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund) may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). ETFs are regulated as registered investment companies under the 1940 Act. Many ETFs acquire and hold securities of all of the companies or other issuers, or a representative sampling of companies or other issuers that are components of a particular index. Such ETFs typically are intended to provide investment results that, before expenses, generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the corresponding market index, and the value of their shares should, under normal circumstances, closely track the value of the index’s underlying component securities. Because an ETF has operating expenses and transaction costs, while a market index does not, ETFs that track particular indices typically will be unable to match the performance of the index exactly. ETF shares may be purchased and sold in the secondary trading market on a securities exchange, in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. More recently, actively managed ETFs have been created that are managed similarly to other investment companies.

The shares of an ETF may be assembled in a block known as a creation unit and redeemed in kind for a portfolio of the underlying securities (based on the ETF’s net asset value) together with a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends as of the date of redemption. Conversely, a creation unit may be purchased from the ETF by depositing a specified portfolio of the ETF’s underlying securities, as well as a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends of the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit. ETF shares, as opposed to creation units, are generally purchased and sold by smaller investors in a secondary market on a securities exchange. ETF shares can be traded in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. Although the Fund, like most other investors in ETFs, intends to purchase and sell ETF shares primarily in the secondary trading market, the Fund may redeem creation units for the underlying securities (and any applicable cash), and may assemble a portfolio of the underlying securities and use it (and any required cash) to purchase creation units, if the investment manager believes it is in the Fund’s best interest to do so.

An investment in an ETF is subject to all of the risks of investing in the securities held by the ETF and has the same risks as investing in a closed-end fund. In addition, because of the ability of large market participants to arbitrage price differences by purchasing or redeeming creation units, the difference between the market value and the net asset value of ETF shares should in most cases be small. An ETF may be terminated and need to liquidate its portfolio securities at a time when the prices for those securities are falling.

Short Selling of Securities

The Index Funds may engage in short selling of securities consistent with their respective strategies. In a short sale of securities, a Fund sells stock which it does not own, making delivery with securities “borrowed” from a broker. The Fund is then obligated to replace the borrowed security by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. This price may or may not be 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 any dividends or interest which accrue during the period of the loan. In order to borrow the security, the Fund also may have to pay a premium and/or interest 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. In addition, the broker may require the deposit of collateral (generally, up to 50% of the value of the securities sold short).

A Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. A Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those two dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased and the amount of any loss will be increased by any

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premium or interest the Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale. When a cash dividend is declared on a security for which a Fund has a short position, the Fund incurs the obligation to pay an amount equal to that dividend to the lender of the shorted security. However, any such dividend on a security sold short generally reduces the market value of the shorted security, thus increasing the Fund’s unrealized gain or reducing the Fund’s unrealized loss on its short-sale transaction. Whether a Fund will be successful in utilizing a short sale will depend, in part, on its investment adviser’s or subadviser’s ability to correctly predict whether the price of a security it borrows to sell short will decrease.

In a short sale, the seller does not immediately deliver the securities sold and is said to have a short position in those securities until delivery occurs. A Fund must segregate or earmark an amount of cash or other liquid assets equal to the difference between (a) the market value of securities sold short at the time that they were sold short and (b) the value of the collateral deposited with the broker to meet margin requirements in connection with the short sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale). While the short position is open, the Fund must maintain on a daily basis segregated or earmarked liquid assets at such a level that the amount segregated or earmarked plus the amount of collateral deposited with the broker as margin equals the current market value of the securities sold short.

A Fund also may engage in short sales if at the time of the short sale the Fund owns or has the right to obtain without additional cost an equal amount of the security being sold short. This investment technique is known as a short sale “against the box.” The Funds do not intend to engage in short sales against the box for investment purposes. A Fund may, however, make a short sale as a hedge, when it believes that the price of a security may decline, causing a decline in the value of a security owned by the Fund (or a security convertible or exchangeable for such security), or when the Fund wants to sell the security at an attractive current price. In such case, any future losses in the Fund’s long position should be offset by a gain in the short position and, conversely, any gain in the long position should be reduced by a loss in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses are reduced will depend upon the amount of the security sold short relative to the amount the Fund owns. There will be certain additional transaction costs associated with short sales against the box. For tax purposes a Fund that enters into a short sale “against the box” may be treated as having made a constructive sale of an “appreciated financial position” causing the Fund to realize a gain (but not a loss).

Short-Term Instruments

Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments. Short-term instruments may include the following types of instruments:

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Bank Obligations . Bank obligations include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and fixed time deposits. A certificate of deposit is a short-term negotiable certificate issued by a commercial bank against funds deposited in the bank and is either interest-bearing or purchased on a discount basis. A bankers’ acceptance is a short-term draft drawn on a commercial bank by a borrower, usually in connection with an international commercial transaction. The borrower is liable for payment as is the bank, which unconditionally guarantees to pay the draft at its face amount on the maturity date. Fixed time deposits are obligations of branches of U.S. banks or foreign banks which are payable at a stated maturity date and bear a fixed rate of interest. Although fixed time deposits do not have a market, there are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in the deposit to a third party.

Bank obligations may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be limited to the issuing branch by the terms of the specific obligations or by government regulation. Bank obligations may be issued by domestic banks (including their branches located outside the United States), domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks and savings and loan associations.

Eurodollar and Yankee Obligations . Eurodollar bank obligations are dollar-denominated certificates of deposit and time deposits issued outside the U.S. capital markets by foreign branches of U.S. banks and by foreign banks. Yankee bank obligations are dollar-denominated obligations issued in the U.S. capital markets by foreign banks.

Eurodollar and Yankee bank obligations are subject to the same risks that pertain to domestic issues, notably credit risk, market risk and liquidity risk. Additionally, Eurodollar (and to a limited extent, Yankee) bank obligations are subject to certain sovereign risks and other risks associated with foreign investments. One such risk is the possibility that a sovereign country might prevent capital, in the form of dollars, from flowing across their borders. Other risks include: adverse political and economic developments; the extent and quality of government regulation of financial markets and institutions; the imposition of foreign withholding taxes, and the expropriation or nationalization of foreign issues. However, Eurodollar and Yankee bank obligations held in a Fund will undergo the same credit analysis as domestic issuers in which the Fund invests, and will have at least the same financial strength as the domestic issuers approved for the Fund.

Small- and Medium-Cap Companies and Emerging Growth Stocks

The Equity Funds may invest in small- and medium-cap companies and emerging growth stocks. Investing in securities of small-sized companies, including micro-capitalization companies and emerging growth companies, may involve greater risks than investing in the stocks of larger, more established companies, including possible risk of loss. Also, because these securities may have limited marketability, their prices may be more volatile than securities of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. Because small-sized, mid-cap and emerging growth companies normally have fewer shares outstanding than larger companies, it may be more difficult for a Fund to buy or sell significant numbers of such shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Small-sized and emerging growth companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources and may lack management depth. In addition, small-sized, mid-cap and emerging growth companies are typically subject to wider variations in earnings and business prospects than are larger, more established companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning small-sized, mid-cap and emerging growth companies than for larger, more established ones.

Special Situation Companies

The Equity Funds may invest in “special situation companies,” which include those involved in an actual or prospective acquisition or consolidation; reorganization; recapitalization; merger, liquidation or distribution of cash, securities or other assets; a tender or exchange offer; a breakup or workout of a holding company; or litigation which, if resolved favorably, would improve the value of the company’s stock. If the actual or prospective situation does not materialize as anticipated, the market price of the securities of a “special situation company” may decline significantly. Therefore, an investment in a Fund that invests a significant portion of its assets in these securities may involve a greater degree of risk than an investment in other mutual funds that seek long-term growth of capital by investing in better-known, larger companies. The investment adviser or subadviser of such a Fund believes, however, that if it analyzes “special situation companies” carefully and invests in the securities of these companies at the appropriate time, the Fund may achieve capital growth. There can be no assurance however, that a special situation that exists at the time a Fund makes its investment will be consummated under the terms and within the time period contemplated, if it is consummated at all.

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Standby Commitment Agreements

Except for the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, each Fixed-Income Fund may enter into standby commitment agreements. Standby commitment agreements commit a Fund, for a stated period of time, to purchase a stated amount of fixed-income securities that may be issued and sold to the Fund at the option of the issuer. The price and coupon of the security is fixed at the time of the commitment. At the time of entering into the agreement the Fund is paid a commitment fee, regardless of whether or not the security is ultimately issued. Funds enter into such agreements for the purpose of investing in the security underlying the commitment at a yield and price that is considered advantageous to the Fund. The Fund segregates or earmarks liquid assets in the aggregate amount equal to the purchase price of the securities underlying the commitment.

There can be no assurance that the securities subject to a standby commitment will be issued and the value of the security, if issued, on the delivery date may be more or less than its purchase price. Since the issuance of the security underlying the commitment is at the option of the issuer, a Fund may bear the risk of a decline in the value of such security and may not benefit from appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period if the security is not ultimately issued.

The purchase of a security subject to a standby commitment agreement and the related commitment fee will be recorded on the date on which the security can reasonably be expected to be issued, and the value of the security will thereafter be reflected in the calculation of a Fund’s net asset value. The cost basis of the security will be adjusted by the amount of the commitment fee. In the event the security is not issued, the commitment fee will be recorded as income on the expiration date of the standby commitment.

Strip Bonds

The Fixed-Income Funds, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in strip bonds. Strip bonds are debt securities that are stripped of their interest (usually by a financial intermediary) after the securities are issued. The market value of these securities generally fluctuates more in response to changes in interest rates than interest paying securities of comparable maturity.

Supranational Entities

The Fixed-Income Funds may invest in debt securities of supranational entities. Examples of such entities include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), the European Steel and Coal Community, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. The government members, or “stockholders,” usually make initial capital contributions to the supranational entity and in many cases are committed to make additional capital contributions if the supranational entity is unable to repay its borrowings. There is no guarantee that one or more stockholders of a supranational entity will continue to make any necessary additional capital contributions. If such contributions are not made, the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities, and the Fund may lose money on such investments.

Temporary Investments

Generally each of the Funds will be fully invested in accordance with its investment objective and strategies. However, pending investment of cash balances, in anticipation of redemptions or for other cash management purposes, or if a Fund’s subadviser believes that business, economic, political or financial conditions warrant, a Fund may invest without limit in cash or money market cash equivalents, including short-term instruments, as described herein and, subject to the limits of the 1940 Act, shares of other investment companies that invest in securities in which the Fund may invest. Should this occur, a Fund will not be pursuing its investment objective and may miss potential market upswings. Each Index Fund uses an indexing strategy and does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor securities performance, although each Fund may use temporary investments pending investment of cash balances or to manage anticipated redemption activity. See also “Short-Term Instruments.”

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U.S. Government Securities and U.S. Government Agency Securities

Each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in a variety of securities which are issued or guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by the U.S. government (including U.S. Treasury securities), and by various agencies or instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. government. Each of the Equity Funds may invest in U.S. Treasury securities.

U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, investors in such securities look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. Agencies which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include the Export-Import Bank, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Financing Bank, and others. Certain agencies and instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), are, in effect, backed by the full faith and credit of the United States through provisions in their charters that they may make “indefinite and unlimited” drawings on the U.S. Treasury if needed to service its debt. Debt from certain other agencies and instrumentalities, including the Federal Home Loan Banks and Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), are not guaranteed by the United States, but those institutions are protected by the discretionary authority for the U.S. Treasury to purchase certain amounts of their securities to assist the institutions in meeting their debt obligations. Finally, other agencies and instrumentalities, such as the Farm Credit System and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), are federally chartered institutions under U.S. government supervision, but their debt securities are backed only by the creditworthiness of those institutions, not the U.S. government.

Some of the U.S. government agencies that issue or guarantee securities include the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Maritime Administration, Small Business Administration, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

An instrumentality of a U.S. government agency is a government agency organized under Federal charter with government supervision. Instrumentalities issuing or guaranteeing securities include, among others, Federal Home Loan Banks, the Federal Land Banks, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks and the FNMA.

The maturities of such securities usually range from three months to 30 years. While such securities may be guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government or its instrumentalities, their market values may fluctuate and are not guaranteed, which may, along with the other securities in a Fund’s portfolio, cause the Fund’s daily net asset value to fluctuate.

The Federal Reserve creates STRIPS (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities) by separating the coupon payments and the principal payment from an outstanding Treasury security and selling them as individual securities. To the extent a Fund purchases the principal portion of STRIPS, the Fund will not receive regular interest payments. Instead STRIPS are sold at a deep discount from their face value. Because the principal portion of the STRIPS does not pay current income, its price can be volatile when interest rates change.In calculating its dividend, a Fund takes into account as income a portion of the difference between the principal portion of the STRIPS’ purchase price and its face value.

In September 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Administration (“FHFA”) placed FNMA and FHLMC into a conservatorship under FHFA. As conservator, the FHFA assumed all the powers of the shareholders, directors and officers with the goal of preserving and conserving the assets and property of FNMA and FHLMC. However, FNMA and FHLMC continue to operate legally as business corporations and FHFA has delegated to the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors the responsibility for much of the day-to-day operations of the companies. FNMA and FHLMC must follow the laws and regulations governing financial disclosure, including SEC requirements. The long-term effect that this conservatorship will have on these companies’ debt and equity securities is unclear.

Inflation-Protected Bonds . Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”) are fixed-income securities issued by the U.S. Treasury whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. The U.S. Treasury uses a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Inflation-indexed securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of five, ten or thirty years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. TIPS bonds typically pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted amount.

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If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. The Funds may also invest in other inflation-related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation- indexed bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds.

Investors in an inflation-indexed mutual fund who do not reinvest the portion of the income distribution that is attributable to inflation adjustments will not maintain the purchasing power of the investment over the long term. This is because interest earned depends on the amount of principal invested, and that principal will not grow with inflation if the investor fails to reinvest the principal adjustment paid out as part of a Fund’s income distributions.

While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.

The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-indexed bonds is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), which is calculated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy.Inflation-indexed securities issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. There can be no assurance that the CPI-U or any foreign inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a foreign country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States.

Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Warrants and Rights

Each of the Equity Funds may invest in or hold warrants and rights. Warrants are securities giving the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy the stock of an issuer at a given price (generally higher than the value of the stock at the time of issuance), on a specified date, during a specified period, or perpetually. Rights are similar to warrants, but normally have a shorter duration. Warrants and rights may be acquired separately or in connection with the acquisition of securities. Warrants and rights do not carry with them the right to dividends or voting rights with respect to the securities that they entitle their holder to purchase, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. As a result, warrants and rights may be considered more speculative than certain other types of investments. In addition, the value of a warrant or right does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and a warrant or right ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date.

When-Issued Securities and Delayed-Delivery Transactions

Each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in when-issued securities and engage in delayed-delivery transactions.When securities are purchased on a “when-issued” basis or purchased for delayed delivery, then payment and delivery occur beyond the normal settlement date at a stated price and yield. When-issued transactions normally settle within 45 days. The payment obligation and the interest rate that will be received on when-issued securities are fixed at the time the buyer enters into the commitment. Due to fluctuations in the value of securities purchased or sold on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis, the yields obtained on such securities may be higher or lower than the yields available in the market on the dates when the investments are actually delivered to the buyers. The greater a Fund’s outstanding commitments for these securities, the

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greater the exposure to potential fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund. Purchasing when-issued or delayed-delivery securities may involve the additional risk that the yield or market price available in the market when the delivery occurs may be higher or the market price lower than that obtained at the time of commitment.

When a Fund agrees to purchase when-issued or delayed-delivery securities, to the extent required by the SEC, its custodian will earmark or set aside permissible liquid assets equal to the amount of the commitment in a segregated account. Normally, the custodian will earmark or set aside portfolio securities sufficient to satisfy a purchase commitment, and in such a case the Fund may be required subsequently to earmark or place additional assets in the segregated assets in order to ensure that the value of the segregated account remains equal to the amount of such Fund’s commitment. It may be expected that a Fund’s net assets will fluctuate to a greater degree when it earmarks or sets aside portfolio securities to cover such purchase commitments than when it sets aside cash. In addition, because the Fund will earmark or set aside cash or liquid portfolio securities to satisfy its purchase commitments in the manner described above, such Fund’s liquidity and the ability of its investment adviser or subadviser to manage it might be affected in the event its commitments to purchase “when-issued” securities ever exceed 25% of the value of its total assets. When a Fund engages in when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade. Failure of the seller to do so may result in the Fund incurring a loss or missing an opportunity to obtain a price considered to be advantageous.

Zero Coupon Securities, Step-Coupon Securities, Pay-In-Kind Bonds (“PIK Bonds”) and Deferred Payment Securities

Each of the Fixed-Income Funds may invest in zero coupon securities and step-coupon securities. In addition, each of the Fixed-Income Funds, except the Nationwide Government Money Market Fund, may invest in PIK Bonds and deferred payment securities. Zero coupon securities are debt securities that pay no cash income but are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. Step-coupon securities are debt securities that do not make regular cash interest payments and are sold at a deep discount to their face value. When a zero coupon security is held to maturity, its entire return, which consists of the amortization of discount, comes from the difference between its purchase price and its maturity value. This difference is known at the time of purchase, so that investors holding zero coupon securities until maturity know at the time of their investment what the expected return on their investment will be. Zero coupon securities may have conversion features. PIK bonds pay all or a portion of their interest in the form of debt or equity securities. Deferred payment securities are securities that remain zero coupon securities until a predetermined date, at which time the stated coupon rate becomes effective and interest becomes payable at regular intervals. Deferred payment securities are often sold at substantial discounts from their maturity value.

Zero coupon securities, PIK bonds and deferred payment securities tend to be subject to greater price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates than are ordinary interest-paying debt securities with similar maturities. The value of zero coupon securities appreciates more during periods of declining interest rates and depreciates more during periods of rising interest rates than ordinary interest-paying debt securities with similar maturities. Zero coupon securities, PIK bonds and deferred payment securities may be issued by a wide variety of corporate and governmental issuers. Although these instruments are generally not traded on a national securities exchange, they are widely traded by brokers and dealers and, to such extent, will not be considered illiquid for the purposes of a Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities.

Current federal income tax law requires the holder of zero coupon securities, certain PIK bonds and deferred payment securities acquired at a discount (such as Brady Bonds) to accrue income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of cash payments. Accordingly, to avoid liability for federal income and excise taxes, a Fund may be required to distribute income accrued with respect to these securities and may have to dispose of portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate cash to satisfy these distribution requirements.

THE INDEX FUNDS

Nationwide Bond Index Fund . The investment objective of the Nationwide Bond Index Fund is to match the performance of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the “Aggregate Index”) as closely as possible before the deduction of Fund expenses. The Aggregate Index is composed primarily of U.S. dollar denominated investment grade bonds of different types, including U.S. government securities; U.S. government agency securities; corporate bonds issued by U.S. and foreign companies; mortgage-backed securities; securities of foreign governments and their agencies; and securities of supranational entities, such as the World Bank. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

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Nationwide International Index Fund . The investment objective of the Nationwide International Index Fund is to match the performance of the MSCI EAFE ^® Index (the “EAFE Index”) as closely as possible before the deduction of Fund expenses. The EAFE Index is a market-weighted index composed of common stocks of companies from various industrial sectors whose primary trading markets are located outside the United States. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

Nationwide Mid Cap Market Index Fund . The investment objective of the Nationwide Mid Cap Market Index Fund is to match the performance of the Standard & Poor’s Mid Cap 400 ^® Index (the “S&P 400 Index”) as closely as possible before the deduction of Fund expenses. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

Nationwide S&P 500 Index Fund . The investment objective of the Nationwide S&P 500 Index Fund is to seek to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of publicly traded common stocks as represented by the Standard & Poor’s 500 ^® Index (the “S&P 500 Index”). There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

Nationwide Small Cap Index Fund . The investment objective of the Nationwide Small Cap Index Fund is to match the performance of the Russell 2000 ^® Index (the “Russell 2000”) as closely as possible before the deduction of Fund expenses. The Russell 2000 is a market-weighted index composed of approximately 2000 common stocks of smaller U.S. companies in a wide range of businesses chosen by Russell Investments based on a number of factors, including industry representation, market value, economic sector and operating/financial condition. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

Nationwide Ziegler NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index Fund . The investment objective of the Nationwide Ziegler NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index Fund is to track the total return of the NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index before deducting for Fund expenses. The NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index, which consists of at least 100 individual technology-related securities, is a price-weighted index of stocks of companies from different industries that produce or deploy innovative technologies to conduct their business.There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

About Indexing . The Index Funds are not managed according to traditional methods of “active” investment management, which involve the buying and selling of securities based upon economic, financial, and market analyses and investment judgment. Instead, each Index Fund, utilizing essentially a “passive” or “indexing” investment approach, seeks to replicate, before each Fund’s expenses (which can be expected to reduce the total return of the Fund), the total return of its respective index.

Indexing and Managing the Funds . Each Index Fund will be substantially invested in securities in the applicable index, and will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities or other financial instruments which are contained in or correlated with securities in the applicable index.

Because each Index Fund seeks to replicate the total return of its respective index, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BlackRock”), subadviser to Nationwide Bond Index Fund, Nationwide International Index Fund, Nationwide Mid Cap Market Index Fund, Nationwide S&P 500 Index Fund and Nationwide Small Cap Index Fund, and Ziegler Capital Management, LLC (“Ziegler”), subadviser to the Nationwide Ziegler NYSE Arca Tech 100 Index Fund, generally will not attempt to judge the merits of any particular security as an investment but will seek only to replicate the total return of the securities in the relevant index. However, BlackRock and Ziegler may omit or remove a security which is included in an index from the portfolio of an Index Fund if, following objective criteria, BlackRock or Ziegler judges the security to be insufficiently liquid, believes the merit of the investment has been substantially impaired by extraordinary events or financial conditions, or determines that the security is no longer useful in attempting to replicate the total return of the index.

BlackRock and Ziegler may acquire certain financial instruments based upon individual securities or based upon or consisting of one or more baskets of securities (which basket may be based upon a target index). Certain of these instruments may represent an indirect ownership interest in such securities or baskets. Others may provide for the payment to an Index Fund or by an Index Fund of amounts based upon the performance (positive, negative or both) of a particular security or basket. BlackRock and Ziegler will select such instruments when it believes that the use of the instrument will correlate substantially with the expected total return of a target security or index. In connection with the use of such instruments, BlackRock and Ziegler may enter into short sales in an effort to adjust the weightings of particular securities represented in the basket to more accurately reflect such securities weightings in the target index.

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The ability of each Index Fund to satisfy its investment objective depends to some extent on both BlackRock’s and Ziegler’s ability to manage cash flow (primarily from purchases and redemptions and distributions from the Fund’s investments). BlackRock and Ziegler will make investment changes to an Index Fund’s portfolio to accommodate cash flow while continuing to seek to replicate the total return of the target index. Investors should also be aware that the investment performance of each index is a hypothetical number which does not take into account brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, custody and other costs of investing, and any incremental operating costs (e.g., transfer agency, accounting) that will be borne by the Index Funds.

Each Index Fund’s ability to replicate the total return of its respective index may be affected by, among other things, transaction costs, administration and other expenses incurred by the Index Fund, taxes (including foreign withholding taxes, which will affect the Nationwide International Index Fund and the Nationwide Bond Index Fund due to foreign tax withholding practices), and changes in either the composition of the index or the assets of an Index Fund. In addition, each Index Fund’s total return will be affected by incremental operating costs (e.g., investment advisory, transfer agency, accounting) that will be borne by the Fund.