FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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Pre-Effective
Amendment No.
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Post-Effective Amendment No. 102
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and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
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THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
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Amendment No. 103
(Check appropriate box or boxes)
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Jeremy L. DeGroot
1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500
Walnut Creek, California 94596
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
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Copies of Communications to:
David A. Hearth, Esq.
Paul Hastings LLP
101 California Street, 48th Floor
San Francisco, California 94111
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immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
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on November 9, 2020 pursuant to paragraph (b)
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60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
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on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.
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this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
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For More Information
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Back Cover |
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Institutional
Class |
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None |
Institutional
Class |
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Management Fees
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0.70% | |||
Distribution and or Service
(12b-1)
Fees
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None | |||
Other Expenses
(1)
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0.44% | |||
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
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1.14% | |||
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement
(2),(3)
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-0.20% | |||
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement
(2),(3)
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0.94% | |||
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(1) |
“Other Expenses” have been estimated for the current fiscal year. Actual expenses may be different.
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(2) |
Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC (“Litman Gregory”), the advisor to the Fund, has contractually agreed to limit the Fund’s operating expenses (excluding any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, borrowing costs, dividend expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) through April 30, 2022 to an annual rate of 0.94% for the Institutional Class (the “Operating Expense Limitation”). This agreement may be renewed for additional periods not exceeding one (1) year and may be terminated by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”) upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to Litman Gregory. Litman Gregory may also decline to renew this agreement by written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the renewal date. Any fee waiver or expense reimbursement made by Litman Gregory pursuant to this agreement is subject to the repayment by the Fund only within three (3) years of the date such amounts were waived or reimbursed, provided that the repayment does not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limitation applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement or (ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of repayment, and the repayment is approved by the Board.
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(3) |
Litman Gregory has contractually agreed through April 30, 2022, to waive a portion of its advisory fees so that after paying all of the
sub-advisory
fees, the net advisory fee as a percentage of the Fund’s daily net assets retained by Litman Gregory is 0.35%. This agreement may be terminated at any time by the Board of the Trust upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to Litman Gregory, and Litman Gregory may decline to renew this agreement at its expiration on April 30, 2022 by written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the agreement’s annual expiration date. While Litman Gregory has waived its right to receive reimbursement of the portion of its advisory fees waived pursuant to this agreement, Litman Gregory may be reimbursed for
non-advisory
related expenses.
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One Year
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Three Years
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Institutional Class
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$ | 96 | $ | 329 |
• | leverage the efforts of an experienced, high quality manager; |
• | access the highest-conviction ideas of the manager at any point in time; and |
2
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Litman Gregory Funds Trust
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• | deliver a portfolio that is prudently diversified in terms of stocks (typically 25 to 30) and industries and countries while still allowing the manager to focus on only its favorite stocks. |
• |
Foreign Investment Risk.
(non-U.S.)
securities may cause the Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to factors such as currency conversion rate fluctuations, and the political and economic climates and differences in financial reporting, accounting and auditing standards in the foreign countries where the Fund invests or has exposure.
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Country/Regional Risk.
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Risks Associated with Europe.
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have also been affected by the decision by the UK to withdraw from the EU (an event commonly known as “Brexit”). There is uncertainty surrounding the impact of Brexit on the UK, the EU and the broader global economy. An exit by any member countries from the EU or the Economic and Monetary Union of the EU, or even the prospect of such an exit, could lead to increased volatility in European markets and negatively affect investments both in issuers in the exiting country and throughout Europe.
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Value Stock Risk.
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Emerging Markets Risk.
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Currency Risk.
(non-U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign
(non-U.S.)
currencies.
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Market Risk and Recent Market Volatility Associated with
COVID-19.
COVID-19,
which was first detected in China in December 2019 and has spread internationally. This coronavirus has resulted in international border closings, enhanced health screenings, expanded healthcare services and expenses, quarantines and other restrictions on business and personal activities, cancellations, disruptions to supply chains and consumer activity, as well as general public concern and uncertainty. The impact of this outbreak has negatively affected the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial health of individual companies and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. The future impact of
COVID-19
is currently unknown and it may exacerbate other risks that apply to the Fund, including political, social and economic risks. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund’s performance, the performance of the securities in which the Fund invests and may lead to losses on your investment in the Fund.
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Equity Securities Risk.
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Fund Summary
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3
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outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment; increases in production costs; and significant management decisions. This risk is greater for small- and
medium-sized
companies, which tend to be more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger companies.
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Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption Risk.
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Mid-Sized
Companies Risk.
mid-sized
companies. Securities of these companies are generally more volatile and less liquid than the securities of
large-cap
companies. This is because
mid-cap
companies may be more reliant on a few products, services or key personnel than
large-cap
companies, which can make it
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riskier than investing in larger companies with more diverse product lines and structured management.
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Sector Weightings Risk.
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Investment Selection Risk.
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INVESTMENT ADVISOR
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PORTFOLIO MANAGER
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MANAGED THE
FUND SINCE:
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Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC
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Rajat Jain, CFA, Principal, Senior Research Analyst and
Co-Portfolio
Manager
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2020 | |||||
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Jeremy DeGroot, CFA, President of the Trust, Principal, Chief Investment Officer and
Co-Portfolio
Manager
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2020 | |||||
SUB-ADVISOR
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PORTFOLIO MANAGER
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MANAGED THE
FUND SINCE:
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Oldfield Partners LLP
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Nigel Waller, Chief Investment Officer,
Co-Portfolio
Manager
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2020 | |||||
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Andrew Goodwin, Partner,
Co-Portfolio
Manager
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2020 |
4
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Litman Gregory Funds Trust
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Fund/Type of Account
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Minimum
Initial
Investment
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Minimum
Additional
Investment
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Minimum
Account
Balance |
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PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund
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Regular
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- Institutional Class
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$
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10,000
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$
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250
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$
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2,500
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Retirement Account
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- Institutional Class
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$
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1,000
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$
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100
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$
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250
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Automatic Investment Account
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- Institutional Class
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$
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2,500
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$
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250
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$
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2,500
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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding the Fund
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Country/Regional Risk
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World events – such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters – may adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in foreign countries or regions. Because the Fund may invest a large portion of its assets in securities of companies located in any one country or region, including emerging markets, the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of its investments in that area. This risk is heightened in emerging markets – see “Emerging Markets Risk” below. | |
Currency Risk
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The Fund may invest in foreign currencies for hedging purposes. Investing in foreign currencies exposes the fund to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Fluctuations in the exchange rates between different currencies may negatively affect an investment. | |
Cybersecurity Risk
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Information and technology systems relied upon by the Fund, Litman Gregory, the
sub-advisor,
the Fund’s service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents, administrators, distributors and other financial intermediaries) and/or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from computer viruses, network failures, computer and telecommunication failures, infiltration by unauthorized persons, security breaches, usage errors, power outages and catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. Although Litman Gregory has implemented measures to manage risks relating to these types of events, if these systems are compromised, become inoperable for extended periods of time or cease to function properly, significant investment may be required to fix or replace them. The failure of these systems and/or of disaster recovery plans could cause significant interruptions in the operations of the Fund, Litman Gregory, the
sub-advisor,
the Fund’s service providers and/or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests and may result in a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data, including personal information relating to investors (and the beneficial owners of investors). Such a failure could also harm the reputation of the Fund, Litman Gregory, the
sub-advisor,
the Fund’s service providers and/or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, subject such entities and their respective affiliates to legal claims or otherwise affect their business and financial performance.
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Emerging Markets Risk
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Emerging market countries are those with immature economic and political structures, and investing in emerging markets entails greater risk than in developed markets. Emerging markets may be under-capitalized, have less developed legal and financial systems or have less stable currencies than markets in the developed world. Emerging market securities are securities that are issued by companies with their principal place of business or principal office in an emerging market country; or securities issued by companies for which the principal securities trading market is an emerging market country. Emerging market securities typically present even greater exposure to the risks described under “Foreign Investment Risk” and may be particularly sensitive to certain economic changes. For example, emerging market countries are more often dependent on international trade and are therefore often vulnerable to recessions in other countries. Emerging markets may have obsolete financial systems and volatile currencies, and may be more sensitive than more mature markets to a variety of economic factors. Emerging market securities also may be less liquid than securities of more developed countries and could be difficult to sell, particularly during a market downturn.
Economies in emerging market countries may also be more susceptible to natural and
man-made
disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, or adverse changes in climate or weather. In addition, many developing countries with less established health care systems have experienced outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases from time to time, including, but not limited to,
COVID-19,
Ebola, Zika, avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The risks of such phenomena and resulting social, political, economic and environmental damage cannot be quantified. These events can exacerbate market volatility as well as impair economic activity, which can have both short- and immediate-term effects on the valuations of the companies and issuers in which the Fund invests. The Fund defines an emerging market country as any country that is included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
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Equity Securities Risk
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The value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unexpectedly, due to various factors, including factors affecting the general market, such as adverse changes in economic conditions, the general outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment. Equity securities may also lose value because of factors affecting an entire industry or sector, such as increases in production costs, and factors directly related to a specific company, such as significant decisions made by its management. Certain equity securities may decline in value even during periods when the prices of equity securities in general are rising, or may not perform as well as the market in general. The prices of equity securities may also experience greater volatility during periods of challenging market conditions such as the one that the market recently experienced. This risk is greater for small- and
medium-sized
companies, which tend to be more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger companies.
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European Investment Risk
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The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in issuers based in Western Europe and the United Kingdom (“UK”). The economies of countries in Europe are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. Efforts by the member countries of the European Union (“EU”) to continue to unify their economic and monetary policies may increase the potential for similarities in the movements of European markets and reduce the potential investment benefits of diversification within the region. However, the substance of these policies may not address the needs of all European economies. European financial markets have in recent years experienced increased volatility due to concerns with some countries’ high levels of sovereign debt, budget deficits and unemployment. Markets have also been affected by the withdrawal of the UK from the EU on January 31, 2020 (an event commonly known as “Brexit”). The future relationship between the UK and the EU remains unresolved and subject to negotiation during an
11-month
transition period, and there is considerable uncertainty surrounding the impact of Brexit on the UK, the EU and the broader global economy. An exit by any member countries from the EU or the Economic and Monetary Union of the EU, or even the prospect of such an exit, could lead to increased volatility in European markets and negatively affect investments both in issuers in the exiting country and throughout Europe. These events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments outside of Europe due to the interconnected nature of the global economy and capital markets.
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Foreign Investment Risk
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Investing in foreign
(non-U.S)
securities may expose the Fund to risks not typically associated with U.S. investments. These risks include, among others, adverse fluctuations in currency conversion rate, currency blockages, and adverse political, social and economic developments affecting a foreign country. In addition, foreign securities may have less publicly available information and may be more volatile and/or less liquid. Investments in foreign securities could also be affected by factors such as differences in financial reporting, accounting and auditing standards, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, smaller and less-strict regulation of securities markets, restrictions on receiving investment proceeds from a foreign country, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. Economies in foreign countries may also be more susceptible to natural and
man-made
disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, or adverse changes in climate or weather. In addition, many foreign countries with less established health care systems have experienced outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases from time to time, including, but not limited to,
COVID-19,
Ebola, Zika, avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The risks of such phenomena and resulting social, political, economic and environmental damage cannot be quantified. These events can exacerbate market volatility as well as impair economic activity, which can have both short- and immediate-term effects on the valuations of the companies and issuers in which the Fund invests. These risks are greater in the emerging markets. Additional information about the risks of emerging markets is described above under “Emerging Markets Risk.”
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Investment Selection Risk
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The specific investments held in the Fund’s investment portfolio may underperform other funds in the same asset class or benchmarks that are representative of the general performance of the asset class because of a portfolio manager’s choice of securities. |
Description of Principal Investment Risks
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7
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Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption Risk
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The Fund is subject to the risk of large shareholder purchases and redemptions. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Fund to sell its securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value and liquidity. Similarly, large share purchases may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio. | |
Market Risk and Recent Market Volatility Associated with
COVID-19
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The market prices of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value or become illiquid due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value or liquidity of a security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Securities may also decline or become illiquid due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline or become illiquid in value simultaneously. Natural disasters, public health emergencies (including pandemics and epidemics), terrorism and other global unforeseeable events may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to increased volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. The Fund cannot predict the effects of such unforeseeable events in the future on the economy, the markets or the Fund’s investments.
An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as
COVID-19
was first detected in China in December 2019 and has now spread globally. This coronavirus has resulted in certain travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, expanded healthcare services and expenses, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of
COVID-19,
and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the
COVID-19
outbreak may exacerbate other
pre-existing
political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the
COVID-19
outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty.
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Portfolio Turnover Risk
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High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses, including brokerage commissions or dealer
mark-ups
and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities, which may result in adverse tax consequences to the Fund’s shareholders. Higher portfolio turnover may cause the Fund to experience increased transaction costs, dealer markups, brokerage expenses and other acquisition costs, and may cause shareholders to incur increased taxes on their investment in the Fund as compared to shareholders in investment companies that hold investments for longer periods. The portfolio managers do not consider portfolio turnover rate a limiting factor in making investment decisions on behalf of the Fund consistent with its investment objective and policies. Variations in portfolio turnover rates may be due to fluctuations in shareholder purchase, exchange and redemption transactions, market conditions or changes in the portfolio manager’s outlook.
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Mid-Sized
Companies Risk
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Securities of companies with
mid-sized
market capitalizations are generally more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large-capitalization companies.
Mid-sized
companies may be more reliant on a few products, services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than investing in larger companies with more diverse product lines and structured management.
Mid-sized
companies may have relatively short operating histories or may be newer public companies. Some of these companies have more aggressive capital structures, including higher debt levels, than
large-cap
companies, or are involved in rapidly growing or changing industries and/or new technologies, which pose additional risks.
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Value Stock Risk
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Value stocks are stocks of companies that may have experienced adverse business or industry developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the stocks to be out of favor and, in the opinion of the manager, undervalued. The value of a security believed by the manager to be undervalued may never reach what is believed to be its full (intrinsic) value, or such security’s value may decrease. |
Fund Management and Investment Style
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9
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Fund
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Advisory Fee
(as a percentage of net assets)
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PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund
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0.70%
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Fund Management and Investment Style
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11
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12
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Litman Gregory Funds Trust
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c/o |
DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
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P.O. |
Box 219922
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c/o |
DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
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330 |
West Ninth Street
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• | Mailing a check to the above addresses along with a letter or the form at the bottom of your account statement. Be sure to put your account number on your check and in your letter, and |
please refer to Step 4 above for a list of instruments that will not be accepted for investment.
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Wiring money from your bank. Call
1-800-960-0188
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• | Making automatic investments if you signed up for the Automatic Investment Plan when you opened your account. |
• | You wish to redeem more than $25,000 worth of shares. |
• | Your account registration information has changed within the past 30 days. |
• | The redemption check is being mailed to a different address from the one on your account (address of record). |
• | The check is being made payable to someone other than the account owner. |
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Individual, Joint Tenant, Sole Proprietorship, UGMA or UTMA Accounts:
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Retirement Account:
1-800-960-0188
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Shareholder Services
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13
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Trust Account:
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Business or Organization:
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• |
Executor, Administrator, Conservator or Guardian:
1-800-960-0188
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c/o |
DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
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c/o |
DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc.
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• | Confirmation statements (after every transaction that affects your account balance or your account registration) |
• | Financial reports (every six months) |
• | Account statements (every six months) |
14
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Litman Gregory Funds Trust
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• | All of your purchases must be made in U.S. dollars, and checks must be drawn on U.S. banks. |
• | The Fund does not accept cash, money orders, cashiers checks, starter checks, official bank checks, credit cards or third-party checks. If you send any of these instruments, your purchase order will be rejected, and your investment in the Fund will be delayed. |
• | If your check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you will be liable for any losses or fees the Fund or the Transfer Agent incur. |
• | Your ability to make automatic investments may be immediately terminated if any item is unpaid by your financial institution. |
• | The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order. For example, a purchase order may be refused if, in Litman Gregory’s opinion, it is so large that it would disrupt management of the Fund. Orders will also be rejected from persons believed by the Fund to be “market timers.” |
• | After the Trust has received your redemption request and all proper documents, payment for shares tendered will generally be made within (i) one to three business days for redemptions made by wire, and (ii) three to five business days for ACH redemptions. Normally, redemption payments by check will be mailed to you on the next business day, but your actual receipt |
of the check will be subject to postal delivery schedules and timing. If making immediate payment could adversely affect the Fund, it may take up to seven days to pay you. The Fund may also delay payment if there have been changes in your mailing address or account registration within 30 days of the date of the redemption.
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• | The Fund typically expects to meet redemptions with positive cash flows. When that cash is not available, the Fund will seek to maintain its portfolio weightings by selling a cross-section of the Fund’s holdings to meet redemptions. |
• |
During conditions that make the payment of cash unwise and/or in order to protect the interests of the Fund’s remaining shareholders, you could receive your redemption proceeds in the form of readily marketable securities. Receiving securities instead of cash is called “redemption in kind.” The Fund may redeem shares in kind during both normal and stressed market conditions, including when the amount you are redeeming from the Fund exceeds 1% of the Fund’s net assets or $250,000 during any
90-day
period. Generally,
in-kind
redemptions will be effected through a pro rata distribution of the Fund’s portfolio securities. You may incur brokerage and other costs in converting to cash any securities distributed. It may take up to several weeks for the initial portion of the
in-kind
securities to be delivered to you, and substantially longer periods for the remainder of the
in-kind
securities to be delivered to you, in payment of your redemption in kind.
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• | Under certain circumstances, including stressed market conditions, the Fund may also borrow money (subject to certain regulatory conditions) through a bank line of credit, including from a joint credit facility, in order to meet redemption requests. |
• | Redemptions may be suspended or payment dates postponed when the NYSE is closed (other than weekends or holidays), when trading on the NYSE is restricted or as permitted by the SEC. |
Shareholder Services
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15
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Reinvestment Option
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Income-Earned Option
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Cash Option
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16
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Litman Gregory Funds Trust
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Shareholder Services
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17
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18
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Litman Gregory Funds Trust
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Financial Highlights
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19
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Fund
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Abbreviation
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Symbol
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CUSIP
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Fund Number
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PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund
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International Value | |||||||||||
Institutional Class
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POIVX | 53700T843 | 2966 |
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
P.O. Box 219922
Kansas City, MO 64121-9922
1-800-960-0188
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ALPS Distributors, Inc. Denver, Colorado 80203
©2020 Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.
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LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST
PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund - Institutional Class – POIVX
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Dated November 9, 2020
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus, and it should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated November 9, 2020, as it may be amended from time to time, of PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund (the “International Value Fund” or the “Fund”), a series of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”), formerly known as the Masters’ Select Funds Trust until August 2011 and the Masters’ Select Investment Trust until December 1997. Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC (the “Advisor” or “Litman Gregory”) is the investment advisor of the Fund. The Advisor has retained an investment manager as sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”), which is responsible for portfolio management of the Fund’s assets. A copy of the Fund’s prospectus and the Trust’s most recent annual report may be obtained from the Trust without charge at 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500, Walnut Creek, California 94596, telephone 1-800-960-0188.
The Trust’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 are incorporated by reference to the Trust’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The Fund is not included in the Trust’s most recent Annual Report because it commenced investment operations after December 31, 2019, but will be included in the Trust’s next report to shareholders following such date.
1
FUND HISTORY
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 1, 1996 and is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust consists of six separate series: the Partner Select Equity Fund (formerly, Litman Gregory Masters Equity Fund) (the “Equity Fund”), the PartnerSelect International Fund (formerly, Litman Gregory Masters International Fund) (the “International Fund”), the PartnerSelect Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Litman Gregory Masters Alternative Strategies Fund) (the “Alternative Strategies Fund”), the PartnerSelect High Income Alternatives Fund (formerly, Litman Gregory Masters High Income Alternatives Fund) (the “High Income Alternatives Fund”), the PartnerSelect SBH Focused Small Value Fund (the “Focused Small Value Fund) and the International Value Fund. This SAI relates only to the International Value Fund and not to the other series of the Trust (collectively, the “Funds”).
The International Value Fund is anticipated to commence operations on November 30, 2020. The Institutional Class is anticipated to commence operations on that date.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, POLICIES AND RISKS
The investment objective of the Fund is fundamental and therefore may be changed only with the favorable vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Fund’s investment objective is set forth in the Fund’s prospectus. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The discussion below supplements information contained in the prospectus as to the investment policies of the Fund.
Investment policies or descriptions that are described as percentages of “the Fund’s net assets” are measured as percentages of the Fund’s net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes. The investment policies of the Fund with respect to “80% of the Fund’s net assets” may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval, but shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice if any change occurs.
Investors should be aware that in light of the current uncertainty, volatility and distress in economies, financial markets, and labor and health conditions across the world, the risks discussed below are heightened significantly compared to normal conditions and therefore subject the Fund’s investments and a shareholder’s investment in the Fund to sudden and substantial losses.
Cash Position
When the Fund’s Sub-Advisor believes that market conditions are unfavorable for profitable investing, or when the Sub-Advisor is otherwise unable to locate attractive investment opportunities, the Fund’s cash or similar investments may increase. In other words, the Fund does not always stay fully invested in stocks and bonds. Cash or similar investments generally are a residual - they represent the assets that remain after a portfolio manager has committed available assets to desirable investment opportunities. However, the Advisor or the Fund’s Sub-Advisor may also temporarily increase the Fund’s cash position to protect its assets or maintain liquidity.
When the Fund’s investments in cash or similar investments increase, it may not participate in market advances or declines to the same extent that it would if the Fund remained more fully invested in stocks or bonds.
Equity Securities
The Fund may invest in equity securities consistent with its investment objective and strategies. Common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities are examples of equity securities.
All investments in equity securities are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles and the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may fluctuate substantially from day to day. Owning an equity security can also subject the Fund to the risk that the issuer may discontinue paying dividends.
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To the extent the Fund invests in the equity securities of small- or medium-size companies, it will be exposed to the risks of small- and medium-size companies. Such companies often have limited product lines or services, have narrower markets for their goods and/or services, and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. In addition, because these companies are not well-known to the investing public, they may not have significant institutional ownership and may be followed by relatively few security analysts, and there will normally be less publicly available information when compared to larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the price and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, as compared to larger-sized companies, the performance of smaller-sized companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Common Stock. A common stock represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company’s business, the cash a company generates, and the value of a company’s assets. However, over short periods of time, the price of any company, whether successful or not, may increase or decrease in price by a meaningful percentage. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which the Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to the Fund as a holder of that company’s common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to the Fund.
Preferred Stock. Preferred stocks are equity securities that often pay dividends at a specific rate and have a preference over common stocks in dividend payments and liquidation of assets. A preferred stock has a blend of the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and, unlike common stock, its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer.
Convertible Securities and Warrants
The Fund may invest in convertible securities and warrants. A convertible security is a fixed-income security (a debt instrument or a preferred stock) which may be converted at a stated price within a specified period of time into a certain quantity of the common stock of the same or a different issuer. Convertible securities are senior to common stock in an issuer’s capital structure, but are usually subordinated to similar non-convertible securities. While providing a fixed-income stream (generally higher in yield than the income derivable from common stock but lower than that afforded by a similar non-convertible security), a convertible security also affords an investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation upon a market price advance in the convertible security’s underlying common stock.
A warrant gives the holder the right to purchase at any time during a specified period a predetermined number of shares of common stock at a fixed price. Unlike convertible debt securities or preferred stock, warrants do not pay a fixed dividend. Investments in warrants involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for resale of the warrants, potential price fluctuations as a result of speculation or other factors, and failure of the price of the underlying security to reach or have reasonable prospects of reaching a level at which the warrant can be prudently exercised (in which event the warrant may expire without being exercised, resulting in a loss of the Fund’s entire investment therein).
Other Corporate Debt Securities
The Fund may invest in non-convertible debt securities of foreign and domestic companies over a cross-
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section of industries. The debt securities in which the Fund may invest will be of varying maturities and may include corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar corporate debt instruments. The value of a longer-term debt security fluctuates more widely in response to changes in interest rates than do shorter-term debt securities.
Risks of Investing in Debt Securities
There are a number of risks generally associated with an investment in debt securities (including convertible securities). Yields on short-, intermediate-, and long-term securities depend on a variety of factors, including the general condition of the money and bond markets, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation, and the rating of the issue.
Debt securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields and are generally subject to potentially greater capital appreciation and depreciation than obligations with short maturities and lower yields. The market prices of debt securities usually vary, depending upon available yields. An increase in interest rates will generally reduce the value of such portfolio investments, and a decline in interest rates will generally increase the value of such portfolio investments. The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective also depends on the continuing ability of the issuers of the debt securities in which the Fund invests to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal when due.
Risks of Investing in Lower-Rated Debt Securities
The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in debt securities rated below “Ba1” by Moody’s, below “BB+” by Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) or below investment grade by other recognized rating agencies, or in unrated securities of comparable quality under certain circumstances. Securities with ratings below “Baa” by Moody’s and/or “BBB” by S&P are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” Such bonds are subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss of income and principal than higher rated bonds for a variety of reasons, including the following:
Sensitivity to Interest Rate and Economic Changes. The economy and interest rates affect high yield securities differently from other securities. For example, the prices of high yield bonds have been found to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate developments. Also, during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which would adversely affect their ability to service their principal and interest obligations, to meet projected business goals, and to obtain additional financing. If the issuer of a bond defaults, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. In addition, periods of economic uncertainty and changes can be expected to result in increased volatility of market prices of high yield bonds and the Fund’s asset values.
Payment Expectations. High yield bonds present certain risks based on payment expectations. For example, high yield bonds may contain redemption and call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a declining interest rate market, the Fund would have to replace the security with a lower yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. Conversely, a high yield bond’s value will decrease in a rising interest rate market, as will the value of the Fund’s assets. If the Fund experiences unexpected net redemptions, it may be forced to sell its high yield bonds without regard to their investment merits, thereby decreasing the asset base upon which the Fund’s expenses can be spread and possibly reducing the Fund’s rate of return.
Liquidity and Valuation. To the extent that there is no established retail secondary market, there may be thin trading of high yield bonds, and this may impact the Sub-Advisor’s ability to accurately value high yield bonds and the Fund’s assets and hinder the Fund’s ability to dispose of the bonds. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield bonds, especially in a thinly traded market.
Credit Ratings. Credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield bonds. Also, since credit rating agencies may fail to timely change the credit ratings to reflect
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subsequent events, the Sub-Advisor must monitor the issuers of high yield bonds in the Fund’s portfolio to determine if the issuers will have sufficient cash flow and profits to meet required principal and interest payments, and to assure the bonds’ liquidity so the Fund can meet redemption requests. The Fund will not necessarily dispose of a portfolio security when its rating has been changed.
Exchange-Traded Notes
The Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”). ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”)) during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day’s market benchmark or strategy factor.
ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When the Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.
ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The tax treatment of ETNs is unclear. No statutory, juridical or administrative authority directly discusses how ETNs should be treated in this context for U.S. federal income tax purposes. No assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) will accept, or a court will uphold, how the Fund characterizes and treats ETNs for tax purposes. Further, the IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs.
An ETN that is tied to a specific market benchmark or strategy may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities, commodities or other components in the applicable market benchmark or strategy. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form.
The market value of ETN shares may differ from their market benchmark or strategy. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETN shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the securities, commodities or other components underlying the market benchmark or strategy that the ETN seeks to track. As a result, there may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.
Short-Term Investments
The Fund may invest in any of the following short-term securities and instruments:
Bank Certificates or Deposits, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits. The Fund may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances acquired by the Fund will be dollar-denominated obligations of domestic or foreign banks or financial institutions which at the time
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of purchase have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. Government. If the Fund holds instruments of foreign banks or financial institutions, it may be subject to additional investment risks that are different in some respects from those incurred by a fund that invests only in debt obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. See “Foreign Investments” below. Such risks include those related to future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes by the particular country in which the issuer is located on interest income payable on the securities, the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls and the possible adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions that might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on these securities.
Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operations of the banking industry.
As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are, among other things, required to maintain specified levels of reserves, limited in the amount they can loan to a single borrower, and subject to other regulations designed to promote financial soundness. However, such laws and regulations do not necessarily apply to foreign bank obligations that the Fund may acquire.
In addition to purchasing certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, to the extent permitted under its investment objectives and policies stated above and in its prospectus, the Fund may make interest-bearing time or other interest-bearing deposits in commercial or savings banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate.
Savings Association Obligations. The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (interest-bearing time deposits) issued by savings banks or savings and loan associations that have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million, based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such obligations is fully insured by the U.S. Government.
Commercial Paper, Short-Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.
Commercial paper and short-term notes in which the Fund may invest will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “AA-2” or higher by S&P, “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Sub-Advisor to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Appendix A.
Corporate obligations include bonds and notes issued by corporations to finance longer-term credit needs than supported by commercial paper. While such obligations generally have maturities of ten years or more, the Fund may purchase corporate obligations that have remaining maturities of one year or less from the date of purchase and that are rated “AA” or higher by S&P or “Aa” or higher by Moody’s.
Money Market Funds
The Fund may under certain circumstances invest a portion of its assets in money market funds. The 1940 Act generally prohibits the Fund from investing more than 5% of the value of its total assets in any one investment company or more than 10% of the value of its total assets in investment companies as a group, and also restricts its investment in any investment company to 3% of the voting securities of such investment company. There are some
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exceptions, however, to these limitations pursuant to various rules promulgated by the SEC. For example, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the limitations set forth above do not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund. The Fund must comply with certain other administrative requirements in order to comply this exception, including, among others, that the Fund (or the Advisor or Sub-Advisor acting on behalf of the Fund) complies with certain voting restrictions when voting the shares of such investment company. The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will not impose advisory fees on assets of the Fund invested in a money market mutual fund. However, an investment in a money market mutual fund will involve payment by the Fund of its pro rata share of advisory and administrative fees charged by such fund.
Government Obligations
The Fund may make short-term investments in U.S. Government obligations. Such obligations include Treasury bills, certificates of indebtedness, notes and bonds, and issues of such entities as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Export-Import Bank of the United States, Tennessee Valley Authority, Resolution Funding Corporation, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Federal Farm Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, Federal Housing Administration, Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), and the Student Loan Marketing Association (“SLMA”).
Some of these obligations, such as those of the GNMA, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the Export-Import Bank of United States, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury; others, such as those of the FNMA, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others, such as those of the SLMA, are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities if it is not obligated to do so by law.
The Fund may invest in sovereign debt obligations of foreign countries. A sovereign debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest in a timely manner may be affected by a number of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor’s policy toward principal international lenders and the political constraints to which it may be subject. Emerging market governments could default on their sovereign debt. Such sovereign debtors also may be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and other entities abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitments on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a sovereign debtor’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. Failure to meet such conditions could result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the sovereign debtor, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debt in a timely manner.
Zero Coupon Securities
The Fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in zero coupon securities issued by the U.S. Treasury. Zero coupon Treasury securities are U.S. Treasury notes and bonds that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons and receipts, or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations or coupons. Because a zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life or for a substantial period of time, it usually trades at a deep discount from its face or par value and will be subject to greater fluctuations of market value in response to changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current distributions of interest.
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Variable and Floating Rate Instruments
The Fund may acquire variable and floating rate instruments. Such instruments are frequently not rated by credit rating agencies; however, unrated variable and floating rate instruments purchased by the Fund will be determined by the Sub-Advisor under guidelines established by the Board to be of comparable quality at the time of the purchase to rated instruments eligible for purchase by the Fund. In making such determinations, the Sub-Advisor will consider the earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios of the issuers of such instruments (such issuers include financial, merchandising, bank holding and other companies) and will monitor their financial condition. An active secondary market may not exist with respect to particular variable or floating rate instruments purchased by the Fund. The absence of such an active secondary market could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of the variable or floating rate instrument involved in the event that the issuer of the instrument defaults on its payment obligation or during periods in which the Fund is not entitled to exercise its demand rights, and the Fund could, for these or other reasons, suffer a loss to the extent of the default. Variable and floating rate instruments may be secured by bank letters of credit.
Mortgage-Related Securities
The Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities. Mortgage-related securities are derivative interests in pools of mortgage loans made to U.S. residential home buyers, including mortgage loans made by savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, commercial banks and others. Pools of mortgage loans are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations. The Fund may also invest in debt securities which are secured with collateral consisting of U.S. mortgage-related securities, and in other types of U.S. mortgage-related securities.
The effects of the sub-prime mortgage crisis that began to unfold in 2007 continue to manifest in nearly all sub-divisions of the financial services industry. Sub-prime mortgage-related losses and write downs among investment banks and similar institutions reached significant levels in 2008. The impact of these losses among traditional banks, investment banks, broker-dealers and insurers has forced a number of such institutions into either liquidation or combination, while also drastically increasing the volatility of their stock prices. In some cases, the U.S. government has acted to bail out select institutions, such as insurers; however the risks associated with investment in stocks of such insurers has nonetheless increased substantially.
While the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve Board and Congress have taken steps to address problems in the financial markets and with financial institutions, there can be no assurance that the risks associated with investments in financial services company issuers will decrease as a result of these steps.
U.S. Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Interests in pools of mortgage-related securities differ from other forms of debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment that consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying residential property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs which may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities (such as securities issued by GNMA) are described as “modified pass-throughs.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.
The principal governmental guarantor of U.S. mortgage-related securities is GNMA, a wholly-owned United States Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the United States Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Agency or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration.
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Government-related guarantors include FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders and subject to general regulation by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. FNMA purchases conventional residential mortgages not insured or guaranteed by any government agency from a list of approved seller/services which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. FHLMC is a government-sponsored corporation created to increase availability of mortgage credit for residential housing and owned entirely by private stockholders. FHLMC issues participation certificates which represent interests in conventional mortgages from FHLMC’s national portfolio. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA and participation certificates issued by FHLMC are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA and FHLMC, respectively, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.
Although the underlying mortgage loans in a pool may have maturities of up to 30 years, the actual average life of the pool certificates typically will be substantially less because the mortgages will be subject to normal principal amortization and may be prepaid prior to maturity. Prepayment rates vary widely and may be affected by changes in market interest rates. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayment tends to increase, thereby shortening the actual average life of the pool certificates. Conversely, when interest rates are rising, the rate of prepayments tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the actual average life of the certificates. Accordingly, it is not possible to predict accurately the average life of a particular pool.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”). A domestic or foreign CMO in which the Fund may invest is a hybrid between a mortgage-backed bond and a mortgage pass-through security. Like a bond, interest is paid, in most cases, semiannually. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, FHLMC, FNMA or equivalent foreign entities.
CMOs are structured into multiple classes, each bearing a different stated maturity. Actual maturity and average life depend upon the prepayment experience of the collateral. CMOs provide for a modified form of call protection through a de facto breakdown of the underlying pool of mortgages according to how quickly the loans are repaid. Monthly payment of principal and interest received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including prepayments, is first returned to the class having the earliest maturity date or highest maturity. Classes that have longer maturity dates and lower seniority will receive principal only after the higher class has been retired.
Real Estate Investment Trusts
The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate-related loans. REITs involve certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general (such as possible declines in the value of real estate, lack of availability of mortgage funds, or extended vacancies of property). Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended and changes in interest rates. REITs whose underlying assets are concentrated in properties used by a particular industry, such as health care, are also subject to risks associated with such industry. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, risks of default by borrowers, and self-liquidation. REITs are also subject to the possibilities of failing to qualify for preferential tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act.
REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks, including prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. If the REIT invests in adjustable rate mortgage loans the interest rates on which are reset periodically, yields on a REIT’s investments in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates. This causes the value of such investments to fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would
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investments in fixed rate obligations. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a limited volume, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than more widely held securities. The Fund’s investment in a REIT may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received or may result in the Fund making distributions that constitute a return of capital to the Fund’s shareholders for federal income tax purposes. In addition, distributions by the Fund from REITs will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction, or, generally, for treatment as qualified dividend income.
Investments in REITs by the Fund may subject its shareholders to multiple levels of fees and expenses as the Fund’s shareholders will directly bear the fees and expenses of the Fund and will also indirectly bear a portion of the fees and expenses of the REITs in which the Fund invests.
Foreign Investments and Currencies
The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers that are not publicly traded in the United States (the International Fund will invest substantially all of its assets in securities of foreign issuers). The Fund may also invest in depositary receipts and in foreign currency futures contracts and may purchase and sell foreign currency on a spot basis.
Depositary Receipts. Depositary Receipts (“DRs”) include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) or other forms of depositary receipts. DRs are receipts typically issued in connection with a U.S. or foreign bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation.
Risks of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in foreign securities involve certain inherent risks, including the following:
Political and Economic Factors. Individual foreign economies of certain countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the United States’ economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, diversification and balance of payments position. The internal politics of certain foreign countries may not be as stable as those of the United States. Governments in certain foreign countries also continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could include restrictions on foreign investment, nationalization, expropriation of goods or imposition of taxes, and could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and payment of interest. The economies of many foreign countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by the trade policies and economic conditions of their trading partners. Enactment by these trading partners of protectionist trade legislation could have a significant adverse effect upon the securities markets of such countries.
The European financial markets have continued to experience volatility because of concerns about economic downturns and about high and rising government debt levels of several countries in the European Union and Europe generally. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the Euro and the European securities markets, and may spread to other countries in Europe, including countries that do not use the Euro. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. Responses to the financial problems by European Union 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. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.
The United Kingdom (the “U.K.”) exited the European Union on January 31, 2020 (an event commonly referred to as “Brexit”), subject to a transitional period ending December 31, 2020. During the transitional period, although the U.K. will no longer be a member state of the EU, it will remain subject to EU law and regulations as if it were still a member state. The U.K. and the EU are to negotiate the terms of their future trading relationship during the transitional period. Accordingly, the terms of such trading relationship remain uncertain. The outcome of such negotiations may give rise to significant uncertainties and instability in the financial markets as the U.K.
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negotiates the terms of its future relationship with the EU. The Fund will face risks associated with the potential uncertainty and consequences leading up to and potentially following Brexit, including with respect to volatility in exchange rates and interest rates. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Brexit has also led to legal uncertainty and could lead to politically divergent national laws and regulations as a new relationship between the U.K. and EU is defined and the U.K. determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Any of these effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. The political, economic and legal consequences of Brexit are not yet known. In the short term, financial markets may experience heightened volatility, particularly those in the U.K. and Europe, but possibly worldwide. The U.K. and Europe may be less stable than they have been in recent years, and investments in the U.K. and the EU may be difficult to value, or subject to greater or more frequent rises and falls in value. In the longer term, there is likely to be a period of significant political, regulatory and commercial uncertainty as the U.K. seeks to negotiate the terms of its future trading relationships.
Currency Fluctuations. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, a change in the value of any such currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in that currency. Such changes will also affect the Fund’s income. The value of the Fund’s assets may also be affected significantly by currency restrictions and exchange control regulations enacted from time to time.
Market Characteristics. The Sub-Advisor expects that many foreign securities in which the Fund invests will be purchased in over-the-counter markets or on exchanges located in the countries in which the principal offices of the issuers of the various securities are located, if that is the best available market. Foreign exchanges and markets may be more volatile than those in the United States. While growing in volume, they usually have substantially less volume than U.S. markets, and the Fund’s portfolio securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. Government securities. Moreover, settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in United States markets, and may include delays beyond periods customary in the United States. Foreign security trading practices, including those involving securities settlement where Fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment or securities, may expose the Fund to increased risk in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of a foreign broker-dealer.
Transactions in options on securities, futures contracts, futures options and currency contracts may not be regulated as effectively on foreign exchanges as similar transactions in the United States, and may not involve clearing mechanisms and related guarantees. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by the imposition of different exercise terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States. The value of the Fund’s positions may also be adversely impacted by delays in its ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States.
Legal and Regulatory Matters. Certain foreign countries may have less supervision of securities markets, brokers and issuers of securities, and less financial information available to issuers, than is available in the United States.
Taxes. The interest payable on certain of the Fund’s foreign portfolio securities may be subject to foreign withholding or other taxes, thus reducing the net amount of income available for distribution to the Fund’s shareholders.
Costs. To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign securities, its expense ratio is likely to be higher than those of investment companies investing only in domestic securities, since the cost of maintaining the custody of foreign securities is higher.
Emerging markets. Some of the securities in which the Fund may invest may be located in developing or emerging markets, which entail additional risks, including less social, political and economic stability; smaller securities markets and lower trading volume, which may result in a less liquidity and greater price volatility;
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national policies that may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including restrictions on investment in issuers or industries, or expropriation or confiscation of assets or property; and less developed legal structures governing private or foreign investment. Natural disasters, public health emergencies (including pandemics and epidemics), terrorism and other global unforeseeable events may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to market volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. The Fund cannot predict the effects of such unforeseeable events in the future on the economy, the markets or the Fund’s investments.
In considering whether to invest in the securities of a foreign company, the Sub-Advisor considers such factors as the characteristics of the particular company, differences between economic trends and the performance of securities markets within the U.S. and those within other countries, and also factors relating to the general economic, governmental and social conditions of the country or countries where the company is located. The extent to which the Fund will be invested in foreign companies and countries and depository receipts will fluctuate from time to time within the limitations described in the prospectus, depending on the Sub-Advisor’s assessment of prevailing market, economic and other conditions.
Options on Securities and Securities Indices
Purchasing Put and Call Options. The Fund may purchase covered “put” and “call” options with respect to securities which are otherwise eligible for purchase by the Fund and with respect to various stock indices subject to certain restrictions. The Fund will engage in trading of such derivative securities primarily for hedging purposes.
If the Fund purchases a put option, the Fund acquires the right to sell the underlying security at a specified price at any time during the term of the option (for “American-style” options) or on the option expiration date (for “European-style” options). Purchasing put options may be used as a portfolio investment strategy when the Sub-Advisor perceives significant short-term risk but substantial long-term appreciation for the underlying security. The put option acts as an insurance policy, as it protects against significant downward price movement while it allows full participation in any upward movement. If the Fund is holding a stock which it feels has strong fundamentals, but for some reason may be weak in the near term, the Fund may purchase a put option on such security, thereby giving itself the right to sell such security at a certain strike price throughout the term of the option. Consequently, the Fund will exercise the put only if the price of such security falls below the strike price of the put. The difference between the put’s strike price and the market price of the underlying security on the date the Fund exercises the put, less transaction costs, will be the amount by which the Fund will be able to hedge against a decline in the underlying security. If during the period of the option the market price for the underlying security remains at or above the put’s strike price, the put will expire worthless, representing a loss of the price the Fund paid for the put, plus transaction costs. If the price of the underlying security increases, the profit the Fund realizes on the sale of the security will be reduced by the premium paid for the put option less any amount for which the put may be sold.
If the Fund purchases a call option, it acquires the right to purchase the underlying security at a specified price at any time during the term of the option. The purchase of a call option is a type of insurance policy to hedge against losses that could occur if the Fund has a short position in the underlying security and the security thereafter increases in price. The Fund will exercise a call option only if the price of the underlying security is above the strike price at the time of exercise. If during the option period the market price for the underlying security remains at or below the strike price of the call option, the option will expire worthless, representing a loss of the price paid for the option, plus transaction costs. If the call option has been purchased to hedge a short position of the Fund in the underlying security and the price of the underlying security thereafter falls, the profit the Fund realizes on the cover of the short position in the security will be reduced by the premium paid for the call option less any amount for which such option may be sold.
Prior to exercise or expiration, an option may be sold when it has remaining value by a purchaser through a “closing sale transaction,” which is accomplished by selling an option of the same series as the option previously purchased. The Fund generally will purchase only those options for which the Sub-Advisor believes there is an active secondary market to facilitate closing transactions.
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Writing Call Options. The Fund may write covered call options. A call option is “covered” if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute right to acquire the security without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or cash equivalents in such amount as are held in a segregated account by the Custodian). The writer of a call option receives a premium and gives the purchaser the right to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. The writer has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price during the option period. If the writer of an exchange-traded option wishes to terminate his obligation, he may effect a “closing purchase transaction.” This is accomplished by buying an option of the same series as the option previously written. A writer may not effect a closing purchase transaction after it has been notified of the exercise of an option.
Effecting a closing transaction in the case of a written call option will permit the Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with either a different exercise price, expiration date or both. Also, effecting a closing transaction will permit the cash or proceeds from the concurrent sale of any securities subject to the option to be used for other investments of the Fund. If the Fund desires to sell a particular security from its portfolio on which it has written a call option, it will effect a closing transaction prior to or concurrent with the sale of the security.
The Fund will realize a gain from a closing transaction if the cost of the closing transaction is less than the premium received from writing the option or if the proceeds from the closing transaction are more than the premium paid to purchase the option. The Fund will realize a loss from a closing transaction if the cost of the closing transaction is more than the premium received from writing the option or if the proceeds from the closing transaction are less than the premium paid to purchase the option. However, because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss to the Fund resulting from the repurchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying security owned by the Fund.
Stock Index Options. The Fund may also write (sell) and purchase put and call options with respect to the S&P 500 and other stock indices. Such options may be written or purchased as a hedge against changes resulting from market conditions in the values of securities which are held in the Fund’s portfolio or which it intends to purchase or sell, or when they are economically appropriate for the reduction of risks inherent in the ongoing management of the Fund.
The distinctive characteristics of options on stock indices create certain risks that are not present with stock options generally. Because the value of an index option depends upon movements in the level of the index rather than the price of a particular stock, whether the Fund will realize a gain or loss on the purchase or sale of an option on an index depends upon movements in the level of stock prices in the stock market generally rather than movements in the price of a particular stock. Accordingly, successful use by the Fund of options on a stock index would be subject to the Sub-Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the stock market generally. This requires different skills and techniques than predicting changes in the price of individual stocks.
Index prices may be distorted if trading of certain stocks included in the index is interrupted. Trading of index options also may be interrupted in certain circumstances, such as if trading were halted in a substantial number of stocks included in the index. If this were to occur, the Fund would not be able to close out options which it had purchased, and if restrictions on exercise were imposed, the Fund might be unable to exercise an option it holds, which could result in substantial losses to the Fund. It is the policy of the Fund to purchase put or call options only with respect to an index which the Sub-Advisor believes includes a sufficient number of stocks to minimize the likelihood of a trading halt in the index.
Risks of Investing in Options. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and indices. Options may be more volatile than the underlying instruments and, therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying instruments themselves. There are also significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objective. In
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addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of option of underlying securities; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; the facilities of an exchange or clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events. The extent to which the Fund may enter into options transactions may be limited by the requirements of the Code with respect to qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company. See “Dividends and Distributions” and “Taxation.”
In addition, when trading options on foreign exchanges, many of the protections afforded to participants in United States option exchanges will not be available. For example, there may be no daily price fluctuation limits in such exchanges or markets, and adverse market movements could therefore continue to an unlimited extent over a period of time. Although the purchaser of an option cannot lose more than the amount of the premium plus related transaction costs, this entire amount could be lost. Moreover, the Fund as an option writer could lose amounts substantially in excess of its initial investment, due to the margin and collateral requirements typically associated with such option writing. See “Dealer Options” below.
Dealer Options. The Fund may engage in transactions involving dealer options as well as exchange-traded options. Certain risks are specific to dealer options. While the Fund might look to a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, if the Fund were to purchase a dealer option it would need to rely on the dealer from which it purchased the option to perform if the option were exercised. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction.
Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while dealer options may not. Consequently, the Fund may generally be able to realize the value of a dealer option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the dealer who issued it. Similarly, when the Fund writes a dealer option, the Fund may generally be able to close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer to whom the Fund originally wrote the option. While the Fund will seek to enter into dealer options only with dealers who will agree to and which are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with the Fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will at any time be able to liquidate a dealer option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless the Fund, as a covered dealer call option writer, is able to effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, the Fund may be unable to liquidate a dealer option. With respect to options written by the Fund, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to the Fund. For example, because the Fund must maintain a secured position with respect to any call option on a security it writes, the Fund may not sell the assets which it has segregated to secure the position while it is obligated under the option. This requirement may impair the Fund’s ability to sell portfolio securities at a time when such sale might be advantageous.
The Staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased dealer options are illiquid securities. A Fund may treat the cover used for written dealer options as liquid if the dealer agrees that the Fund may repurchase the dealer option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the dealer option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option. Accordingly, the Fund will treat dealer options as subject to the Fund’s limitation on illiquid securities. If the SEC changes its position on the liquidity of dealer options, the Fund will change its treatment of such instruments accordingly.
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Foreign Currency Options. The Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies. A put or call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell or purchase a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. The Fund will use foreign currency options separately or in combination to control currency volatility. Among the strategies employed to control currency volatility is an option collar. An option collar involves the purchase of a put option and the simultaneous sale of call option on the same currency with the same expiration date but with different exercise (or “strike”) prices. Generally, the put option will have an out-of-the-money strike price, while the call option will have either an at-the-money strike price or an in-the-money strike price. Foreign currency options are derivative securities. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits that may limit the ability of the Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options.
As with other kinds of option transactions, the writing of an option on foreign currency will constitute only a partial hedge, up to the amount of the premium received. The Fund could be required to purchase or sell foreign currencies at disadvantageous exchange rates, thereby incurring losses. The purchase of an option on foreign currency may constitute an effective hedge against exchange rate fluctuations; however, in the event of exchange rate movements adverse to the Fund’s position, the Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs.
Spread Transactions. The Fund may purchase covered spread options from securities dealers. These covered spread options are not presently exchange-listed or exchange-traded. The purchase of a spread option gives the Fund the right to put 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 the Fund, in addition to the risks of dealer options described above, is the cost of the premium paid as well as any transaction costs. The purchase of spread options will be used to protect the Fund against adverse changes in prevailing credit quality spreads, i.e., the yield spread between high quality and lower quality securities. This protection is provided only during the life of the spread options.
Forward Currency Contracts
The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts in anticipation of changes in currency exchange rates. A forward currency contract is 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. For example, the Fund might purchase a particular currency or enter into a forward currency contract to preserve the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to or has contracted to purchase. Alternatively, it might sell a particular currency on either a spot or forward basis to hedge against an anticipated decline in the dollar value of securities it intends to or has contracted to sell. Although this strategy could minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, it could also limit any potential gain from an increase in the value of the currency.
Futures Contracts and Related Options
The Fund may invest in futures contracts and options on futures contracts as a hedge against changes in market conditions or interest rates. The Fund may trade in such derivative securities for bona fide hedging purposes and otherwise in accordance with the rules of the CFTC. The Fund will segregate liquid assets in a separate account with its custodian when required to do so by CFTC guidelines in order to cover its obligation in connection with futures and options transactions.
No price is paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract. When it enters into a domestic futures contract, the Fund will be required to deposit in a segregated account with its custodian an amount of cash or U.S. Treasury bills equal to approximately 5% of the contract amount. This amount is known as initial margin. The margin requirements for foreign futures contracts may be different.
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The nature of initial margin in futures transactions is different from that of margin in securities transactions. Futures contract margin does not involve the borrowing of funds by the customer to finance the transactions. Rather, the initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract which is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments (called variation margin) to and from the broker will be made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying stock index fluctuates, to reflect movements in the price of the contract making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable. For example, when the Fund has purchased a stock index futures contract and the price of the underlying stock index has risen, that position will have increased in value and the Fund will receive from the broker a variation margin payment equal to that increase in value. Conversely, when the Fund has purchased a stock index futures contract and the price of the underlying stock index has declined, the position will be less valuable and the Fund will be required to make a variation margin payment to the broker.
At any time prior to expiration of a futures contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate the Fund’s position in the futures contract. A final determination of variation margin is made on closing the position. Additional cash is paid by or released to the Fund, which realizes a loss or a gain.
In addition to amounts segregated or paid as initial and variation margin, the Fund must segregate liquid assets with its custodian equal to the market value of the futures contracts, in order to comply with SEC requirements intended to ensure that the Fund’s use of futures is unleveraged. The requirements for margin payments and segregated accounts apply to both domestic and foreign futures contracts.
Stock Index Futures Contracts. The Fund may invest in futures contracts on stock indices. Currently, stock index futures contracts can be purchased or sold with respect to the S&P 500 Stock Price Index on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Major Market Index on the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index on the New York Futures Exchange and the Value Line Stock Index on the Kansas City Board of Trade. Foreign financial and stock index futures are traded on foreign exchanges including the London International Financial Futures Exchange, the Singapore International Monetary Exchange, the Sydney Futures Exchange Limited and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Interest Rate or Financial Futures Contracts. The Fund may invest in interest rate or financial futures contracts. Bond prices are established in both the cash market and the futures market. In the cash market, bonds are purchased and sold with payment for the full purchase price of the bond being made in cash, generally within five business days after the trade. In the futures market, a contract is made to purchase or sell a bond in the future for a set price on a certain date. Historically, the prices for bonds established in the futures markets have generally tended to move in the aggregate in concert with cash market prices, and the prices have maintained fairly predictable relationships.
The sale of an interest rate or financial futures contract by the Fund would create an obligation by the Fund, as seller, to deliver the specific type of financial instrument called for in the contract at a specific future time for a specified price. A futures contract purchased by the Fund would create an obligation by the Fund, as purchaser, to take delivery of the specific type of financial instrument at a specific future time at a specific price. The specific securities delivered or taken, respectively, at settlement date, would not be determined until at or near that date. The determination would be in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the futures contract sale or purchase was made.
Although interest rate or financial futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of securities, in most cases the contracts are closed out before the settlement date without delivery of securities. Closing out of a futures contract sale is effected by the Fund’s entering into a futures contract purchase for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument and the same delivery date. If the price in the sale exceeds the price in the offsetting purchase, the Fund is paid the difference and thus realizes a gain. If the offsetting purchase price exceeds the sale price, the Fund pays the difference and realizes a loss. Similarly, the closing out of a
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futures contract purchase is effected by the Fund’s entering into a futures contract sale. If the offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain, and if the purchase price exceeds the offsetting sale price, the Fund realizes a loss.
The Fund will deal only in standardized contracts on recognized exchanges. Each exchange guarantees performance under contract provisions through a clearing corporation, a nonprofit organization managed by the exchange membership. Domestic interest rate futures contracts are traded in an auction environment on the floors of several exchanges – principally, the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. A public market now exists in domestic futures contracts covering various financial instruments including long-term United States Treasury bonds and notes, GNMA modified pass-through mortgage-backed securities, three-month United States Treasury bills, and 90-day commercial paper. The Fund may trade in any futures contract for which there exists a public market, including, without limitation, the foregoing instruments. International interest rate futures contracts are traded on the London International Financial Futures Exchange, the Singapore International Monetary Exchange, the Sydney Futures Exchange Limited and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Foreign Currency Futures Contracts. The Fund may use foreign currency future contracts for hedging purposes. A foreign currency futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified quantity of a foreign currency at a specified price and time. A public market exists in futures contracts covering several foreign currencies, including the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the Swiss franc, and certain multinational currencies such as the European Currency Unit (“ECU”). Other foreign currency futures contracts are likely to be developed and traded in the future. The Fund will only enter into futures contracts and futures options which are standardized and traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange, board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system.
Risks of Transactions in Futures Contracts. There are several risks related to the use of futures as a hedging device. One risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures contract and movements in the price of the securities which are the subject of the hedge. The price of the future may move more or less than the price of the securities being hedged. If the price of the future moves less than the price of the securities which are the subject of the hedge, the hedge will not be fully effective, but if the price of the securities being hedged has moved in an unfavorable direction, the Fund would be in a better position than if it had not hedged at all. If the price of the securities being hedged has moved in a favorable direction, this advantage will be partially offset by the loss on the future. If the price of the future moves more than the price of the hedged securities, the Fund will experience either a loss or a gain on the future which will not be completely offset by movements in the price of the securities which are subject to the hedge.
To compensate for the imperfect correlation of movements in the price of securities being hedged and movements in the price of the futures contract, the Fund may buy or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the dollar amount of securities being hedged if the historical volatility of the prices of such securities has been greater than the historical volatility over such time period of the future. Conversely, the Fund may buy or sell fewer futures contracts if the historical volatility of the price of the securities being hedged is less than the historical volatility of the futures contract being used. It is possible that, when the Fund has sold futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the market, the market may advance while the value of securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may decline. If this occurs, the Fund will lose money on the future and also experience a decline in value in its portfolio securities. However, the Advisor believes that over time the value of a diversified portfolio will tend to move in the same direction as the market indices upon which the futures are based.
Where futures are purchased to hedge against a possible increase in the price of securities before the Fund is able to invest its cash (or cash equivalents) in securities (or options) in an orderly fashion, it is possible that the market may decline instead. If the Fund then decides not to invest in securities or options at that time because of concern as to possible further market decline or for other reasons, it will realize a loss on the futures contract that is not offset by a reduction in the price of securities purchased.
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In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the futures and the securities being hedged, the price of futures may not correlate perfectly with movement in the stock index or cash market due to certain market distortions. All participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationship between the index or cash market and futures markets. In addition, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause temporary price distortions. As a result of price distortions in the futures market and the imperfect correlation between movements in the cash market and the price of securities and movements in the price of futures, a correct forecast of general trends by the Sub-Advisor may still not result in a successful hedging transaction over a very short time frame.
Positions in futures may be closed out only on an exchange or board of trade which provides a secondary market for such futures. Although the Fund may intend to purchase or sell futures only on exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange or board of trade will exist for any particular contract or at any particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures position, and in the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. When futures contracts have been used to hedge portfolio securities, such securities will not be sold until the futures contract can be terminated. In such circumstances, an increase in the price of the securities, if any, may partially or completely offset losses on the futures contract. However, as described above, there is no guarantee that the price of the securities will in fact correlate with the price movements in the futures contract and thus provide an offset to losses on a futures contract.
Most United States futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of futures contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.
Successful use of futures by the Fund is also subject to the Sub-Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the market. For example, if the Fund has hedged against the possibility of a decline in the market adversely affecting stocks held in its portfolio and stock prices increase instead, the Fund will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased value of the stocks which it has hedged because it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions. In addition, in such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin requirements. Such sales of securities may be, but will not necessarily be, at increased prices which reflect the rising market. The Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
In the event of the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages in transactions in futures contracts or options, the Fund could experience delays and losses in liquidating open positions purchased or sold through the broker, and incur a loss of all or part of its margin deposits with the broker.
Options on Futures Contracts. As described above, the Fund may purchase options on the futures contracts they can purchase or sell. A futures option gives the holder, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy (call) from or sell (put) to the writer of the option a futures contract at a specified price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise, the writer of the option is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the futures contract and the exercise price. Like the buyer or seller of a futures contract, the holder or writer of an option has the right to terminate its position prior to the scheduled expiration of the option by selling, or purchasing an option of the same series, at which time the person entering into the closing transaction will realize a gain or loss. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.
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Investments in futures options involve some of the same considerations as investments in futures contracts (for example, the existence of a liquid secondary market). In addition, the purchase of an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option. Depending on the pricing of the option compared to either the futures contract upon which it is based, or upon the price of the securities being hedged, an option may or may not be less risky than ownership of the futures contract or such securities. In general, the market prices of options can be expected to be more volatile than the market prices on the underlying futures contracts. Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, however, the purchase of call or put options on futures contracts may frequently involve less potential risk to the Fund because the maximum amount at risk is limited to the premium paid for the options (plus transaction costs).
Restrictions on the Use of Futures Contracts and Related Options. The Fund may engage in transactions in futures contracts or related options primarily as a hedge against changes resulting from market conditions in the values of securities held in the Fund’s portfolio or which it intends to purchase and where the transactions are economically appropriate to the reduction of risks inherent in the ongoing management of the Fund. A Fund may not purchase or sell futures or purchase related options for purposes other than bona fide hedging if, immediately thereafter, more than 25% of its total assets would be hedged. The Fund also may not purchase or sell futures or purchase related options if, immediately thereafter, the sum of the amount of margin deposits on the Fund’s existing futures positions and premiums paid for such options would exceed 5% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets.
These restrictions, which are derived from current federal regulations regarding the use of options and futures by mutual funds, are not “fundamental restrictions” and may be changed by the Trustees of the Trust if applicable law permits such a change and the change is consistent with the overall investment objective and policies of the Fund.
The extent to which the Fund may enter into futures and options transactions may be limited by the Code requirements for qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company. See “Taxation.”
Exclusion from Definition of Commodity Pool Operator
The Fund is operated by a person who has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended (“CEA”), pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA promulgated by the CFTC. Therefore, neither the Fund nor the Advisor is subject to registrations or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA. Effective December 31, 2012, in order to claim the Rule 4.5 exclusion, the Fund is limited in its ability to invest in certain financial instruments regulated under the CEA (“commodity interests”), including futures, options and certain swaps (including securities futures, broad-based stock index futures and financial futures contracts). In the event that the Fund’s investments in commodity interests are not within the thresholds set forth in the Rule 4.5 exclusion, the Advisor may be required to register as a “commodity pool operator” and/or “commodity trading advisor” with the CFTC with respect to the Fund, which may increase the Fund’s expenses and adversely affect the Fund’s total returns. The Advisor’s eligibility to claim the 4.5 exclusion with respect to the Fund will be based upon, among other things, the level and scope of the Fund’s investments in commodity interests, the purposes of such investments and the manner in which the Fund holds out its use of commodity interests. As a result, in the future, the Fund will be more limited in their ability to invest in commodity interests than in the past, which may negatively impact on the ability of the Advisor to manage the Fund and the Fund’s performance.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with respect to its portfolio securities. Pursuant to such agreements, the Fund acquires securities from financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers as are deemed to be creditworthy by the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase and the Fund’s agreement to resell such securities at a mutually agreed upon date and price. The repurchase price generally
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equals the price paid by the Fund plus interest negotiated on the basis of current short-term rates (which may be more or less than the rate on the underlying portfolio security). Securities subject to repurchase agreements will be held by the Custodian or in the Federal Reserve/Treasury Book-Entry System or an equivalent foreign system. The seller under a repurchase agreement will be required to maintain the value of the underlying securities at not less than 102% of the repurchase price under the agreement. If the seller defaults on its repurchase obligation, the Fund holding the repurchase agreement will suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from a sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase price under the agreement. Bankruptcy or insolvency of such a defaulting seller may cause the Fund’s rights with respect to such securities to be delayed or limited. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans under the 1940 Act, and the total repurchase agreements of the Fund are limited to 33-1/3% of its total assets.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund typically will invest the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement in money market instruments or repurchase agreements maturing not later than the expiration of the reverse repurchase agreement. The Fund may use the proceeds of reverse repurchase agreements to provide liquidity to meet redemption requests when sale of the Fund’s securities is disadvantageous.
The Fund causes its custodian to segregate liquid assets, such as cash, U.S. Government securities or other high-grade liquid debt securities equal in value to its obligations (including accrued interest) with respect to reverse repurchase agreements. In segregating such assets, the custodian either places such securities in a segregated account or separately identifies such assets and renders them unavailable for investment. Such assets are marked to market daily to ensure full collateralization is maintained.
Dollar Roll Transactions
The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions. A dollar roll transaction involves a sale by the Fund of a security to a financial institution concurrently with an agreement by the Fund to purchase a similar security from the institution at a later date at an agreed-upon price. The securities that are repurchased will bear the same interest rate as those sold, but generally will be collateralized by different pools of mortgages with different prepayment histories than those sold. During the period between the sale and repurchase, the Fund will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold. Proceeds of the sale will be invested in additional portfolio securities of the Fund, and the income from these investments, together with any additional fee income received on the sale, may or may not generate income for the Fund exceeding the yield on the securities sold.
At the time the Fund enters into a dollar roll transaction, it causes its custodian to segregate liquid assets such as cash, U.S. Government securities or other high-grade liquid debt securities having a value equal to the purchase price for the similar security (including accrued interest) and subsequently marks the assets to market daily to ensure that full collateralization is maintained.
When-Issued Securities, Forward Commitments and Delayed Settlements
The Fund may purchase securities on a “when-issued,” forward commitment or delayed settlement basis. In this event, the Custodian will set aside, and the Fund will identify on its books, cash or liquid portfolio securities equal to the amount of the commitment in a separate account. Normally, the Custodian will set aside portfolio securities to satisfy a purchase commitment. In such a case, the Fund may be required subsequently to place additional assets in the separate account in order to assure that the value of the account remains equal to the amount of the Fund’s commitment. It may be expected that the Fund’s net assets will fluctuate to a greater degree when it sets aside portfolio securities to cover such purchase commitments than when it sets aside cash.
The Fund does not intend to engage in these transactions for speculative purposes but only in furtherance of its investment objectives. Because the Fund will set aside cash or liquid portfolio securities to satisfy its purchase commitments in the manner described, the Fund’s liquidity and the ability of the Sub-Advisor to manage it may be affected in the event the Fund’s forward commitments, commitments to purchase when-issued securities and delayed settlements ever exceeded 15% of the value of its net assets.
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The Fund will purchase securities on a when-issued, forward commitment or delayed settlement basis only with the intention of completing the transaction. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, the Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a commitment after it is entered into, and may sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Fund on the settlement date. In these cases the Fund may realize a taxable capital gain or loss. When the Fund engages in when-issued, forward commitment and delayed settlement transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade. Failure of such party to do so may result in the Fund’s incurring a loss or missing an opportunity to obtain a price credited to be advantageous.
The market value of the securities underlying a when-issued purchase, forward commitment to purchase securities, or a delayed settlement and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value is taken into account when determining the market value of the Fund starting on the day the Fund agrees to purchase the securities. The Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.
Zero-Coupon, Step-Coupon and Pay-in-Kind Securities
The Fund may invest in zero-coupon, step-coupon and pay-in-kind securities. These securities are debt securities that do not make regular cash interest payments. Zero-coupon and step-coupon securities are sold at a deep discount to their face value. Pay-in-kind securities pay interest through the issuance of additional securities. Because these securities do not pay current cash income, the price of these securities can be volatile when interest rates fluctuate. While these securities do not pay current cash income, the Code requires the holders of these securities to include in income each year the portion of the original issue discount (or deemed discount) and other non-cash income on the securities accruing that year. The Fund may be required to distribute a portion of that discount and income and may be required to dispose of other portfolio securities, which may occur in periods of adverse market prices, in order to generate cash to meet these distribution requirements.
Borrowing
The Fund is authorized to borrow money from banks from time to time for temporary, extraordinary or emergency purposes or for clearance of transactions in amounts up to 20% of the value of its total assets at the time of such borrowing. The Fund is authorized to borrow money in amounts up to 5% of the value of its total assets at the time of such borrowing s for temporary purposes and is authorized to borrow money in excess of the 5% limit as permitted by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage (i.e., total assets including borrowings less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of at least 300% of the amount borrowed. If the 300% asset coverage declines as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time. The use of borrowing by the Fund involves special risk considerations that may not be associated with other funds having similar objectives and policies. Since substantially all of the Fund’s assets fluctuate in value, whereas the interest obligation resulting from a borrowing will be fixed by the terms of the Fund’s agreement with its lender, the asset value per share of the Fund will tend to increase more when its portfolio securities increase in value and to decrease more when its portfolio assets decrease in value than would otherwise be the case if the Fund did not borrow funds. In addition, interest costs on borrowings may fluctuate with changing market rates of interest and may partially offset or exceed the return earned on borrowed funds. Under adverse market conditions, the Fund might have to sell portfolio securities to meet interest or principal payments at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales.
Lending Portfolio Securities
The Fund may lend its investment securities to approved institutional borrowers who need to borrow
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securities in order to complete certain transactions, such as covering short sales, avoiding failures to deliver securities or completing arbitrage operations. By lending its investment securities, the Fund attempts to increase its net investment income through the receipt of interest on the loan. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would belong to the Fund. The Fund may lend its investment securities so long as the terms, structure and the aggregate amount of such loans are not inconsistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations or interpretations of the SEC thereunder, which currently require that (i) the loan collateral must be equal to at least 100% of the value of the loaned securities, and the borrower must increase such collateral such that it remains equal to 100% of the value of the loaned securities whenever the price of the loaned securities increases (i.e., mark to market on a daily basis); (ii) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (iii) the 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; (iv) the Fund may pay reasonable custodial fees in connection with the lending of portfolio securities, which fees must be negotiated by the Fund and the custodian and be approved by the Board; and (v) although the voting rights may pass with the lending of securities, the Board must be obligated to call the loan in time to vote the securities if a material event affecting the investment on loan is to occur.
The primary risk in securities lending is default by the borrower as the value of the borrowed security rises, resulting in a deficiency in the collateral posted by the borrower. The Fund seeks to minimize this risk by computing the value of the security loaned on a daily basis and requiring additional collateral if necessary.
The Board has appointed State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Fund’s custodian, as securities lending agent for the Fund’s securities lending activity. The securities lending agent maintains a list of broker-dealers, banks or other institutions that it has determined to be creditworthy. The Fund will only enter into loan arrangements with borrowers on this list and will not lend its securities to be sold short.
Short Sales
The Fund is authorized to make short sales of securities which it does not own or have the right to acquire. In a short sale, the Fund sells a security that it does not own, in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the security. To complete the sale, the Fund must borrow the security (generally from the broker through which the short sale is made) in order to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The Fund is said to have a “short position” in the securities sold until it delivers them to the broker. The period during which the Fund has a short position can range from one day to more than a year. Until the security is replaced, the proceeds of the short sale are retained by the broker, and the Fund is required to pay to the broker a negotiated portion of any dividends or interest that accrue during the period of the loan. To meet current margin requirements, the Fund is also required to deposit with the broker additional cash or securities so that the total deposit with the broker is maintained daily at 150% of the current market value of the securities sold short (100% of the current market value if a security is held in the account that is convertible or exchangeable into the security sold short within 90 days without restriction other than the payment of money).
Short sales by the Fund create opportunities to increase the Fund’s return but, at the same time, involve specific risk considerations and may be considered a speculative technique. Since the Fund in effect profits from a decline in the price of the securities sold short without the need to invest the full purchase price of the securities on the date of the short sale, the Fund’s NAV per share will tend to increase more when the securities it has sold short decrease in value, and to decrease more when the securities it has sold short increase in value, than would otherwise be the case if it had not engaged in such short sales. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium, dividends or interest the Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale. Furthermore, under adverse market conditions the Fund might have difficulty purchasing securities to meet its short sale delivery obligations, and might have to sell portfolio securities to raise the capital necessary to meet its short sale obligations at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales.
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Illiquid Securities
The Fund may not invest more than 15% of the value of its net assets in illiquid securities, including restricted securities that are not deemed to be liquid by the Sub-Advisor. The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will monitor the amount of illiquid securities in the Fund’s portfolio, under the supervision of the Board, to ensure compliance with the Fund’s investment restrictions. In accordance with procedures approved by the Board, these securities may be valued using techniques other than market quotations, and the values established for these securities may be different than what would be produced through the use of another methodology or if they had been priced using market quotations. Illiquid securities and other portfolio securities that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their value from one day to the next than would be the case if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell a portfolio security for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio security is sold at a discount to its established value.
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. Securities which have not been registered under the Securities Act are referred to as private placement or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Mutual funds do not typically 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 the Fund might be unable to dispose of restricted or other illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption within seven days. The 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.
In recent years, however, a large institutional market has developed 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. If such securities are subject to purchase by institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act, the Sub-Advisor, pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board, may determine that such securities are not illiquid securities notwithstanding their legal or contractual restrictions on resale. In all other cases, however, securities subject to restrictions on resale will be deemed illiquid.
Exchange-Traded Funds
The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), which are a type of index fund bought and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF trades like common stock and represents a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market index. The Fund could purchase an ETF to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the U.S. or a foreign market while awaiting purchase of underlying securities. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile and ETFs have management fees that increase their costs. ETFs are also subject to other risks, including the risk that their prices may not correlate perfectly with changes in the underlying index and the risk of possible trading halts due to market conditions or other reasons that, in the view of the exchange upon which an ETF trades, would make trading in the ETF inadvisable. An exchange-traded sector fund may also be adversely affected by the performance of that specific sector or group of industries on which it is based. Investments in ETFs are generally subject to limits in the 1940 Act on investments in other investment companies.
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Initial Public Offerings
The Fund may purchase securities of companies in initial public offerings (“IPOs”). By definition, IPOs have not traded publicly until the time of their offerings. Special risks associated with IPOs may include a limited number of shares available for trading, unseasoned trading, lack of investor knowledge of the company, and limited operating history, all of which may contribute to price volatility. Many IPOs are issued by undercapitalized companies of small- or micro-cap size. The effect of IPOs on the Fund’s performance depends on a variety of factors, including the number of IPOs the Fund invests in relative to the size of the Fund and whether and to what extent a security purchased in an IPO appreciates or depreciates in value. As the Fund’s asset base increases, IPOs often have a diminished effect on the Fund’s performance.
Risks of Investing in Small Companies
The Fund may invest in securities of small companies. Additional risks of such investments include the markets on which such securities are frequently traded. In many instances the securities of smaller companies are traded only over-the-counter or on a regional securities exchange, and the frequency and volume of their trading is substantially less than is typical of larger companies. Therefore, the securities of smaller companies may be subject to greater and more abrupt price fluctuations. When making large sales, the Fund may have to sell portfolio holdings at discounts from quoted prices or may have to make a series of small sales over an extended period of time due to the trading volume of smaller company securities. Investors should be aware that, based on the foregoing factors, an investment in the Fund may be subject to greater price fluctuations than an investment in a fund that invests exclusively in larger, more established companies. The Sub-Advisor’s research efforts may also play a greater role in selecting securities for the Fund than in a fund that invests in larger, more established companies.
Market Events Risk
Events in certain sectors historically have resulted, and may in the future result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. These events have included, but are not limited to: bankruptcies, corporate restructuring, and other events related to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2008; governmental efforts to limit short selling, and high frequency trading; measures to address U.S. federal and state budget deficits; social, political, and economic instability in Europe; economic stimulus by the Japanese central bank; steep declines in oil prices; dramatic changes in currency exchange rates; and China’s economic slowdown. Interconnected global economies and financial markets increase the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Such events may cause significant declines in the values and liquidity of many securities and other instruments. It is impossible to predict whether these conditions will recur. Because such situations may be widespread, it may be difficult to identify both risks and opportunities using past models of the interplay of market forces, or to predict the duration of such events.
An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and has now spread globally. This coronavirus has resulted in certain travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty.
Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption Risk
The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Fund to sell its securities at times
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when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value and liquidity. Similarly, large share purchases may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio.
Risks of Increased Reliance on Data Analytics
In recent years, the asset management business has become increasingly dependent on data analytics to support portfolio management, investment operations and compliance. The Advisor’s and Sub-Advisor’s regulators have also substantially increased the extent and complexity of the data analytic component of compliance requirements. A failure to source accurate data from third parties or to correctly analyze, integrate or apply data could result in operational, trade or compliance errors, could cause portfolio losses, and could lead to regulatory concerns.
Investment Restrictions
The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the favorable vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities,” as defined in the 1940 Act, of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of its outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund is diversified; i.e., as to 75% of the value of its total assets: (i) no more than 5% of the value of its total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities); and (ii) the Fund may not purchase more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer. The Fund’s investment objective is also fundamental.
The following fundamental investment restrictions pertain to the Fund.
The Fund may not:
1. Issue senior securities, borrow money or pledge its assets, except that (i) the Fund may borrow on an unsecured basis from banks for temporary or emergency purposes or for the clearance of transactions in amounts not exceeding 20% of its total assets (not including the amount borrowed), provided that it will not make investments while borrowings in excess of 5% of the value of its total assets are outstanding; and (ii) this restriction shall not prohibit the Fund from engaging in options, futures and foreign currency transactions or short sales.
2. Purchase securities on margin, except such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of transactions.
3. Act as underwriter (except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its investment portfolio).
4. Invest 25% or more of its net assets, calculated at the time of purchase and taken at market value, in any one industry (other than U.S. Government securities).
5. Purchase or sell real estate or interests in real estate or real estate limited partnerships (although the Fund may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate).
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6. Purchase or sell commodities or contracts on commodities, except to the extent that the Fund may do so in accordance with applicable law and the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, as they may be amended from time to time, and without registering as a commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act.
7. Invest in oil and gas limited partnerships or oil, gas or mineral leases.
8. Make loans of money (except for purchases of debt securities consistent with the investment policies of the Fund and except for repurchase agreements).
9. Make investments for the purpose of exercising control or management.
With respect to the restriction on investments in oil and gas limited partnerships specified in restriction 7, only direct investment in oil and gas limited partnerships are prohibited. Therefore, the Fund may invest in publicly traded master limited partnerships, public limited partnerships or other investment vehicles that invest in oil and gas limited partnerships.
The Fund observes the following non-fundamental restrictions, which may be changed by a vote of the Board at any time:
The Fund may not:
1. Invest in the securities of other investment companies or purchase any other investment company’s voting securities or make any other investment in other investment companies except to the extent permitted by federal law. (Generally, the 1940 Act prohibits the Fund from investing more than 5% of the value of its total assets in any one investment company or more than 10% of the value of its total assets in investment companies as a group, and also restricts its investment in any investment company to 3% of the voting securities of such investment company. There are some exceptions, however, to these limitations pursuant to various rules promulgated by the SEC.)
2. Invest more than 15% of its net assets in securities that are restricted as to disposition or otherwise are illiquid or have no readily available market (except for securities that are determined by the Sub-Advisor, pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board, to be liquid).
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The overall management of the business and affairs of the Trust is vested with its Board, which is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet throughout the year to oversee the activities of the Fund, review the compensation arrangements between the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund, including the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, and the Fund’s administrator, custodian and transfer agent, and review the Fund’s performance. The day-to-day operations of the Trust are delegated to its officers, subject to the Fund’s investment objectives and policies and to general supervision by the Board. A majority of the Trustees are not otherwise affiliated with the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor.
Independent Trustees*
Name, Address and Year Born |
Position(s)
|
Term of
|
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
# of
Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other
Trustee
Past Five
|
|||||
Julie Allecta 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (born 1946) |
Independent Trustee | Open-ended term; served since June 2013 | Member of Governing Council and Policy Committee, Independent Directors Council (education for investment company independent directors) since 2014; and Retired Partner, Paul Hastings LLP (law firm) from 1999 to 2009. | 6 |
Forward Funds (4 portfolios)
Salient MS Trust (2 portfolios)
Salient Midstream & MLP Fund (1 portfolio) |
|||||
Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D. 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (born 1941) |
Independent Trustee |
Open-ended term; served since inception |
Vice President, RoutSource Consulting Services (organizational planning and development) since 2002. | 6 | None | |||||
Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D. 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (born 1948) |
Independent Trustee |
Open-ended term; served since February 2005 |
Professor, Department of Finance, Santa Clara University since 1979. | 6 | SA Funds – Investment Trust (10 portfolios) |
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Interested Trustees & Officers
Name, Address and
|
Position(s)
|
Term of
|
Principal Occupation(s)
|
# of
|
Other Directorships Held by Trustee/ Officer During Past Five Years |
|||||
Jeremy L. DeGroot** 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (born 1963) |
Chairman of the Board, Trustee and President |
Open-ended term; served as a Chairman since March 2017, Trustee since December 2008 and President since 2014 |
Chief Investment Officer of Litman Gregory Asset Management, LLC since 2008; and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Litman Gregory Asset Management, LLC from 2003 to 2008. | 6 | None | |||||
Stephen M. Savage 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (born 1961) |
Secretary |
Open-ended term; served since 2014 |
Chief Executive Officer of the Advisor since 2015; Managing Partner of the Advisor since 2010; Partner of the Advisor since 2003. | N/A | None | |||||
John M. Coughlan 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (born 1956) |
Treasurer and Chief Compliance Officer | Open-ended term; served as Treasurer since inception, and as Chief Compliance Officer since September 2004 | Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of the Advisor since 2004. | N/A | None |
* |
Denotes Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as such term is defined under the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”). |
** |
Denotes Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Trust, as such term is defined under the 1940 Act, because of their relationship with the Advisor (the “Interested Trustees”). |
In addition, Jack Chee, Rajat Jain, and Jason Steuerwalt, each a Senior Research Analyst at the Advisor, are each an Assistant Secretary of the Trust.
Additional Information Concerning Our Board of Trustees
The Role of the Board
The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust. Like most mutual funds, the day-to-day management and operation of the Trust is performed by various service providers to the Trust, such as the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, and the Fund’s distributor, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, each of which is discussed in greater detail in this SAI. The Board has appointed senior employees of certain of these service providers as officers of the Trust, with the responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and service providers regarding the
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Trust’s operations. For example, investment officers report on the performance of the Fund. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters. Some of these reports are provided as part of formal “Board Meetings,” which are typically held quarterly, in person, and involve the Board’s review of recent Trust operations. From time to time, one or more members of the Board may also meet with management in less formal settings, between formal “Board Meetings,” to discuss various topics. In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust’s investments, portfolio pricing, operations or activities.
Board Structure, Leadership
The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. It has established three standing committees, an Audit Committee, a Nominating Committee and a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee, which are discussed in greater detail under “ Board of Trustees – Board Committees” below. Each of the three standing committees of the Board is comprised entirely of Independent Trustees. The Board does not currently have a designated lead Independent Trustee. The Independent Trustees have engaged their own independent counsel to advise them on matters relating to their responsibilities in connection with the Trust. The Board reviews its leadership structure periodically as part of its annual self-assessment process and believes that its structure is appropriate to enable the Board to exercise its oversight of the Trust.
Presently, Mr. DeGroot serves as the Chairman of the Board and President of the Trust and Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor. Mr. DeGroot is an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, by virtue of his employment relationship with the Advisor. In developing the Board’s structure, the Board has determined that Mr. DeGroot’s history with the Trust, familiarity with the Fund’s investment objectives and extensive experience in the field of investments qualifies him to serve as the Chairman of the Board. The Board has also determined that the function and composition of the Audit Committee and Nominating Committees are appropriate means to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise from the Chairman’s status as an Interested Trustee.
Board Oversight of Risk Management
As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and assessments and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel. Risk management is a broad concept comprised of many disparate elements (such as, for example, investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risk, valuation risk and business continuity risk). Consequently, Board oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. In the course of providing oversight, the Board and its committees receive reports on the Trust’s activities regarding the Trust’s investment portfolios and its financial accounting and reporting. The Board also receives periodic reports as to how the Advisor conducts service provider oversight and how it monitors for other risks, such as derivatives risk, business continuity risks and risks that might be present with the Sub-Advisor or specific investment strategies. The Audit Committee meets regularly with the Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance and operational risks. The Audit Committee’s meetings with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm also contribute to its oversight of certain internal control risks. The full Board receives reports from the Advisor as to investment risks as well as other risks that may be also discussed in the Audit Committee.
The Board receives regular reports from a “Valuation Committee,” composed of the following senior employees of the Advisor: John Coughlan, Jeremy DeGroot, Jack Chee, Rajat Jain and Jason Steuerwalt. The Valuation Committee operates pursuant to the Trust’s Valuation Procedures, as approved by the Board. The Valuation Committee reports to the Board on the valuation of the Fund’s portfolio securities, reviews the performance of each approved pricing service, and recommends to the Board for approval pricing agents for the valuation of Fund holdings.
30
The Trust believes that the Board’s role in risk oversight must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and that its existing role in risk oversight is appropriate. However, not all risks that may affect the Trust can be identified or processes and controls developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects, and some risks are beyond any control of the Trust, the Advisor or its affiliates or other service providers.
Information about Each Trustee’s Qualification, Experience, Attributes or Skills
The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills (“Trustee Attributes”) appropriate to their continued service as Trustees of the Trust in light of the Trust’s business and structure. Each of the Trustees has a demonstrated record of business and professional accomplishment that indicates that they have the ability to critically review, evaluate and assess information provided to them. Certain of these business and professional experiences are set forth in detail in the charts above. In addition, certain of the Trustees have served on boards for organizations other than the Trust, and each of the Trustees has served on the Board of the Trust for a number of years. They therefore have substantial boardroom experience and, in their service to the Trust, have gained substantial insight as to the operation of the Trust and have demonstrated a commitment to discharging oversight duties as Trustees in the interest of shareholders.
In addition to the information provided in the charts above, certain additional information concerning each particular Trustee and certain of their Trustee Attributes is provided below. The information provided below, and in the charts above, is not all-inclusive. Many Trustee Attributes involve intangible elements, such as intelligence, work ethic, and the ability to work together, to communicate effectively, to exercise judgment, to ask incisive questions, to manage people and problems, and to develop solutions. The Board annually conducts a self-assessment wherein the effectiveness of the Board and individual Trustees is reviewed. In conducting its annual self-assessment, the Board has determined that the Trustees have the appropriate attributes and experience to continue to serve effectively as Trustees of the Trust.
The summaries set forth below as to the qualifications, attributes, and skills of the Trustees are furnished in response to disclosure requirements imposed by the SEC, do not constitute any representation or guarantee that the Board or any Trustee has any special expertise or experience, and do not impose any greater or additional responsibility or obligation on, or change any standard of care applicable to, any such person or the Board as a whole than otherwise would be the case.
Mr. DeGroot’s Trustee Attributes include his position as principal and Chief Investment Officer of Litman Gregory Asset Management, LLC (“LGAM”). In this position, Mr. DeGroot is responsible for overseeing Sub-Advisor due diligence, asset class research and portfolio tactical allocation decisions. Mr. DeGroot is also Portfolio Manager of the PartnerSelect Alternative Strategies Fund and Co-Portfolio Manager of the PartnerSelect Equity Fund, the PartnerSelect International Fund and the PartnerSelect High Income Alternatives Fund. He is frequently quoted in the national media in the areas of asset allocation and manager selection. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation. Mr. DeGroot also has prior experience as an economics consultant and economist.
Ms. Allecta’s Trustee Attributes include her significant professional experience in the legal field as counsel to various mutual funds and private funds. Ms. Allecta also has mutual fund and closed-end fund board experience, having served on the board of trustees of Forward Funds since 2012, the board of trustees of the Salient MS Trust since 2015, and the board of directors of the Salient Midstream & MLP Fund since 2017. Ms. Allecta has also been a member of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council since 2014.
Mr. Eigenbrod’s Trustee Attributes include his significant business advisory experience serving on the Board of Directors for Right Management Consultants providing management and organizational development consulting service as an independent consultant and executive coach.
Mr. Shefrin’s Trustee Attributes include his distinguished academic career as a Professor at Santa Clara University, where he teaches finance. Mr. Shefrin also has a number of years of mutual fund board experience, having served on the board of trustees of SA Funds - Investment Trust since 1999.
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Board Committees
The Board has three standing committees as described below:
Audit Committee
Members | Description |
Committee Meetings During Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019 |
||
Julie Allecta Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D. Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D. (Chairman) |
Responsible for advising the full Board with respect to accounting, auditing and financial matters affecting the Trust. | 3 |
Qualified Legal Compliance Committee
Members | Description |
Committee Meetings During Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019 |
||
Julie Allecta Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D. Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D. |
Responsible for the receipt, review and consideration of any report made or referred to it by an attorney of evidence of a material violation of applicable U.S. federal or state securities law, material breach of a fiduciary duty under U.S. federal or state law or a similar material violation by the Trust or by any officer, Trustee, employee or agent of the Trust | 0 |
Nominating Committee
Members | Description |
Committee Meetings During Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019 |
||
Julie Allecta Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D. (Chairman) Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D. |
Responsible for evaluating the size and compensation of the Board and seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for Trustees. | 0 |
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Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares
As of December 31, 2019, the Trustees owned the following dollar range of shares of the Funds(1). The Fund and the Focused Small Value Fund are not included in the table below because the Funds had not commenced operations as of December 31, 2019.
Name of Trustee |
Equity
Fund |
International
Fund |
Smaller
Companies Fund(3) |
Alternative
Strategies Fund |
High Income
Alternatives Fund |
Aggregate Dollar Range
of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies (2) |
||||||||||||||||||
Independent Trustees |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julie Allecta |
A | A | A | A | E | E | ||||||||||||||||||
Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D. |
D | C | A | D | D | E | ||||||||||||||||||
Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D. |
A | E | A | A | A | E | ||||||||||||||||||
Interested Trustees |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeremy L. DeGroot |
E | E | E | E | E | E |
(1) |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund: |
A=None
B=$1-$10,000
C=$10,001-$50,000
D=$50,001-$100,000
E= Over $100,000
(2) |
As of December 31, 2019, the Trustees each oversaw five registered investment companies in the fund complex. |
(3) |
The Smaller Companies Fund was reorganized into the Focused Small Value Fund on October 15, 2020. |
Trustee Interest in Investment Advisor, Distributor or Affiliates
As of December 31, 2019, the Independent Trustees, and their respective immediate family members, did not own any securities beneficially or of record in the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) or any of their respective affiliates. Further, the Independent Trustees and their respective immediate family members did not have a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, the Distributor, or any of their respective affiliates during the two most recently completed calendar years.
Compensation
For the year ended December 31, 2019 each Independent Trustee received an annual fee of $100,000, allocated $9,000 per PartnerSelect Fund with the remaining balance pro-rated quarterly based on each PartnerSelect Fund’s assets, plus expenses incurred by the Trustees in connection with attendance at meetings of the Board and its committees.
As of the date of this SAI, to the best of the knowledge of the Trust, the Board and the officers of the Funds, as a group, owned of record less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each PartnerSelect Fund.
The table below illustrates the annual compensation paid to each Trustee of the Trust during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The Fund and the Focused Small Value Fund are not included in the table below because the Funds had not commenced operations as of December 31, 2019.
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Aggregate Compensation from
Name of Person, Position |
Equity
Fund |
International
Fund |
Smaller
Companies Fund** |
Alternative
Strategies Fund |
High Income
Alternatives Fund |
Pension or
Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund Expenses |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total
Compensation from Trust Paid to Trustees |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Independent Trustees |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julie Allecta, Trustee |
$ | 16,330 | $ | 17,930 | $ | 12,443 | $ | 39,968 | $ | 13,329 | None | None | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr.,
|
$ | 16,330 | $ | 17,930 | $ | 12,443 | $ | 39,968 | $ | 13,329 | None | None | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D.
|
$ | 16,330 | $ | 17,930 | $ | 12,443 | $ | 39,968 | $ | 13,329 | None | None | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Interested Trustees |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeremy L. DeGroot,
|
None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
* |
As of December 31, 2019, Mr. DeGroot was an Interested Trustee because of his relationship with the Advisor and accordingly served on the Board without compensation. |
** |
The Smaller Companies Fund was reorganized into the Focused Small Value Fund on October 15, 2020. |
Control Persons and Principal Shareholders
A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of any class of any of the Fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of such control. A control person can have a significant impact on the outcome of a shareholder vote. Because the Fund is newly formed, no persons own of record or beneficially 5% or more or its outstanding shares as of September 30, 2020.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Board has adopted policies to ensure that any disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is in the best interest of Fund shareholders; and to make clear that information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings should not be distributed to any person unless:
• |
The disclosure is required to respond to a regulatory request, court order or other legal proceedings; |
• |
The disclosure is to a mutual fund rating or statistical agency or person performing similar functions who has signed a confidentiality agreement with the Trust; |
• |
The disclosure is made to internal parties involved in the investment process, administration or custody of the Fund, including but not limited to the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and the Board; |
• |
The disclosure is (a) in connection with a quarterly, semi-annual or annual report that is available to the public or (b) relates to information that is otherwise available to the public ( e.g., portfolio information that is available on the Fund’s website); or |
• |
The disclosure is made pursuant to prior written approval of the Chief Compliance Officer of the Advisor or the Fund, or the President of the Trust. |
The Funds make their portfolio holdings publicly available on the Fund’s website 15 days after the end of each calendar quarter.
The Fund does not have any individualized ongoing arrangements to make available information about the Fund’s portfolio securities to any person other than the disclosures made, as described above, to internal parties
34
involved in the Fund’s investment process, administration or custody of the Fund. To the extent required to perform services for the Fund or the Advisor, the Fund’s or the Advisor’s legal counsel or the Fund’s auditors may obtain portfolio holdings information. Such information is provided subject to confidentiality requirements.
THE ADVISOR AND THE SUB-ADVISOR
The Advisor is a registered investment advisor with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Advisor is wholly owned by LGAM. Craig Litman, Kenneth Gregory and certain other senior employees of LGAM own approximately 85% of LGAM, and the remainder of LGAM is owned by a private equity firm.
Subject to the supervision of the Board, investment management and related services are provided by the Advisor to the Fund, pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Advisor are parties to the Advisory Agreement. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third party”) beneficiaries of, the Advisory Agreement. Rather, the Trust and its respective investment series are the sole intended beneficiaries of the Advisory Agreement. Neither this SAI nor the Prospectus is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.
In addition, individual selection of securities is provided by the Sub-Advisor approved by the Board pursuant, in each case, to an investment sub-advisory agreement (each, a “Management Agreement”). Under the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor has agreed to (i) furnish the Fund with advice and recommendations with respect to the selection and continued employment of Sub-Advisors to manage the actual investment of the Fund’s assets; the Fund(ii) oversee the investments made by such Sub-Advisor on behalf of the Fund, subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Board; (iii) oversee the actions of the Sub-Advisor with respect to voting proxies for the Fund, filing Section 13 ownership reports with the SEC for the Fund, and taking other actions on behalf of the Fund; (v) maintain the books and records required to be maintained by the Fund except to the extent arrangements have been made for such books and records to be maintained by the administrator, another agent of the Fund or the Sub-Advisor; (vi) furnish reports, statements and other data on securities, economic conditions and other matters related to the investment of the Fund’s assets that the Fund’s administrator or distributor or the officers of the Trust may reasonably request; and (vii) render to the Board such periodic and special reports with respect to the Fund’s investment activities as the Board may reasonably request, including at least one in-person appearance annually before the Board.
The Advisor has agreed, at its own expense, to maintain such staff and employ or retain such personnel and consult with such other persons as it shall from time to time determine to be necessary to the performance of its obligations under the Advisory Agreement. Personnel of the Advisor may serve as officers of the Trust provided they do so without compensation from the Trust. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the staff and personnel of the Advisor shall be deemed to include persons employed or retained by the Advisor to furnish statistical information, research, and other factual information, advice regarding economic factors and trends, information with respect to technical and scientific developments, and such other information, advice and assistance as the Advisor or the Board may desire and reasonably request. With respect to the operation of the Fund, the Advisor has agreed to be responsible for (i) providing the personnel, office space and equipment reasonably necessary for the operation of the Trust and the Fund including the provision of persons qualified to serve as officers of the Trust; (ii) compensating the Sub-Advisor selected to invest the assets of the Fund; (iii) the expenses of printing and distributing extra copies of the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and sales and advertising materials (but not the legal, auditing or accounting fees incurred thereto) to prospective investors (but not to existing shareholders); and (iv) the costs of any special Board meetings or shareholder meetings convened for the primary benefit of the Advisor or any Sub-Advisor.
Under the Management Agreement for the Fund, the Sub-Advisor agrees to invest its allocated portion of the assets of the Fund in accordance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund as set forth in the Trust’s and the Fund’s governing documents, including, without limitation, the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws; the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and undertakings;
35
and such other limitations, policies and procedures as the Advisor or the Trustees of the Trust may impose from time to time in writing to the Sub-Advisor. In providing such services, the Sub-Advisor shall at all times adhere to the provisions and restrictions contained in the federal securities laws, applicable state securities laws, the Code, and other applicable law.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Sub-Advisor has agreed to (i) furnish the Fund with advice and recommendations with respect to the investment of the Sub-Advisor’s allocated portion of the Fund’s assets; (ii) effect the purchase and sale of portfolio securities for the Sub-Advisor’s allocated portion or determine that a portion of such allocated portion will remain uninvested; (iii) manage and oversee the investments of the Sub-Advisor’s allocated portion, subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Board; (iv) vote proxies and take other actions with respect to the securities in the Sub-Advisor’s allocated portion; (v) maintain the books and records required to be maintained with respect to the securities in the Sub-Advisor’s allocated portion; (vi) furnish reports, statements and other data on securities, economic conditions and other matters related to the investment of the Fund’s assets which the Advisor, Trustees or the officers of the Trust may reasonably request; and (vii) render to the Board such periodic and special reports with respect to Sub-Advisor’s allocated portion as the Board may reasonably request.
As compensation for the Advisor’s services (including payment of the Sub-Advisor’s fees), the Fund pays the Advisor an advisory fee at the rate specified in the prospectus. In addition to the fees payable to the Advisor and the Fund’s administrator, the Trust is responsible for its operating expenses, including: fees and expenses incurred in connection with the issuance, registration and transfer of its shares; brokerage and commission expenses; all expenses of transfer, receipt, safekeeping, servicing and accounting for the cash, securities and other property of the Trust for the benefit of the Fund including all fees and expenses of its custodian, shareholder services agent and accounting services agent; interest charges on any borrowings; costs and expenses of pricing and calculating its daily NAV and of maintaining its books of account required under the 1940 Act; taxes, if any; a pro rata portion of expenditures in connection with meetings of the Fund’s shareholders and the Board that are properly payable by the Fund; salaries and expenses of officers and fees and expenses of members of the Board or members of any advisory board or committee who are not members of, affiliated with or interested persons of the Advisor; insurance premiums on property or personnel of the Fund that inure to its benefit, including liability and fidelity bond insurance; the cost of preparing and printing reports, proxy statements, prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Fund or other communications for distribution to existing shareholders; legal, auditing and accounting fees; trade association dues; fees and expenses (including legal fees) of registering and maintaining registration of its shares for sale under federal and applicable state and foreign securities laws; all expenses of maintaining and servicing shareholder accounts, including all charges for transfer, shareholder recordkeeping, dividend disbursing, redemption, and other agents for the benefit of the Fund, if any; and all other charges and costs of its operation plus any extraordinary and non-recurring expenses, except as otherwise prescribed in the Advisory Agreement.
Pursuant to a separate Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement (the “Expenses Limitation Agreement”), the Advisor has also agreed to limit the ordinary operating expenses of the Fund, through April 30, 2022 (unless otherwise sooner terminated), to an annual rate of 0.94% for the Institutional Class (the “Expense Cap”). Such annual rate is expressed as a percentage of the daily net assets of the Fund attributable to the applicable class. Any fee waiver or expense reimbursement made by the Advisor pursuant to the Expenses Limitation Agreement is subject to the repayment by the Fund only within three (3) years of the date such amounts were waived or reimbursed, provided that the repayment does not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limitation applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement or (ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of repayment, and the repayment is approved by the Board. The Advisor has waived its right to receive reimbursement of the portion of its advisory fees waived with respect to prior periods pursuant to this agreement. The Advisor has contractually agreed through April 30, 2022, to waive a portion of its advisory fees so that after paying all of the sub-advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a percentage of the Fund’s daily net assets retained by the Advisor is 0.35%. This agreement may be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees of the Trust upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Advisor, and the Advisor may decline to renew this agreement by
36
written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the agreement’s annual expiration date. Operating expenses referred to in this and the following paragraph include management fees payable to the Advisor but exclude any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, borrowing costs (including commitment fees), dividend expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses such as but not limited to litigation costs.
Pursuant to an Investment Sub-Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement, Oldfield Partners LP (“OP”) has agreed to participate in the limitation of Fund operating expenses by waiving a portion of its sub-advisory fees until the second anniversary of the effective date of the Investment Sub-Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement. Further, the Sub-Advisor will have no obligation to waive fees in any month in which (i) the average net assets of the Fund for that month are equal to or greater than $250 million or (ii) the Fund’s actual annualized operating expenses do not exceed the annual Expense Cap. The Investment Sub-Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement will remain in effect for the duration of the Expenses Limitation Agreement and will terminate automatically upon the termination of (i) the Sub-Advisory Agreement or (ii) the Expenses Limitation Agreement.
Under the Advisory Agreement and each Management Agreement, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will not be liable to the Trust for any error of judgment by the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor or any loss sustained by the Trust except in the case of a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services (in which case any award of damages will be limited as provided in the 1940 Act) or of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the applicable agreement.
The Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreements remain in effect for an initial period not to exceed two years. Thereafter, if not terminated, the Advisory Agreement and each Management Agreement will continue automatically for successive annual periods, provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by a majority vote of the Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (ii) by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
The Advisory Agreement and Management Agreements are terminable by vote of the Board or by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund at any time without penalty, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, as applicable. The Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreements also may be terminated by the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, as applicable, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Fund. The Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreements terminate automatically upon their assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
In determining whether to renew the Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreement each year, the Board requests and evaluates information provided by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, in accordance with Section 15(c) of the 1940 Act. At a Board meeting held on September 1, 2020, the Board approved the Management Agreement of the Fund for an initial two-year period from the Fund’s commencement of operations. A discussion regarding the Board’s basis for approving the Fund’s investment advisory agreement with Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will be available in the Fund’s first Annual Report or Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders following the effective date of the Fund’s registration statement.
ADDITIONAL PORTFOLIO MANAGER INFORMATION
The following section provides information regarding each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed, material conflicts of interests, and any ownership of securities in the Fund. Each portfolio manager or team member is referred to as a portfolio manager below. The portfolio managers are shown together in this section only for ease in presenting the information and should not be viewed for purposes of comparing the portfolio managers or their firms against one another. Each firm is a separate entity that may employ different compensation structures and may have different management requirements, and each portfolio manager may be affected by different conflicts of interest.
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Other Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers
The table below identifies, for each portfolio manager of the Fund, the number of accounts managed (excluding the Funds) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts. To the extent that any of these accounts are based on account performance, this information is reflected in separate tables below. Information in all tables is shown as of December 31, 2019, unless otherwise indicated. Asset amounts are approximate and have been rounded.
Registered Investment Companies (excluding the Funds) |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Fund and Portfolio Manager (Firm) |
Number of
Accounts |
Total
Assets in the Accounts |
Number of
Accounts |
Total
Assets in the Accounts |
Number of
Accounts |
Total
Assets in the Accounts |
||||||||||||||||||
International Value Fund |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeremy DeGroot (Litman Gregory) |
0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||
Rajat Jain (Litman Gregory) |
0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||
Nigel Waller (OP) |
0 | $ | 0 | 7 | $ | 900.0 | 4 | $ | 2,313.0 | |||||||||||||||
Andrew Goodwin (OP) |
0 | $ | 0 | 7 | $ | 900.0 | 4 | $ | 2,313.0 |
Material Conflicts of Interest
Actual or apparent material conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one investment account or in other circumstances. Portfolio managers of the Sub-Advisor who manage other investment accounts in addition to the Fund may be presented with the potential conflicts described below.
LITMAN GREGORY
Advisor to the Funds
Litman Gregory has overall responsibility for assets under management and conducts oversight and evaluation of the Funds’ investment managers and other duties. Litman Gregory generally does not make day-to-day decisions with respect to the purchase and sale of portfolio securities by the Funds. Accordingly, no material conflicts of interest are expected to arise between the Funds and other accounts managed by the portfolio managers. Litman Gregory has adopted compliance policies, including allocation policies and a code of ethics, which are intended to prevent or mitigate conflicts of interest, if any, that may arise.
OLDFIELD PARTNERS LLP (“OP”)
Sub-Advisor to the Fund
As a general matter, OP attempts to minimize conflicts of interest and has implemented policies and procedures identifying circumstances that might give rise to conflict of interests. OP’s portfolio managers may manage multiple accounts which may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. Some of these accounts may have the same investment objective as the Fund; a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of identical investment objectives, whereby the portfolio manager could favor one account over another account. In order to address such potential conflicts, OP manages all global equity accounts in line, except for client specific restrictions which can occasionally cause small differences. Decisions for global equity portfolios are made across all portfolios and trades are created for all accounts in one block, ensuring each client receives the same price. In addition, the firm manages long only portfolios and does have any strategies that hedge. This means there is no possibility of one strategy being short of a position or exposure that is held as a long position in another strategy. Where possible, OP
38
will aggregate orders for clients for the purchase or sale of the same security using the same executing broker. Such aggregation may enable OP to obtain for clients a more favorable price or a better commission rated based upon the volume of a particular transaction. Nevertheless, there may be circumstances when aggregation works to the disadvantage of a client. OP will aggregate client orders where it reasonably believes that it is in clients’ overall best interests or to provide equitable treatment. OP’s allocation procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that no unfair preference is given to any client. OP also requires its employees to obtain prior approval from the Compliance Officer of all outside business interests. The Compliance Officer considers any conflicts as part of the approval process and would consider any new conflicts arising after approval is given.
On occasion, OP and its principals and employees may buy and sell securities for themselves that they also recommend to clients. OP and its principals and employees are also investors in some of the investment funds managed by OP. OP has adopted a Code of Ethics that is reasonably designed to address conflicts that may arise with respect to these transactions. All employees are required to seek prior approval for and to report their personal securities transactions and holdings to the Chief Compliance Officer.
Compensation Structure and Methods
The following section describes the structure of, and the methods used to determine the different types of compensation (e.g., salary, bonus, deferred compensation, retirement plans and arrangements) for each of the Fund’s portfolio managers as of the date of this SAI.
LITMAN GREGORY
Advisor to the Fund
Litman Gregory’s portfolio managers are compensated based on a fixed salary and a distribution of Litman Gregory’s profits commensurate with the portfolio managers’ respective ownership percentages in the parent company of the Advisor.
OP
Sub-Advisor to the Fund
Remuneration within OP will reflect at least in part the overall profitability or otherwise of the firm. Partners (including all portfolio managers) receive their remuneration in the form of non-guaranteed profit share. Part of this is paid as a fixed amount which is equivalent to a salary and then each partner or employee is eligible for a discretionary profit share or bonus, dependent on the availability of profit. This discretionary part is decided by the remuneration committee consisting of the four non-executive directors of Oldfield & Co. (a member of OP) and Richard Oldfield, the chief executive of Oldfield & Co. and OP. The discretionary element of profit share for partners and bonuses for employees is limited to 1/3 of the pre bonus profits in total. The firm has an appraisal system which includes the setting of objectives each year for every executive by his/her manager and assessment against those objectives. The appraisal output is the basis of the remuneration process, when in addition to the profitability of the business as a whole and the specific area in which the executive is involved (e.g., global equity portfolios) may be taken into account, along with other factors. The remuneration committee considers the appraisal output in making its decisions and, in the case of portfolio managers, other factors include. but are not limited to, contribution to overall investment debate and portfolio performance. Portfolio performance is appraised over the short term (one year) and long term (up to since inception) with a higher weighting being given to the longer term measure. Performance is judged against the respective benchmarks of the portfolios, such as the MSCI World Index.
Portfolio Manager Securities Ownership
The table below identifies the dollar range of Fund shares beneficially owned by each portfolio manager of the Fund, as of the date of this SAI.
39
Portfolio Manager |
Dollar Range of
Securities Owned |
|
Rajat Jain |
A | |
Jeremy DeGroot |
A | |
Nigel Waller |
A | |
Andrew Goodwin |
A |
Key of Dollar Ranges for Table: A - None; B - $1 to $10,000; C - $10,001 to $50,000; D - $50,001 to $100,000; E - $100,001 - $500,000; F - $500,001 - $1,000,000; G - Over $1,000,000.
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Board has delegated the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund to the Advisor as a part of the Advisor’s general management of the Fund, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. The policy of the Trust is also to adopt the policies and procedures used by the Advisor to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by its clients.
The following information is a summary of the proxy voting policies and procedures of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor.
LITMAN GREGORY
Advisor to the Fund
It is the Advisor’s policy to vote all proxies received by the Fund in a timely manner. In general, the Advisor will vote in accordance with its pre-determined voting guidelines (the “Guidelines”). However, the Advisor reserves the right to depart from any of the Guidelines and make a voting decision on a case-by-case basis. Although many proxy proposals will be covered by the Guidelines, the Advisor recognizes that some proposals require special consideration, and the Advisor will make a decision on a case-by-case basis in these situations. Where such a case-by-case determination is required, the Advisor’s proxy voting coordinator may, but is not required to, consult with other personnel of the Advisor to determine the appropriate action on the matter.
Unless otherwise instructed by the Fund, the Advisor may, and generally will, delegate the responsibility for voting proxies relating to the Fund’s portfolio securities to one or more of the Sub-Advisor. To the extent such responsibility is delegated to the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall assume the fiduciary duty and reporting responsibilities of the Advisor. Unless otherwise instructed by the Fund or the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall apply its own proxy voting policies and procedures.
The Advisor’s duty is to vote in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. In situations where the Advisor determines that a proxy proposal raises a material conflict of interest between the interests of the Advisor, the Fund’s principal underwriter, or an affiliated person of the Advisor or the principal underwriter and that of one or more Funds, the conflict shall be resolved by voting in accordance with a predetermined voting policy. However, to the extent that (1) no pre-determined voting policy applies to the specific proposal or (2) there is an applicable pre-determined voting policy, but the Advisor has discretion to deviate from such policy, the Advisor shall disclose the conflict to the Board and seek the Board’s direction or consent to the proposed vote prior to voting on such proposal.
OP
Sub-Advisor to the Fund
OP complies with its Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Procedures”) that are designed to ensure that it votes proxies with respect to client securities in the best interests of its clients. The Procedures also require that OP identify any conflicts of interest between OP and its clients. If a material conflict exists, OP will determine whether voting in accordance with the voting guidelines and factors described in the Procedures is in the best interests of the client or take some other appropriate action.
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OP will generally vote in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals such as the election of directors where no corporate governance issues are implicated, the reappointment of auditors or increases or reclassification of common stock. Generally, OP will vote against proposals that make it more difficult to replace members of a board of directors, that cause management to be too heavily represented on the board, or that introduce cumulative voting, unequal voting rights or create supermajority voting. For all other proposals, OP will determine whether a proposal is in the best interests of its clients and may take into account, among others, the following factors: whether the proposal was recommended by management and OP’s opinion of management; whether the proposal acts to entrench existing management; whether the proposal fairly compensates management for past and future performance; and whether the proposal is likely to strengthen the issuer’s business franchise and therefore benefit its shareholders over a time frame that is relevant for OP’s clients’ portfolios.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PROXY VOTING
The actual voting records relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, are available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free, 1-800-960-0188 or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are also available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-960-0188.
ADMINISTRATOR
State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street” or the “Administrator”) serves as the Trust’s administrator pursuant to an Administration Agreement dated September 10, 2014 (the “Administration Agreement”). State Street is a wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation, a publicly held bank holding company. State Street is located at One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111. Pursuant to the Administration Agreement with the Trust, the Administrator has agreed to furnish statistical and research data, clerical services, and stationery and office supplies; prepare various reports for filing with the appropriate regulatory agencies; and prepare various materials required by the SEC or any state securities commission having jurisdiction over the Trust. The Administration Agreement provides that the Administrator performing services thereunder shall not be liable under the Administration Agreement except for the negligence or willful misconduct of the Administrator, its officers or employees. As compensation for these services, the Fund pays State Street an annual administration fee based upon a percentage of the average net assets of the Fund.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
The Management Agreement states that, with respect to the segment of the Fund’s portfolio allocated to the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall be responsible for broker-dealer selection and for negotiation of brokerage commission rates, provided that the Sub-Advisor shall not direct orders to an affiliated person of the Sub-Advisor without general prior authorization to use such affiliated broker or dealer by the Board. In general, the Sub-Advisor’s primary consideration in effecting a securities transaction will be execution at the most favorable cost or proceeds under the circumstances. In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Sub-Advisor may take the following into consideration: the best net price available; the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and difficulty in executing the order; and the value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the investment performance of the Fund on a continuing basis. The price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered.
Subject to such policies as the Advisor and the Board may determine, the Sub-Advisor shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by its Management Agreement with the Fund or otherwise solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to pay a broker or dealer that provides (directly or indirectly) brokerage or research services to the Sub-Advisor a commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in
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excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the Sub-Advisor’s or Advisor’s overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund or other advisory clients. The Sub-Advisor is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Fund to such brokers or dealers who also provide research or statistical material, or other services, to the Trust, the Advisor or any affiliate of either. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Sub-Advisor shall determine. The Sub-Advisor shall report on such allocations regularly to the Advisor and the Trust, indicating the broker-dealers to whom such allocations have been made and the basis for such allocations.
On occasions when the Sub-Advisor deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as other clients of the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be so purchased or sold in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and the most efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-Advisor in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients.
Distribution of Fund Shares
The Fund’s principal underwriter is ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor is engaged on a non-exclusive basis to assist in the distribution of shares in various jurisdictions. The Distributor is compensated for performing this service by the Advisor and is not paid by the Funds.
Distribution Plan
The Trust has adopted a Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Distribution Plan”) on behalf of the Investor Class of certain Funds.
Currently, the International Value Fund is authorized to issue one class of shares – Institutional Class shares – and therefore the Distribution Plan does not apply to shareholders of the Fund.
Other Shareholder Servicing Expenses Paid by the Fund
The Fund makes payments to financial intermediaries for certain sub-recordkeeping, sub-transfer agent or similar services provided by financial intermediaries in amounts determined by the Fund’s Board of Trustees to represent reasonable amounts for those services. These expenses paid by the Fund would remain subject to any overall expense limitation applicable to the Fund. These expenses are in addition to any supplemental amounts the Advisor pays out of its own resources.
The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of additional payments or other compensation as described above by financial intermediaries may provide financial intermediaries and/or their salespersons with an incentive to favor sales of shares of the Fund, and other mutual funds whose affiliates make similar compensation available, over sale of shares of mutual funds (or non-mutual fund investments) not making such payments. You may wish to take these payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendations relating to the Fund’s shares.
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The table below identifies the financial intermediaries who received compensation from the PartnerSelect Funds for providing sub-recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency or similar services during the calendar year ended December 31, 2019:
Firm
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Charles Schwab
Fidelity Investments
Great West Financial Services
LPL Financial
Massachusetts Mutual
National Financial Services, LLC (Fidelity Brokerage)
Nationwide
Pershing LLC
TD – Ameritrade
Vanguard
Voya Financial
Payments by the Advisor
Set forth below is a list of the member firms of FINRA to which the Advisor, or its affiliates, made payments out of their revenues in connection with the sale and distribution of the PartnerSelect Funds’ shares or for services to the Funds and their shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2019. Any additions, modifications, or deletions to the FINRA member firms identified in this list since December 31, 2019 are not reflected:
FINRA member firms
Raymond James
The Advisor or its affiliates may also make payments to selling and shareholder servicing agents that are not FINRA member firms and that sell shares of or provide services to the Funds and their shareholders, such as banks, insurance companies and plan administrators. These firms are not included on the list above, although they may be affiliated with companies on the above list.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Although the Fund generally will not invest for short-term trading purposes, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Sub-Advisor, investment considerations warrant such action. Portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing (1) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by (2) the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, with the exception of securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less, were sold and either repurchased or replaced within one year. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions as compared to the costs and taxable transactions of an investment company that holds investments for a longer period. The Advisor does not expect the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate to exceed 150% in most years.
NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and is determined as of the close of trading on the NYSE (currently, 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) each business day that the NYSE is open for trading. The NYSE annually announces the days on which it will not be open for trading. The most recent announcement indicates that the NYSE will not be open on the following days: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. However, the NYSE may close on days not included in that announcement.
The NAV per share is computed by dividing the value of the securities held by the Fund plus any cash or other assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus all liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of shares in the Fund outstanding at such time.
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Generally, trading in and valuation of foreign securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of the NYSE. In addition, trading in and valuation of foreign securities may not take place on every day in which the NYSE is open for trading. In that case, the price used to determine the Fund’s NAV on the last day on which such exchange was open will be used, unless the Board determines that a different price should be used. Furthermore, trading takes place in various foreign markets on days in which the NYSE is not open for trading and on which the Fund’s NAV is not calculated. Occasionally, events affecting the values of such securities in U.S. dollars on a day on which the Fund calculates its NAV may occur between the times when such securities are valued and the close of the NYSE which will not be reflected in the computation of the Fund’s NAV unless the Board or its delegates deem that such events would materially affect the NAV, in which case an adjustment would be made.
Generally, the Fund’s investments are valued on the basis of market quotations. Securities or assets for which market quotations are not available, or for which the pricing service approved by the Board does not provide a valuation or provides a valuation that in the judgment of the Sub-Advisor, with the concurrence of the Advisor, is stale or does not represent the fair value of such securities or assets, shall be valued by the Valuation Committee in consultation with the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, and the Administrator pursuant to procedures approved by the Board.
The Fund’s securities, including ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are traded on securities exchanges, are generally determined on the basis of the last reported sale price on the exchange on which such securities are traded (or the NASDAQ official closing price for NASDAQ-reported securities, if such price is provided by the Fund’s accountant), as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the last available bid and asked price. Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued on the exchange determined by the Sub-Advisor to be the primary market. Securities traded in the over-the-counter market are valued at the mean between the last available bid and asked price prior to the time of valuation. Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities, which are subject to limitations as to their sale) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of the Board.
Short-term debt obligations with remaining maturities in excess of 60 days are valued at current market prices, as discussed above. Short-term securities with 60 days or less remaining to maturity are, unless conditions indicate otherwise, amortized to maturity based on their cost to the Fund if acquired within 60 days of maturity or, if already held by the Fund on the 60th day, based on the value determined on the 61st day.
Corporate debt securities, mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities held by the Fund are valued on the basis of valuations provided by dealers in those instruments, by an independent pricing service and approved by the Board, or at fair value as determined in good faith by procedures approved by the Board. Any such pricing service, in determining value, will use information with respect to transactions in the securities being valued, quotations from dealers, market transactions in comparable securities, analyses and evaluations of various relationships between securities and yield to maturity information.
An option that is written by the Fund is generally valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of the last sale price, the last offer price. An option that is purchased by the Fund is generally valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of the last sale price, the last bid price. The value of a futures contract is the last sale or settlement price on the exchange or board of trade on which the future is traded or, if no sales are reported, at the mean between the last bid and asked price. When a settlement price cannot be used, futures contracts will be valued at their fair market value as determined by or under the direction of the Board. If an options or futures exchange closes after the time at which the Fund’s NAV is calculated, the last sale or last bid and asked prices as of that time will be used to calculate the NAV.
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Any assets or liabilities initially expressed in terms of foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at the official exchange rate or, alternatively, at the mean of the current bid and asked prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar last quoted by a major bank that is a regular participant in the foreign exchange market or on the basis of a pricing service that takes into account the quotes provided by a number of such major banks. If neither of these alternatives is available or both are deemed not to provide a suitable methodology for converting a foreign currency into U.S. dollars, the Board in good faith will establish a conversion rate for such currency.
All other assets of the Fund are valued in such manner as the Board in good faith deems appropriate to reflect their fair value.
TAXATION
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of acquiring, holding and disposing of the interests in the Fund. It is based upon the Code, the U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, published rulings and court decisions, all as in effect on the date hereof and all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations at any time (possibly with retroactive effect). This summary does not purport to deal with all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to the Fund or to all categories of investors, some of whom may be subject to special rules (including, without limitation, dealers in securities or currencies, financial institutions, life insurance companies, holders of Fund interests held as part of a “straddle,” “hedge” or “conversion transaction” with other investments, persons whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar or persons for whom the Fund interests are not capital assets). This discussion also does not address U.S. federal tax consequences other than income taxes (such as estate and gift tax consequences). In addition, the following discussion generally applies only to “U.S. persons,” as defined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) who are beneficial owners of Fund interests. A “U.S. person” is generally defined as (i) a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation (or an entity treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes) or partnership (or an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the law of the United States or any political subdivision thereof, (iii) an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source or (iv) a trust if (a) it is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) it has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is an investor in the Fund, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in that partnership will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership.
The tax consequences of an investment in the Fund will depend not only on the nature of the Fund’s operations and the then applicable U.S. federal tax principles, but also on certain factual determinations that cannot be made at this time, and upon a particular investor’s individual circumstances. No advance rulings have been sought from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).
IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR SHOULD CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR REGARDING ALL THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUNDS WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO SUCH INVESTOR’S OWN PARTICULAR TAX SITUATION AND RECENT CHANGES IN APPLICABLE LAW.
The Fund will be taxed, under the Code, as a separate entity from any other series of the Trust, and the Fund has elected to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. In each taxable year that the Fund qualifies, the Fund (but not its shareholders) will be relieved of federal income tax on that part of its investment company taxable income (consisting generally of interest and dividend income, net short term capital gain and net realized gains from currency transactions) and net capital gain that is distributed to shareholders.
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In order to qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must distribute annually to shareholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income and must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (1) at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in securities or currencies; (2) at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, at least 50% of the value of its total assets must be represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. Government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, limited in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund and that does not represent more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer; and (3) at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, not more than 25% of the value of its assets may be invested in (i) securities (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, (ii) securities (other than the securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or (iii) securities of one or more of qualified publicly traded partnerships, as such term is defined under the Code.
Distributions of net investment income and net realized capital gains by the Fund will be taxable to shareholders whether made in cash or reinvested in shares. In determining amounts of net realized capital gains to be distributed, any capital loss carryovers from prior years will be applied against capital gains to the extent permitted under the Code. Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares will have a cost basis for federal income tax purposes in each share so received equal to the NAV of a share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. Fund distributions also will be included in individual and corporate shareholders’ income on which the alternative minimum tax may be imposed. The Fund may make taxable distributions to shareholders even during periods in which share prices have declined. Tax consequences are not the primary consideration of the Fund in implementing its investment strategy.
The Fund or any securities dealer effecting a redemption of the Fund’s shares by a shareholder will be required to file information reports with the IRS with respect to distributions and payments made to the shareholder. In addition, under the federal backup withholding rules, the Fund will be required to withhold federal income tax at the current rate of 24% on taxable dividends, redemptions and other payments made to accounts of individual or other non-exempt shareholders who have not furnished their correct taxpayer identification numbers and made certain required certifications on the account application or with respect to which the Fund or the securities dealer has been notified by the IRS that the number furnished is incorrect or that the account is otherwise subject to federal backup withholding.
The Fund intends to declare and pay dividends and other distributions, as stated in the prospectus. In order to avoid the payment of a 4% non-deductible federal excise tax based on net income, the Fund must declare on or before December 31 of each year, and pay on or before January 31 of the following year, distributions at least equal to 98% of its ordinary income for that calendar year and at least 98.2% of the excess of any capital gains over any capital losses realized in the one-year period ending October 31 of that year, together with any undistributed amounts of ordinary income and capital gains (in excess of capital losses) from the previous calendar year.
Certain U.S. shareholders, including individuals and estates and trusts, in the higher income brackets will be subject to an additional 3.8% federal tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which generally will include dividends from the Fund and net gain from the disposition of shares of the Fund. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional net investment income tax resulting from an investment in the Funds.
The Fund may receive dividend distributions from U.S. corporations. To the extent that the Fund receives such dividends and distributes them to its shareholders, and meets certain other requirements of the Code, corporate shareholders of the Fund may be entitled to the dividends received deduction, and individual shareholders may, depending on the Fund’s underlying sources of income, have “qualified dividend income,” which would be subject to tax at the shareholder’s maximum federal capital gains tax rate. Availability of the deduction and/or taxation at the maximum federal capital gains tax rate is subject to certain holding period and debt-financing limitations.
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The use of hedging strategies, such as entering into futures contracts and forward contracts and purchasing options, involves complex rules that will determine the character and timing of recognition of the income received in connection therewith by the Fund. Income from foreign currencies (except certain gains therefrom that may be excluded by future regulations) and income from transactions in options, futures contracts and forward contracts derived by the Fund with respect to its business of investing in securities or foreign currencies should qualify as permissible income under Subchapter M of the Code.
For accounting purposes, premiums paid by the Fund are recorded as an asset and are subsequently adjusted to the current market value of the option. Any gain or loss realized by the Fund upon the expiration or sale of such options held by the Fund generally will be capital gain or loss.
Any security, option or other position entered into or held by the Fund that substantially diminishes the Fund’s risk of loss from any other position held by the Fund may constitute a straddle for federal income tax purposes. In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character and timing of the Fund’s gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that the loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle be deferred until gain is realized on disposition of the offsetting position; that the Fund’s holding period in certain straddle positions not begin until the straddle is terminated (possibly resulting in the gain being treated as short-term capital gain rather than long-term capital gain); and that losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions, which would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses, be treated as long-term capital losses. Different elections are available to the Fund that may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules.
Certain options, futures contracts and forward contracts that are subject to Section 1256 of the Code (“Section 1256 Contracts”) and that are held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year generally will be required to be “marked to market” for federal income tax purposes, that is, deemed to have been sold at market value. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss recognized on these deemed sales and 60% of any net gain or loss realized from any actual sales of Section 1256 Contracts will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the balance will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss.
Section 988 of the Code contains special tax rules applicable to certain foreign currency transactions that may affect the amount, timing and character of income, gain or loss recognized by the Fund. Under these rules, foreign exchange gain or loss realized with respect to foreign currency-denominated debt instruments, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency-denominated payables and receivables and foreign currency options and futures contracts (other than options and futures contracts that are governed by the mark-to-market and 60%/40% rules of Section 1256 of the Code and for which no election is made) is treated as ordinary income or loss. Some part of the Fund’s gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of shares of a foreign corporation may, because of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, be treated as ordinary income or loss under Section 988 of the Code, rather than as capital gain or loss.
Redemptions and exchanges of shares of the Fund will result in gains or losses for federal income tax purposes to the extent of the difference between the proceeds and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis for the shares. Any loss realized (to the extent it is allowed) upon the redemption or exchange of shares within six months from their date of purchase will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions of long-term capital gain dividends with respect to such shares during such six-month period. All or a portion of a loss realized upon the redemption of shares of the Fund may be disallowed to the extent shares of the Fund are purchased (including shares acquired by means of reinvested dividends) within 30 days before or after such redemption.
Distributions and redemptions may be subject to state and local taxes, and the treatment thereof may differ from the federal income tax treatment. Foreign taxes may apply to non-U.S. investors.
Nonresident aliens and foreign persons are subject to different tax rules, and may be subject to withholding of up to 30% on certain payments received from the Fund.
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Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), and subject to any applicable intergovernmental agreements, a 30% withholding tax on the Fund’s distributions generally applies if paid to a foreign entity unless: (i) if the foreign entity is a “foreign financial institution,” it undertakes certain due diligence, reporting, withholding and certification obligations, (ii) if the foreign entity is not a “foreign financial institution,” it identifies certain of its U.S. investors or (iii) the foreign entity is otherwise excepted under FATCA. Under proposed Treasury regulations, which were to take effect on January 1, 2019 and upon which taxpayers may rely unless and until overridden by subsequent regulations, FATCA withholding on gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of Fund shares and capital gain distributions is eliminated. If withholding is required under FATCA on a payment related to your shares, investors that otherwise would not be subject to withholding (or that otherwise would be entitled to a reduced rate of withholding) on such payment generally will be required to seek a refund or credit from the IRS to obtain the benefits of such exemption or reduction. The Fund will not pay any additional amounts in respect to amounts withheld under FATCA. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the effect of FATCA based on your individual circumstances.
The above discussion and the related discussion in each prospectus are not intended to be complete discussions of all applicable tax consequences of an investment in the Fund. Paul Hastings LLP, counsel to the Trust, has expressed no opinion in respect thereof. Shareholders are advised to consult with their own tax advisers concerning the application of foreign, federal, state and local taxes to an investment in the Fund.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Dividends from the Fund’s investment company taxable income (whether paid in cash or invested in additional shares) will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. Tax consequences are not the primary consideration of the Fund in implementing its investment strategies. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain (whether paid in cash or invested in additional shares) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long they have held their Fund shares. The Fund may make taxable distributions to shareholders even during periods in which the share price has declined.
Dividends declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a date in one of such months will be deemed to have been paid by the Fund and received by the shareholders on December 31 of such year if the dividends are paid by the Fund during the following January. Accordingly, such dividends will be taxed to shareholders for the year in which the record date falls.
The Fund is required to withhold as backup withholding 24% of all dividends, capital gain distributions and redemption proceeds payable to any individuals and certain other non-corporate shareholders who do not provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number. The Fund also is required to withhold 24% of all dividends and capital gain distributions paid to such shareholders who otherwise are subject to federal backup withholding.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM
The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“USA PATRIOT Act”). To ensure compliance with this law, the Trust’s Program provides for the development of internal practices, procedures and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program.
Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to, determining that the Distributor and the Fund’s transfer agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures, reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity and conducting a complete and thorough review of all new opening account applications. The Fund will not transact business with any person or entity whose identity cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.
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As a result of the Program, the Trust may be required to “freeze” the account of a shareholder if the shareholder appears to be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of known terrorists or other suspicious persons, or the Trust may be required to transfer the account or proceeds of the account to a governmental agency.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on August 1, 1996. The Fund is anticipated to commence operations on July 31, 2020. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest and to divide or combine the shares into a greater or lesser number of shares without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interest in the Fund. Each share represents an interest in the Fund proportionately equal to the interest of each other share. Upon the Trust’s liquidation, all shareholders would share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders. The Board has created five series of shares, and may create additional series in the future, which have separate assets and liabilities. Income and operating expenses not specifically attributable to a particular PartnerSelect Fund will be allocated fairly among the Funds by the Trustees, generally on the basis of the relative net assets of each PartnerSelect Fund.
The Trust has adopted a Multiple Class Plan pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act on behalf of the Funds. Currently, the Fund is authorized to issue one class of shares: Institutional Class shares.
Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that as to any investment company which has two or more series outstanding and as to any matter required to be submitted to shareholder vote, such matter is not deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a “majority” (as defined in the Rule) of the voting securities of each series affected by the matter. Such separate voting requirements do not apply to the election of Trustees or the ratification of the selection of accountants. Rule 18f-2 contains special provisions for cases in which an advisory contract is approved by one or more, but not all, series. A change in investment policy may go into effect as to one or more series whose holders so approve the change even though the required vote is not obtained as to the holders of other affected series.
The Fund may hold special meetings and mail proxy materials. These meetings may be called to elect or remove Trustees, change fundamental policies, approve an investment advisory contract or for other purposes. Shareholders not attending these meetings are encouraged to vote by proxy. The Fund will mail proxy materials in advance, including a voting card and information about the proposals to be voted on. The number of votes each shareholder is entitled to is based on the number of shares he or she owns. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each full share held (and fractional votes for fractional shares) and may vote in the election of Trustees and on other matters submitted to meetings of shareholders. It is not contemplated that regular annual meetings of shareholders will be held.
The PartnerSelect Equity Fund, the PartnerSelect International Fund, the PartnerSelect Alternative Strategies Fund, the PartnerSelect High Income Alternatives Fund and the PartnerSelect SBH Focused Small Value Fund are the only operating series of shares of the Trust. The Board may, at its own discretion, create additional series of shares. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the Trust’s acts or obligations and provides for indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of the Trust’s property for any shareholder held personally liable for its obligations.
The Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides that the shareholders have the right to remove a Trustee. Upon the written request of the record holders of 10% of the Trust’s shares, the Trustees will call a meeting of shareholders to vote on the removal of a Trustee. No amendment may be made to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust that would have a material adverse effect on shareholders without the approval of the holders of more than 50% of the Trust’s shares. Shareholders have no preemptive or conversion rights. Shares when issued are fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust, except as set forth above.
49
The Trust and Litman Gregory have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC, which permits Litman Gregory, subject to certain conditions, to hire, terminate and replace managers with the approval of the Board only and without shareholder approval. Within 60 days of the hiring of any new manager or the implementation of any proposed material change in a sub-advisory agreement with an existing manager, shareholders will be furnished information about the new manager or sub-advisory agreement that would be included in a proxy statement. The order also permits the Fund to disclose sub-advisory fees only in the aggregate in its registration statement. Pursuant to the order, shareholder approval is required before Litman Gregory enters into any sub-advisory agreement with a manager that is affiliated with the Fund or Litman Gregory.
The Trust, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and the Distributor, to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
The Trust’s custodian, State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 is responsible for holding the Fund’s assets and acting as the Trust’s accounting services agent. The Trust’s transfer agent, DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., is located at 330 West Ninth Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 64105. You may call DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc. at 1-800-960-0188 if you have questions about your account. The Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, also assists with the Fund’s tax returns. The Trust’s legal counsel is Paul Hastings LLP, 101 California Street, 48th Floor, San Francisco, California 94111.
The Fund reserves the right, if conditions exist that make cash payments undesirable, to honor any request for redemption or repurchase order by making payment in whole or in part in readily marketable securities chosen by the Fund and valued as they are for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV (a redemption in kind). If payment is made in securities, a shareholder may incur transaction expenses in converting these securities into cash.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements, including the Financial Highlights of the Funds, except for the International Value Fund, for the year ended December 31, 2019, and Cohen & Company, Ltd.’s report thereon are incorporated by reference. The report of Cohen & Company, Ltd., the independent registered public accounting firm of the Funds, with respect to the audited financial statements, is incorporated herein in its entirety in reliance upon such report of Cohen & Company, Ltd. and on the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting. As the International Value Fund has recently commenced operations, there are no financial statements available at this time. Shareholders of the International Value Fund will be informed of the Fund’s progress through periodic reports when those reports become available. Shareholders will receive a copy of the audited and unaudited financial statements at no additional charge when requesting a copy of the SAI.
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APPENDIX
Description of Ratings
The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of debt securities:
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.: Corporate Bond Ratings
Aaa—Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality and carry the smallest degree of investment risk. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin, and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa—Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.
Moody’s appends numerical modifiers “1”, “2” and “3” to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. Both the Aaa and Aa rating classifications. The modifier “1” indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier “2” indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier “3” indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category. Additionally a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.
A—Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations and subject to low credit risk. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
Baa—Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations, subject to moderate credit risk, i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great period of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.
Standard & Poor’s Corporation: Corporate Bond Ratings
AAA—This is the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s to a debt obligation and indicates an extremely strong capacity to pay principal and interest.
AA—Bonds rated AA also qualify as high-quality debt obligations. Capacity to pay principal and interest is very strong, and in the majority of instances they differ from AAA issues only in small degree.
A—Bonds rated A have a strong capacity to pay principal and interest, although they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions.
BBB—Bonds rated BBB are regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay principal and interest. Whereas they normally exhibit adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay principal and interest for bonds in this category than for bonds in the A category.
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Commercial Paper Ratings
Moody’s commercial paper ratings are assessments of the issuer’s ability to repay punctually promissory obligations. Moody’s employs the following three designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of rated issuers: Prime 1—highest quality; Prime 2—higher quality; Prime 3—high quality.
A Standard & Poor’s commercial paper rating is a current assessment of the likelihood of timely payment. Ratings are graded into four categories, ranging from “A” for the highest quality obligations to “D” for the lowest.
Issues assigned the highest rating, A, are regarded as having the greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are delineated with the numbers “1”, “2” and “3” to indicate the relative degree of safety. The designation A-1 indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is either overwhelming or very strong. A “+” designation is applied to those issues rated “A-1” which possess extremely strong safety characteristics. Capacity for timely payment on issues with the designation “A-2” is strong. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high as for issues designated A-1. Issues carrying the designation “A-3” have a satisfactory capacity for timely payment. They are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effect of changes in circumstances than obligations carrying the higher designations.
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LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits
1
2
3
4
EX-101.INS | XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear on the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. | |
EX-101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | |
EX-101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase | |
EX-101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase | |
EX-101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase | |
EX-101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase |
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund
No person is directly or indirectly controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.
Item 30. Indemnification
Article VI of Registrant’s By-Laws states as follows:
Section 1. AGENTS, PROCEEDINGS AND EXPENSES. For the purpose of this Article, “agent” means any person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or other agent of this Trust or is or was serving at the request of this Trust as a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise or was a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent of a foreign or domestic corporation which was a predecessor of another enterprise at the request of such predecessor entity; “proceeding” means any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative; and “expenses” includes without limitation attorney’s fees and any expenses of establishing a right to indemnification under this Article.
Section 2. ACTIONS OTHER THAN BY TRUST. This Trust shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of this Trust) by reason of the fact that such person is or was an agent of this Trust, against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such proceeding, if it is determined that person acted in good faith and reasonably believed:
(a) in the case of conduct in his official capacity as a Trustee of the Trust, that his conduct was in the Trust’s best interests, and
(b) in all other cases, that his conduct was at least not opposed to the Trust’s best interests, and
(c) in the case of a criminal proceeding, that he had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct of that person was unlawful.
The termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not of itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of this Trust or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
Section 3. ACTIONS BY THE TRUST. This Trust shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action by or in the right of this Trust to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that that person is or was an agent of this Trust, against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by that person in connection with the defense or settlement of that action if that person acted in good faith, in a manner that person believed to be in the best interests of this Trust and with such care, including reasonable inquiry, as an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances.
5
Section 4. EXCLUSION OF INDEMNIFICATION. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein, there shall be no right to indemnification for any liability arising by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or the reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the agent’s office with this Trust.
No indemnification shall be made under Sections 2 or 3 of this Article:
(a) In respect of any claim, issue, or matter as to which that person shall have been adjudged to be liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by him, whether or not the benefit resulted from an action taken in the person’s official capacity; or
(b) In respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which that person shall have been adjudged to be liable in the performance of that person’s duty to this Trust, unless and only to the extent that the court in which that action was brought shall determine upon application that in view of all the circumstances of the case, that person was not liable by reason of the disabling conduct set forth in the preceding paragraph and is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for the expenses which the court shall determine.
(c) Of amounts paid in settling or otherwise disposing of a threatened or pending action, with or without court approval, or of expenses incurred in defending a threatened or pending action which is settled or otherwise disposed of without court approval, unless the required approval set forth in Section 6 of this Article is obtained.
Section 5. SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE BY AGENT. To the extent that an agent of this Trust has been successful on the merits in defense of any proceeding referred to in Sections 2 or 3 of this Article or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, before the court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought, the agent shall be indemnified against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the agent in connection therewith, provided that the Board of Trustees, including a majority who are disinterested, non-party Trustees, also determines that based upon a review of the facts, the agent was not liable by reason of the disabling conduct referred to in Section 4 of this Article.
Section 6. REQUIRED APPROVAL. Except as provided in Section 5 of this Article, any indemnification under this Article shall be made by this Trust only if authorized in the specific case on a determination that indemnification of the agent is proper in the circumstances because the agent has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Sections 2 or 3 of this Article and is not prohibited from indemnification because of the disabling conduct set forth in Section 4 of this Article, by:
(a) A majority vote of a quorum consisting of Trustees who are not parties to the proceeding and are not interested persons of the Trust (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940); or
(b) A written opinion by an independent legal counsel.
Section 7. ADVANCE OF EXPENSES. Expenses incurred in defending any proceeding may be advanced by this Trust before the final disposition of the proceeding upon a written undertaking by or on behalf of the agent, to repay the amount of the advance if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification, together with at least one of the following as a condition to the advance: (i) security for the undertaking; or (ii) the existence of insurance protecting the Trust against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances; or (iii) a determination by a majority of a quorum of Trustees who are not parties to the proceeding and are not interested persons of the Trust, or by an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, based on a review of readily available facts that there is reason to believe that the agent ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification. Determinations and authorizations of payments under this Section must be made in the manner specified in Section 6 of this Article for determining that the indemnification is permissible.
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Section 8. OTHER CONTRACTUAL RIGHTS. Nothing contained in this Article shall affect any right to indemnification to which persons other than Trustees and officers of this Trust or any subsidiary hereof may be entitled by contract or otherwise.
Section 9. LIMITATIONS. No indemnification or advance shall be made under this Article, except as provided in Sections 5 or 6 in any circumstances where it appears:
(a) that it would be inconsistent with a provision of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust, a resolution of the shareholders, or an agreement in effect at the time of accrual of the alleged cause of action asserted in the proceeding in which the expenses were incurred or other amounts were paid which prohibits or otherwise limits indemnification; or
(b) that it would be inconsistent with any condition expressly imposed by a court in approving a settlement.
Section 10. INSURANCE. Upon and in the event of a determination by the Board of Trustees of this Trust to purchase such insurance, this Trust shall purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any agent of this Trust against any liability asserted against or incurred by the agent in such capacity or arising out of the agent’s status as such, but only to the extent that this Trust would have the power to indemnify the agent against that liability under the provisions of this Article and the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust.
Section 11. FIDUCIARIES OF EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN. This Article does not apply to any proceeding against any Trustee, investment manager or other fiduciary of an employee benefit plan in that person’s capacity as such, even though that person may also be an agent of this Trust as defined in Section 1 of this Article. Nothing contained in this Article shall limit any right to indemnification to which such a Trustee, investment manager, or other fiduciary may be entitled by contract or otherwise which shall be enforceable to the extent permitted by applicable law other than this Article.
In addition to the indemnification provisions provided for in the Registrant’s By-Laws, the Registrant has also entered into indemnification agreements (the “Indemnification Agreements”) with each of the Trustees and with its Chief Compliance Officer (collectively, the “Indemnitees”). The Indemnification Agreements set forth the procedure by which Indemnitees are to request and receive advancement of expenses and indemnification. The Indemnification Agreements provide that, in any determination for advancement of expenses or indemnification, the Indemnitees are entitled to a rebuttable presumption that they did not engage in conduct that would disqualify them from eligibility to receive advancement of expenses or for indemnification. The Indemnification Agreements also set forth the procedure by which an independent counsel may be chosen if independent counsel is to make a determination of any Indemnitee’s qualification for advancement of expenses or indemnification.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser
The information required by this item is contained in the Form ADVs of the following entities and is incorporated herein by reference:
Name of Investment Adviser |
File No. |
|
Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC | 801-52710 |
Name of Sub-Advisors |
||
Ares Management LLC | 801-63800 | |
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. | 801-60256 | |
Davis Selected Advisors, L.P. | 801-31648 | |
DCI, LLC | 801-63857 |
7
DoubleLine Capital LP | 801-70942 | |
Evermore Global Advisors, LLC | 801-70645 | |
Fiduciary Management, Inc. | 801-15164 | |
First Pacific Advisors, LLC | 801-67160 | |
Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC | 801-66786 | |
Harris Associates L.P. | 801-50333 | |
Lazard Asset Management LLC | 801-61701 | |
Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. | 801-170 | |
Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC | 801-61757 | |
Nuance Investments, LLC | 801-69682 | |
Oldfield Partners LLP | 801-72023 | |
Pictet Asset Management Limited | 801-15143 | |
Sands Capital Management, LLC | 801-64820 | |
Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC | 801-47232 | |
Water Island Capital, LLC | 801-57341 |
Item 32. Principal Underwriters
(a) ALPS Distributors, Inc., the Registrant’s principal underwriter, acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies:
1 WS Credit Income Fund
1290 Funds
Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs
ALPS Series Trust
The Arbitrage Funds
AQR Funds
Axonic Alternative Income Fund
Axonic Funds
Barings Funds Trust
BBH Trust
Bluerock Total Income + Real Estate Fund
Brandes Investment Trust
Bridge Builder Trust
Broadstone Real Estate Access Fund
Broadview Funds Trust
Brown Advisory Funds
Brown Capital Management Mutual Funds
Centre Funds
CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund
CC Real Estate Income Fund
Columbia ETF Trust
Columbia ETF Trust I
Columbia ETF Trust II
CRM Mutual Fund Trust
CSOP ETF Trust
Cullen Funds Trust
DBX ETF Trust
ETF Series Solutions (Vident Series)
Flat Rock Opportunity Fund
Financial Investors Trust
Firsthand Funds
FS Credit Income Fund
8
FS Energy Total Return Fund
FS Series Trust
FS Multi-Alternative Income Fund
Goehring & Rozencwajg Investment Funds
Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
Griffin Institutional Access Credit Fund
Griffin Institutional Access Real Estate Fund
Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust
Heartland Group, Inc.
Holland Series Fund, Inc.
Index Funds
IndexIQ ETF Trust
IndexIQ Active ETF Trust
Infusive US Trust
James Advantage Funds
Janus Detroit Street Trust
Lattice Strategies Trust
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
Longleaf Partners Funds Trust
M3Sixty Funds Trust
Mairs & Power Funds Trust
Meridian Fund, Inc.
Natixis ETF Trust
Pax World Funds Series Trust I
Pax World Series Trust III
Principal Exchange-Traded Funds
Reality Shares ETF Trust
Resource Credit Income Fund
Resource Real Estate Diversified Income Fund
RiverNorth Funds
Sierra Total Return Fund
Smead Funds Trust
SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust
Sprott Funds Trust
Stadion Investment Trust
Stone Harbor Investment Funds
Stone Ridge Residential Real Estate Income Fund I, Inc.
Stone Ridge Trust
Stone Ridge Trust II
Stone Ridge Trust III
Stone Ridge Trust IV
Stone Ridge Trust V
Stone Ridge Trust VI
USCF ETF Trust
Wasatch Funds Trust
WesMark Funds
Wilmington Funds
XAI Octagon Credit Trust
X-Squared Balanced Fund, LLC
(b) To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc. are as follows:
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Name and Principal Business Address* |
Positions and Offices with ALPS Distributors, Inc. |
Positions and Offices with Registrant |
||
Bradley J. Swenson | Director, President, Chief Operating Officer | None | ||
Robert J. Szydlowski | Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer | None | ||
Eric T. Parsons | Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer | None | ||
Joseph J. Frank** | Secretary | None | ||
Patrick J. Pedonti** | Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary | None | ||
Richard C. Noyes | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Assistant Secretary | None | ||
Steven Price | Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
Liza Orr | Vice President, Senior Counsel | None | ||
Jed Stahl | Vice President, Senior Counsel | None | ||
Josh Eihausen | Vice President, Associate Senior Counsel | None | ||
James Stegall | Vice President | None | ||
Gary Ross | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Kevin Ireland | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Mark Kiniry | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Stephen J. Kyllo | Vice President, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
Hilary Quinn | Vice President | None | ||
Jennifer Craig | Assistant Vice President | None |
* |
Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. |
** |
The principal business address for Messrs. Pedonti and Frank is 333 W. 11th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64105. |
(c) Not applicable.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
All accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and the rules thereunder are maintained at the following locations:
Records Relating to: |
Are located at: |
|
Registrant’s Investment Adviser |
Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 |
|
Registrant’s Fund Administrator |
State Street Bank and Trust Company One Lincoln Street Boston, MA 02116 |
|
Registrant’s Custodian/Fund Accountant |
State Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive Quincy, MA 02171 |
|
Registrant’s Distributor |
ALPS Distributors, Inc. 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100 Denver, CO 80203 |
|
Registrant’s Transfer Agent |
DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc. (formerly, Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.) 330 West 9th Street Kansas City, MO 64105 |
The documents required to be maintained by paragraphs (5), (6), (10) and (11) of Rule 31a-1(b) under the 1940 Act will be maintained by the Registrant’s respective Sub-Advisors:
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Water Island Capital, LLC 41 Madison Avenue, 42nd Floor New York, NY 10010 |
Item 34. Management Services
The Registrant has disclosed all management-related service contracts in Parts A and B.
Item 35. Undertakings
Registrant hereby undertakes to:
(1) |
Furnish each person to whom a Prospectus is delivered a copy of Registrant’s latest annual report to shareholders, upon request and without charge. |
(2) |
If requested to do so by the holders of at least 10% of the Trust’s outstanding shares, call a meeting of shareholders for the purposes of voting upon the question of removal of a trustee and assist in communications with other shareholders. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that this Post-Effective Amendment No. 102 to the Registration Statement meets all the requirements for effectiveness pursuant to Rule 485(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 102 and Amendment No. 103 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Walnut Creek, and State of California, on the 6th day of November, 2020.
LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST | ||||
By: |
/s/ Jeremy DeGroot |
|||
Jeremy DeGroot | ||||
President |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 102 to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
Title |
Date |
||
/s/ Julie Allecta* |
Trustee | November 6, 2020 | ||
Julie Allecta | ||||
/s/ Jeremy DeGroot |
Trustee and President | November 6, 2020 | ||
Jeremy DeGroot | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
/s/ Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr.* |
Trustee | November 6, 2020 | ||
Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr. | ||||
/s/ Harold M. Shefrin* |
Trustee | November 6, 2020 | ||
Harold M. Shefrin | ||||
/s/ John Coughlan |
Treasurer | November 6, 2020 | ||
John Coughlan | (Principal Financial Officer) |
* By: |
/s/ John Coughlan |
|
John Coughlan, Attorney-in-Fact |
PARTNERSELECT OLDFIELD INTERNATIONAL VALUE FUND
LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST
INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT is made as of the 30th day of October, 2020 by and between Litman Gregory Fund Advisors LLC (the Advisor) and Oldfield Partners LLP (the Sub-Advisor).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Advisor has been retained as the investment adviser to the PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund (the Fund), a series of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the Trust), an open-end management investment company, registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act); and
WHEREAS, the Advisor has been authorized by the Trust to retain an investment adviser to serve as portfolio manager for the Funds assets; and
WHEREAS, the Sub-Advisor is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Advisers Act), and is engaged in the business of supplying investment advisory services as an independent contractor and further, the Sub-Advisor is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom; and
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Advisor desire to retain the Sub-Advisor as an investment manager to render portfolio advice and services to the Fund pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, and the Sub-Advisor desires to furnish said advice and services; and
WHEREAS, the Trust and the Fund are third party beneficiaries of such arrangements;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants and the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties to this Agreement, which shall include the Trust on behalf of the Fund for purposes of the indemnification provisions of section 11 hereof, intending to be legally bound hereby, mutually agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Sub-Advisor.
(a) The Advisor hereby appoints the Sub-Advisor, and the Sub-Advisor hereby accepts such appointment, to render investment advice and related services with respect to the assets of the Fund for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement, subject to the supervision and direction of the Advisor and the Trusts Board of Trustees.
(b) The Sub-Advisors appointment shall be solely with respect to the Funds assets, as specified by the Advisor and subject to periodic increases or decreases at the Advisors sole discretion.
(c) Nature of Fund. The Sub-Advisor and the Advisor both acknowledge that the Fund is a mutual fund that operates as a series of an open-end series investment company under the plenary authority of the Trusts Board of Trustees. In managing the assets of the Fund, the Sub-Advisor shall do so subject always to the plenary authority of the Board of Trustees.
2. Duties of Sub-Advisor.
(a) General Duties. The Sub-Advisor shall act as investment manager to the Fund and shall invest the assets of the Fund in accordance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund as set forth in the Funds and the Trusts governing documents, including, without limitation, the Trusts Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws; the Funds prospectus, statement of additional information and undertakings; and such other limitations, policies and procedures as the Advisor or the Trustees of the Trust may impose from time to time in writing to the Sub-Advisor. In providing such services, the Sub-Advisor shall at all times adhere to the provisions and restrictions contained in the federal securities laws, applicable state securities laws, the Internal Revenue Code, and other applicable law. Advisor shall provide to the Sub-Advisor such information with respect to the Fund such that the Sub-Advisor will be able to maintain compliance with applicable regulations, laws, policies, and restrictions with respect to the Fund.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Sub-Advisor shall: (i) furnish the Fund with advice and recommendations with respect to the investment of the Funds assets; (ii) effect the purchase and sale of portfolio securities for the Fund; (iii) determine that portion of the Fund that will remain uninvested, if any; (iv) manage and oversee the investments of the Fund subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Trusts Board of Trustees; (v) vote proxies, file required ownership reports, and take other actions with respect to the securities in the Fund; (vi) maintain the books and records required to be maintained with respect to the securities in the Fund; (vii) furnish reports, statements and other data on securities, economic conditions and other matters related to the investment of the Fund assets which the Advisor, the Trustees, or the officers of the Trust may reasonably request; and (viii) render to the Trusts Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports with respect to the Fund as the Board may reasonably request.
(b) Brokerage. With respect to the Fund, the Sub-Advisor shall be responsible for broker-dealer selection and for negotiation of brokerage commission rates. The Sub-Advisor may direct orders to an affiliated person of the Sub-Advisor or to any other broker-dealer who has been identified by the Advisor to the Sub-Advisor as an affiliate of any other investment manager without prior authorization to use such affiliated broker or dealer by the Trusts Board of Trustees, provided that the Sub-Advisor does so in a manner consistent with Sections 17(a) and 17(e) of the Investment Company Act, Rule 17e-1 thereunder and the Rule 17e-1
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procedures adopted by the Trust (a copy of which shall by provided by the Advisor). The Sub-Advisors primary consideration in effecting a securities transaction will be best execution. In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Sub-Advisor may take the following into consideration: the best net price available; the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and difficulty in executing the order; and the value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the investment performance of the Fund on a continuing basis. The price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered.
Subject to such policies as the Advisor and the Board of Trustees of the Trust may reasonably determine (and advise in writing to the Sub-Advisor), the Sub-Advisor shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to pay a broker or dealer that provides (directly or indirectly) brokerage or research services to the Sub-Advisor an amount of commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the Sub-Advisors or the Advisors overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund. The Sub-Advisor is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Fund to such brokers or dealers who also provide research or statistical material, or other services, to the Trust, the Advisor, any affiliate of either, or the Sub-Advisor. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Sub-Advisor shall determine, and the Sub-Advisor shall report on such allocations regularly to the Advisor and the Trust, indicating the broker-dealers to whom such allocations have been made and the basis therefor.
On occasions when the Sub-Advisor deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as other clients of the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be so purchased or sold in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and the most efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-Advisor in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients.
(c) Proxy Voting. The Advisor hereby delegates to the Sub-Advisor the Advisors discretionary authority to exercise voting rights with respect to the securities and other investments in the Fund. The Sub-Advisors proxy voting policies shall comply with any rules or regulations promulgated by the SEC. The Sub-Advisor shall maintain and preserve a record, in an easily-accessible place for a period of not less than three (3) years (or longer, if required by law), of the Sub-Advisors voting procedures, of the Sub-Advisors actual votes, and such other information required for the Fund to comply with any rules or regulations promulgated by the SEC. The Sub-Advisor shall supply updates of this record to the Advisor or any authorized
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representative of the Advisor, or to the Fund on a quarterly basis (or more frequently, if required by law). The Sub-Advisor shall provide the Advisor and the Fund with information regarding the policies and procedures that the Sub-Advisor uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to the Fund. The Fund may request that the Sub-Advisor vote proxies for the Fund in accordance with the Funds proxy voting policies.
(d) Books and Records. In compliance with the requirements of Rule 31a-3 under the Investment Company Act, the Sub-Advisor hereby agrees that all records which it maintains for the Fund are the property of the Fund and further agrees to surrender promptly to the Fund copies of any of such records upon the Funds request, provided that the Sub-Advisor may retain copies of any such records to the extent required under applicable rules. The Sub-Advisor further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the Investment Company Act the records required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1 under the Investment Company Act with respect to the Fund and to preserve the records required by Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act with respect to the Fund for the period specified in the Rule.
(e) Custody. Title to all investments shall be made in the name of the Fund, provided that for convenience in buying, selling, and exchanging securities (stocks, bonds, commercial paper, etc.), title to such securities may be held in the name of the Funds custodian bank, or its nominee or as otherwise provided in the Funds custody agreement. The Fund shall notify the Sub-Advisor of the identity of its custodian bank and shall give the Sub-Advisor fifteen (15) days written notice of any changes in such custody arrangements. Neither the Sub-Advisor, nor any parent, subsidiary or related firm, shall take possession of or handle any cash or securities, mortgages or deeds of trust, or other indicia of ownership of the Funds investments, or otherwise act as custodian of such investments. All cash and the indicia of ownership of all other investments shall be held by the Funds custodian bank. The Fund shall instruct its custodian bank to (a) carry out all investment instructions as may be directed by the Sub-Advisor with respect thereto (which may be orally given if confirmed in writing); and (b) provide the Sub-Advisor with all operational information necessary for the Sub-Advisor to trade on behalf of the Fund.
(f) Consulting with Certain Affiliated Sub-Advisors. With respect to any transaction the Fund enters into with an affiliated sub-advisor (or an affiliated person of such sub-advisor) in reliance on Rule 10f-3, Rule 17a-10 or Rule 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act, the Sub-Advisor agrees that it will not consult with the affiliated sub-advisor concerning such transaction, except to the extent necessary to comply with the percentage limits of paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 12d3-1.
3. Representations of Sub-Advisor.
(a) Sub-Advisor shall use its best judgment and efforts in rendering the advice and services to the Fund as contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Sub-Advisor shall maintain all licenses and registrations necessary to perform its duties hereunder in good order.
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(c) Sub-Advisor shall conduct its operations at all times in conformance with the Investment Advisers Act, the Investment Company Act and any other applicable state and/or self-regulatory organization regulations.
(d) Sub-Advisor shall be covered by errors and omissions insurance. The company self-retention or deductible shall not exceed reasonable and customary standards, and Sub-Advisor agrees to notify Advisor in the event the aggregate coverage of such insurance in any annual period is reduced below $10,000,000.
(e) The Sub-Advisor represents and warrants to the Advisor and the Fund that (i) the retention of the Sub-Advisor as contemplated by this Agreement is not prohibited by the Sub-Advisors governing documents; (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement does not violate any obligation by which the Sub-Advisor or its property is bound, whether arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise; and (iii) this Agreement has been duly authorized by appropriate action of the Sub-Advisor and when executed and delivered by the Sub-Advisor will be the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Sub-Advisor, enforceable against the Sub-Advisor in accordance with the terms hereof, subject, as to enforcement, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and to general equitable principles (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding in equity or law).
4. Independent Contractor. The Sub-Advisor shall, for all purposes herein, be deemed to be an independent contractor, and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided and authorized to do so, have no authority to act for or represent the Trust, the Fund, or the Advisor in any way, or in any way be deemed an agent for the Trust, the Fund, or the Advisor, except as expressly provided herein. It is expressly understood and agreed that the services to be rendered by the Sub-Advisor to the Fund under the provisions of this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Sub-Advisor shall be free to render similar or different services to others so long as its ability to render the services provided for in this Agreement shall not be impaired thereby.
5. Sub-Advisors Personnel. The Sub-Advisor shall, at its own expense, maintain such staff and employ or retain such personnel and consult with such other persons as it shall from time to time determine to be necessary to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the staff and personnel of the Sub-Advisor shall be deemed to include persons employed or retained by the Sub-Advisor to furnish statistical information, research, and other factual information, advice regarding economic factors and trends, information with respect to technical and scientific developments, and such other information, advice, and assistance as the Sub-Advisor, the Advisor or the Trusts Board of Trustees may desire and reasonably request.
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6. Expenses.
(a) The Sub-Advisor shall be responsible for providing the personnel, office space, and equipment reasonably necessary to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement.
(b) In the event this Agreement is terminated by an assignment in the nature of a change of control of the Sub-Advisor as contemplated by Section 14(b) hereof, and the parties agree to enter into a new agreement, the Sub-Advisor shall be responsible for (i) the costs of any special notifications to the Funds shareholders and any special meetings of the Trusts Board of Trustees convened for the primary benefit of the Sub-Advisor, or (ii) its fair share of the costs of any special meetings required for the benefit of the Sub-Advisor as well as for other purposes.
(c) The Sub-Advisor may voluntarily absorb certain Fund expenses or waive some or all of the Sub-Advisors own fee.
(d) To the extent the Sub-Advisor incurs any costs by assuming expenses which are an obligation of the Advisor or the Fund, the Advisor or the Fund shall promptly reimburse the Sub-Advisor for such costs and expenses. To the extent the Sub-Advisor performs services for which the Fund or the Advisor is obligated to pay, the Sub-Advisor shall be entitled to prompt reimbursement in such amount as shall be negotiated between the Sub-Advisor and the Advisor (acting reasonably and in good faith) but shall, under no circumstances, exceed the Sub-Advisors actual costs for providing such services.
7. Investment Sub-Advisory Fee.
(a) The Advisor shall pay to the Sub-Advisor, and the Sub-Advisor agrees to accept, as full compensation for all investment advisory services furnished or provided to the Fund pursuant to this Agreement, an annual sub-advisory fee based on the net assets of the Fund. Such fee shall be paid at the annual rate specified on Exhibit A attached hereto on the net assets of the Fund, computed on the value of such net assets as of the close of business each day.
(b) The sub-advisory fee shall be paid by the Advisor to Sub-Advisor monthly in arrears on the tenth business day of each month.
(c) The initial fee under this Agreement shall be payable on the tenth business day of the first month following the effective date of this Agreement and shall be prorated as set forth below. If this Agreement is terminated prior to the end of any month, the fee to the Sub-Advisor shall be prorated for the portion of any month in which this Agreement is in effect which is not a complete month according to the proportion which the number of calendar days in the month during which the Agreement is in effect bears to the number of calendar days in the month, and shall be payable within ten (10) days after the date of termination.
(d) The fee payable to the Sub-Advisor under this Agreement will be reduced to the extent of any receivable owed by the Sub-Advisor to the Advisor or the Fund.
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(e) The Sub-Advisor voluntarily may reduce any portion of the compensation or reimbursement of expenses due to it pursuant to this Agreement and may agree to make payments to limit the expenses which are the responsibility of the Advisor of the Fund under this Agreement. Any such reduction or payment shall be applicable only to such specific reduction or payment and shall not constitute an agreement to reduce any future compensation or reimbursement due to the Sub-Advisor hereunder or to continue future payments. Any such reduction will be agreed to prior to accrual of the related expense or fee and will be estimated daily and reconciled and paid on a monthly basis.
(f) The Sub-Advisor may agree not to require payment of any portion of the compensation or reimbursement of expenses otherwise due to it pursuant to this Agreement. Any such agreement shall be applicable only with respect to the specific items covered thereby and shall not constitute an agreement not to require payment of any future compensation or reimbursement due to the Sub-Advisor hereunder.
8. No Shorting; No Borrowing. The Sub-Advisor agrees that neither it nor any of its officers or employees shall take any short position in the shares of the Fund. This prohibition shall not prevent the purchase of such shares by any of the officers or employees of the Sub-Advisor or any trust, pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for such persons or affiliates thereof, at a price not less than the net asset value thereof at the time of purchase, as allowed pursuant to rules promulgated under the Investment Company Act. The Sub-Advisor agrees that neither it nor any of its officers or employees shall borrow from the Fund or pledge or use the Funds assets in connection with any borrowing not directly for the Funds benefit.
9. Conflicts with Trusts Governing Documents and Applicable Laws. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require the Trust or the Fund to take any action contrary to the Trusts Agreement and Declaration of Trust, By-Laws, or any applicable statute or regulation, or to relieve or deprive the Board of Trustees of the Trust of its responsibility for and control of the conduct of the affairs of the Trust and the Fund. In this connection, the Sub-Advisor acknowledges that the Advisor and the Trusts Board of Trustees retain ultimate plenary authority over the Fund and may take any and all actions necessary and reasonable to protect the interests of shareholders.
10. Reports and Access. The Sub-Advisor agrees to supply such information to the Advisor and to permit such compliance inspections by the Advisor or the Fund as shall be reasonably necessary to permit the [administrator] to satisfy its obligations and respond to the reasonable requests of the Trustees.
11. Standard of Care, Liability and Indemnification.
(a) The Sub-Advisor shall exercise reasonable care and prudence in fulfilling its obligations under this Agreement.
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(b) The Sub-Advisor shall have responsibility for the accuracy and completeness (and liability for the lack thereof) of the statements furnished by the Sub-Advisor for use by the Advisor in the Funds offering materials (including the prospectus, the statement of additional information, advertising and sales materials) that pertain to the Sub-Advisor and the investment of the assets of the Fund. The Sub-Advisor shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to other disclosures.
(c) The Sub-Advisor shall be liable to the Fund for any loss (including brokerage charges) incurred by the Fund as a result of any investment made by the Sub-Advisor in violation of Section 2 hereof where such violation amounts to willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Sub-Advisor.
(d) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall not be subject to liability to the Advisor, the Trust, or the Fund or to any shareholder of the Fund for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security by the Fund.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, including without limitation paragraphs (c) and (d) above, the Advisor and the Trust on behalf of the Fund (each as an Indemnifying Party), shall indemnify and hold harmless the Sub-Advisor and each other and the shareholders, directors, partners, officers, and employees of the other party (any such person, an Indemnified Party) against any loss, liability, claim, damage, or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating and defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damage, or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising out of the performance or non-performance of any duties under this Agreement provided, however, that nothing herein shall be deemed to protect any Indemnified Party against any liability to which such Indemnified Party would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of duties hereunder or by reason of reckless disregard of obligations and duties under this Agreement.
If indemnification is to be sought hereunder, then the Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party of the assertion of any claim or the commencement of any action or proceeding in respect thereof; provided, however, that the failure so to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party from any liability that it may otherwise have to the Indemnified Party provided such failure shall not affect in a material adverse manner the position of the Indemnifying Party or the Indemnified Party with respect to such claim. Following such notification, the Indemnifying Party may elect in writing to assume the defense of such action or proceeding and, upon such election, it shall not be liable for any legal costs incurred by the Indemnified Party (other than reasonable costs of investigation previously incurred) in connection therewith, unless (i) the Indemnifying Party has failed to provide counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party in a timely manner or (ii) counsel which has been provided by the Indemnifying Party reasonably determines that its representation of the Indemnified Party would present it with a conflict of interest.
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The provisions of this paragraph 11(e) shall not apply in any action where the Indemnified Party is the party adverse, or one of the parties adverse, to the other party.
(f) No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to protect any Trustee or officer of the Trust, or officer of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, from liability in violation of Sections 17(h) and (i) of the Investment Company Act.
12. Non-Exclusivity; Trading for Sub-Advisors Own Account; Code of Ethics. The Advisors employment of the Sub-Advisor is not an exclusive arrangement. The Advisor anticipates that it will employ other individuals or entities to furnish it with the services provided for herein for other funds. Likewise, the Sub-Advisor may act as investment adviser for any other person, and shall not in any way be limited or restricted from buying, selling, or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting, provided, however, that the Sub-Advisor expressly represents that it will undertake no activities which will adversely affect the performance of its obligations to the Fund under this Agreement; and provided further that the Sub-Advisor will adhere to a code of ethics governing employee trading and trading for proprietary accounts that conforms to the requirements of the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act, a copy of which has been provided to the Board of Trustees of the Trust.
The Sub-Advisor will make such reports to the Advisor and the Fund as are required by Rule 17j-1 and Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Sub-Advisor agrees to use all reasonable endeavours to provide the Advisor and the Fund with any information required to satisfy the compliance program, code of ethics reporting or disclosure requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and any rules or regulations promulgated by the SEC. To the extent the Sub-Advisor adopts or has adopted a separate code of ethics or amends or has amended its code of ethics to comply with such rules or regulations, the Sub-Advisor shall provide the Advisor with a copy of such code of ethics and any amendments thereto.
13. Term.
(a) This Agreement shall become effective upon approval by the Board of Trustees of the Trust and shall remain in effect for a period of two (2) years, unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided. This Agreement shall continue in effect thereafter for additional periods not exceeding one (1) year so long as such continuation is approved for the Fund at least annually by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement nor interested persons thereof, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (iii) the Advisor. The terms majority of the outstanding voting securities and interested persons shall have the meanings as set forth in the Investment Company Act.
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(b) The Fund and its distributor may use the Sub-Advisors trade name or any name derived from the Sub-Advisors trade name only in a manner consistent with the nature of this Agreement for so long as this Agreement or any extension, renewal, or amendment hereof remains in effect. Within sixty (60) days from such time as this Agreement shall no longer be in effect, the Fund shall cease to use such a name or any other name connected with Sub-Advisor.
14. Termination; No Assignment.
(a) This Agreement may be terminated at any time without payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, upon sixty (60) days written notice to the Sub-Advisor and the Advisor. This Agreement also may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor upon sixty (60) days written notice to the Trust and the other party. In the event of a termination, Sub-Advisor shall cooperate in the orderly transfer of the Funds affairs and, at the request of the Board of Trustees, transfer any and all books and records of the Fund maintained by Sub-Advisor on behalf of the Fund.
(b) This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of any transfer or assignment thereof, as defined in the Investment Company Act.
15. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute or rule, or shall be otherwise rendered invalid, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
16. Captions. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or limit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.
17. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles thereof; provided that nothing herein shall be construed to preempt, or to be inconsistent with, any federal law, regulation or rule, including the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
18. Nonpublic Personal Information. Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the Sub-Advisor hereto agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, trustees, shareholders, officers, and employees (1) to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Advisor (on behalf of itself and the Fund) and the Trust (a) all records and other information relative to the Funds prior, present, or potential shareholders (and clients of said shareholders) and (b) any Nonpublic Personal Information, as defined under Section 248.3(t) of Regulation S-P (Regulation S-P), promulgated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the G-L-B Act), and (2) except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Advisor or the Trust, not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities
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and duties hereunder, or as otherwise permitted by Regulation S-P or the G-L-B Act, and if in compliance therewith, the privacy policies adopted by the Advisor and the Fund and communicated in writing to the Sub-Advisor. Such written approval shall not be unreasonably withheld by the Advisor or the Trust and may not be withheld where the Sub-Advisor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt or other proceedings for failure to comply after being requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities.
19. Anti-Money Laundering Compliance. The Sub-Advisor acknowledges that, in compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, the USA PATRIOT Act, and any respective implementing regulations (together, AML Laws), the Fund has adopted an Anti-Money Laundering Policy. The Sub-Advisor agrees to comply with the Funds Anti-Money Laundering Policy and the AML Laws, as the same may apply to the Sub-Advisor, now and in the future. The Sub-Advisor further agrees to provide to the Fund and/or the Advisor such reports, certifications and contractual assurances as may be reasonably requested by the Fund or the Advisor. The Advisor may disclose information respecting the Sub-Advisor to governmental and/or regulatory or self-regulatory authorities to the extent required by applicable law or regulation and may file reports with such authorities as may be required by applicable law or regulation.
20. Certifications; Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Sub-Advisor acknowledges that, in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the implementing regulations promulgated thereunder, the Fund is required to make certain certifications and has adopted disclosure controls and procedures. To the extent reasonably requested by the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor agrees to use its best efforts to assist the Advisor and the Fund in complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and implementing the Funds disclosure controls and procedures. The Sub-Advisor agrees to inform the Fund of any material development related to the Fund that the Sub-Advisor reasonably believes is relevant to the Funds certification obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
21. Provision of Certain Information by the Sub-Advisor. The Sub-Advisor will promptly notify the Advisor in writing of the occurrence of any of the following events:
(a) the Sub-Advisor fails to be registered as investment adviser under the Advisers Act or under the laws of any jurisdiction in which the Sub-Advisor is required to be registered as investment adviser in order to perform its obligations under this Agreement;
(b) the Sub-Advisor is served or otherwise receives notice of any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, or investigation, at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board, or body, involving the affairs of the Advisor or the Fund;
(c) the Sub-Advisor suffers financial impairment which materially interferes with its ability to manage the Fund or otherwise fulfill its duties under this Agreement;
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(d) the Sub-Advisor, its principal officers or its controlling stockholders are the subject of a government investigation or inquiry, administrative proceeding or any other type of legal action which, under the Investment Company Act, would make it ineligible to serve as an investment adviser to an investment company;
(e) a change in the Sub-Advisors personnel materially involved in the management of the Fund; or
(f) a change in control or management of the Sub-Advisor.
22. Confidentiality. The parties to this Agreement shall not, directly or indirectly, permit their respective affiliates, directors, trustees, officers, members, employees, or agents to, in any form or by any means, use, disclose, or furnish to any person or entity, records or information concerning the business of any of the other parties except as necessary for the performance of duties under this Agreement or as required by law or requested by any governmental or regulatory authority, without prior written notice to and approval of the relevant other parties, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld by such other parties.
23. UK regulatory matters. The Adviser and Trust acknowledge that the Sub-Advisor is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and as such is required to make certain disclosures to its clients in accordance with the rules of the FCA. The Adviser and Trust acknowledge receipt of and agree to the terms set out in the schedule to this Agreement.
23. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts and by the different parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered, shall be deemed an original and all of which counterparts shall constitute but one and the same agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their duly authorized officers, all on the day and year first above written.
Litman Gregory Fund Advisors LLC | Oldfield Partners LLP | |||||||
By: |
/s/ John M. Coughlan |
By: |
/s/ John McEwing |
|||||
Name: |
John M. Coughlan |
Name: |
John McEwing |
|||||
Title: |
Chief Operating Officer |
Title: |
Partner, Chief Financial Officer |
As a Third Party Beneficiary,
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
on behalf of
PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund
By: |
/s/ Jeremy DeGroot |
|
Name: |
Jeremy DeGroot |
|
Title: |
President |
Schedule UK Regulatory Disclosures
1. |
Regulator |
1.1. |
The Sub-Advisor is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of 12 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN and is subject to its rules (the FCA Rules). In the performance of its obligations under the Agreement, the Sub-Advisor will comply with all applicable requirements arising under the FCA Rules. |
2. |
Client categorisation |
2.1. |
The FCA Rules require the Sub-Advisor to categorise all of its clients under one of the following headings: retail client, professional client or eligible counterparty. |
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2.2. |
For the purposes of the FCA Rules and based on information obtained in respect of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor has categorised (and will continue to categorise) the Advisor as a professional client for all services. |
2.3. |
The Advisor agrees and acknowledges that it is responsible for keeping the Sub-Advisor informed about any change to the Advisors circumstances that could affect the Advisors categorisation as a professional client. The Advisor has a right under the FCA Rules to request a different client categorisation but it is not the Mangers policy to accept any requests to be treated as a retail client for services under the Agreement as the Advisor is unable to deal with retail clients. |
3. |
Suitability |
3.1. |
Suitability refers to the obligation on firms to assess the suitability of any investment services or financial instruments for the client. The reason for assessing suitability is to enable a firm to act in the best interests of a client. |
3.2. |
The Sub-Advisor has an obligation to obtain information from its clients in order to determine the relevant clients level of knowledge and experience in the relevant investment field, the clients financial situation (including its ability to bear losses), and its investment objectives (include its risk tolerance). The Sub-Advisor uses this information when it assesses the suitability of investments and portfolios for the Advisor/Fund. Please note that the Advisor is responsible for ensuring that information it provides the Sub-Advisor with for this purpose is accurate, complete and up to date. |
3.3. |
As the Advisor is categorised as a professional client, the Sub-Advisor is entitled to assume that the Advisor has the level of experience and knowledge necessary to understand the risks associated with the Sub-Advisors investment services. |
4. |
Best Execution |
FCA Rules require that firms take all sufficient steps to achieve best execution when trading with or for their clients and defines the content of specific client disclosures. The Sub-Advisor will seek to achieve best execution for all transactions on behalf of the Advisor in accordance with the FCA Rules. As the Advisor is aware, the Sub-Advisor maintains an order execution policy. The Advisor acknowledges that it has separately received the Sub-Advisors order execution policy and consents to its terms.
5. |
Inducements and research |
The Sub-Advisor will comply with the FCA Rules which limit is ability to receive inducements in relation to the services it provides. The Sub-Advisor will pay for ,research material/services it receives directly out of its own resources.
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6. |
Reporting |
The Sub-Advisor will provide reports and other statements to the Advisor in accordance with the FCA Rules.
The Sub-Advisor shall also notify the Advisor in the event that the value of the Funds portfolio depreciates by 10% during its usual reporting period by close of the next business day after the threshold has been breached. The Sub-Advisor will do this by email followed up by a telephone call to discuss the implications of any such event with you.
7. |
Conflicts of Interest |
The FCA Rules allow the Sub-Advisor to enter into transactions in which there may be an actual or potential conflict of interest, so long as it can ensure that those transactions are effected in such a way that the client is not disadvantaged.
The Sub-Advisor has a conflicts of interest policy, setting out its policy in relation to identifying conflicts of interest which are potentially detrimental to the client, and specifying the procedures put in place to help prevent and manage such conflicts. As a measure of last resort, where the procedures set out in the policy are not sufficient to manage any specific conflict, the Sub-Advisor must disclose the existence of such conflict. The Sub-Advisors Conflicts of Interest Policy has been provided under separate cover.
8. |
Information to clients |
The Sub-Advisor is required to provide the Advisor with various disclosures, including details about their agreement with the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor itself and the services it agrees to provide to the Advisor, the costs and charges that may be incurred by or for the Advisor, and on the firms execution policy. These details are set out in this Appendix and in the Agreement. The Sub-Advisor will also provide costs disclosures in accordance with the FCA Rules.
9. |
Communications |
The Sub-Advisor may record certain telephone conversations any electronic communications when they receive and transmit orders; execute orders on behalf of clients; and deal on own account. A copy of these communications must be available on request for a period of five years (or seven years if requested by the FCA) from when the communication was recorded.
The Sub-Advisor and Advisor may communicate by letter, email, telephone or any other form of communication agreed between them. All communications shall be in English.
-15-
10. |
Dealing |
10.1. |
The FCA Rules require the Sub-Advisor to obtain the Advisors express consent before executing some types of order on behalf of the Sub-Advisor outside of a trading venue (as defined by the FCA rules). By allowing the Sub-Advisor to execute orders outside of a trading venue the Advisor allows the Sub-Advisor to use a wider range of execution venues to get the best results for the Fund. This might include, for example, matching orders or transactions with those of other clients of the Sub-Advisor. By signing the Agreement, the Advisor consents to these arrangements. |
10.2. |
Subject to the execution policy and instructions from the Advisor and/or Board of Trustees of the Trust, where applicable, the Sub-Advisor may effect transactions with such counterparties and on such trading venues or facilities as it considers appropriate. |
10.3. |
[The FCA Rules require that certain trade and transaction and position reporting obligations on clients in relation to their investments, including the procurement of a valid Legal Entity Identifier (LEI). The Advisor is responsible for (i) providing all the necessary information and documentation under these obligations; and (ii) taking any action reasonably required by the Sub-Advisor in relation to these obligations.] |
10.4. |
In order to report details of client transactions, the Sub-Advisor may need to disclose confidential information to a regulatory authority, via a third party, where such disclosure is required to enable the Sub-Advisor to comply with its regulatory reporting obligations. The Sub-Advisor will report all trade and transactions where it is required to by FCA Rules, although in many cases this obligation will be satisfied by the relevant broker making the required notification. |
10.5. |
The FCA Rules also require unexecuted limit orders to be made public immediately unless the Advisor expressly instructs the Sub-Advisor otherwise. By signing this Agreement the Advisor expressly instructs the Sub-Advisor not to make such orders public, in accordance with the FCA Rules, where the Sub-Advisor considers this to be in the best interest of the Advisor. |
10.6. |
The Sub-Advisor may aggregate orders on behalf of the Advisor with those of its other clients. The Sub-Advisor will allocate such orders on a fair and reasonable basis in accordance with the requirements of FCA Rules. The Advisor acknowledges and agrees that aggregation may operate to the advantage or disadvantage of the Advisor. |
11. |
Risks and Performance |
The Sub-Advisor also reminds the Advisor that there are certain risks involved in entering transactions in financial instruments and all investment strategies contain an element of uncertainty and risk. Further details regarding potential risks associated with the Sub-Advisors investment strategies are available on request and disclosed in the Funds prospectus..
-16-
No warranty, assurance or undertaking is given by the Sub-Advisor as to the performance, returns, increase in or retention of value or profitability of the portfolio (or any part of it) or that the investment objectives or targets of the Fund shall be successfully achieved, whether in whole or in part.
12. |
Compensation |
Eligible Claimants may in some circumstances be entitled to compensation under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if the Manger cannot meet its obligations. Further information about the FSCS is available at http://www.fscs.org.uk/.
13. |
Complaints procedure |
The Sub-Advisor has published details of its complaint handling process and will provide these details to clients on request or when responding to a complaint. All formal complaints by the Advisor relating to the services provided by the Sub-Advisor under this Agreement should in the first instance be made in writing to the compliance officer of the Sub-Advisor.
-17-
Paul Hastings LLP
101 California Street, 48th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
telephone 415-856-7000
facsimile 415-856-7100
www.paulhastings.com
November 6, 2020
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500
Walnut Creek, California 94596
Re: |
PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Litman Gregory Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the Trust), in connection with the establishment of a new series of shares of the Trust, the PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund (the Fund), pursuant to Post-Effective Amendment No. 102 to the Trusts Registration Statement expected to be filed on Form N-1A with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 6, 2020 (the Post-Effective Amendment).
As such counsel and for purposes of our opinion set forth below, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinion set forth herein, including, without limitation:
(i) |
the Post-Effective Amendment; |
(ii) |
the Trusts Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated August 1, 1996, as amended, and the Third Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Trust, each as presently in effect as certified by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust as of the date hereof (together, the Charter Documents); |
(iii) |
a certificate of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as to the good standing of the Trust under the laws of the State of Delaware as of November 4, 2020 (the Good Standing Certificate); and |
(iv) |
resolutions adopted by the Trusts Board of Trustees (the Board) on July 22, 2020, authorizing the establishment and organization of the Fund, certified by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust. |
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
November 6, 2020
Page 2
In addition to the foregoing, we have made such investigations of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinion set forth herein.
In such examination and in rendering the opinion expressed below, we have assumed: (i) the due authorization, execution and delivery of all agreements, instruments and other documents by all parties thereto (other than the due authorization by the Trust); (ii) the genuineness of all signatures on all documents submitted to us; (iii) the authenticity and completeness of all documents, corporate records, certificates and other instruments submitted to us; (iv) that photocopy, electronic, certified, conformed, facsimile and other copies submitted to us of original documents, corporate records, certificates and other instruments conform to the original documents, records, certificates and other instruments, and that all such original documents, corporate records, certificates and other instruments were authentic and complete; (v) the legal capacity and authority of all individuals executing documents; (vi) that all agreements, instruments and other documents executed in connection with the transactions contemplated thereby are the valid and binding obligations of each of the parties thereto, enforceable against such parties in accordance with their respective terms and that no such documents have been amended or terminated orally or in writing, except as has been disclosed to us in writing; (vii) that the statements contained in the certificates and comparable documents of public officials, officers and representatives of the Trust and other persons on which we have relied for the purposes of this opinion letter are true and correct and that there has not been any change in the good standing status of the Trust from that reported in the Good Standing Certificate; and (viii) that the officers and directors of the Company have properly exercised their fiduciary duties. As to all questions of fact material to this opinion letter, we have relied (without independent investigation) upon certificates or comparable documents of officers and representatives of the Trust and of public officials.
Based upon the foregoing, and in reliance thereon, and subject to the limitations, qualifications and exceptions set forth herein, we are of the following opinion:
1. The Shares are duly authorized, and upon issuance and delivery of the Shares and receipt by the Fund of payment of the purchase price therefor in accordance with the Post-Effective Amendment, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable by the Trust.
The opinion expressed herein is subject to the following exceptions, qualifications and limitations:
A. We express no opinion with respect to any of the following: (i) anti-fraud laws; (ii) federal or state securities laws; (iii) tax laws; (iv) pension or employee benefit laws; (v) antitrust, trade regulation or unfair competition laws; (vi) statutes, ordinances,
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
November 6, 2020
Page 3
administrative decisions, rules or regulations of counties, towns, municipalities or other political subdivisions, or any foreign law, rule or regulation; (vii) environmental laws; (viii) laws relating to proprietary information or intellectual property; (ix) labor or employment laws; (x) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally; (xi) usury laws; (xii) margin regulations; or (xiii) the rules and regulations of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. or any stock exchange or stock market. The laws described in this paragraph A are referred to herein from time to time as the Excluded Laws.
B. Without limiting any of the other limitations, exceptions and qualifications stated elsewhere herein (including, without limitation, qualification paragraph A with respect to Excluded Laws), we express no opinion with regard to the applicability or effect of the law of any jurisdiction other than, as in effect on the date of this letter, (i) to the extent set forth in our opinion above, our review of Chapter 38 of Title 12 of the Delaware Code (based solely upon our review of a standard compilation thereof and without regard to any regulations promulgated thereunder or any judicial or administrative interpretations thereof), and (ii) the federal laws of the United States.
This opinion letter deals only with the specified legal issues expressly addressed herein, and you should not infer any opinion that is not explicitly addressed herein from any matter stated in this opinion letter.
This opinion letter is rendered solely to you in connection with the filing of the Post-Effective Amendment with respect to the Fund. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose or delivered to or relied upon by any other person or entity (including, without limitation, any person that acquires the Shares) without our express prior written consent, which may be granted or withheld in our sole discretion. This opinion letter is rendered to you as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to advise you or any other Person hereafter with regard to any change after the date hereof in the circumstances or the law that may bear on the matters set forth herein even though the change may affect the legal analysis or a legal conclusion or other matters in this opinion letter.
We hereby consent to (i) the reference to our firm as Legal Counsel in the Post-Effective Amendment, and (ii) the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Post-Effective Amendment.
Very truly yours, |
/s/ Paul Hastings LLP |
Paul Hastings LLP |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form N-1A of our report dated February 28, 2020, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of Litman Gregory Funds Tust comprising of PartnerSelect Equity Fund (formerly Litman Gregory Masters Equity Fund), PartnerSelect International Fund (formerly Litman Gregory Masters International Fund), PartnerSelect Smaller Companies Fund (formerly Litman Gregory Masters Smaller Companies Fund), PartnerSelect Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly Litman Gregory Masters Alternative Strategies Fund) and PartnerSelect High Income Alternatives Fund (formerly Litman Gregory Masters High Income Alternatives Fund) for the year ended December 31, 2019, and to the references to our firm under the heading Financial Statements in the Statement of Additional Information.
/s/ Cohen & Company, Ltd.
Cohen & Company, Ltd.
Cleveland, Ohio
November 4, 2020
Appendix 1-A
LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST
CODE OF ETHICS
(as amended August 1, 2020)
I. |
Legal Requirement |
Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), requires Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the Trust) and its series (each a Fund and collectively, the Funds) to have a written code of ethics which addresses trading practices by fund access persons. Fund access persons are defined to include (1) officers and employees of the Trust, (2) officers, directors and investment personnel of the Trusts investment advisers, (3) certain personnel of any broker-dealer firm that acts as the distributor for a Fund, and (4) each member of the Trusts Board of Trustees. This code of ethics (the Code) is intended to promote ethical conduct and to provide guidelines and specific reporting requirements to help ensure the Trusts compliance with applicable securities laws and regulations.
This Code governs the activities of the Trusts fund access persons. It is important that you understand your reporting obligations under this Code.
This Code does not cover all areas of potential liability. Fund access persons are expected to be sensitive to and aware of situations that raise a potential conflict of interest or that may constitute a trading violation. If you have any questions regarding this Code or a compliance issue, please contact the Trusts Chief Compliance Officer.
II. |
General Prohibitions |
It shall be unlawful and a violation of this Code for any fund access person, in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, of a security held or to be acquired by the Trust:
(a) |
To employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the Trust; |
(b) |
To make to the Trust any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state to the Trust a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; |
(c) |
To engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the Trust; or |
(d) |
To engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the Trust. |
(e) |
To disclose to any unauthorized individual or entity outside of the Trust or remove from the Trusts offices proprietary information. |
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III. |
Fund Access Person Reporting Provisions |
All fund access persons (defined below) covered by this Code, except the Trusts Independent Trustees, are required to file reports at least quarterly of their personal securities transactions (excluding excepted securities) and, if they wish to trade in the same securities as any Fund, must comply with the specific procedures in effect for such transactions.
The Trust uses various investment advisers, including sub-advisers, to advise the Funds. These adviser entities are required to adopt specific trading procedures appropriate to their organization consistent with Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. Fund access persons of those entities are specifically excluded from the coverage of this Code. However, those entities are required to provide the Trust with their respective codes of ethics and any material amendments thereto.
The fund access persons of the Trusts administrator, State Street Bank & Trust Company, and the Trusts principal underwriter, ALPS, are required to comply with the reporting and other requirements of their organizations respective code of ethics and are excluded from the coverage of this Code.
The reports of fund access persons will be reviewed and compared against the activities of the Funds and if a pattern emerges that indicates abusive trading or noncompliance with applicable procedures, the matter will be referred to the Board of Trustees; the Board of Trustees will make appropriate inquiries and decides what action, if any, is then necessary.
Independent Trustees who do not have day-to-day contact with the Funds and who do not have specific knowledge of the Funds intended investments are not required to file any reports at all, and there is no restriction on their personal securities trading activities. However, if an Independent Trustee should learn that one of the Funds is about to take a particular position, and he or she wishes to make a similar or related trade, the Trustee should obtain prior approval of the trade.
Persons covered by this Code are advised to seek advice before engaging in any transactions involving securities under consideration for purchase or sale by a Fund of the Trust or if a transaction directly or indirectly involves themselves and the Trust other than the purchase or redemption of shares of a Fund or the performance of their normal business duties.
IV. |
Implementation |
The Trusts Chief Compliance Officer (currently John Coughlan) is responsible for maintaining an updated list of fund access persons. The Chief Compliance Officer may designate an alternate who is authorized to administer this Code when he is unavailable.
The Chief Compliance Officer shall circulate a copy of this Code to each fund access person, together with an acknowledgment of receipt, which shall be signed and returned to the Chief Compliance Officer.
The Chief Compliance Officer is charged with responsibility for insuring that the reporting requirements of this Code are adhered to by all fund access persons. The Chief Compliance Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that the review requirements of this Code are performed in a prompt manner.
2
V. |
Definitions |
(a) Fund access person means: (i) any trustee, officer or advisory person (as defined below) of a Fund or the Trust; (ii) any director, officer, general partner or advisory person (as described below) of an investment adviser to a Fund; and (iii) any director, officer or general partner of a broker-dealer acting as distributor or principal underwriter of a Fund who, in the ordinary course of his or her business, makes, participates in or obtains information regarding the purchases and sales of securities for such Fund or whose ordinary business functions and duties relate to the making of recommendations to such Fund regarding the purchase and sale of securities.
Exceptions: (i) any investment adviser unaffiliated with Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC (LGFA) and/or the Trust (except by reason of being a sub-advisor) and all employees of such unaffiliated adviser, provided that such sub-advisor represents to LGFA that it has and enforces a code of ethics that meets the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, and (ii) any employee of the Trusts administrator or principal ;underwriter, including such employees who may act as officers of the Trust.
(b) Advisory person means with respect to (A) the Trust, (B) an investment adviser to a Fund or (C) any company in a control relationship to the Trust or the investment adviser, (i) any employee who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in, or obtains information regarding, the purchase or sale of a security by a Fund, or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales; and (ii) any natural person in a control relationship to the Trust or an investment adviser who obtains information concerning recommendations made to a Fund with regard to the purchase or sale of a security.
Exceptions: (i) any investment adviser unaffiliated with LGFA and/or the Trust (except by reason of being a sub-advisor) and all employees of such unaffiliated advisor, provided that such sub-advisor represents to LGFA that it has and enforces a code of ethics that meets the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, and (ii) any employee of an administration company providing administration services to the Trust or the Fund including such employees who may act as officers of the Trust.
(c) A security is being considered for purchase or sale when a recommendation to purchase or sell a security has been made and communicated, and, with respect to a person making a recommendation, when such person seriously considers making such a recommendation.
(d) Beneficial ownership shall be interpreted in the same manner as it would be in determining whether a person is subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and the rules and regulations thereunder, with the exception that the determination of direct or indirect beneficial ownership shall apply to all securities which a fund access person has or acquires.
3
(e) Control means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position, as further defined in Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act.
(f) Excepted securities include shares of registered open-end investment companies (other than shares of the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds), securities issued by the government of the United States (including government agencies), banker acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, high quality short-term debt instruments and other money market instruments.
(g) An Initial Public Offering means an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), the issuer of which, immediately before the registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
(h) Investment Personnel means with respect to (A) the Trust, (B) an investment adviser to a Fund or (C) any company in a control relationship to the Trust or the investment adviser:
(i) Any employee, who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes or participates in making recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of securities by a Fund.
(ii) Any natural person who controls the Trust or investment adviser to a Fund and who obtains information concerning recommendations made to that Fund regarding the purchase or sale of securities by that Fund.
(i) Limited Offering means an offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(2) or Section 4(6) or pursuant to Rule 504, Rule 505, or Rule 506 under the Securities Act.
(j) Purchase or sale of a security includes the writing of an option to purchase or sell a security.
(k) Reportable Securities are those securities for which quarterly transactions reports must be filed. Reportable Securities are all securities included in the definition of Security in the Advisers Act and the 1940 Act (with the exceptions below) and include any (a) equity or debt instrument traded on an exchange (including foreign securities exchanges), through NASDAQ or through the pink sheets, over-the-counter or any public market, (b) options to purchase or sell such equity or debt instrument, (c) warrants and rights with respect to such securities, (d) municipal bonds, (e) index stock or bond group options that include such equity or debt instrument, (f) futures contracts on stock or bond groups that include such equity or debt instrument, (g) any option on such futures contracts, (h) limited offerings or private offerings and (i) shares of mutual funds managed by the Company (i.e., the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds); provided that Reportable Securities shall not include securities issued by the Government of the United States, banker acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, high quality short-term debt instruments and shares of open-end mutual funds (other than the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds). For the avoidance of doubt, exchange-traded funds and closed-end registered investment companies are reportable securities.
4
(l) Security shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act, except that it shall not include excepted securities (as defined below).
VI. |
Prohibited Trading Practices |
No fund access person shall purchase or sell directly or indirectly, any security in which he or she has, or by reason of such transactions acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in the security:
(a) if such security to his or her actual knowledge at the time of such purchase or sale:
(i) is being considered for purchase or sale by a Fund;
(ii) is in the process of being purchased or sold by a Fund (except that a fund access person may participate in a bunched transaction with the Fund if the price terms are the same); or
(b) if such action by such fund access person would defraud a Fund, operate as a fraud or deceit upon a Fund, or constitute a manipulative practice with respect to such Fund. In each case, the relevant Fund shall be limited to the Fund(s) to which such fund access person has a direct relationship.
To ensure that security purchases and sales by fund access persons do not constitute a fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative practice with respect to the various Funds, each investment adviser and principal underwriter to a Fund shall adopt a policy preventing fund access persons from trading ahead of the Fund or otherwise trading in securities being considered for purchase or sale by a Fund for an appropriate period of time.
Fund access persons (other than the Independent Trustees) covered by this Code shall pre-clear all Reportable Securities with the Chief Compliance Officer. The purchase and sale of shares in the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds are exempt from the pre-clearance requirement of this paragraph VI, however such exemption does not absolve fund access Persons from reporting trades in the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds pursuant to paragraph X herein.
VII. |
Exempted Transactions/Securities |
The prohibitions of Section VI and the reporting requirements of Section X of this Code shall not apply to:
(a) |
Purchases or sales effected in any account over which the fund access person has no direct or indirect influence or control. |
5
(b) |
Purchases or sales which are non-volitional on the part of either the fund access person or the Trust (e.g., receipt of de minimis gifts, a sale in connection with a court order). |
(c) |
Purchases which are part of an automatic dividend reinvestment plan. |
(d) |
Purchases and sales of securities which are not included in the definition of Security in Section V above or are excepted securities as defined in Section V. |
(e) |
Trading in mutual funds, including the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds. |
VIII. |
Pre-approval of Investments in IPOs and Limited Offerings |
Fund access persons must obtain approval from the Chief Compliance Officer before directly or indirectly acquiring beneficial ownership in any securities issued in an Initial Public Offering or in a Limited Offering through the compliance and employee trade monitoring systems web page accessible to all Employees.
IX. |
Pre-approval of Cryptocurrencies, Initial Coin Officers, Token and Other Digital Assets. |
If fund access persons seeks to participate in an initial coin offering (ICO) or investment (virtual or otherwise) with a profits interest contingent on the management efforts of other, fund access persons are required to submit a prior approval request to the Chief Compliance Officer though the compliance and employee trade monitoring systems web page accessible to all Employees.
X. |
Reporting |
Independent Trustees and individuals who already report their investment transactions under the rules applicable to registered investment advisers may be excepted from the reporting requirement (see Section XI below). Subject to the exceptions set forth below, every fund access person shall report to the Chief Compliance Officer or compliance delegate the information described below with respect to transactions in any security in which such fund access person has, or by reason of such transaction acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in the security. Every report shall be made not later than thirty (30) days after the end of each calendar quarter and shall contain the following information:
(1) |
The date of the transaction, the title and the number of shares, and the principal amount of each security involved; |
(2) |
The nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale, or any other type of acquisition or disposition); |
(3) |
The price at which the transaction was effected; and |
(4) |
The name of the broker, dealer, or bank with or through whom the transaction was effected. |
6
For periods in which no reportable transactions were effected, the report shall contain a representation that no transactions subject to the reporting requirements were effected during the relevant time period.
Any such report may contain a statement that the report shall not be construed as an admission by the person making such report that he has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in the security to which the report relates.
The report must be completed via the compliance and employee trade monitoring system, which will have the account statement and transactions downloaded to the system. If the Personal Account is an approved exception to the Designated Brokerage Policy, copies of the account statements must be submitted to Compliance via file attachments in the compliance and employee trade monitoring system within 30 calendar days following the end of each calendar year regardless of whether any trading activity took place in that account during the quarter. In addition, the report must include a certification that all trades in Reportable Securities in the Employees Personal Accounts during the reporting period are covered by such account statements.
XI. |
Exceptions to Reporting Requirements |
An Independent Trustee, i.e., a Trustee of the Trust who is not an interested person (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) of the Trust, is not required to file a report on a transaction in a security provided such Trustee neither knew nor, in the ordinary course of fulfilling his or her official duties as a trustee of the Trust, should have known that, during the 15-day period immediately preceding or after the date of the transaction by the Trustee, such security is or was purchased or sold by the Trust or is or was being considered for purchase by an investment adviser of the Trust.
Where an Independent Trustee is exempt from the reporting requirements of this Code pursuant to this Section XI, such Trustee may nevertheless voluntarily file a report representing that he or she did not engage in any securities transactions which, to his or her knowledge, involved securities that were being purchased or sold or considered for purchase by any Fund during the 15-day period preceding or after the date(s) of any transaction(s) by such Trustee. The failure to file such a report, however, shall not be considered a violation of this Code.
Fund access persons also need not make a report with respect to exempted transactions/ securities as described in Section VIII of this Code.
Access persons need not make a report where the report would duplicate information recorded pursuant to the applicable rules under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.
XII. |
Review |
The Chief Compliance Officer shall compare all reports of personal securities transactions with completed and contemplated portfolio transactions of each Fund to determine whether a possible violation of the Code may have occurred. The Chief Compliance Officer may delegate this function to one or more persons employed by an investment adviser or principal underwriter with respect to the reports filed by fund access persons in such organization, and shall receive and be entitled to rely on a summary report from such compliance delegate.
7
Before making any determination that a violation has been committed by any person, the Chief Compliance Officer shall give such person an opportunity to supply additional explanatory material. If a securities transaction of the Chief Compliance Officer is under consideration, an alternate shall act in all respects in the manner prescribed herein for the Chief Compliance Officer.
If the Chief Compliance Officer determines that a violation of the Code has or may have occurred, he shall, following consultation with the Trusts legal counsel, submit his or her written determination, together with the transaction report, if any, and any additional explanatory material provided by the individual, to the President of the Trust or, if the President shall be the Chief Compliance Officer, the Treasurer, who shall make an independent determination of whether a violation has occurred.
The Chief Compliance Officer shall be responsible for maintaining a current list of all fund access persons (including all Trustees) and for identifying all reporting fund access persons on such list, and shall take steps to ensure that all reporting fund access persons have submitted reports in a timely manner. The Chief Compliance Officer may delegate the compilation of this information to appropriate persons employed by an investment adviser or principal underwriter and shall be entitled to rely on the information received from such delegates. Failure to submit timely reports will be communicated to the Board of Trustees.
XIII. |
Confidential Information |
A. |
Confidential Information Defined |
Fund access persons may receive material, nonpublic information (i.e., inside information), or other sensitive or confidential information from or about the Trusts shareholders or its management. Such confidential information may include, among other things:
|
Names and addresses of shareholders. |
|
Financial or other information about the shareholder, such as the number of shares held by a shareholder. |
|
The names of the securities being purchased or sold, or being considered for purchase or sale, for a Fund. |
|
Any Trust information privately given to a fund access person that, if publicly known, would be likely to (i) affect the price of any security in a Funds portfolio or the shares of a Fund or (ii) embarrass or harm the Trust. |
Given the breadth of the above, all information that a fund access person obtains through the Trust should be considered confidential information unless it is specifically known to be available to the public.
8
B. |
Policy Statement Regarding Use and Treatment of Confidential Information. |
All confidential information, whatever the source, may be used only in the discharge of the fund access persons duties with the Trust. Confidential information may not be used for any personal purpose, including the purchase or sale of securities for a personal account. No fund access person may use any confidential information in any manner that adversely affects the Trust. All confidential information is to be treated as the secret, proprietary and confidential data of the Trust.
C. |
Procedures Regarding Use and Treatment of Confidential Information. |
The Trust encourages each of its fund access persons to be aware of, and sensitive to, such fund access persons treatment of confidential information. The Trust has also adopted a Privacy Policy which also sets forth policies and procedures regarding maintaining the privacy of the nonpublic personal information of its shareholders. Each fund access person must take the following precautions:
|
Fund access persons must not discuss confidential information unless necessary as part of his or her duties and responsibilities with the Trust. |
|
Particular care should be exercised if confidential information must be discussed in public places, such as restaurants, elevators, taxicabs, trains or airplanes, where such information may be overheard. |
|
Under no circumstances may confidential information be shared with any person, including any spouse or other family member, who is not a fund access person of the Trust. |
|
Fund access persons must return all confidential information upon their separation from the Trust. |
XIV. |
Proprietary Information |
A. |
Proprietary Information Defined. |
Proprietary information shall mean any Company information which is in written, graphic, machine-readable or other tangible form. Proprietary Information also includes non-tangible oral or visual information. Given the breadth of this definition, all information that an Employee obtains through the Company should be considered proprietary information unless it is specifically known to be available to the public.
Confidential and Proprietary information includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:
|
Any knowledge or information with respect to Litman Gregorys business activities, methods, or financial condition |
|
Professional contacts |
|
Customer, client, subscriber, employee and vendor lists |
9
|
Customer, client or subscriber preferences |
|
Litman Gregory-developed proprietary processes and procedures |
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Litman Gregory-developed software, software code, and Litman Gregory- developed proprietary software applications using third-party software platforms |
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Labor relations strategies |
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Marketing strategies |
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Market research |
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Pending projects and proposals |
B. |
Policy Statement Regarding Use and Treatment of Proprietary Information. |
The Employee recognizes that the confidentiality of proprietary information is a matter of great concern to the Company. The Employee agrees that he or she will not disclose to any individual or entity outside the Company any proprietary information of the Company, except to individuals who have a specific need to know due to their contractual or other business relationship to the Company, and that he or she will not use such proprietary information other than for the benefit of the Company. Employees are prohibited from using proprietary information to solicit Litman Gregory clients for any purpose other than Litman Gregory business.
C. |
Procedures Regarding Use and Treatment of Proprietary Information. |
The Company encourages each of its Employees to be aware of, and sensitive to, such Employees treatment of proprietary information. The Employee understands and agrees that all files, records, papers, memoranda, letters, handbooks and manuals, facsimile or other communications which he or she obtains that were written, authorized, signed, received or transmitted during his or her employment are and remain the property of the Company and, as such, are not to be removed from the Companys offices except for the purpose of business activity on behalf of the Company. Upon termination of employment, Employee will promptly deliver to the Company any such materials that may then be in his or her possession.
Employees who improperly use or disclose trade secrets or confidential or proprietary information will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and legal action, even if they do not actually benefit from the disclosed information.
XV. |
Restrictions on Gifts and Entertainment. |
A. |
General Policy Statement. |
A conflict of interest occurs when the personal interests of employees interfere or could potentially interfere with their responsibilities to the Company and its clients. The overriding principle is that employees should not accept inappropriate gifts, favors, entertainment, special accommodations, or other things of material value that could influence their decision-making or make them feel beholden to a person or firm. Similarly, employees should not offer gifts, favors, entertainment or other things of value that could be viewed as overly generous or aimed at influencing decision-making or making a client feel beholden to the firm or the supervised person.
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B. |
De Minimis Gifts and Entertainment. |
All gifts or benefits (such as a gift of a service) from or given to any client, broker/dealer, money manager, or others who transact business with the Company should be reported to the Chief Compliance Officer using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. Any gift received or given by an employee that has a total value in excess of $250.00 may not be accepted or disbursed unless approved by the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate. Unrequested promotional gifts below $25 in value do not need to be reported. Gifts of cash may never be accepted or disbursed by an Employee.
In addition, Employees may attend business meals, sporting events and other entertainment events as long as both the giver(s) and receiver(s) are present, the expense has a total value equal to or less than $250.00 and is reported to the Chief Compliance Officer using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. Any entertainment above $250.00 may not be accepted or disbursed unless approved by the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate.
XVI. |
Sanctions |
If a material violation of this Code occurs or a preliminary determination is made that a violation may have occurred, a report of the alleged violation shall be made to a senior officer of the Trust and, if appropriate, the Board of Trustees. The Trusts senior officer or the Board of Trustees may impose such sanctions as it deems appropriate, including:
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The applicable Employee meeting with the Chief Compliance Officer and/or the Managing Partner in charge of the Employees business unit to review this Code and discuss the nature and extent of the violation; |
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The violation will be recorded in the Companys compliance books and records; |
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The applicable Employee may be required to attend and provide evidence of satisfactory completion of compliance training courses; |
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The applicable Employee may be required to immediately sell any security purchased in violation of Section X above; |
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The applicable Employee may be subject to a fine and/or disgorgement of any profits earned on the purchase or sale of any security in violation of Section X above, or the personal absorption of any loss on the sale of such security; |
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The applicable Employee may be suspended without pay for a period of time to be determined by the committee; and/or |
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The offending employees employment at the Company may be terminated |
XVII. |
Whistleblower Policy |
A. |
General Policy |
The Company requires Directors, Officers and Employees to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All Employees and representatives of the Company must practice honesty and integrity and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
B. |
Reporting Responsibility |
This Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage and enable Employees and others to raise serious concerns internally so that the Company can address and correct inappropriate conduct and actions. It is the responsibility of all Directors, Officers and Employees to report concerns about violations of the Companys code of ethics or suspected violations of law or regulations that govern the Companys operations.
C. |
No Retaliation |
It is contrary to the values of the Company for anyone to retaliate against any Director, Officer, or Employee who in good faith reports an ethics violation, or a suspected violation of law, such as a compliant of discrimination, or suspected fraud, or suspected violation of any regulation governing the operations of the Company. An Employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.
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D. |
Reporting Procedure |
The Company has an open door policy and suggests that Employees share their questions, concerns, suggestions or complaints with their supervisor. If you are not comfortable speaking with your supervisor, or you are not satisfied with your supervisors response, you are encouraged to speak with the Chief Compliance Officer. Supervisors and managers are required to report complaints or concerns about suspected ethical and legal violations in writing to the Companys Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee, who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints. Employees with concerns or complaints may also submit their concerns in writing using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system accessible to all Employees.
The Companys Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for ensuring that all complaints about unethical or illegal conduct are investigated and resolved. The Compliance Officer will advise the Chief Executive Officer.
E. |
Acting in Good Faith |
Anyone filing a written complaint concerning a violation or suspected violation must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.
F. |
Confidentiality |
Violations or suspected violations may be submitted on a confidential basis by the complainant. Reports of violations or suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.
G. |
Handling of Reported Violations |
The Companys Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee will notify the person who submitted a complaint and acknowledge receipt of the reported violation or suspected violation. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken if warranted by the investigation.
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Exhibit A
LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST
SUPPLEMENTAL ANTIFRAUD CODE OF ETHICS FOR
PRINCIPAL OFFICERS AND SENIOR FINANCIAL OFFICERS
(as amended August 1, 2020)
The Board of Trustees (the Board) of Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the Trust) has adopted this Supplemental Antifraud Code of Ethics (the Code) for the Trusts Principal Officers and Senior Financial Officers (the Officers) to guide and remind the Officers of their responsibilities to the Trust, other Officers, shareholders of the series of the Trust (the Funds), and governmental authorities. Officers are expected to act in accordance with the guidance and standards set forth in this Code.
For the purposes of this Code, the Trusts Principal Officers and Senior Financial Officers shall include: the Principal Executive Officer; the Principal Financial Officer; the Principal Accounting Officer; the Controller; and any persons performing similar functions on behalf of the Trust, regardless of whether such persons are employed by the Trust or a third party.
This Code is intended to serve as the code of ethics described in Section 406 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Form N-CSR. To the extent that an Officer is subject to the Trusts code of ethics adopted pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Rule 17j-1 Code), this Code is intended to supplement and be interpreted in the context of the Rule 17j-1 Code. This Code also should be interpreted in the context of all applicable laws, regulations, the Trusts Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws, as amended, and all other governance and disclosure policies and documents adopted by the Board. All Officers must become familiar and fully comply with this Code. Because this Code cannot and does not cover every applicable law or provide answers to all questions that might arise, all Officers are expected to use common sense about what is right and wrong, including a sense of when it is proper to seek guidance from others on the appropriate course of conduct.
The purpose of this Code is to set standards for the Officers that are reasonably designed to deter wrongdoing and are necessary to promote:
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honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships; |
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full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Trust files with, or submits to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and in any other public communications by the Trust; |
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compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations; |
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the prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code to the appropriate persons as set forth in the Code; and |
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accountability for adherence to the Code. |
1. |
Honest and Ethical Conduct |
a. |
Honesty, Diligence and Professional Responsibility |
Officers are expected to observe both the form and the spirit of the ethical principles contained in this Code. Officers must perform their duties and responsibilities for the Trust:
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with honesty, diligence, and a commitment to professional and ethical responsibility; |
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carefully, thoroughly and in a timely manner; and |
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in conformity with applicable professional and technical standards. |
Officers who are certified public accountants are expected carry out their duties and responsibilities in a manner consistent with the principles governing the accounting profession, including any guidelines or principles issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants from time to time.
b. |
Objectivity / Avoidance of Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest |
Officers are expected to maintain objectivity and avoid undisclosed conflicts of interest. In the performance of their duties and responsibilities for the Trust, Officers must not subordinate their judgment to personal gain and advantage, or be unduly influenced by their own interests or by the interests of others. Officers must avoid participation in any activity or relationship that constitutes a conflict of interest unless that conflict has been completely disclosed to affected parties. Further, Officers should avoid participation in any activity or relationship that could create the appearance of a conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest would generally arise if an Officer directly or indirectly participated in any investment, interest, association, activity or relationship that may impair or appear to impair the Officers objectivity.
Any Officer who may be involved in a situation or activity that might be a conflict of interest or give the appearance of a conflict of interest should consider reporting such situation or activity using the reporting procedures set forth in Section 4 of this Code
The Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the Audit Committee) will not be responsible for monitoring or enforcing this conflict of interest policy, but rather each Officer is responsible for self-compliance with this conflict of interest policy.
c. |
Preparation of Financial Statements |
Officers must not knowingly make any misrepresentations regarding a Funds financial statements or any facts in the preparation of a Funds financial statements, and must comply with all applicable laws, standards, principles, guidelines, rules and regulations in the preparation of the Funds financial statements. This section is intended to prohibit:
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making, or permitting or directing another to make, materially false or misleading entries in a Funds financial statements or records; |
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failing to correct a Funds financial statements or records that are materially false or misleading when he or she has the authority to record an entry; and |
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signing, or permitting or directing another to sign, a document containing materially false or misleading financial information. |
Officers must be scrupulous in their application of generally accepted accounting principles. No Officer may (i) express an opinion or state affirmatively that the financial statements or other financial data of the Trust are presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, or (ii) state that he or she is not aware of any material modifications that should be made to such statements or data in order for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, if such statements or data contain any departure from generally accepted accounting principles then in effect in the United States.
Officers must follow the laws, standards, principles, guidelines, rules and regulations established by all applicable governmental bodies, commissions or other regulatory agencies in the preparation of financial statements, records and related information. If an Officer prepares financial statements, records or related information for purposes of reporting to such bodies, commissions or regulatory agencies, the Officer must follow the requirements of such organizations in addition to generally accepted accounting principles.
If an Officer and his or her supervisor have a disagreement or dispute relating to the preparation of financial statements or the recording of transactions, the Officer should take the following steps to ensure that the situation does not constitute an impermissible subordination of judgment:
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The Officer should consider whether (i) the entry or the failure to record a transaction in the records, or (ii) the financial statement presentation or the nature or omission of disclosure in the financial statements, as proposed by the supervisor, represents the use of an acceptable alternative and does not materially misrepresent the facts or result in an omission of a material fact. If, after appropriate research or consultation, the Officer concludes that the matter has authoritative support and/or does not result in a material misrepresentation, the Officer need do nothing further. |
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If the Officer concludes that the financial statements or records could be materially misstated as a result of the supervisors determination, the Officer should follow the reporting procedures set forth in Section 4 of this Code. |
d. |
Obligations to the Independent Auditor of a Fund |
In dealing with a Funds independent auditor, Officers must be candid and not knowingly misrepresent facts or knowingly fail to disclose material facts, and must respond to specific inquiries and requests by the Funds independent auditor.
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Officers must not take any action, or direct any person to take any action, to fraudulently influence, coerce, manipulate or mislead a Funds independent auditor in the performance of an audit of the Funds financial statements for the purpose of rendering such financial statements materially misleading.
2. |
Full, Fair, Accurate, Timely and Understandable Disclosure |
It is the Trusts policy to provide full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Trust files with, or submits to, the SEC and in any other public communications by the Trust. The Trust has designed and implemented Disclosure Controls and Procedures to carry out this policy.
Officers are expected to use their best efforts to promote, facilitate, and prepare full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in all reports and documents that the Trust files with, or submits to, the SEC and in any other public communications by the Trust.
Officers must review the Trusts Disclosure Controls and Procedures to ensure they are aware of and carry out their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Disclosure Controls and Procedures and the public reporting obligations of the Trust. Officers are responsible for monitoring the integrity and effectiveness of the Trusts Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
3. |
Compliance with Applicable Laws, Rules and Regulations |
Officers are expected to know, respect and comply with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to the conduct of the Trusts business. If an Officer is in doubt about the legality or propriety of an action, business practice or policy, the Officer should seek advice from the Officers supervisor or the Trusts legal counsel.
In the performance of their work, Officers must not knowingly be a party to any illegal activity or engage in acts that are discreditable to the Trust. Officers are expected to promote the Trusts compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. To promote such compliance, Officers may establish and maintain mechanisms to educate employees carrying out the finance and compliance functions of the Trust about any applicable laws, rules or regulations that affect the operation of the finance and compliance functions and the Trust generally.
4. |
Reporting of Illegal or Unethical Behavior |
Officers should promptly report any conduct or actions by an Officer that do not comply with the law or with this Code. Officers and the Trust shall adhere to the following reporting procedures:
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Any Officer who questions whether a situation, activity or practice is acceptable must immediately report such practice to the Principal Executive Officer of the Trust (or to an Officer who is the functional equivalent of this position) or to the Trusts legal counsel. The person receiving the report shall consider the matter and respond to the Officer within a reasonable amount of time. |
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If the Officer is not satisfied with the response of the Principal Executive Officer or counsel, the Officer must report the matter to the Chairman of the Audit Committee. |
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If the Chairman is unavailable, the Officer may report the matter to any other member of the Audit Committee. The person receiving the report shall consider the matter, refer it to the full Audit Committee if he or she deems appropriate, and respond to the Officer within a reasonable amount of time. |
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If, after receiving a response, the Officer concludes that appropriate action was not taken, he or she should consider any responsibility that may exist to communicate to third parties, such as regulatory authorities or the Funds independent auditor. In this matter, the Officer may wish to consult with his or her own legal counsel. |
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The Audit Committee and the Trust will not be responsible for monitoring or enforcing this reporting of violations policy, but rather each Officer is responsible for self-compliance with this reporting of violations policy. |
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To the extent possible and as allowed by law, reports will be treated as confidential. |
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If the Audit Committee determines that an Officer violated this Code, failed to report a known or suspected violation of this Code, or provided intentionally false or malicious information in connection with an alleged violation of this Code, the Trust may take disciplinary action against any such Officer to the extent the Audit Committee deems appropriate. No Officer will be disciplined for reporting a concern in good faith. |
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The Trust and the Audit Committee may report violations of the law to the appropriate authorities. |
5. |
Accountability and Applicability |
All Officers will be held accountable for adherence to this Code. On an annual basis, within 30 days of the beginning of each calendar year, each Officer shall certify in writing his or her receipt, familiarity and commitment to compliance with this Code, by signing the Acknowledgment Form (Exhibit C to this Code).
This Code is applicable to all Officers, regardless of whether such persons are employed by the Trust or a third party. If an Officer is aware of a person who may be considered an Officer as defined by this Code (Potential Officer), the Officer should inform legal counsel to the Trust of such Potential Officer so that a determination can be made regarding whether such Potential Officer has completed or should complete an Acknowledgment Form. However, the absence of such a determination will not be deemed to relieve any person of his or her duties under this Code.
6. |
Disclosure of this Code |
This Code shall be disclosed by at least one of the following methods in the manner prescribed by the SEC, unless otherwise required by law:
|
by filing a copy of the Code with the SEC; |
|
by posting the text of the Code on the Trusts website; or |
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by providing, without charge, a copy of the Code to any person upon request. |
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7. |
Waivers |
Any waiver of this Code, including an implicit waiver, that has been granted to an Officer, may be made only by the Board or a committee of the Board to which such responsibility has been delegated, and must be disclosed by the Trust in the manner prescribed by law and as set forth above in Section 6 (Disclosure of this Code).
8. |
Amendments |
This Code may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board. Any amendment of this Code, must be disclosed by the Trust in the manner prescribed by law and as set forth above in Section 6 (Disclosure of this Code), unless such amendment is deemed to be technical, administrative, or otherwise non-substantive. Any amendments to this Code will be provided to the Officers.
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Appendix 1-B
LITMAN GREGORY FUND ADVISORS, LLC
LITMAN GREGORY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC
CODE OF ETHICS
(as amended August 1, 2020)
Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC (LGFA) and its affiliate, Litman Gregory Asset Management, LLC (LGAM, and with LGFA, the Company), have adopted the policies and procedures set forth in this Code of Ethics (the Code).
This Code governs the activities of all of the Companys Employees (as defined in Section VI.A.1. below). It is important that you understand your reporting obligations under this Code.
If you have any questions regarding this Code, please contact the Chief Compliance Officer of LGAM or LGFA, as applicable.
I. |
PURPOSE OF THIS CODE |
This Code is intended to promote ethical conduct and to provide guidelines and specific reporting requirements to help ensure the compliance of the Company and its Employees with applicable securities laws and regulations, including the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the Advisers Act), and all other applicable Federal securities laws (as defined in Rule 38a-1 of the 1940 Act). In particular, Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, require the Company to establish, maintain and enforce a written code of ethics that, at a minimum, sets the standard of business conduct that the Company requires of its Employees, requires Employees to comply with applicable federal securities laws, and sets forth provisions regarding personal securities transactions by Employees.
II. |
KEY PRINCIPLES |
This Code is based on the following key principles:
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Each Employees duty at all times to place the interests of clients first; |
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The requirement that all personal securities transactions be conducted in such a manner as to be consistent with this Code and to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of an Employees position of trust and responsibility; |
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The principle that Employees should not take inappropriate advantage of their positions; |
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The fiduciary obligation of Employees to protect the confidentiality of clients proprietary, sensitive or other confidential information communicated to the Company or its Employees; |
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The principle that Employees will not disclose to any unauthorized individual or entity outside of the Company or remove from the Companys offices proprietary information. |
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The principle that the Company and each Employee must maintain the highest ethical standards and refrain from engaging in activities that may create actual or apparent conflicts of interest between the interests of the Company or its Employees and the interests of the Companys clients. |
III. |
FRAUD |
Fraudulent activities by Employees are prohibited. Specifically, any Employee, in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, by such Employee of a security held or to be acquired by a Company client, may not:
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Employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the Companys clients; |
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Make any untrue statement of a material fact to the Companys clients or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made to the Companys clients, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; |
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Engage in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on the Companys clients; or |
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Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the Companys clients or securities in general. |
IV. |
INSIDER TRADING |
The Company and its Employees are prohibited by law from purchasing or selling any publicly-traded stock, bond, option or other security while in possession of material, nonpublic information (i.e., insider trading).
A. |
Insider Trading Defined. |
It is against the law to engage in insider trading. The term insider trading is generally used to refer to (i) a persons use of material, nonpublic information in connection with transactions in securities, and (ii) certain communications of material, nonpublic information.
The laws concerning insider trading generally prohibit:
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The purchase or sale of securities by an insider, while in possession of material, nonpublic information; |
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The purchase or sale of securities by a non-insider, while in possession of material, nonpublic information where the information was disclosed to the non- insider in violation of an insiders duty to keep the information confidential or was misappropriated; or |
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The communication of material, nonpublic information in violation of a confidentiality obligation where the information leads to a purchase or sale of securities. |
1. Who is an Insider? The concept of insider is broad. It includes the officers, directors, employees and majority shareholders of a company and may also include, among others, a companys attorneys, accountants, consultants, investment bankers, commercial bankers and the employees of such organizations. Analysts are usually not considered insiders of the companies that they follow, although if an analyst is given confidential information by a companys representative in a manner in which the analyst knows or should know to be a breach of that representatives duties to the company, the analyst may become a temporary insider.
2. What is Material Information? Trading on inside information is not a basis for liability unless the information is material. Material information is construed broadly and is generally defined as information that a reasonable investor would likely consider important in making his or her investment decision or information that is reasonably certain to have a substantial effect on the price of a companys securities. Information that should be considered material includes, but is not limited to: dividend changes, earnings estimates, changes in previously released earnings estimates, significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements, major litigation, liquidity problems and extraordinary management developments. Material information does not have to relate to a companys business; it can be significant (but as yet not widely known) market information. For example, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal was found criminally liable for disclosing to others the dates on which reports on various companies would appear in The Wall Street Journal and whether or not those reports would be favorable.
3. What is Nonpublic Information? Information is nonpublic unless it has been effectively communicated to the marketplace. For information to be considered public, one must be able to point to some fact to show that the information has been generally disseminated to the public. For example, information found in a report filed with the SEC or appearing in Dow Jones, Reuters Economic Services, The Wall Street Journal or another publication of general circulation is considered public. Market rumors are not considered public information.
4. What is Trading While in Possession of Material Nonpublic Information? Generally, a purchase or sale of a security is made while in possession of material nonpublic information about that security or issuer if the person making the purchase or sale was aware of the material nonpublic information when the person made the purchase of sale.
5. Not Certain if You Have Inside Information? If you have any doubts about whether you are in possession of material nonpublic information, consult with the applicable Chief Compliance Officer.
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B. |
Penalties for Insider Trading. |
Penalties for trading on or communicating material, nonpublic information are severe, both for the individuals involved in the unlawful conduct and for their employers, and may include administrative penalties, civil injunctions, disgorgement of profits, jail sentences, and significant fines for the person who committed the violation or for the employer or other controlling person of the person who committed the violation. A person can be subject to some or all of these penalties even if he or she does not personally benefit from the violation.
In addition, any violation of the procedures set forth in this Code can be expected to result in serious sanctions by the Company, including dismissal. See section VIII. D. below for more information on sanctions for violations of this Code.
C. |
Policy Statement Regarding Insider Trading. |
The Company expects that each of its Employees will obey the law and not trade while in possession of material, nonpublic information. In addition, the Company discourages its Employees from seeking or knowingly obtaining material nonpublic information.
D. |
Procedures to Prevent Insider Trading. |
Because the Company does not have an investment banking division or affiliate and generally prohibits its Employees from serving as an officer or director of a company having publicly traded securities, the Company does not anticipate that its Employees will routinely be in receipt of material, nonpublic information. However, such persons may from time to time receive such information. If any such person receives any information which may constitute such material, nonpublic information, such Employee (i) should not buy or sell any securities (including options or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities) for a personal account or a client account, (ii) should not communicate such information to any other person (other than the Chief Compliance Officer), and (iii) should discuss promptly such information with the Chief Compliance Officer. Under no circumstances should such information be shared with any persons not employed by the Company, including family members or friends. Each Employee contacting an issuer or analyst should (i) identify himself as associated with the Company, (ii) identify the Company as an investment management firm, and, (iii) after the conversation, make a memorandum memorializing the conversation with the issuer or analyst (including the beginning of the conversation where the Employee identified himself or herself as associated with the Company). Once such material, nonpublic information becomes public, the Employee may trade in securities in accordance with this Code.
V. |
OTHER CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION |
A. |
Confidential Information Defined. |
Even if the Company and its Employees do not routinely receive material, nonpublic information (i.e., inside information), the Company or its Employees may receive such information or other sensitive or confidential information from or about the Companys clients, and the Companys Employees will receive confidential or sensitive information about the Companys affairs. Such confidential information may include, among other things:
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Names and addresses of clients (e.g., client lists). |
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Financial or other information about the client, such as the clients financial condition or the specific securities held in a specific clients portfolio. |
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The names of the securities being purchased or sold, or being considered for purchase or sale, for any clients account. |
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Any client or Company information privately given to an Employee that, if publicly known, would be likely to (i) affect the price of any security in the portfolio of any client of the Company or (ii) embarrass or harm the client or the Company. |
Given the breadth of the above, all information that an Employee obtains through the Company should be considered confidential information unless it is specifically known to be available to the public.
B. |
Policy Statement Regarding Use and Treatment of Confidential Information. |
All confidential information, whatever the source, may be used only in the discharge of the Employees duties with the Company. Confidential information may not be used for any personal purpose, including the purchase or sale of securities for a personal account. No Employee may use any confidential information in any manner that adversely affects the Company or its clients. All confidential information is to be treated as the secret, proprietary and confidential data of the Company.
C. |
Procedures Regarding Use and Treatment of Confidential Information. |
The Company encourages each of its Employees to be aware of, and sensitive to, such Employees treatment of confidential information. The Company has also adopted a Privacy Policy which also sets forth policies and procedures regarding maintaining the privacy of its consumers and customers personal financial information. Each Employee must take the following precautions:
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Employees must not discuss confidential information unless necessary as part of his or her duties and responsibilities with the Company. |
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Precautions must be taken to avoid storing confidential information in plain view in public areas of the Companys facilities, including reception areas, conference rooms and kitchens, and Employees must remove confidential information from areas where third parties may inadvertently see it. Confidential information should, whenever reasonably feasible, be stored in locked or otherwise physically secure locations. |
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Particular care should be exercised if confidential information must be discussed in public places, such as restaurants, elevators, taxicabs, trains or airplanes, where such information may be overheard. |
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Under no circumstances may confidential information be shared with any person, including any spouse or other family member, who is not a manager, member, officer, director, or employee of the Company. |
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Employees must return all confidential information upon their separation from the Company. |
VI. |
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION |
A. |
Proprietary Information Defined. |
Proprietary information shall mean any Company information which is in written, graphic, machine-readable or other tangible form. Proprietary Information also includes non-tangible oral or visual information. Given the breadth of this definition, all information that an Employee obtains through the Company should be considered proprietary information unless it is specifically known to be available to the public.
Confidential and Proprietary information includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:
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Any knowledge or information with respect to Litman Gregorys business activities, methods, or financial condition |
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Professional contacts |
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Customer, client, subscriber, employee and vendor lists |
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Customer, client or subscriber preferences |
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Litman Gregory-developed proprietary processes and procedures |
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Litman Gregory-developed software, software code, and Litman Gregory- developed proprietary software applications using third-party software platforms |
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Labor relations strategies |
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Marketing strategies |
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Market research |
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Pending projects and proposals |
B. |
Policy Statement Regarding Use and Treatment of Proprietary Information. |
The Employee recognizes that the confidentiality of proprietary information is a matter of great concern to the Company. All employees may be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement as a condition of employment. Whether or not such a separate non-disclosure agreement is signed, the Employee agrees that he or she will not disclose to any individual or entity outside the Company any proprietary information of the Company, except to individuals who have a specific need to know due to their contractual or other business relationship to the Company, and that he or she will not use such proprietary information other than for the benefit of the Company. Employees are prohibited from using proprietary information to solicit Litman Gregory clients for any purpose other than Litman Gregory business.
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C. |
Procedures Regarding Use and Treatment of Proprietary Information. |
The Company encourages each Employee to be aware of, and sensitive to, such Employees treatment of proprietary information. The Employee understands and agrees that all files, records, papers, memoranda, letters, handbooks and manuals, facsimile or other communications which he or she obtains that were written, authorized, signed, received or transmitted during his or her employment are and remain the property of the Company and, as such, are not to be removed from the Companys offices except for the purpose of business activity on behalf of the Company. Upon termination of employment, Employee will promptly deliver to the Company any such materials that may then be in his or her possession.
Employees who improperly use or disclose trade secrets or confidential or proprietary information will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and legal action, even if they do not actually benefit from the disclosed information.
VII. |
TRADING FOR PERSONAL SECURITIES ACCOUNTS |
The Company and its Employees owe a fiduciary obligation to the Companys clients. The Company and such persons, therefore, must avoid actual and apparent conflicts of interest with the Companys clients. In any situation where the potential for conflict exists, the clients interest must take precedence over personal interests. If there is any doubt, resolve the matter in the clients favor and confer with the Chief Compliance Officer.
If both an Employee and a client of the Company are engaging in transactions involving a Reportable Security (as defined below), an actual or apparent conflict of interest could arise. In those cases, transactions for client accounts must take precedence over transactions for Personal Accounts (all, as defined below) and personal transactions that create an actual or apparent conflict must be avoided.
Employees must not implement any securities transactions for a client without having disclosed any material beneficial ownership, business or personal relationship, or other material interest in the issuer or its affiliates to the Chief Compliance Officer. If the Chief Compliance Officer deems the disclosed interest to present a material conflict, the Employee may not participate in any decision-making process regarding the securities of that issuer.
A. |
Key Definitions. |
1. Employee. The term Employee as used in this Code includes all managers, members, officers, directors and employees of the Company as well as spouses, domestic partners and dependents. Employee also includes long-term temporaries and on-site consultants.
2. Access Persons. Access Person means any Employee who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in, or obtains information regarding, the purchase or sale of Reportable Securities or whose function relates to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales. Currently, all Employees are treated as Access Persons.
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3. Fund Access Persons. Fund Access Person means any Access Person who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in, or obtains information regarding, the purchase or sale of Reportable Securities held by any of the series (i.e., funds) of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust, or whose function relates to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales, or who regularly receives material non-public information regarding the Litman Gregory Funds Trust. The Chief Compliance Officer of LGFA maintains the list of Fund Access Persons.
4. Personal Account. The Personal Account of an Employee shall include each and every account (other than an account for the benefit of any of the Companys clients) for which such Employee influences or controls investment decisions. Personal Account includes self-directed retirement and employee benefit accounts. An account for the benefit of any of the following will be presumed to be a Personal Account unless the Company and the Employee otherwise agree in writing:
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An Employee. |
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The spouse or domestic partner of an Employee. |
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Any child under the age of 22 of an Employee, whether or not residing with the Employee. |
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Any other immediate family member of an Employee residing in the same household with the Employee. An immediate family member includes a child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in law and also includes adoptive relationships. |
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Any other account in which an Employee has a beneficial interest (for example, an account for a trust, estate, partnership or closely held corporation in which the Employee has a beneficial interest). |
Exception. If an Employee certifies in writing to the Chief Compliance Officer that (i) the certifying Employee does not influence the investment decisions for any specified account of such spouse, domestic partner, child or dependent person, and (ii) the person or persons making the investment decisions for such account do not make such decisions, in whole or in part, based upon information that the certifying Employee has provided, the Chief Compliance Officer may, in his or her discretion, determine that such an account is not an Employees personal account.
Other Exceptions. Special policies apply when trading in an Employees Personal Account is handled by someone other than the Employee. In situations where a third party exercises complete investment discretion in managing an Employees Personal Account, pre-clearance for reportable securities is not required. If the Employee has any role in the managing of the account, however, this exception does not apply. In any event, securities held or traded for these accounts must be included in the Employees quarterly and annual reports described in Section E, below.
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In order to fit within the exception regarding accounts for which the Employee has no investment discretion, the following is required: (a) a written verification by the Employee, and (b) a written verification by a third party involved in the management of the account. In all cases, whether to grant the exception is in the discretion of the Chief Compliance Officer.
5. Reportable Securities. Reportable Securities are those securities for which quarterly transaction reports must be filed. Reportable Securities are all securities included in the definition of Security in the Advisers Act and the 1940 Act (with the exceptions below) and include any (a) equity or debt instrument traded on an exchange (including foreign securities exchanges), through NASDAQ or through the pink sheets, over-the-counter or on any public market, (b) options to purchase or sell such equity or debt instrument, (c) warrants and rights with respect to such securities, (d) municipal bonds, (e) index stock or bond group options that include such equity or debt instrument, (f) futures contracts on stock or bond groups that include such equity or debt instrument, (g) any option on such futures contracts, (h) limited offerings or private offerings, and (i) shares of mutual funds managed by the Company (i.e., the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds); provided that Reportable Securities shall not include securities issued by the Government of the United States, banker acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, high quality short-term debt instruments and shares of open-end mutual funds (other than the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds). For the avoidance of doubt, exchange-traded funds and closed-end registered investment companies are reportable securities.
B. |
Policy Statement Regarding Trading for Personal Accounts. |
The Company recognizes that the personal investment transactions of its Employees demand the application of a strict code of ethics. Consequently, the Company requires that all personal investment transactions be carried out in a manner that will not endanger the interest of any client or create any apparent or actual conflict of interest between the Company or its Employees, on the one hand, and the client, on the other hand. Therefore, the Company has adopted the procedures set forth below.
C. |
Designated Brokerage Policy |
The Company requires its Employees to hold their Personal Accounts at Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments or TD Ameritrade. Employee acknowledges that these designated brokers will provide daily electronic data feeds, which include Personal Account transactions and holdings, into the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. Employees are required to transfer their Personal Accounts to one of the designated brokers listed within 45 days of employment. Note: employees are responsible for notifying Compliance via the compliance and employee trade monitoring system whenever opening and/or terminating Personal accounts.
Exception. Exception to this policy will be considered for certain account types. In order to request an account type exception a written request by the Employee to the Chief Compliance Officer is required. In all cases, whether to grant the exception is in the discretion of the Chief Compliance Officer.
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D. |
Procedures Regarding Trading for Personal Accounts. |
1. Trading Procedures. The following procedures must be followed by Employees before buying or selling securities for a Personal Account, provided that such procedures shall not be required with respect to trading in mutual funds.
Any Employee wishing to buy or sell any Reportable Security, for any Personal Account must first obtain approval for such purchase or sale from the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate. A form of such pre-clearance request is accessible through the compliance and employee trade monitoring system accessible to all Employees.
i. Confirm that Employee Is Not in Receipt of Inside Information. Each Employee wishing to buy or sell a security for a Personal Account should first confirm that he or she is not in receipt of any inside information that would materially affect the price of that security.
ii. Confirm that the Trade is Not an Opportunity That Should Be Offered to Company Clients. Employees are not to make a trade if the Employee has reason to believe that the trade should first be offered to the Companys clients, such as the situation where a client may be eligible for a limited availability investment opportunity offered to an Employee. If you have any doubt, confer with the Chief Compliance Officer.
iii. Obtain Pre-Clearance for IPOs or Private Placement Securities. Access Persons wishing to buy any security in an initial public offering (IPO) must first obtain approval for such transaction from the Chief Compliance Officer through the compliance and employee trade monitoring system accessible to all Employees. Access Persons wishing to buy/sell a limited offering (private placement) for any Personal Account must first obtain approval for such transaction from the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate through the compliance and employee trade monitoring system accessible to all Employees.
iv. Obtain Pre-Clearance for Reportable Securities1 Traded Market on Close. All Employees are required to seek pre-clearance prior to effecting a transaction. The employee must do the following through the compliance and employee trade monitoring system:
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Indicate on the pre-clearance request form, that the transaction is a market-on- close (MOC) execution. A market-on-close order is a non-limit market order that is executed as close to the end of the market day as possible (12:30-1:00pm Pacific). Approval will be given for all MOC trade requests. Approval for the requested transaction shall only be valid for transactions conducted on the day on which the approval is granted unless specifically noted by the Approver. |
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For the avoidance of doubt, shares of any of the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds are excluded from the definition of Reportable Securities for the purpose of satisfying this requirement. |
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Employees seeking to submit orders MOC in accordance with this paragraph are advised that a series or cluster of orders in thin end-of-day trading can result in poor execution. |
v. Obtain Pre-Clearance for Reportable Securities2 Traded Intra-Day. Employees wishing to buy or sell a security for a Personal Account, but do not wish to wait to execute a market-on-close transaction may do so, will require pre-clearance approval from the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate. Such pre-clearance shall only be valid for the purchase or sale of any Reportable Security on the day on which the pre-clearance is granted, with the exception of limit order trades, in which case the approval will remain valid for the time period specified on the pre-clearance request form.
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Upon receiving a request for pre-clearance, the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate will review the securities then held in client accounts using the most recent holdings data available to the Company. The review will include a check of Market Capitalization status. Approval of transactions in Reportable Securities issued by a company with a market capitalization of at least $10 billion (USD) on the date of a proposed transaction shall be in the discretion of the Chief Compliance Officer. The Chief Compliance Officer may also consult directly with Investment Advisors about their trading plans and programs regarding the security the Access Person desires to buy or sell. After such review the Chief Compliance Officer will either approve the request or restrict the Access Person from trading in the security for such period the Chief Compliance Officer deems appropriate to eliminate any actual or apparent conflict of interest or inappropriate use of confidential client information. |
vi. Obtain Pre-Clearance for Cryptocurrencies, Initial Coin Officers, Token and Other Digital Assets. Employees wishing to transact in decentralized virtual currency or cryptocurrency platforms may do so without prior approval from the Chief Compliance Officer. Meaning, an Employee seeking to acquire, for example, Bitcoin or Ether on an exchange using a flat currency (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP) are not required to obtain prior approval or report the transaction or holding. However, Employees should refer to the Designated Broker policy as cryptocurrency is not typically held in the approved brokerage accounts. If an Employee seeks to participate in an initial coin offering (ICO) or investment (virtual or otherwise) with a profits interest contingent on the management efforts of other, Employees are required to submit a prior approval request to the Chief Compliance Officer.
2. Exceptions and Waivers. In appropriate circumstances (e.g., financial need, extreme market conditions, unexpected corporate developments, discovery of inadvertent violation), the Chief Compliance Officer may grant an exception or waiver to permit specifically requested trading. A memorandum describing the scope of circumstances of any such waiver/exception shall be created and maintained in the Employees files and part of the Companys books and records.
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For the avoidance of doubt, shares of any of the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds are excluded from the definition of Reportable Securities for the purpose of satisfying this requirement. |
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3. Prohibition on Short-Term Trading of Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds. Shares of any mutual funds advised by the Company (i.e., the Litman Gregory PartnerSelect Funds) must be held for a minimum of 60 calendar days after the date of purchase. However, the Chief Compliance Officer of LGFA may waive these requirements in his or her discretion in the event of an extraordinary circumstance.
E. |
Reports and Affirmations of Personal Transactions and Securities Ownership. |
1. Submission of Reports and Affirmations. In order for the Company to monitor compliance with its insider trading and conflict of interest policies and procedures, each Employee shall submit the reports and affirmations listed below using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. Each Employee must submit and acknowledge the report certifying the completeness and accuracy of the information included therein and certifying certain other matters. The reports contain important acknowledgments.
i. An Initial Holdings Report for all securities in each of his or her Personal Accounts. The report shall be submitted to the Chief Compliance Officer within 10 calendar days following the first day of employment with the Company, current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date of his or her employment using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. If the tenth day is not a work day, then the report must be submitted earlier.
ii. A Quarterly Transactions Affirmation for all trades in Reportable Securities in each of his or her Personal Accounts. The report shall be submitted to the Chief Compliance Officer within 30 calendar days following the end of each calendar quarter regardless of whether any trading activity took place in that account during the quarter using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. If the thirtieth day is not a work day, then the report must be submitted earlier.
If the Personal Account is an approved exception to the Designated Brokerage Policy, copies of the account statements and trade confirmations must be submitted to Compliance via file attachments in the compliance and employee trade monitoring system within 30 calendar days following the end of each calendar quarter regardless of whether any trading activity took place in that account during the quarter. In addition, the report must include a certification that all trades in Reportable Securities in the Employees Personal Accounts during the calendar quarter are covered by such account statements.
iii. An Annual Holdings Report for all securities in each of his or her Personal Accounts. The report shall be submitted to the Chief Compliance Officer within 30 calendar days following the end of the calendar year, with information current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the Annual Holdings Report is submitted using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. If the thirtieth day is not a work day, then the report must be submitted earlier.
If the Personal Account is an approved exception to the Designated Brokerage Policy, copies of the account statements must be submitted to Compliance via file attachments in the compliance and employee trade monitoring system within 30 calendar days following the end of each
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calendar year regardless of whether any trading activity took place in that account during the quarter. In addition, the report must include a certification that all trades in Reportable Securities in the Employees Personal Accounts during the reporting period are covered by such account statements.
2. Review and Retention of Reports. The Chief Compliance Officer or his or her designee shall promptly review each Initial Holdings Report, Quarterly Personal Transaction Report and Annual Holdings Report Quarterly, to determine whether any violations of the Companys policies or of the applicable securities laws took place. The Company shall retain the Reports required by this Code as part of the books and records required by the Advisers Act and the rules promulgated thereunder.
VIII. |
OTHER BUSINESS CONDUCT |
A. |
Restrictions on Public Company Directorships. |
Access Persons are prohibited from serving on the boards of directors of publicly traded companies if, in the written determination of the Chief Compliance Officer, such service is inconsistent with the interests of any client, including the Trust. If the Chief Compliance Officer has approved such service by an Access Person, that Access Person shall be isolated through informational barrier procedures from persons making investment decisions with respect to such issuer.
B. |
Restrictions on Gifts and Entertainment. |
1. General Policy Statement. A conflict of interest occurs when the personal interests of Employees interfere or could potentially interfere with their responsibilities to the Company and its clients. The overriding principle is that Employees should not accept inappropriate gifts, favors, entertainment, special accommodations, or other things of material value that could influence their decision-making or make them feel beholden to a person or firm. Similarly, Employees should not offer gifts, favors, entertainment or other things of value that could be viewed as overly generous or aimed at influencing decision-making or making a client feel beholden to the firm or the supervised person.
1. De minimis gifts and entertainment. All gifts or benefits (such as a gift of a service) from or given to any client, broker/dealer, money manager, or others who transact business with the Company should be reported to the Chief Compliance Officer using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. Any gift received or given by an employee that has a total value in excess of $250.00 may not be accepted or disbursed unless approved by the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate. Unrequested promotional gifts below $25 in value do not need to be reported. Gifts of cash may never be accepted or disbursed by an Employee.
In addition, Employees may attend business meals, sporting events and other entertainment events as long as both the giver(s) and receiver(s) are present, the expense has a total value equal to or less than $250.00 and is reported to the Chief Compliance Officer using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system. Any entertainment above $250.00 may not be accepted or disbursed unless approved by the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate.
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2. Charitable Gifting. Employees may receive requests for charitable gifts from or directly related to a client or business relationship. The amount of the charitable gift should never be based upon the level of actual or anticipated business provided by the client or business relationship soliciting a gift. Types of charitable gift recipients include, but are not limited to, all types of charitable organizations, fund raising campaigns, endowments, foundations, etc. The client or business relationship may or may not have direct ties to the recipient of the gift. However, the person requesting a charitable gift should not derive any economic or tangible personal benefit from the gift. This policy applies to charitable gifts made by the Company and those made by Employees of the Company to a client or business relationship. Charitable gifts by the Company or an Employee to the same recipient are limited to not more than $1,000 per gift, and not exceeding two gifts per calendar year, (i.e. not exceeding a total of $2,000 per year). Any Employee seeking to make a gift in excess of these guidelines is required to first seek pre-clearance from the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate. Any such charitable gift should be reported to the Chief Compliance Officer.
This policy is not intended to regulate charitable gifting by an Employee that is unrelated to the Companys business or client relationships. This policy is not intended to apply to expenses that are determined to be primarily marketing related that may also benefit a charity (such as placement of an ad in a charity brochure that is distributed to a large audience). This policy does not apply to an Employees personal political contributions. See Section XVII Pay-to-Play of the Compliance Manual for more details regarding political contributions. This policy does not include personal gifts that may have a charitable beneficiary component if such gifts arent excessive and so frequent as to cause the appearance of a conflict of interest. Personal gifts of this nature are typically received based on pre-existing personal relationships in recognition of some life event, such as a birthday, anniversary, etc. These types of personal gifts are not given by the Company.
3. FCPA Considerations. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits, under threat of imprisonment, any officer, agent or Employee of the Company from directly or indirectly paying or giving, offering or promising to pay, giving or authorizing or approving such offer or payment, of any funds, gifts, services or anything else of any value, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant (i) to any foreign official or other person specified below (each, a Foreign Covered Person), for the purpose of obtaining business, favorable treatment or other commercial benefits, whether by (a) influencing any act or decision of the Foreign Covered Person in his official capacity, (b) inducing the Foreign Covered Person to do or not do any act in violation of his lawful duty; or (c) inducing the Foreign Covered Person to use his influence to that end with a foreign government or instrumentality; or (ii) with any other agent, intermediary (including, for example, a Foreign Covered Persons friend, relative, business or law firm) or other person while knowing that all or a portion thereof will directly or indirectly be forwarded to a Foreign Covered Person for such purpose. (Note: Not actually knowing, willfully avoiding or disregarding all facts, hints or clues is not a defense.)
i. Foreign Covered Person. A Foreign Covered Person for this purpose is any foreign official including, without limitation, any officer or employee of any foreign government or any governmental department, agency or instrumentality (e.g., a central bank) or any government-owned or controlled enterprise (e.g., sovereign wealth fund) or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any such government, department, agency, instrumentality or enterprise). It also includes any foreign political party, party official or candidate for political office. Foreign for this purpose means outside of the United States.
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ii. Exemptions. There are certain exemptions to the broad prohibitions set forth above. However, these exemptions are very precise and must be discussed with the CCO before they can be invoked. No Employee is to discuss or consider any proscribed activity outlined above without the prior approval of the CCO.
iii. Pre-Clearance. No Employee may engage in any activity that would violate the FCPA without the prior approval of the CCO. If an activity would render an analysis of the FCPA to determine whether it would violate the FCPA, such activity must be presented to the CCO to conduct an analysis and for final approval.
IX. |
WHISTLEBLOWER POLICY |
A. |
General Policy |
The Company requires Directors, Officers and Employees to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All Employees and representatives of the Company, must practice honesty and integrity and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
B. |
Reporting Responsibility |
This Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage and enable Employees and others to raise serious concerns internally so that the Company can address and correct inappropriate conduct and actions. It is the responsibility of all Directors, Officers, and Employees to report concerns about violations of the Companys code of ethics or suspected violations of law or regulations that govern the Companys operations.
C. |
No Retaliation |
It is contrary to the values of the Company for anyone to retaliate against any Director, Officer, or Employee who in good faith reports an ethics violation, or a suspected violation of law, such as a complaint of discrimination, or suspected fraud, or suspected violation of any regulation governing the operations of the Company. An Employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.
D. |
Reporting Procedure |
The Company has an open door policy and suggests that Employees share their questions, concerns, suggestions or complaints with their supervisor. If you are not comfortable speaking with your supervisor, or you are not satisfied with your supervisors response, you are encouraged to speak with the Chief Compliance Officer. Supervisors and managers are required to report complaints or concerns about suspected ethical and legal violations in writing to the Companys Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee, who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints. Employees with concerns or complaints may also submit their concerns in writing using the compliance and employee trade monitoring system accessible to all Employees.
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The Companys Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for ensuring that all complaints about unethical or illegal conduct are investigated and resolved. The Compliance Officer will advise the Chief Executive Officer.
E. |
Acting in Good Faith |
Anyone filing a written complaint concerning a violation or suspected violation must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.
F. |
Confidentiality |
Violations or suspected violations may be submitted on a confidential basis by the complainant. Reports of violations or suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.
G. |
Handling of Reported Violations |
The Companys Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee will notify the person who submitted a complaint and acknowledge receipt of the reported violation or suspected violation. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken if warranted by the investigation.
X. |
MISCELLANEOUS |
A. |
Importance of Adherence to Code. |
It is very important that all Employees adhere strictly to this Code of Ethics. Any violations of such policies and procedures may result in serious sanctions, including dismissal from the Company. Trading violations may also result in disgorgement of profits. See section VIII. D. for more information on sanctions for violations of this Code.
B. |
LGFA Reporting |
On at least an annual basis, the LGFA Chief Compliance Officer shall prepare a written report describing any issues arising under the Code, including information about any material Code violations by Access Persons and any sanctions imposed due to such violations, and submit the information for review by the board of trustees of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust. On an annual basis, LGFA shall certify to the Board of Trustees of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust that it has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent its Access Persons from violating the Code of Ethics.
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C. |
Annual Circulation/Certification of Receipt of Code and Amendments. |
This Code shall be circulated at least annually to all Employees, and at least annually, each Employee shall be asked to certify in writing pursuant to the form attached hereto that he or she has received and followed the Code. Each Employee will also be asked to certify to the receipt of any amendments to the Code circulated during the year.
D. |
Sanctions |
Violations of this Code will result in sanctions, to be determined by a committee composed of the Chief Compliance Officers and two Managing Partners of the Company. Sanctions will be determined based on the frequency and the severity of the violation, and may include:
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The applicable Employee meeting with the Chief Compliance Officer and/or the Managing Partner in charge of the Employees business unit to review this Code and discuss the nature and extent of the violation; |
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The violation will be recorded in the Companys compliance books and records; |
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The applicable Employee may be required to attend and provide evidence of satisfactory completion of compliance training courses; |
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The applicable Employee may be required to immediately sell any security purchased in violation of Section VI above; |
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The applicable Employee may be subject to a fine and/or disgorgement of any profits earned on the purchase or sale of any security in violation of Section VI above, or the personal absorption of any loss on the sale of such security; |
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The applicable Employee may be suspended without pay for a period of time to be determined by the committee; and/or |
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The offending employees employment at the Company may be terminated. |
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Harris Associates L.P., Harris Associates Securities L.P. and Harris Associates Investment
Trust Code of Ethics and Statement on Insider Trading
As Amended, Effective as of June 1, 2020
I. |
DEFINITIONS |
A. |
Firm or Harris. The term Firm or Harris shall include Harris Associates L.P. (HALP) and Harris Associates Securities L.P. (HASLP). |
B. |
Trust. The term Trust shall mean Harris Associates Investment Trust, including any series of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust (each, a Fund). |
C. |
Employee. The term Employee shall include any person employed by the Firm, whether on a full or part-time basis and all partners, officers, shareholders and directors (other than Non-Access Directors (as defined below)) of the Firm. |
D. |
Access Person. The term Access Person shall have the meanings set forth in Section 17j-1(a)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder (the Act) and Section 204A-1(e)(1) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act). |
Accordingly, Access Person includes any director, officer, partner (or managing member) or Advisory Person (as defined below) of the Trust or HALP, and any director, officer or partner of the Trust, HALP or HASLP who has access to nonpublic information regarding any Clients purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any Reportable Fund or who is involved in making securities recommendations to a Client, or who has access to such recommendations that are non-public, but shall not include (1) any trustee of the Trust who is not an interested person of the Trust1; (2) any trustee of the Trust who is designated an interested person, as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, but who is not a director, officer, general partner or Advisory Person of HALP, HASLP or Harris Associates, Inc.; and (3) any Non-Access Director.
E. |
Advisory Person. The term Advisory Person shall have the meaning set forth in Section 17j-1(a)(2) of the Act. Accordingly, Advisory Person includes any Employee of the Firm, who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in, or obtains information regarding the purchase or sale of Covered Securities (as defined below) by a Client (as defined below), or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to purchases and sales, and any natural person in a control relationship to a Fund or HALP who obtains information concerning recommendations made to a Fund with regard to the purchase or sale of Covered Securities by the Fund. For the purpose of this Code, each Employee of the Firm with an office at the Firms principal place of |
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Independent trustees of the Trust are subject to a separate code of ethics. |
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business shall be deemed to be an Advisory Person. In addition, the term Advisory Person shall include any contractor, consultant, temporary employee or intern (or similar person) engaged by the Firm or employed by the Trust who is designated as an Advisory Person by the Chief Compliance Officer2 as a result of such persons access to information regarding the purchase or sale of Covered Securities. |
F. |
Persons Subject to this Code. Each Employee, Access Person and such other individuals as are specifically identified in writing by the Trusts or HALPs Chief Compliance Officer as being subject to this Code will be subject to this Code. Non-Access Directors are subject to the following provisions of this Code: II.A, II.B, II.C.i., II.J, and III (except for III.B.3 and the last sentence of III.B.4). |
G. |
Covered Security. The term Covered Security shall have the same meaning as security that is set forth in Section 2(a)(36) of the Act,3 including any right to acquire such security, except that it shall not include securities which are direct obligations of the Government of the United States, bankers acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, high quality short-term debt instruments (including repurchase agreements), and shares issued by open-end investment companies other than Reportable Funds and ETFs (defined below). |
Securities which are direct obligations of the national government of any country other than the United States shall be treated as Covered Securities for reporting purposes only (Reportable Government Bonds).
All exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and Reportable Funds, whether registered as open-end management companies or unit investment trusts, shall be treated as Covered Securities for reporting purposes only. Derivative instruments where the reference asset(s) is a broad- based securities index or an ETF shall be treated as Covered Securities for reporting purposes only.
Digital currency shall be treated as Covered Securities when and only when they are to be purchased in an initial offering. For the avoidance of doubt, neither the holding of digital currency nor secondary trading in digital currency implicates this Code.4 Derivative instruments where the reference asset(s) is a digital currency shall be treated as Covered Securities for reporting purposes only.
2 |
The Chief Compliance Officer may delegate any responsibilities assigned to him or her hereunder to one or more delegates. |
3 |
Sec. 2(a)(36) Security means any note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, pre- organization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a security, or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase, any of the foregoing. |
4 |
Given the evolving regulatory environment around digital currency generally, Persons Subject to this Code should contact the Compliance Department before trading in digital currency if they are unsure about how such trading is treated under this Code. |
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H. |
Reportable Fund. The term Reportable Fund shall have the meaning set forth in Section 204A-1(e)(9) of the Advisers Act. Reportable Fund means any investment company registered under the Act that is advised or sub-advised or distributed by the Firm or any entity that controls HALP, that is controlled by HALP or that is under common control with HALP (e.g. Natixis Asset Management Advisers, Loomis Sayles) other than money market funds. A current list of Reportable Funds is maintained on the Compliance page of the Firms intranet site. |
I. |
Beneficial Interest or Ownership. The term beneficial interest or ownership shall be interpreted in the same manner as it would be under Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in determining whether a person is subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rules thereunder, which includes any interest in which a person, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary interest. |
A pecuniary interest is the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from any transaction.
You will be presumed, unless such presumption is determined to have been rebutted by the Firms General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer (or their designee(s)), to have a pecuniary interest, and therefore, beneficial interest or ownership, in all securities held by you or by a member of your immediate family (which shall include any of your children, stepchildren, grandchildren, parents, stepparents, grandparents, siblings, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law, or sisters-in-law and your spouse, mother-in-law, father- in-law, and shall include adoptive relationships) with whom you share the same household and in all accounts through which any such person or you obtain the substantial equivalent of ownership, such as trusts in which he or she is a trustee or beneficiary, partnerships in which he or she is the general partner, corporations in which he or she is a controlling shareholder or any other similar arrangement. For these purposes, the term spouse includes any live-in/domestic partner who shares your household and who combines his or her financial resources with you in a manner similar to that of married persons.
Any questions an Employee may have about whether an interest in a security or an account constitutes beneficial interest or ownership should be directed to the Firms General Counsel or Compliance Department. Non-exhaustive examples of beneficial interest or ownership are attached as Appendix A.
J. |
Client. The term Client shall mean any client of HALP, including any Fund. |
K. |
Non-Access Director. The term Non-Access Director shall mean any person who is a Director of Harris Associates, Inc., the corporate general partner of HALP and HASLP, but who is not an officer or employee of any of HALP, HASLP or Harris Associates, Inc. and who meets all of the following conditions: |
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i. |
He or she, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, does not make, participate in or obtain information regarding the purchase or sale of Covered Securities by a registered investment company, and whose functions do not relate to the making of recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales; |
ii. |
He or she does not have access to nonpublic information regarding any Clients purchases or sales of securities (other than information contained in standard account statements or reports that the Firm may furnish to such person in his or her capacity as a Client), or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any Reportable Fund; and |
iii. |
He or she is not involved in making securities recommendations to Clients, and does not have access to such recommendations that are nonpublic (other than information contained in standard account statements or reports that the Firm may furnish to such person in his or her capacity as a Client). |
L. |
Discretionary Accounts. The term Discretionary Account shall mean any account in which you have a beneficial interest or ownership, but over which you have no direct or indirect influence or control. You may be deemed to have direct or indirect influence or control over an account if your adviser consults you, or seeks your input, regarding potential or current investments in the account or if you suggest investments to the individual or institution with influence or control. |
Persons Subject to this Code should obtain the written approval of the Chief Compliance Officer regarding a Discretionary Account before relying on the reporting and other exceptions provided herein for the Discretionary Account.
Exceptions: Notwithstanding the above, a Discretionary Account shall not include any account in which a Person Subject to this Code has delegated investment discretion to any other Person(s) Subject to this Code.
Assessment of Discretionary Accounts: The Chief Compliance Officer may make inquiries to a Person Subject to this Code and/or such persons investment professional at any time (including before or after any approval of the Discretionary Account has been provided) in its assessment of whether an account should be treated as, or remains, a Discretionary Account. In doing so, the Chief Compliance Officer may request such person and/or such persons adviser to certify that such person has no direct or indirect influence or control over the account. Such person shall respond to, or, as requested, arrange for such persons adviser to respond to, any such inquiries and shall make, or, as requested, arrange for such persons adviser to make, any such certifications.
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II. |
CODE OF ETHICS |
A. |
GENERAL STATEMENT |
Harris seeks to foster a reputation for integrity and professionalism. That reputation is a vital business asset. The confidence and trust placed in us by Clients is something that is highly valued and must be protected. The Firm owes a fiduciary duty to its Clients, and the fundamental principle of the Firm is that the Firm should not inappropriately put its interests ahead of its Clients.
The Investment Company Act and rules make it illegal for any person covered by the Code, directly or indirectly, in connection with the purchase or sale of a security held or to be acquired by a registered investment company that is advised or sub-advised by the Firm (a RIC) to:
i.) employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud a RIC;
ii.) make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of circumstances under which they are made, not misleading or in any way mislead a RIC regarding a material fact;
iii.) engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon a RIC; or
iv.) engage in any manipulative practice with respect to a RIC.
The restrictions on personal securities transactions contained in this Code are intended to help the Firm monitor for compliance with these prohibitions. To attempt to ensure that each Person Subject to this Code satisfies this Code and the Firm satisfies the relevant record keeping obligations, the Firm has developed the following rules relating to personal securities trading, outside employment, personal investments with external investment managers and confidentiality.
The General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, acting in concert, have the authority to grant written waivers of the provisions of this Code in instances they determine appropriate in their discretion.5
The Firm expects all Persons Subject to this Code to comply with the spirit of the Code as well as the specific rules contained in the Code. Any violations of the Code must be reported promptly to the Firms Chief Compliance Officer.
5 |
In performing their various responsibilities under this Code, the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and others assigned powers and/or duties under this Code may consult with the Firms President to the extent they deem necessary or desirable. |
5
B. |
COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS |
More generally, Persons Subject to this Code are required to comply with applicable federal securities laws at all times. Examples of applicable federal securities laws include:
i.) |
the Securities Act of 1933, Securities Act of 1934, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules thereunder; |
ii.) |
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and SEC rules thereunder; |
iii.) |
the Investment Company Act of 1940 and SEC rules thereunder; |
iv.) |
Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (privacy and security of client non-public information); and |
v.) |
the Bank Secrecy Act, as it applies to mutual funds and investment advisers, and SEC and Department of the Treasury rules thereunder. |
C. |
RESTRICTIONS ON TRADING |
It is desirable for Persons Subject to this Code to avoid a transaction in any Covered Security which is also the subject of a Client portfolio purchase or sale if that transaction would be to the disadvantage of that Client. To seek to effect that result, the following specific restrictions apply to all trading activity in Covered Securities and Corporate Bonds in accounts in which a Person Subject to this Code has a beneficial interest or ownership other than Discretionary Accounts:
i.) |
Any transaction in a Covered Security in anticipation of Client orders (frontrunning) is prohibited; |
ii.) |
Any transaction in a Covered Security which is the subject of approval by one of the Firms stock selection groups for addition to an approved list is prohibited until the tenth business day following the dissemination of that recommendation, or any longer period specified in this Code; |
iii.) |
Any transaction in a Covered Security which the Person Subject to this Code knows or has reason to believe is being purchased or sold or considered for purchase or sale6 by the Firm on behalf of any Client is prohibited until, subject to extension under II.E., the transaction by such Client has been completed or consideration of such transaction has been abandoned; |
iv.) |
Any transaction in a security within two business days after any Client has a pending or |
6 |
A security is being considered for purchase or sale when the earlier of, a recommendation to purchase or sell has been made and communicated to SSG or the security is placed on the research project list and, with respect to the person making the recommendation, when such person seriously considers making such a recommendation. |
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actual transaction is prohibited. Additionally, if an Access Person places an order for a security prior to a Portfolio Manager or Fund Manager placing a Client order for the same security that day, the Access Persons order may be cancelled if practicable after notice and if, in the judgment of the General Counsel or Chief Compliance Officer, such cancellation will prevent Client harm; |
v.) |
Any transaction in derivative instruments that are Covered Securities other than where the reference asset(s) (i) includes only one or more equity securities with a de minimis market capitalization7, (ii) is a broad-based securities index or an ETF or (iii) is a digital currency (together Permissible Derivative Investments); |
vi.) |
The purchase of any Covered Security in an initial public offering; |
vii.) |
Any transaction in Corporate Bonds; and |
viii.) |
Such other transactions in Covered Securities as the Chief Compliance Officer or General Counsel shall determine in each of their discretion from time to time to effect the purposes of this Code of Ethics. |
Additionally, no Person Subject to this Code shall knowingly sell to or purchase from the Funds any security or other property except, in the case of the Funds, securities issued by the Funds. Neither shall the Firm nor any Person Subject to this Code share in the profits or losses in any account of a Client carried by the Firm or any other FINRA member, except to the extent provided for by Rule 205-3 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and/or FINRA Rule 2150, as applicable.
D. |
PRIVATE INVESTMENT POOLS AND OTHER PRIVATE PLACEMENTS. |
No non-Discretionary Account in which an Access Person has a beneficial interest or ownership shall acquire any security issued by a private investment pool (such as a hedge fund, commodity pool, or private equity fund), including by committing capital to an external investment managers investment vehicle, or invest in any other limited offering (i.e., a securities offering exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) or 4(a)(5) of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rules 504 or 506 thereunder) without the prior approval of the Firms Chief Compliance Officer. For the avoidance of doubt, this prohibition shall not apply to non-securities offerings, such as (i) direct investments or holdings in real estate (buildings, apartments, residences, or other similar investments that are not securities), (ii) a note secured bya mortgage on a home, (iii) a short-term note secured by a lien on a small business or some of its assets or (iv) an ownership interest in an enterprise whose profits, if any, will come primarily from the Access Persons own efforts.
In deciding whether to grant approval to a request to purchase a private investment pool or other private placement, consideration will be given to whether the investment (i) is consistent with the
7 |
An issuer of an equity security has a de minimis market capitalization if the issuer has a market capitalization below the level at which Harris ordinarily invests for client accounts. |
7
Firms investment philosophy and guidelines, (ii) is a Firm opportunity that is appropriate for and should be offered to Clients and (iii) creates an actual conflict or the appearance of a conflict of interest for the Firm with respect to its Client(s). An Access Person who holds a security acquired in a private investment pool or in another private placement must disclose that investment to the Firms Chief Compliance Officer if such Access Person later participates in the consideration of that issuer for inclusion on any list of securities approved for purchase or sale by Clients.
E. |
ADDITIONAL RESTRICTION ON FUND MANAGERS OF INVESTMENT COMPANY ACCOUNTS. |
Any Access Person who is a fund manager of any RIC is, to the extent the trade is otherwise permitted under this Code, prohibited from buying or selling a covered security for an account in which he or she has a beneficial interest or ownership or as to which he or she has investment discretion within fifteen calendar days before and after the investment company that he/she manages trades in that security. Any profits realized on trades effected within the proscribed periods in violation of this Code shall be required to be disgorged. Any losses realized on a sale within the proscribed periods where the sale is required by the Firm because the purchase was in violation of this Code shall be borne by the fund manager if it was the fund managers actions which caused the violation.8
F. |
CLIENT ACCOUNTS EXEMPT FROM REQUIREMENTS OF CODE. |
Any Client accounts (including open-end investment companies and limited partnerships) for which the Firm acts as investment adviser or general partner shall be managed in accordance with the Firms trading procedures for a Client account. Any account owned in whole or in part by Persons Subject to this Code shall nonetheless be a Client account and exempt from the provisions of Sections C, D, E and G of Part II of this Code if: (1) the account has been seeded by the Firm or affiliated persons of the Firm and is being managed in anticipation of investments by persons not affiliated with the Firm; or (2) unaffiliated persons of the Firm are also invested in the account; or (3) the account is operated as a model portfolio in contemplation of management of Client accounts in the same or a similar strategy.
G. |
REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES TO IMPLEMENT TRADING RESTRICTIONS AND REPORTING OBLIGATIONS. |
1. |
Trading in Non-Discretionary Accounts in which an Advisory Person has a Beneficial Interest or Ownership. |
Limitation on Non-Discretionary Accounts. All Advisory Persons who have non-Discretionary Accounts that hold or can hold Covered Securities and in which the Advisory Person has a beneficial interest or ownership may maintain such accounts at Pershing LLC (Pershing, the Firms prime broker) or at any other approved broker-dealer or bank (Approved Firms).9
8 |
Any profits required to be disgorged hereunder shall be donated to a charity designated by the Firm or as otherwise directed by the Chief Compliance Officer |
9 |
Contact Compliance for the list of approved firms. As a general matter trading through non-Approved Firms is not permitted except in unusual cases, such as when a new employee is hired and cannot practically move an account to an Approved Firm |
8
Transactions in Covered Securities, other than mutual funds, ETFs, and Reportable Government Bonds (see below), in any non-Discretionary Account in which an Advisory Person has a beneficial interest or ownership (other than accounts held with Pershing) are permitted only after the Advisory Person has (i) obtained the written pre-approval of the Chief Compliance Officer to open the account or place an initial order in the account with such other broker-dealer or bank and (ii) provided such other broker-dealer or bank with a written notice of the Advisory Persons affiliation with Harris and secured the obligation of such other broker-dealer or bank to send copies of confirmations and all periodic statements to the Compliance Department if information is not received through a direct broker feed.
Pre-Approval of Transactions in Covered Securities. Except for those transactions listed below, you must receive pre-approval for every transaction in a Covered Security in any account in which you have a beneficial interest. This requirement applies to purchases, sales, short sales and exposures obtained through entering into derivative instruments where a Covered Security is a reference asset.
Notwithstanding the above, transactions in the following do not require pre-approval:
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Mutual Funds; |
|
ETFs; |
|
Derivative instruments where the reference asset(s) is a broad-based securities index; |
|
Reportable Government Bonds; |
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Discretionary Accounts10; |
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Digital currencies unless it is a purchase in an initial offering; |
|
Dividend reinvestment plans or systematic purchase plans; or |
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Securities, or options on securities, of an issuer at which an immediate family member is (or was) employed and that such immediate family member receives as compensation as part of his or her employment, when such transaction is conducted pursuant to a plan specified under Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (or similar plan) (Employee Compensation Plans)11 |
10 |
Discretionary Accounts must be pre-approved before relying on any exception for Discretionary Accounts. See the definition of Discretionary Account above. |
11 |
Such transactions are also not subject to the Restrictions on Trading in Section II.C. Persons subject to this Code are encouraged to provide the Firms Chief Compliance Officer with advance notice of any participation of an Immediate Family Member in an Employee Compensation Plan. |
9
Required Provision of Confirmation. If an Advisory Person has obtained approval to open or hold a non-Discretionary Account at a broker-dealer or bank other than with Pershing or another Approved Firm, the Advisory Person must also, after each transaction in that account in Covered Securities other than Reportable Funds, ETFs or Reportable Government Bonds, promptly present Compliance with a confirmation reflecting the details of the transaction completed. Compliance will reconcile the trade confirmations it receives with the pre-clearance requests processed within the automated personal trading system.
Discretionary Application of Pre-Approval Requirement to Non-Advisory Persons. In addition to requiring pre-approval for transactions in Covered Securities by Advisory Persons (as described above), Compliance may require any trade by a Person Subject to this Code to be pre-cleared if such a trade could reasonably be viewed to give rise to, or appear to give rise to, any breach of fiduciary duty owed to any Client or create any actual or potential conflict of interest, or the appearance thereof, between any Client, on the one hand, and the Firm or any Person Subject to this Code, on the other hand.
2. |
Monitoring of Trades |
Transactions for an account of an Advisory Person that are executed through the Firms trading desk are to be monitored by Compliance and reviewed against pre-approval requests processed by the Chief Compliance Officer (or such party to whom he or she delegates). These transactions are non-discretionary transactions for the trading desk, but may not be executed if the trading desk believes they are in conflict with Harris discretionary orders for Clients.
The Firms Compliance Department obtains and monitors a daily data feed of trade information from Pershing and Approved Firms (including the title and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number of each Covered Security, the date of the transaction, the interest rate and maturity rate (if applicable), the number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security involved, the nature of the transaction (i.e. buy/sell), the price at which the transaction was effected, and the name of any broker-dealer or bank through which the transaction was effected).
Transactions in non-discretionary accounts at brokers or banks other than Pershing and Approved Firms are to be monitored by the Compliance Department. To accomplish this, all Advisory Persons shall submit to the Compliance Department within thirty days after the month end in which any transaction occurred a statement which includes the title and exchange ticker or CUSIP number of the Covered Security, Reportable Fund, ETF, the date of the transaction, the interest rate and maturity rate (if applicable), the number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security, Reportable Fund, ETF, or Reportable Government Bond involved, the nature of the transaction (i.e. buy/sell), the price at which the transaction was effected, the name of any broker-dealer or bank through which the transaction was effected and the date on which the report is submitted. This requirement may be satisfied by opening or maintaining the account(s) at Pershing or an Approved Firm or by having the broker-dealer or bank send the Firm duplicate copies of trade confirmations and all periodic statements, provided that such confirmations and periodic statements contain all of the information required to be provided in the report. The Compliance Department will maintain copies of all such transaction reports.
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3. |
Cancellation of Trades. |
Any transaction for an account of an Advisory Person is subject to cancellation or reversal if it is determined by the Chief Compliance Officer (or such party to whom he or she delegates) in his or her absolute discretion that the transaction is or was in conflict with the Code or any applicable trade restriction. A trader may also prevent the execution of orders for an Advisory Persons account if it appears to the trader that the trade may have to be cancelled or reversed for failure to comply with this Code.
4. |
Participation in Dividend Reinvestment Plans and Systematic Purchase Plans. |
Advisory Persons may purchase Covered Securities through dividend reinvestment plans or systematic purchase plans without processing such transactions through the Firms automated personal trading system or obtaining pre-approval. Purchases through such plans are permitted only if the Advisory Person properly obtained any necessary approvals under the Code prior to opening the relevant account and placing the initial purchase of the Covered Security.
5. |
Reporting of Securities Transactions Not Otherwise Reported. |
Any transaction in a Covered Security through a non-Discretionary Account in which an Access Person has any beneficial interest or ownership, other than a transaction effected pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan or systematic purchase plan, must be reported to the Compliance Department. Where such a transaction is effected through neither (i) Pershing or an Approved Firm for which the Firm receives a daily data feed of trade information nor (ii) a broker-dealer or bank that sends the Firm duplicate copies of trade confirmations and all periodic statements (e.g., the transaction is in Covered Securities held at stock transfer companies such as Computershare), the Access Person shall submit to the Compliance Department a report within thirty days after the end of each calendar quarter and include: the title and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number of each Covered Security involved, the date of the transaction, the interest rate and maturity rate (if applicable), the number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security involved, the nature of the transaction (i.e. buy/sell), the price at which the transaction was effected, the name of any broker-dealer or bank through which the transaction was effected, and the date on which the report is submitted. This report may be in any form, including a copy of a confirmation or monthly or other periodic statement.
6. |
Initial, Quarterly and Annual Reporting Requirements; Questionnaires. |
Each Access Person shall initially disclose in writing to the Compliance Department within ten days of becoming an Access Person, and annually thereafter, within forty-five days after each calendar year-end, the title and exchange ticker or CUSIP number, type of security, number of shares and principal amount12 of all Covered Securities beneficially owned by such Access Person in a non-Discretionary Account, and the date the Access Person submits the report, with information as of a date that is no more than forty-five days from the date of becoming a Access Person, or as of the preceding December 31 for annual reporting, and the name of each broker-dealer or bank with whom the Access Person maintains an account in which he or she has beneficial ownership of any security.
12 |
It shall not be deemed a violation of this Code for any report required hereunder not to include the principal amount of a Covered Security; provided, however, that the Compliance Department may request or require such information where it determines that it is necessary to effect the purposes of this Code. |
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Additionally, each Access Person shall submit responses to quarterly questionnaires requested by Compliance no later than 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter. The questionnaires are intended to satisfy the reporting requirements of Rule 17j-1(d)(ii) under the Act and Rule 204A-1(b)(2) under the Advisers Act by requiring each Access Person to confirm and, as necessary, supplement the information that the Firm receives from Pershing and Approved Firms through a daily data feed of trade information and from other broker-dealers and banks through the duplicate copies of trade confirmations and periodic statements. Quarterly transaction reports and responses to quarterly questionnaires need not include transactions effected pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan or systematic purchase plan.
H. |
CONFIDENTIALITY & OBLIGATIONS OF EMPLOYEES |
During the period of employment with the Firm an Employee will have access to certain confidential information concerning the Firm and its Clients. This information is a valuable asset and the sole property of the Firm and may not be misappropriated and used outside of the Firm by an Employee or former Employee. Confidential Information, defined as all information not publicly available about the business of the Firm, may include, but is not limited to, Client and prospect names and records, research, trading and portfolio information and systems, information concerning externally managed entities or accounts which have been considered or made on behalf of fee paying Clients, and the financial records of the Firm and/or its Employees. In order to protect the interests of the Firm, an Employee or ex-Employee shall not, without the express written consent of the Firms Chief Compliance Officer or General Counsel, disclose directly or indirectly confidential information to anyone outside of the Firm other than as necessary or appropriate to carry out the Firms normal business operations (e.g., disclosure to a third-party vendor of the Firm or a Fund). An Employee should be extremely careful to avoid inadvertent disclosures and to exercise maximum effort to keep confidential information confidential. Any questions concerning the confidentiality of information should be directed to the Chief Compliance Officer or the General Counsel. An abuse of the Firms policy of confidentiality could subject an Employee to immediate disciplinary action that may include dismissal from the Firm. Nothing in this Code is intended to prevent an Employee from reporting a violation of applicable laws or regulations to an appropriate regulatory authority.
I. |
OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT, ASSOCIATIONS AND BUSINESS ACTIVITIES; REPORTING OF POSITIONS OF IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS |
Harris requires that all Advisory Persons make their positions with the Firm their primary employment. The approval of Harris (and, in some cases, the approval of FINRA) is required before any Advisory Person may hold any outside position with any business organization (for-profit or not-for-profit), or enter into any relationship, or activity, where such outside position, relationship, or activity could influence the investment activities of the Firm or present a conflict of interest with the Advisory Persons employment with the Firm. All outside positions, regardless of whether such position is compensated or not, must be discussed with Compliance in advance of accepting such a position to assess the existence of a conflict of interest. Any such outside position, relationship, or activity must be approved in advance in writing by the Chief Compliance Officer and the Advisory Persons supervisor, and a copy of such approval shall be submitted and
12
maintained by the Compliance Department. Any change in the status of such approved position, relationship, investment, or activity must be reported in writing to the Compliance Department and the Advisory Persons supervisor within the quarter that the change in status occurred or within the certification cutoff period for the quarter. Any income or compensation received by an Advisory Person for serving in such position must be paid in full to the Firm, unless a waiver is granted by the Chief Compliance Officer and the Advisory Persons supervisor. Under no circumstance may an Advisory Person represent or suggest that Harris has approved or recommended the business activities of the outside organization or any person associated with it. Associations with entities, such as charitable/volunteer and non-profit organizations where the activity is voluntary in nature (e.g., school or condominium board member, Scout leader, Parent/Teacher Association) and does not involve securities-related activities (such as the selection of investments for endowments and foundations), will generally be granted a written exemption (e.g., email) from this sections pre-approval requirement, and as such will not require written approval nor will it appear in the quarterly certification of outside activities.
An Advisory Person shall not be deemed to be engaged in securities-related activities as the result of the grant of a durable or conditional power of attorney over an investment account until such time as the power of attorney is exercised or the condition has been met.
Reporting of Positions of Immediate Family Members that Involve Conflicts of Interest. To identify actual or potential conflicts of interest, each Advisory Person must disclose in writing to the Compliance Department any position, relationship, investment, or activity that an immediate family member has that to the Advisory Persons knowledge could present a conflict of interest for the Advisory Person in his or role with the Firm. If an Advisory Person has any questions about any activities and the need for disclosure, the Advisory Person should be cautious and direct any questions to the Firms General Counsel or Compliance Department.
J. |
Certification of Compliance by Access Persons. |
In addition to new-hire training on the Code, each Access Person will receive annual training over certain aspects of the Code. The Firm shall distribute the Code to each Employee and Non-Access Director upon inception of employment and whenever the Code is amended, but no less frequently than annually. Each Access Person and Non-Access Director is required to certify in writing annually that (i) he or she has received, read and understands the Code, (ii) recognizes that he or she is subject to the Code, and, in the case of Access Persons, (iii) he or she has disclosed or reported all transactions in which the Access Person has a beneficial interest or ownership that are required to be disclosed or reported under the Code or, alternatively, that the Access Person has not engaged in any personal securities transactions during the preceding year for which a report was required to be filed pursuant to the Code.
K. |
Annual Report to the Trusts Board of Trustees. |
HALP, as the adviser to the Trust, shall prepare an annual report to the board of trustees of the Trust that:
i.) |
summarizes existing procedures concerning personal investing and any changes in those procedures during the past year; |
13
ii.) |
describes issues that arose during the previous year under the Code or procedures concerning personal investing, including but not limited to information about material violations of the Code and sanctions imposed; |
iii.) |
certifies to the board that the Trust, the Trusts adviser (HALP), and the Trusts principal distributor (HASLP) have adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent their Access Persons from violating the Code; and |
iv.) |
identifies any recommended changes in existing restrictions or procedures based upon experience under the Code, evolving industry practices, or developments in applicable laws or regulations. |
III. |
POLICY STATEMENT ON INSIDER TRADING |
A. |
BACKGROUND |
Trading securities while in possession of material, nonpublic information or improperly communicating that information to others may expose you to stringent penalties. Criminal sanctions may include a fine of up to $1,000,000 and/or ten years imprisonment. The SEC can recover the profits gained or losses avoided through the violative trading, obtain a penalty of up to three times the illicit windfall and issue an order permanently barring you from the securities industry. Finally, you may be sued by investors seeking to recover damages for insider trading violations.
Regardless of whether a government inquiry occurs, Harris views seriously any violation of this Policy Statement. Such violations constitute potential grounds for disciplinary sanctions, including dismissal.
Cautionary note: The law of insider trading is unsettled; an individual legitimately may be uncertain about the application of the Policy Statement in a particular circumstance. Often, a single question can prevent a violation of law or forestall disciplinary action or complex legal problems. You should direct any questions relating to the Policy Statement to the General Counsel and the Chief Compliance Officer or, in their absence, their respective deputies. You also must notify the General Counsel and the Chief Compliance Officer or, in their absence, their respective deputies immediately if you have any reason to believe that a violation of the Policy Statement has occurred or is about to occur.
B. |
POLICY STATEMENT ON INSIDER TRADING |
Generally, no person to whom this Policy Statement applies may trade, either personally or on behalf of others (such as Clients), while in possession of material, nonpublic information and in breach of a duty of trust or confidence that is owed to the issuer of the security, the shareholders of the issuer, or to any other person who is the source of the material nonpublic information; nor may such persons communicate material, nonpublic information to others in breach of a duty of confidentiality or in violation of the law. This Policy Statement applies to securities trading and information handling by all Employees (including their spouse or domestic/live-in partner, minor children and adult members of their households).
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The section below reviews principles important to this Policy Statement.
1. |
What is Material Information? |
Information is material when there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making his or her investment decisions. Generally, this is information whose disclosure will have a substantial effect on the price of a companys securities. No simple bright line test exists to determine when information is material; assessments of materiality involve a highly fact-specific inquiry. For this reason, you should direct any questions about whether information is material to the General Counsel or Chief Compliance Officer.
Material information often relates to a companys results and operations including, for example, dividend changes, earnings results, changes in previously released earnings estimates, significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements, major litigation, liquidation problems, and extraordinary management developments.
Material information also may relate to the market for a companys securities. Information about a significant order to purchase or sell securities may, in some contexts, be deemed material.
Similarly, prepublication information regarding reports in the financial press also may be deemed material.
2. |
What is Nonpublic Information? |
Information is nonpublic until it has been disseminated broadly to investors in the marketplace. Tangible evidence of such dissemination is the best indication that the information is public. For example, information is public after it has become available to the general public through a public filing with the SEC or some other governmental agency, the Dow Jones tape or the WALL STREET JOURNAL or some other publication of general circulation, and after sufficient time has passed so that the information has been disseminated widely.
3. |
Identifying Inside Information |
Before executing any trade for yourself or others, including Clients, you must determine whether you have access to material, nonpublic information. If you think that you might have access to material, nonpublic information, you should take the following steps:
i.) Immediately alert the Trading Department to restrict trading in the security. No reason or explanation should be given to the Trading Department for the restriction.
ii.) Report the information and proposed trade immediately to the General Counsel or the Chief Compliance Officer.
iii.) Do not purchase or sell the securities on behalf of yourself or others, including Clients.
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iv.) Do not communicate the information inside or outside Harris other than to the above individuals.
v.) After the above individuals have reviewed the issue, the Firm will determine whether the information is material and nonpublic and, if so, what action(s) the Firm should take.
4. |
Contacts with Public Companies |
For Harris, contacts with public companies represent an important part of our research efforts. Harris may make investment decisions on the basis of the Firms conclusions formed through such contacts and analysis of publicly-available information. Difficult legal issues arise, however, when, in the course of these contacts, an Employee becomes aware of material, nonpublic information. This could happen, for example, if a companys Chief Financial Officer prematurely discloses quarterly results to an analyst or an investor relations representative makes a selective disclosure of adverse news to a handful of investors. In such situations, Harris must make a judgment as to its further conduct. To protect yourself, Clients and the Firm, you should contact the General Counsel or the Chief Compliance Officer immediately if you believe that you may have received material, nonpublic information.
5. |
Tender Offers |
Tender offers represent a particular concern in the law of insider trading for two reasons. First, tender offer activity often produces extraordinary gyrations in the price of the target companys securities. Trading during this time period is more likely to attract regulatory attention (and produces a disproportionate percentage of insider trading cases). Second, the SEC has adopted a rule which expressly forbids trading and tipping while in possession of material, nonpublic information regarding a tender offer received from the tender offeror, the target company or anyone acting on behalf of either. Employees should exercise particular caution any time they become aware of nonpublic information relating to a tender offer.
C. |
PROCEDURES TO IMPLEMENT THE POLICY STATEMENT ON INSIDER TRADING |
1. |
Personal Securities Trading |
The restrictions on Employee trading and procedures to implement those restrictions and the Firms reporting obligations, which are set forth in Section II above and in the Procedures for Personal Trading, constitute the procedures to implement this Policy Statement. Review those procedures carefully and direct any questions about their scope or applicability to the General Counsel or the Compliance Department.
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2. |
Restrictions on Disclosures |
Employees shall not disclose any nonpublic information (whether or not it is material) relating to Harris or its securities transactions to any person outside Harris (unless such disclosure has been authorized by Harris). Material, nonpublic information may not be communicated to anyone, including persons within Harris, except as provided in Section III(B)(3) above. Such information must be secured. For example, access to files containing material, nonpublic information and computer files containing such information should be restricted, and conversations containing such information, if appropriate at all, should be conducted in private.
IV. |
RETENTION OF RECORDS |
The Compliance Department or the Secretary of the Trust will maintain the records listed below for a period of five years. Such records shall be maintained at the Firms principal place of business in an easily accessible place:
i.) |
a list of all Persons Subject to this Code during that period; |
ii.) |
receipts signed by all Persons Subject to this Code acknowledging receipt of copies of the Code and acknowledging that they are subject to it; |
iii.) |
a copy of each Code of Ethics that has been in effect at any time during the period; |
iv.) |
a copy of each report filed pursuant to the Code and a record of any known violations and actions taken as a result thereof during the period as well as a record of all persons responsible for reviewing these reports; |
v.) |
a copy of any decision and the reasons supporting the decision, to approve the acquisition of Limited Offerings; and |
vi.) |
a copy of each report required by II.K of this Code. |
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT OF CODE OF ETHICS AND STATEMENT ON INSIDER TRADING
Code of Ethics.
Harris Associates L.P. (HALP), Harris Associates Securities L.P. (HASLP) and Harris Associates Investment Trust (the Trust) have adopted a written Code of Ethics and Statement on Insider Trading (the Code) and Procedures for Personal Trading to address potential conflicts of interest by HALP and HASLP personnel and to govern the use and handling of material non-public information. Capitalized terms used and not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Code. Copies of the Code and the Procedures for Personal Trading are attached to this acknowledgement. As a condition of your continued employment with HALP and HASLP, and/or the retention of your position, if any, as an officer of the Trust or a member of the board of HALPs general partner, you are required to read, understand and abide by the Code and the Procedures for Personal Trading.
Compliance Program.
The Code requires that all Access Persons furnish to the Compliance Department information regarding any investment account in which you have a beneficial interest or ownership other than Discretionary Accounts. You are also required to furnish to the Compliance Department copies of your monthly or quarterly account statements, or other documents, showing all purchases or sales, other than those effected pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan or systematic purchase plan, of securities in any such account. Additionally, you are required to furnish a report of your personal securities holdings in Covered Securities within ten calendar days of commencement of your employment with HALP or HASLP and annually thereafter. These requirements apply to any investment account, such as an account at a brokerage house, trust account at a bank, custodial account or similar types of accounts, other than Discretionary Accounts.
This compliance program also requires that Employees report any contact with any securities issuer, government or its personnel, or others, that, in the usual course of business, might involve receipt of what the Employee believes might be material non-public financial information. The Code requires that Employees bring to the attention of the General Counsel or the Chief Compliance Officer any information they receive from any source, which they believe might be material non-public information.
Any questions concerning the Code or Procedures for Personal Trading should be directed to the General Counsel or the Compliance Department.
I affirm that I have received new-hire training covering certain key aspects of the Code and Procedures for Personal Trading from Compliance, and have read and understand the Code and Procedures for Personal Trading. I agree to the terms and conditions set forth in the Code and Procedures for Personal Trading.
If I am acting in the capacity as a contractor, consultant, temporary employee or intern (or similar person) to Harris, I acknowledge that all references to Employee in the Code and Procedures for Personal Trading refer to me and shall be construed to mean agent and that I may be designated as an Advisory Person and therefore an Access Person as a result of my access to information regarding the purchase or sale of Covered Securities. My agreement and affirmation are made in the capacity as an agent, and not as an employee of Harris, and are not intended to impact my status as an independent contractor.
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Signature | Date |
ANNUAL AFFIRMATION OF COMPLIANCE FOR ACCESS PERSONS AND NON- ACCESS DIRECTORS
I affirm that:
1. |
I have received annual training pertaining to certain aspects of the Code of Ethics and Statement of Insider Trading (the Code) and Procedures for Personal Trading, and have again read and, to the best of my knowledge, have complied with provisions of the Code and Procedures for Personal Trading that pertain to me during the past year. Capitalized terms used and not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Code. |
2. |
I have provided to the Compliance Department the names and addresses of each investment account, other than Discretionary Accounts, in which I have a beneficial interest or ownership, as defined in the Code, including, but not limited to, those with broker-dealers, banks and others. (List of known accounts attached.) (Access Persons only) |
3. |
I have provided to the Compliance Department copies of account statements or other reports showing each and every transaction in any Covered Security in any non- Discretionary Account in which I have a beneficial interest or ownership, as defined in the Code, during the most recently ended calendar year |
or
during the most recent calendar year there were no transactions in any security in which I had a beneficial interest or ownership required to be reported pursuant to the Code. (Access Persons only)
4. |
I have provided to the Compliance Department a report of my personal securities holdings in Covered Securities in all non-Discretionary Accounts in which I have a beneficial interest or ownership, as defined in the Code, as of the end of the most recent calendar year, including all required information for each Covered Security in which I have any direct or indirect beneficial ownership. (Access Persons only) |
5. |
With respect to the activities conducted at Harris, I am unaware of any violations of applicable laws or regulations that have not otherwise been reported to the Chief Compliance Officer or an appropriate regulatory authority. |
6. |
If I am acting in the capacity as a contractor, consultant, temporary employee or intern (or similar person) to Harris, I acknowledge that all references to Employee in the Code and Procedures for Personal Trading refer to me and shall be construed to mean agent and that I may be designated as an Advisory Person and therefore an Access Person as a result of my access to information regarding the purchase or sale of Covered Securities. My agreement and affirmation made herein are made in the capacity as an agent, and not as an employee of Harris, and are not intended to impact my independent contractor status. |
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Signature | Date |
APPENDIX A
Examples of Beneficial Interest
For purposes of the Code, you will be deemed to have a beneficial interest in a security if you have the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in the security. Examples of beneficial ownership under this definition include:
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securities you own, no matter how they are registered, and including securities held for you by others (for example, by a custodian or broker, or by a relative, executor or administrator) or that you have pledged to another (as security for a loan, for example); |
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securities held by a trust of which you are a beneficiary (except that, if your interest is a remainder interest and you do not have or participate in investment control of trust assets, you will not be deemed to have a beneficial interest in securities held by the trust); |
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securities held by you as trustee or co-trustee, where either you or any member of your immediate family has a beneficial interest (using these rules) in the trust. |
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securities held by a trust of which you are the settlor, if you have the power to revoke the trust without obtaining the consent of all the beneficiaries and have or participate in investment control; |
|
securities held by any partnership in which you are a general partner, to the extent of your interest in the greater of partnership capital or profits; |
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securities held by a personal holding company controlled by you alone or jointly with others; |
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securities held, directly or through a trust, by a member of your immediate family who is sharing your home, even if the securities were not received from you and the income from the securities is not actually used for the maintenance of your household; or |
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securities you have the right to acquire (for example, through the exercise of a derivative security), even if the right is not presently exercisable, or securities as to which, through any other type of arrangement, you obtain benefits substantially equivalent to those of ownership. |
You will not be deemed to have beneficial ownership of securities in the following situations:
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portfolio securities held by a limited partnership in which you do not have a controlling interest and do not have or share investment control over the partnerships portfolio; and |
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securities held by a foundation of which you are a trustee and donor, provided that the beneficiaries are exclusively charitable and you have no right to revoke the gift. |
These examples are not exclusive. There are other circumstances in which you may be deemed to have a beneficial interest in a security. Any questions about whether you have a beneficial interest should be directed to the General Counsel or Compliance Department.
Code of Ethics
Pictet Asset Management
June 2020
CONTENTS
1 Overview |
4 | |||
1.1 Introduction |
4 | |||
1.2 Persons Covered by the Code |
4 | |||
1.3 General Principles |
5 | |||
1.3.1 Complying with Laws and Regulations |
5 | |||
1.3.2 Anticompetitive Activities |
6 | |||
1.3.3 Illegal Use of Pictets Funds and False Records |
6 | |||
1.4 Anti-Abuse Provision |
7 | |||
1.5 Global Co-Heads of Compliance |
7 | |||
1.6 Code Interpretation and Enforcement |
7 | |||
1.6.1 Dispensation |
8 | |||
1.7 Reporting Code Violations |
8 | |||
1.8 Sanctions for Breaches of the Code |
8 | |||
1.9 Certification of Compliance |
10 | |||
1.10 Confidentiality |
10 | |||
1.11 Interaction of the Code with Other PAM Policies and Procedures |
10 | |||
2 Personal Account Dealing Rules (PA Dealing Rules) |
11 | |||
2.1 Legal Requirements |
11 | |||
2.2 Definitions |
11 | |||
2.3 Pre-Clearance of Personal Transactions |
13 | |||
2.3.1 Pre-Clearance |
13 | |||
2.3.2 Exemptions from the requirements to pre-clear and from the requirements of section 2.4 |
14 | |||
2.4 Restrictions on Activities |
14 | |||
2.4.1 Large Cap Exemption |
14 | |||
2.4.2 Blackout Periods |
15 | |||
2.4.3 Investment Professionals Investing in Securities Held by Funds Managed by Their Team |
15 | |||
2.4.4 Interested Transactions |
16 | |||
2.4.5 Initial Public Offerings (IPO), Private Placements, or Convertible Issues |
16 | |||
2.4.6 Limit Orders / Stop-loss orders |
16 | |||
2.4.7 Short Selling |
17 | |||
2.4.8 Personal Account Trading on Margin or Spread Betting |
17 | |||
2.4.9 Personal transactions in an Account where the employee has no direct or indirect influence or control |
17 | |||
2.5 Trading within 30 days of an opposite transaction (30-day rule) |
17 | |||
2.5.1 Application of 30-day rule |
17 | |||
2.5.2 Dis-application of 30-day rule |
18 |
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2.6 Reporting of Transactions and Disclosures of Holdings |
18 | |||
2.6.1 Broker confirmation |
18 | |||
2.6.2 Quarterly Transaction Reports |
19 | |||
2.6.3 Disclosure of Personal Holdings |
19 | |||
2.6.4 Important Notes |
20 | |||
2.7 Record Keeping Requirements |
20 | |||
2.8 Waiving the requirements of the Pictet Personal Account Dealing Rules |
21 | |||
2.9 Maximum number of transactions per month (Pictet Directive 8) |
21 | |||
2.10 Employees operating an account at Pictet group entities |
21 | |||
2.11 Personal Account dealing rule applicability table |
22 | |||
3 Gifts and Entertainment |
23 | |||
3.1 Introduction |
23 | |||
3.2 Requirements |
25 | |||
3.2.1 General Principles |
25 | |||
3.2.2 Acceptable Gifts at all times without Compliance pre-approval or post-reporting |
25 | |||
3.2.3 Limits and Rules for the receipt and provision of Gifts and Entertainment |
26 | |||
3.2.4 Business Meals |
26 | |||
3.3 Limits and Prohibitions for the Receipt of Gifts and Entertainment Global requirements |
28 | |||
3.4 Limits and Prohibitions for the Provision of Gifts and Entertainment Global requirements |
30 | |||
3.5 Determination of the value of a gift or entertainment |
32 | |||
3.6 Considerations for the approval of a gift or entertainment |
32 | |||
3.7 Prohibited Behaviour |
32 | |||
3.8 Provision of Gifts or Entertainment to certain US clients |
32 | |||
3.9 Other Considerations |
33 | |||
3.9.1 Travel to and Accommodation at Entertainment Events or seminars/conferences |
33 | |||
3.9.2 Leave for Entertainment |
33 | |||
3.9.3 Christmas Charity Raffle |
33 | |||
3.10 Record Keeping |
33 | |||
3.11 Failure to Report Gifts and Entertainment |
34 | |||
3.12 US Political Contributions |
34 | |||
4 Dealing with Personal Conflicts of Interest |
35 | |||
4.1 Introduction |
35 | |||
4.2 Self-Dealing |
35 | |||
4.3 Outside Activities |
35 | |||
4.4 Accepting Honoraria |
36 | |||
4.5 Accepting Fiduciary Appointments |
36 | |||
4.6 Public sector and Political activity |
36 |
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4.7 Serving as an External Director or Officer of a Public Company or Client entity |
37 | |||
4.7.1 Additional comments where employees act as officers of a client entity |
37 | |||
4.7.2 Annual declaration by all employees |
37 | |||
5 Respecting Pictet Confidential Information |
38 | |||
5.1 In General |
38 | |||
5.2 Client Information |
38 | |||
5.3 Talking to the Press |
38 | |||
5.3.1 Background |
38 | |||
5.3.2 Minimum Standards |
39 | |||
5.4 Pictet Proprietary Information |
39 | |||
6 Pictet Group Governance Pillars |
40 | |||
6.1 Management Commitment and Communication |
40 | |||
6.2 Incentives |
40 | |||
6.3 Employees Qualifications and Training |
40 | |||
6.4 Three Lines of Defence |
40 | |||
6.5 Monitoring and Control |
40 | |||
7 Data Retention |
41 | |||
8 PAM Security Policy |
42 | |||
Appendix A Definition of Beneficial Ownership |
43 | |||
Appendix B Template Letter to Request Broker to Supply Copy Information On Personal Accounts to Compliance |
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1 OVERVIEW
1.1 Introduction
Todays financial services marketplace is filled with a host of new challenges, changes and opportunities. Amidst these, there is one guiding principle, which will always remain constant: the mandate for integrity. Furthermore, the Senior Managing Partner of the Pictet Group has stated that Pictets objective is to operate to a standard of absolute integrity in all its activities.
Only by conducting ourselves and our business in accordance with the highest standards of loyalty, due skill care and diligence, and legal, ethical and moral integrity can we achieve our vision of excellence and our goals for the future. Therefore, we place the interests of our clients first at all times and treat our clients fairly.
This Code of Ethics (the Code) does not cover every issue that may arise in the course of the business activities of the Pictet Asset Management business line (PAM), but it sets out both the basic principles and the practical steps which must be taken by PAM and its employees (including permanent and temporary employees, and applicable contractors, hereafter referred to as employees) to ensure their conduct is at all times consistent with the highest standards of honesty and fair dealing required under relevant securities laws and expected by our clients.
The Code has been established in accordance with SEC Rule 204A-1 of the Investment Advisers Act 1940, and SEC Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act 1940. It also complies with the rules of other regulatory authorities that regulate PAM, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), and the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission (SFC) together with the internal provisions imposed by the Pictet Group.
The Executive Committee of PAM (PAM ExCo) is responsible for ensuring that there are adequate systems and controls in place to manage the conflicts arising from the behaviour of employees. Therefore, this Code has been approved by and has the support of the PAM ExCo.
1.2 Persons Covered by the Code
SEC rules require that SEC registered Investment Advisers define who must comply with the Code. Put simply, the Code must apply to any person who has access to non-public information regarding clients purchase or sale of securities, or the portfolio holdings of any client account, is involved in making discretionary decisions for clients, or who has access to such decisions that are non-public. The SEC expects the definition of these Access Persons to be widely drawn for investment management firms.
Therefore, the PAM ExCo has decided that all PAM employees wherever located, except for PAMJ which has its own internal rules, are deemed to be Access Persons and therefore must comply with all the provisions of this Code.
For the sake of clarity, this includes all PAM business line employees, including permanent, temporary, graduates, interns and contractors, in the following entities:
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Pictet Asset Management Ltd and its Dubai Branch; |
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Pictet Asset Management SA; |
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Pictet Asset Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd; |
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Pictet Asset Management Inc; |
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Pictet Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited; |
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Pictet Asset Management (Europe) SA and its Branches in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain; |
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Pictet Securities Investment Consulting Enterprise (Taiwan) Ltd; and |
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Pictet Asset Management (USA) Corp |
In the case of any dispute over the applicability of this Code, the decision of either of the Global Co-Heads of Compliance shall be final.
Each person is responsible for maintaining the highest ethical standards when conducting business. This includes the following:
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Always placing the interests of our clients first; |
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Ensuring that all personal securities transactions are conducted in compliance with this Code and in such a manner as to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of your position of trust and responsibility; |
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Ensuring that the identity of security holdings and financial circumstances of clients remains confidential; |
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Ensuring the independence in the decision-making process of Pictet, including any entity of the Pictet Group; and |
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Not using your position within PAM inappropriately or taking part in any fraudulent or manipulative practice. |
1.3 General Principles
The general principles discussed in this section govern all conduct whether or not the conduct is also covered by the specific standards and procedures set forth below.
1.3.1 Complying with Laws and Regulations
Numerous laws, rules and regulations of the countries where PAM offices are based, together with the countries where we do business and our clients are based apply to the business activities of PAM, and it is of course essential that PAM fully complies with these regulations.
As an employee, you are expected to conduct all business dealings in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Breaching any of them could subject you and/or PAM to criminal, regulatory and civil penalties. All employees are responsible for ensuring that they have adequate knowledge of the regulatory requirements applicable to their activities and to apply expected standards in their daily work. If you have questions about any of these laws or regulations or how they apply to particular situations, ask your departmental head or consult the Compliance Department.
Examples, not exhaustive, of activities prohibited by Regulations and Criminal laws include:
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Not ensuring the fair treatment of clients |
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Market abuse, including insider dealing and market manipulation |
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Providing, accepting or soliciting anything of value with the intention of influencing /being influenced or rewarded in connection with PAMs business or in return for confidential information; |
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Stealing, embezzling or misapplying PAMs funds or assets; |
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Using PAMs funds or assets to finance political campaigns; |
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Misusing legal records and documents and client lists; |
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Obtaining unauthorised access to a clients records; |
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Knowing that a criminal offence has been committed and helping the criminal avoid capture or punishment; |
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Making false reports to government and/or regulatory officials; |
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Using software knowing there is a breach of a licensing agreement; and |
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Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. |
1.3.2 Anticompetitive Activities
The Sherman Antitrust Act in the United States prohibits any combination, conspiracy or agreement among competitors to restrict or prevent competition. A specific breach of this Act could be a formal or informal agreement between you and a competitor of Pictet to fix prices, allocate markets, allocate clients or refuse to deal with particular suppliers or clients.
If you are in contact with other investors in a company in which PAM invests, for example in relation to corporate event, such as a takeover bid, or to seek to encourage a change in strategy, you must avoid any agreements with them (or even circumstances that might give the appearance of such agreements) relating to how PAM conducts its business, unless you first have the approval of PAM Legal or Compliance, and the appropriate CIO. Furthermore, any discussion with the press must only take place after this approval, and any informal discussion must be completed with a file note explaining the purpose, main discussion points and conclusion of the meeting. You should be especially careful at social or professional gatherings and at trade association meetings where discussions or exchanges of information relating to competitive matters could occur.
1.3.3 Illegal Use of Pictets Funds and False Records
The purpose of any transaction that relates to Pictets funds or assets must be revealed and recorded at the time of the transaction. As an employee, you may not participate in any of the activities listed below:
|
Establish or maintain secret or unrecorded funds; |
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Engage in any transaction knowing that part or all of a payment is to be used for unlawful or improper purposes; |
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Record or participate in recording incorrect, fictitious or misleading entries in Pictets books or records; |
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Use Pictets funds or corporate assets for political contributions in connection with political elections. Some US States have strict laws restricting the use of corporate funds or assets in connection with state elections, and such contributions could prevent PAM from soliciting for business in those states. Corporate assets include your time during regular working hours, Pictets equipment and supplies, office space, clerical help and advertising facilities; |
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Make any payment for an expressed purpose on Pictets behalf to any individual who you know, or suspect intends to use the money for a different purpose; and |
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Make payments of cash or other items of value to political candidates, government officials, other businesses or individuals that are designed to influence the judgement or actions of the recipients in connection with any Pictet activity. |
Questions concerning the permissibility of any of the above kinds of payments, which may raise issues under any relevant laws or regulations, should be directed to the Compliance Department.
1.4 Anti-Abuse Provision
Due to the nature of the requirements of this code, PAM is largely reliant on the honesty and integrity of its employees, primarily through full and complete declarations, to ensure full compliance with both the spirit and principles of this Code, as well as the letter of it.
The PAM ExCo strongly supports full compliance with this Code and therefore all employees are required to:
|
Comply with the principle, spirit and letter of the requirements of this Code; |
|
Not take any actions that would compromise or breach such full compliance; and |
|
Seek guidance in resolving potential issues or whenever in doubt, |
1.5 Global Co-Heads of Compliance
The Global Co-Heads of Compliance of PAM are David Cawthrow and Erika Beaumier, who, in conjunction with local Heads of Compliance, are responsible for the following:
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Establishing and interpreting the requirements of the Code; |
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Determining whether violations of the Code have occurred; |
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Reviewing the contents of the Code on a regular basis; |
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Updating the Code. Significant changes to the core principles require the approval of ExCo, but minor amendments and clarifications may be made at the discretion of either one of the Global Co-Heads of Compliance and Chief Risk Officer. |
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Determining, in conjunction with HR and the PAM ExCo, the nature of any sanctions that may be imposed against employees for violations of the Code; and |
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Reporting at least annually on compliance with the Code to the PAM ExCo. |
1.6 Code Interpretation and Enforcement
The Global Co-Heads of Compliance shall interpret, monitor compliance with and enforce the Code. The interpretation of either of the Global Co-Heads of Compliance shall be final.
All violations of this Code will be reported by the Global Co-Heads of Compliance to the PAM ExCo who, in conjunction with HR, may impose such sanctions, impacting an individuals variable compensation, as it deems appropriate.
Material violations of this code may also, where appropriate, be reported to any client with respect to whose securities the violation has occurred or who may be deemed to have been disadvantaged by the violation.
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From time to time the Global Co-Heads of Compliance may issue interpretations to facilitate compliance with the Code. These shall be appended to the Code and shall be considered part of it. A violation of any clarification shall be deemed a violation of the Code itself.
1.6.1 Dispensation
Application can be made to the Global Co-Heads of Compliance or local Heads of Compliance on a case-by-case basis for dispensation from certain provisions of the Code. Dispensations are granted only in exceptional circumstances, where it can be established that:
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The exemption is within the spirit of the Code and is compliant with applicable laws and regulations. |
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No conflict of interest arises, and no client would be disadvantaged or potentially disadvantaged because of the dispensation; |
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An employee, by virtue of his / her position and knowledge, does not have an unfair advantage (for example, of information on client recommendations or transactions in a security or an equivalent security); |
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The position of the employee (e.g. dispensation may be granted on a hardship basis); |
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The general position of PAM in respect of its fiduciary duties and its disclosure obligations is not in any way harmed or compromised. |
Every dispensation will be documented as it occurs. A breach of a dispensation constitutes a breach of this Code.
1.7 Reporting Code Violations
All persons must report Code violations as soon as they occur. If you are aware of any violation of this Code, you must report it immediately to your local Head of Compliance.
Compliance will retain records of breaches of this Code, and any action taken as a result of the breach, for at least 5 years.
1.8 Sanctions for Breaches of the Code
We take into consideration compliance with this Code of Ethics and PAM policies and procedures, (including the FCA Senior Management & Certification Regime (SMCR) for all UK employees plus overseas employees affected by SMCR) in employees appraisals and remuneration decisions. We will promptly investigate reports of suspected violations and evaluate them on a case-by-case basis. Any significant failures or misconduct may lead to personal sanctions, including reprimands, warnings, demotion, clawbacks (malus), termination of employment / contract and, when appropriate, reporting to the authorities.
This also applies to individuals who fail to take reasonable care to identify and report violations, managers who fail to supervise properly, individuals who withhold material information when asked to disclose the details of a violation, as well as line managers who approve or tolerate violations or seek to retaliate against anyone who has reported violations or identified the individual responsible for them.
In relation to the Rules on Personal Account Dealing, the typical sanctions operate on a sliding scale and are set out below:
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Typical Sanctions |
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Flagrant breach of the Rules | Warning or dismissal depending on the circumstances, together with a reversal of the breaching trade(s) (no profits to employees) | |
Repeated failure to comply with the Rules due to negligence | Ban on personal trading for an agreed period together with a reversal of the breaching trade(s) (no profits to employees) | |
Infrequent failures to comply with the Rules, or innocent or passive breaches | Possible reversal of the breaching trade(s) (no profits to employees) at the discretion of the local Head of Compliance |
Any profit realised, or loss avoided as a result of a breach of this Code of Ethics should generally be paid over to a recognised charity. For the avoidance of any possible impropriety, the individual should have no connection with the charity, for example alumni of a university / school
The Compliance department records all breaches of the Code of Ethics and other compliance rules, together with all failures to complete the required compliance returns, attestations and training on a timely basis, and each category of breach has a score. This information is presented to the PAM ExCo and may be used when determining bonus payments and scores on Balanced Scorecards.
The breaches considered in these reports, and their associated scores fall into the following 5 categories:
CATEGORY |
DESCRIPTION |
SCORE |
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1 | Serious breaches of Code of Ethics requirements (i.e. trading without valid consent, failure to make accurate disclosures (e.g. holdings and external interests) failure to report and obtain consent for gifts / entertainment, failure to disclose reportable business meals promptly, or materially understating the value of a gifts / entertainment received or given) | 4 | ||||
2 | Active breaches of client and fund investment guidelines | 3 | ||||
3 | Persistent failure to follow operating procedures Persistent failure to address outstanding actions within due timescale, unless extension agreed with Compliance / Business Risk. Persistent passive breaches and / or failure to promptly correct passive breaches Persistent failure to respond to compliance requests for assistance and information | 2 | ||||
4 | Other breaches of the Code of Ethics e.g. late submission of returns, or late completion of attestations and Compliance training | 1 | ||||
5 | a) | Personal behaviour, including bullying, harassment, inappropriate behaviour and a failure to act with integrity. | A qualitative assessment to be determined at the discretion of a committee consisting of the PAM CRO, the Global Co-Heads of Compliance, Head of PAM HR and the relevant ExCo member | |||
b) | Failure to complete internal audit actions on time | |||||
c) | Material breaches of Pictet and Pictet AM internal policies and procedures (e.g. the Pictet AM Security Policy and Pictet AM Sales Policy) |
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Please note that the application of any deduction from bonuses for multiple breaches of the Code of Ethics and Compliance rules is determined by the ExCo. In the past the threshold for the application of sanctions by ExCo has typically been set at 10 points. However, please note that the threshold for the application of sanctions may be changed at the discretion of ExCo.
1.9 Certification of Compliance
The Compliance Department will provide all employees with a copy of the Code, and any amendments thereto. The Code is also available on the Compliance section of the PAM intranet (KIT)
All employees are required to certify when requested by Compliance following changes to the Code that they have read, understood and will abide by the requirements of the Code. To comply with the SEC and other relevant recordkeeping requirements, Compliance will maintain copies of all applicable versions of the Code in force during the past 5 years.
Compliance will also require all employees to certify on at least an annual basis that they have fully complied with the requirements of the Code of Ethics.
1.10 Confidentiality
All information obtained from any employee and their connected persons under the requirements of this Code of Ethics shall be kept in confidence. However, all information including records of holdings and / or transactions, together with any disclosure made may be subject to review by PAMs auditors or other professional advisers, and may be made available to the SEC, the FCA, FINMA or any other relevant regulatory or self-regulatory organisation and may otherwise be disclosed to the extent required by law or regulation.
1.11 Interaction of the Code with Other PAM Policies and Procedures
The PAM Code of Ethics forms part of PAMs Compliance framework, and therefore all employees should be aware of, and understand the following:
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The PAM Core Compliance Manual |
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The Satellite Compliance Manual for their applicable entity |
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The PAM Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Bribery & Corruption Policies |
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The PAM Sales Polices |
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Other relevant PAM policies and procedures |
The above can be found on the Compliance section of KIT
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2 PERSONAL ACCOUNT DEALING RULES (PA DEALING RULES)
Dealing in securities which are owned, or which may at some stage be purchased, for those accounts that are under a managers control or influence will always create the potential for a conflict of interest.
Employees should understand that their first duty is to the client. Therefore, they should avoid activities that could create conflicts of interest or even the appearance of conflicts of interest with PAM or its clients and should manage their financial affairs in such a way as to avoid distracting them from their obligations and duties to PAM and its clients. Employees are therefore prohibited from gaining an advantage from the transactions that they must carry out for third parties, directly or indirectly (e.g. through the accounts of relatives). Transactions for employees accounts must not be completed to the detriment of, or benefit from, a client or Pictet Group transaction.
In addition to complying with the PA Dealing Rules as set out in this Code, all employees must also comply with Pictet Directive 8, which can be accessed via the Pictet internet. Where there are any conflicts between this Code and Pictet Directive 8, the stricter requirement shall generally apply, at the discretion of the Global Co-Heads of Compliance.
The requirements of section 2 of this Code apply to the transactions and holdings of all employees and their connected persons as defined in Appendix A.
In addition, when carrying out transactions for their own account, all employees must ensure that:
1. |
They do not incur financial risks that are disproportionate to their financial situation |
2. |
They fully comply with the market abuse requirements as set out in the PAM Core Compliance Manual and appropriate satellite compliance manuals where relevant. |
2.1 Legal Requirements
The rules of the FCA, FINMA, SEC, MAS, SFC and most other regulators require all firms to implement adequate systems and controls to manage and monitor the conflicts arising from personal account trading.
The US Investment Advisers Act 1940 is more specific, and makes it unlawful for any employee, in connection with the purchase or sale of a security held or to be acquired by a Client:
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To employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud PAMs clients; |
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To mislead PAMs clients; |
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To engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon PAMs clients; or |
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To engage in any manipulative practice with respect to PAMs clients. |
The Code requires you to comply with all applicable federal securities laws and rules of other regulatory bodies which apply to you from time to time.
2.2 Definitions
The definition of Covered securities is very broad and includes the list below. However, this list is not exhaustive. If you have any doubt whether a transaction comes within the scope of the PA Dealing Rules, you must seek advice from the Compliance Department.
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Listed equities in companies, including Investment Trusts; |
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Warrants, options, and futures on individual securities; |
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Exchange Traded Funds |
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All kinds of limited partnerships; |
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Alternative Funds (Hedge Funds, Private investment funds, and investment clubs;) |
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Bonds, convertible bonds, loan stocks, debentures and other debt instruments; |
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Swaps, Contracts for Difference and financial market bets (e.g. City Index), where the underlying or reference investment is a Covered Security; |
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All Pictet AM Mutual Funds, excluding the Cash, Money Market, Sovereign Money Market and Liquidity Funds |
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All third party mutual funds that PAM acts as investment adviser or sub-investment adviser to; |
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Any interest in precious metals or commodities, other than physical precious metals or commodities; and |
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Any related security, that is a security related to or otherwise derived from a Covered Security. |
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Foreign exchange, forward foreign exchange and FX options when traded for speculative purposes. |
The following are excluded from ALL the requirements of this Chapter, including pre-clearance, restriction on activities, minimum holding periods, transaction and holding reporting:
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Transactions and holdings in direct obligations of any OECD or G20 member state, together with options and futures thereon; |
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Bankers Acceptances; |
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Bank Certificates of Deposit; |
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Commercial Paper |
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Third party mutual funds that are not managed or advised by PAM. |
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Pictet Cash, Money Market, Sovereign Money Market and Liquidity Funds; |
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Physical precious metals or commodities |
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Direct investment in Cryptocurrencies |
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Direct Private Equity investment and other unlisted equities. (But please note that where there is any indication that an unlisted holding is about to be listed, then that holding should be immediately disclosed to Compliance and the holding will then be subject to the rules relating to listed equities). In the event that the investment results in a seat on the board or significant involvement in the business of the unlisted investment, this must be disclosed to compliance as an outside business interest or within the directors disclosure. (see section 4.7.2) |
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Cash and foreign exchange except where traded for speculative purposes |
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Investments via a wrapper (e.g. life insurance or any pension fund schemes that only allow investments in non-covered securities) |
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2.3 Pre-Clearance of Personal Transactions
2.3.1 Pre-Clearance
An employee or their connected person may directly or indirectly, acquire or dispose of beneficial ownership of a covered security, as defined, only if:
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Such purchase or sale has been approved in advance by the Compliance Department; |
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The approved transaction is completed by the close of the following business day after approval is received; (subject to section 2.4.5 on limit orders on large cap securities) and |
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Compliance has not rescinded such approval prior to execution of the transaction. |
Note: If a transaction has not been completed by the end of the next business day after approval has been given, then approval to trade must be sought again. Failure to do so will constitute a breach of these rules, and the sanctions as set out in Section 1.8 of this Code may be applied.
Compliance monitors all personal transactions to ascertain any pattern of conduct that may indicate conflicts or potential conflicts with the principles and objectives of this Code. It includes analysing patterns of front running, parallel running or too close to client order trading, especially if the client has not finished accumulating a large position over many days. Such behaviour may not be tolerated as it may breach this Code, as well as the SEC and other applicable regulators rules, and may reveal trading behaviour detrimental to PAM client order flow.
Advance trade clearance in no way waives or absolves any employee or their connected persons of the obligation to abide by the provisions, principles and objectives of this Code.
For each request to trade, employees are required to certify that:
1. |
They have no knowledge of any material, non-public information regarding the proposed transaction; and |
2. |
They are not involved in, or aware of any PAM activity relating to this transaction. |
For the avoidance of doubt, the certification in (2) above relates to any PAM activity in the issuer of the transaction contemplated or a related derivative or depository receipt, including an on-going review and / or analysis of a security prior to an investment decision being made by PAM. Therefore, if the individual is aware of any PAM activity in for example UBS Bonds, this covers all UBS issued bonds and not just a specific bond with a specified rate and maturity.
Please note new section 2.4.3 which deals specifically with dealing requests by investment professionals in securities that are held within portfolios managed or advised by them.
Compliance will endeavour to respond to PA dealing requests as soon as practicable, but employees should note that there may be occasions when delays may occur, for example:
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when other work priorities take precedence, |
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when Compliance is awaiting responses to enquiries from other departments |
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there are large volumes of trading requests. |
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If a dealing request is urgent then employees should make Compliance aware (using the contact details from the PAM intranet (KIT) and Compliance will endeavour to approve the request within the desired timeframe, subject to the above.
2.3.2 Exemptions from the requirements to pre-clear and from the requirements of section 2.4
Transactions in the following do not require pre-clearance and are not subject to the requirements of section 2.4:
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Purchases or sales in any account over which the employee or their connected persons, as defined in Appendix A, has no direct or indirect influence or control; (Please see section 2.4.7 below for criteria that must be complied with to take advantage of this exclusion.; |
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Purchases that are part of an automatic dividend / coupon reinvestment plan; |
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Purchases effected upon the exercise of rights issued by an issuer pro rata to all holders of a class of its securities, to the extent such rights were acquired from the issuer, and sales of such rights so acquired; |
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Other purchases or sales that are non-discretionary on the part of the employee or their connected persons; |
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Derivatives (including ETF, ETC and Certificates) on Precious metals, and Commodities. |
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ETFs |
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Index Futures and Index options based on market indices, e.g. FTSE 100, S&P 500, SMI and Nikkei 225 |
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Interest rate futures and options |
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All Foreign Exchange (FX) Derivatives (e.g. FX Forward, FX Futures, FX options, etc.) Regular contributions for purchases made as part of a regular savings scheme, including personal pension arrangements, where investment is made into a predetermined list of funds or covered securities. |
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In the event of lump sum additions to regular savings plans, pre-clearance is not required where investment is made into the predetermined list of funds or covered securities. |
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For any other investment decision taken in respect of regular savings plan investments in covered securities, for example where an investment is made outside of the funds or covered securities chosen as part of the regular savings plan, or a sale is requested, the normal pre-clearance rules apply. |
2.4 Restrictions on Activities
2.4.1 Large Cap Exemption
The restrictions and prohibitions set out below in section 2.4.2 2.4.3 shall not apply to: purchases or sales which are only remotely potentially harmful to a client, because such purchases or sales would be very unlikely to affect an institutional market, or because such transactions are clearly not related economically to the securities held, purchased or sold by the client. For example, Companies / Issuers with market caps in excess of USD10 billion. However, this exemption shall only apply for transactions under the value of CHF100,000 or the equivalent amount in other currencies, executed over the course of any 7-day period.
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2.4.2 Blackout Periods
No employee or their connected person shall purchase or sell, directly or indirectly, any security in which he or she has, or by reason of such transaction acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership (as defined in Appendix A):
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on a day during which any Client has a pending buy or sell order in that same security until that order is executed or withdrawn. |
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within seven calendar days before, or seven calendar days after any Client trades in that security. |
Please see section 2.11 which shows which instruments are not subject to the blackout period requirements.
2.4.3 Investment Professionals Investing in Securities Held by Funds Managed by Their Team
Due to the conflicts arising where investment professionals (and their connected persons) invest personally in securities that are either held by, or are under consideration for the client funds which they manage, or carry out research on securities for those client funds, the following restrictions apply to the personal account trading of investment professionals
Investment Professionals are defined to include all staff within each respective Investment department, excluding purely administrative staff such as Team Assistants.
1. |
Investment professionals (IPs) in actively managed funds may not purchase any securities, or instruments based on securities, held by client accounts managed by their team. |
2. |
IPs may purchase securities, or instruments based on securities, that are within the investment universe of the funds that their team manages, but not held in the funds managed at the time of the personal transaction, subject to the following: |
a) |
For large cap securities (as defined in 2.4.1 above), an IP may purchase these securities or instruments subject to the full personal dealing rules as set out in section 2 of this Code of Ethics. |
b) |
For non-large-cap securities, an IP may purchase these securities or instruments subject to the full personal dealing rules as set out in section 2 of this Code of Ethics, subject to obtaining the prior written approval of their Team Head. For Team Heads wishing to trade, they must obtain the prior approval of the appropriate CIO, or Head of Total Return Equities. The IP must attach the relevant e-mail approval to the dealing request in Star Compliance. |
c) |
Please also note the transitional arrangements below where an IP has purchased a security or instrument based on securities within the universe of the funds that their team manages. |
Transitional arrangements
1. |
Where IPs already hold securities in issuers or instruments based on securities which are already included within funds managed by their team they are required to sell these securities, or instruments within six 6 months of commencement of employment or by 31st December 2020 for existing employees. If the selling of securities by IPs will result in a loss, then an additional 6-month transition period may be allowed upon application, subject to the following conditions: |
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The profit & loss arising on the sale of securities, or instruments based on securities is to be calculated on the weighted average price of all holdings of a specific security within an account. |
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It is the IPs responsibility to monitor whether there is an opportunity to sell those securities or instruments at a profit. If IPs fail to take the opportunity to sell securities at a profit, and due to market moves the position is showing a loss at the end of the 6-month transitional period, then the IP may be obliged to sell the holding at a loss. |
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If positions are still showing a loss at the end of the extended transitional period, a further extension may be permitted subject to the conditions above |
2. |
Where an investment professional purchases or owns a security or instrument that is subsequently purchased by their team, they are required to sell these securities or instruments within 3 months of the client fund acquiring the security or instruments. |
The same extension provisions in (1) above will apply
In both transitional arrangements, the IP is not permitted to increase their position in securities, or instruments based on securities held by clients managed by their team
2.4.4 Interested Transactions
No employee shall initiate any securities transactions for a Client without having disclosed their, or their connected persons interest, if any, in such securities or the issuer thereof, including without limitation:
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Any direct or indirect beneficial ownership (as defined in Appendix A to this Code) of any securities of such issuer; |
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Any contemplated transaction by such person in such securities; |
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Any position with such issuer or its affiliates |
2.4.5 Initial Public Offerings (IPO), Private Placements, or Convertible Issues
In accordance with Pictet Directive 8 employees and their connected persons shall not acquire directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership in any securities in an IPO, private placement, or convertible issue for their personal account.
In very limited cases, Employees and their Connected Persons may apply to the Compliance Department for a waiver of this requirement. However, Employees are still required to obtain prior approval and complete full reporting in relation to such trades.
NB all such trades still require the prior approval from the Compliance department.
2.4.6 Limit Orders / Stop-loss orders
Limit and stop-loss orders are permitted in the following circumstances:
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For securities with market caps greater than USD10 billion, limit and stop-loss orders may be placed up to CHF 100,000, or the equivalent amount in other currencies. Pre-clearance for such limit and stop-loss orders from Compliance must be obtained in the normal manner, and are only valid for one month, after which approval must be re-sought. NB when seeking pre-clearance for limit and stop-loss orders the price limit must be disclosed. If price limits are changed, approval should be sought again; and |
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For limit and stop-loss orders on other securities, or above CHF 100,000 on securities subject to the large cap exemption, Compliance approval is only valid until the end of the next business day. After this time, Compliance approval must be obtained again. |
2.4.7 Short Selling
Naked short-selling is strictly prohibited.
2.4.8 Personal Account Trading on Margin or Spread Betting
Personal trading on margin or spread betting on covered securities is permitted but may not be used to leverage portfolios. Furthermore, if an employee is unable to cover a margin call and is bought-in by the broker, then any breaches arising due to the buy-in will be included as a breach of the Personal Account Dealing rules in the compliance scoring system calculation (see section 1.8) and may result in reduction in the employees annual bonus.
In addition, where an employee is bought in by a broker, then that transaction must be promptly reported to Compliance via Star Compliance
2.4.9 Personal transactions in an Account where the employee has no direct or indirect influence or control
Where an employee has no direct or indirect influence or control, Rule 204A-1, subsection (b)(3)(i) of the Investment Advisers Act 1940, provides an exemption from reporting such personal transactions. This typically occurs where an employee has their account managed by a third party discretionary manager, or by a blind trust.
SEC guidance states that in addition to using a discretionary manager or investing via a blind trust, if an employee wishes to take advantage of the exemption from reporting transactions or holdings, then they are not permitted to do any of the following:
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Suggest purchases or sales of investments to the discretionary manager or trustee. |
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Direct purchases or sales of investments. |
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Consult with the discretionary manager or trustee about the allocation of investments to be made in the account. |
Therefore, all employees wishing to take advantage of the reporting exemption will be required to confirm on an annual basis that they have done none of the above.
If an employee is unable to provide such a confirmation they are required to provide quarterly transaction and annual holdings reports, as required by section 2.6.
In addition, Compliance may request transactional and holdings information from such accounts on a sample basis.
2.5 Trading within 30 days of an opposite transaction (30-day rule)
2.5.1 Application of 30-day rule
No employee or their connected persons shall profit from, or avoid a loss from, the purchase and sale, or sale and purchase, of the same (or equivalent) Covered Security of which they have beneficial ownership within 30 calendar days.
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This 30-day requirement also applies to derivative and spread-betting transactions, where the underlying investment is a Covered Security as defined in section 2.2.
The purpose of this requirement is to address the real and perceived threat of front-running and other fraudulent and abusive practices involved in short-term trading, including market timing. The SEC approves of advisers mandating disgorgement of any profits, or losses avoided if an employee affects a short-term trade.
In exceptional circumstances, such as personal hardship, or a significantly declining market then an exemption may be obtained in writing from the relevant Head of Compliance. A significantly declining market exemption may be applied for when the price of a security has fallen by more than 20% since purchase and the stock has been held for at least 14 calendar days.
When assessing compliance with this requirement, sales will be considered on a Last-In-First-Out basis. For example, if an employee has an existing holding of 1,000 shares in stock X acquired more than 30 days ago, and then acquires a further 250 shares on 1 September, then no shares in stock X may be sold prior to 1 October.
2.5.2 Dis-application of 30-day rule
The 30-day rule does not apply to any transactions that do not require pre-clearance by Compliance (see section 2.3).
However, in accordance with the requirement for all employees to act within the spirit of the Code, and to manage their financial affairs in such a way as to avoid distracting them from their obligations and duties to PAM, employees are not expected to carry out frequent buying and selling of an instrument that is not covered by the 30- day requirement, for example FX. Therefore, employees must comply with section 2.9 which restricts the number of buy transactions to 15 per month, including those transactions which do not require pre-clearance.
2.6 Reporting of Transactions and Disclosures of Holdings
2.6.1 Broker confirmation
It is the responsibility of the employee to ensure that the brokers, banks or other financial institutions executing their transactions send appropriate reporting on their account directly to the Compliance department within a timely manner, covering all personal transactions subject to this code. This includes:
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Trade confirmations for each transaction (as set out in 2.11) |
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Quarterly transaction statements |
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Annual Holdings statements |
A model communication for employees to send to their brokers is set out as Appendix B, and employees must send a copy to Compliance of the communication to their broker.
Where employees execute transactions through an account held at Pictet group entities, Compliance already receives a direct report of all employees transactions.
Please note that all employees based in Switzerland with a long-term contract are required to hold their securities account at Banque Pictet & Cie SA. This requirement is not applicable for temporary
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employees including contractors or interns. All new permanent employees must adhere to this requirement before the end of their probation period. In exceptional circumstances, employees in Switzerland may request approval from Group HR Legal and PAM SA Compliance for permission to maintain a securities account outside of Banque Pictet & Cie SA.
2.6.2 Quarterly Transaction Reports
Every employee must submit, no later than 30 calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter, a report containing the following information about each transaction in a Covered Security undertaken during the preceding quarter. The report must contain information concerning any direct or indirect beneficial ownership (as defined in Appendix A to this Code) of a Covered Security as defined in 2.2
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The date of the transaction, the title and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, interest rate and maturity date, number of shares, and principal amount of each reportable security involved; |
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The nature of the transaction (i.e. purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition); |
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The price at which the transaction was executed; |
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The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through whom the transaction was executed; |
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The date the report is submitted by the employee; |
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The name of the account, and account number if a Pictet account |
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With respect to any account established by the employee in which securities were held during the quarter for the direct or indirect benefit of the employee; (i) the name of the broker, dealer or bank with whom the employee established the account and (ii) the date the account was established. |
An employee shall not be required to make a report with respect to any transaction effected for any account over which such person does not have any direct or indirect influence or control, or which would duplicate information.
Where statements are received directly from brokers, all employees are required to confirm that the report is complete and accurate.
For the avoidance of doubt, where an employee has an account on which they have not traded during the quarter, they are still required to ensure that a brokers statement is submitted and complete a quarterly transaction report.
Any employee who does not have a brokerage account will be required to confirm that they have no such account, and that they have carried out no personal securities transactions during the quarter.
2.6.3 Disclosure of Personal Holdings
2.6.3.1 Initial Holdings Report
Each employee and their connected persons shall supply the Compliance Department with an initial holdings report of their covered securities within 10 business days of becoming an employee, containing the following information:
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The name of the covered security, type of security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares, and principal amount of each reportable security in which the employee and their connected persons has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership, as defined in Appendix A; |
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The name of any broker, dealer or bank, with which the employee maintains an account in which any securities are held for the employees direct or indirect benefit; |
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The date the employee submits the report; and |
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The name of the account, and account number if a Pictet account. |
The information submitted must be current as of a date no more than 45 days before the person commenced employment with PAM.
Where statements are received directly from brokers, all employees are required to confirm that the report is complete and accurate.
2.6.3.2 Annual Holdings Reports
Each employee shall as at June 30th each year file an annual holdings report containing the same information required in the above initial holdings report. This report must be submitted within 45 days, i.e. by August 14th each year. Where employees do not hold any covered securities, a nil return is required.
Where statements are received directly from brokers, all employees are required to confirm that the report is complete and accurate
2.6.4 Important Notes
Failure to submit a transaction report or personal holdings disclosure within the timescales stated above will constitute a breach of the Code and will be recorded in the PAM breach register. Certain clients require disclosure of such breaches, and therefore all employees should take every precaution not to breach this Code.
Furthermore, failure to comply with these reporting requirements will be taken into consideration when determining employees bonuses, as set out in section 1.8 of this Code.
2.7 Record Keeping Requirements
In accordance with regulatory recordkeeping requirements, the following documentation will be retained by the Compliance Department for at least 5 years:
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All employee transaction and holding reports. |
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Details of all dealing requests, including rejected requests with a rationale for rejection. |
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Details of all IPOs, Private Placements or Convertible issues that Compliance, in very limited cases, permits employees or their connected persons to participate in together with an explanation as to why there is no conflict of interest arising. |
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All breaches of the PA Dealing Rules. |
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All conduct breaches under SMCR, for all UK employees and those non-UK employees covered by the Certification and Senior Management regimes. |
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2.8 Waiving the requirements of the Pictet Personal Account Dealing Rules
In certain circumstances the requirements of these rules may be waived or amended at the complete discretion of either the PAM Global Co-Heads or local Heads of Compliance, where there is no impact or potential impact to clients, and there are no additional conflicts caused by the trade.
For example:
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Seeking approval to trade shares held via the employee share scheme of a previous employer, where there are limited opportunities to trade (due to rules of employers scheme, and timing of the execution of the trade is determined by scheme administrators); or |
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Cases of personal hardship. |
In each case, approval must still be sought from Compliance for each instance, and Compliance will judge each individual request on its merits at the time of the request. The approval of a previous trade or a similar trade for another employee does not constitute a precedent.
2.9 Maximum number of transactions per month (Pictet Directive 8)
The maximum number of transactions to buy allowed in a calendar month is 15. This restriction also includes any transactions to increase existing positions. This maximum number of 15 is valid for all instruments including those which do not require pre-clearance from Compliance such as Forex. However, the following transactions do not fall under this limit of 15:
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Purchases in any account over which the employee or their connected persons has no direct or indirect influence or control; (See definition in Appendix A); |
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Purchases that are part of an automatic dividend / coupon reinvestment plan; and |
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Purchases effected upon the exercise of rights issued by an issuer pro rata to all holders of a class of its securities, to the extent such rights were acquired from the issuer; |
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Purchases that are non-discretionary on the part of the employee or their connected persons. |
2.10 Employees operating an account at Pictet group entities
Where employees conduct their personal account trading through an account maintained at a Pictet group entity, they must comply with the following specific requirements contained within Pictet Directive 8:
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Unless otherwise authorised by Group HR Legal, the current accounts of employees and their immediate family members qualifying for special employee conditions must not have debit balances. |
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It is prohibited to transfer securities from an employee account to the account of an immediate family member who qualifies for special fee conditions, unless approved in advance by Group HR Legal. |
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To trade derivatives, employees must sign the appropriate documents of the relevant custodian or booking centre. |
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2.11 Personal Account dealing rule applicability table
INSTRUMENT |
PRE-
CLEARANCE REQUIRED |
NO TRADING 7
DAYS BEFORE / 7 DAYS AFTER CLIENT TRADES |
LENGTH OF VALIDITY
OF COMPLIANCE PRE- CLEARANCE |
MINIMUM
HOLDING
|
QUARTERLY TRANSACTION REPORTS |
ANNUAL
HOLDINGS
|
||||||
Equities* non-large cap | ✓ | ✓ | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Equities* large cap trades <CHF100k | ✓ | N/A | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Equities* large cap trades ³CHF100k | ✓ | ✓ | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Limit / stop-loss orders large cap trades <CHF100k | ✓ | N/A | 1 month | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
All other limit / stop loss orders | ✓ | ✓ | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Warrants, Options & Futures on covered securities | ✓ | ✓ | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Alternative Funds (Hedge Funds, Private investment funds, and investment clubs;) | ✓ | ✓ | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Bonds, convertibles, debentures etc. | ✓ | ✓ | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Spread-betting referenced on covered securities | ✓ | ✓ | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
PAM mutual funds, but excluding Cash, Money Market, Sovereign MM and Liquidity Funds | ✓ | N/A | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Third party mutual funds managed by PAM | ✓ | N/A | Next business day | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Other third party mutual funds, and Pictet Cash, Money Market, Sovereign MM and Liquidity Funds | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
OECD / G20 Government Debt plus related derivatives | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Bankers Acceptances and CDs | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Commercial Paper | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Cash / FX NOT for speculation | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Index / Interest Rate Futures and Options | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Exchange Traded Funds | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Physical precious metals and commodities | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Derivatives (inc. ETF, ETC and Certificates) on precious metals, and commodities | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Limit / stop-loss orders on Index / Interest Rate Futures & Options, & ETFs on indices | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
FFX, and FX and options thereon traded for speculative purposes | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Trades that are not within the action of the employee e.g. mandatory corporate actions | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Trades made under a dividend reinvestment plan | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Purchases under a rights issue | N/A | N/A | N/A | 30 days | ✓ | ✓ |
* |
For the avoidance of doubt Investment Trusts are listed equities, and are not mutual funds |
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3 GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
3.1 Introduction
The giving, receiving or soliciting of gifts or entertainment in a business setting is an inducement and may create an appearance of impropriety or may raise a conflict of interest from the potential undue influencing of PAM employees or business partners. For the protection of all employees and PAM, even the appearance of a possible conflict of interest should be avoided. Therefore, PAM has adopted the policies set out below to guide all employees in this area.
Scope:
|
These rules apply to all gifts and entertainments offered to or received from Business Partners as per below definition |
|
The below are out of scope: |
Gifts and entertainments from one employee to another employee (e.g. birth or retirement present, lunch invitation for a colleague from another Pictet AM office or department).
Definitions:
Business Partner
A business partner is any actual, potential or former, client, broker, distributor, consultant, supplier or service provider.
Business Meals
Business meals are defined as a meal, and / or drinks with a business partner.
Entertainment
Entertainment, whether given or received, includes but is not limited to any sporting, (e.g. ice-hockey, football) cultural (e.g. theatre, cinema or concert), leisure events (e.g. golf, shooting or driving days) or similar event where the business partner is present.
See below section Mixed use events
NB Business meals are excluded from the definition of entertainment, as they are dealt with separately please see 3.2.4.
Gifts
A gift is anything of value received or given, including but not limited to:
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Cash or similar (prohibited) |
|
Discounts or other concessions from providers, which are prohibited for personal use unless they are available to all PAM employees in the relevant local office. |
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Goods or services (e.g. Flowers, Wine, Chocolates, Hampers, Clothing, etc |
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(NB. Even if food received is shared on the floor (e.g. chocolate box), it is still a gift subject to the rules defined in this section.)
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Charitable donations made by a Business Partner either in your name or on your behalf. |
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Tickets to entertainment events where the Business Partner is not present |
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Accommodation or transportation to attend an event (either an entertainment event or a seminar/conference for educational purpose and related to Pictet AM activities. |
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Contractual or employment / internship opportunities for staff / business partners and their relatives. |
See below section Mixed use events
Lavish or Extravagant
Anything that may appear overly generous, as defined in this policy or by local rules and customs. Examples of business meals that might be defined as lavish or extravagant are:
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A meal at a landmark e.g. a palace, museum or national gallery |
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A meal on a luxury boat or yacht |
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Dinner at a Michelin 3-star restaurant |
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A meal with prestigious alcohol or cigars |
If an employee has any doubt as to whether an item or event is included within the definition of gifts and entertainment, or if it shall be considered as lavish or extravagant, they should consult with the Compliance department who are the ultimate arbiters.
Mixed use events
Mixed use events are those events which include a combination of business meal, entertainment, educational seminar or conference.
Mixed use events must be broken down into constituent parts as per the above definitions. For example:
|
a presentation / seminar followed by entertainment must be split between (1). the seminar and (2) the entertainment event |
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a lunch time conference must be split between (1). The conference and (2). The business meal |
In general, any entertainment should be ancillary to the main purpose of the event, the majority of which should be educational in nature. NB the entertainment event in the examples above should be pre-cleared and the business meal reported if above CHF 100
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3.2 Requirements
3.2.1 General Principles
The general principles are:
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Gifts and Entertainment are inducements, and therefore they must be consistent with generally accepted business practices and should be designed to enhance the service provided to the end client. |
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All employees should exercise caution when offering or receiving gifts or entertainment and should use their common sense and sound judgement as to whether the offering or receipt of such gifts and entertainment are appropriate or not. Factors to consider include: |
1. |
Reputational impact if reported in the press. i.e. is it culturally acceptable, in good taste and ethical (not linked to drugs, adult entertainment). |
2. |
Acceptability under the PAM Code of Ethics and Pictet Group Policy (Directive 8 and Pictet Group Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct), third party policy and law. |
3. |
Whether the gift or entertainment gives rise to any conflict of interest, for example no solicitation of improper advantage; it is not intended to influence or reward improper performance or be seen as such; and the person receiving it must not feel obligated towards the person offering it. |
Please note that anything received that is considered inappropriate by reference to the above must be reported to your local Compliance department irrespective of the value of the gift or entertainment. Compliance will maintain a log of any inappropriate items received.
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Employees should not accept or provide any gifts or favours that might influence the decisions you or the recipient might make in business transactions involving PAM, or that others might reasonably believe would influence those decisions |
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Subject to the reporting rules and limits laid out in this section, modest gifts and favours, which would not be regarded by others as improper (such as for a commonly recognisable event such as a wedding, retirement or birth) may be accepted from or given to a Business Partner on an occasional basis, as well as entertainment that satisfies these requirements and conforms to generally accepted business practices. |
|
Employees must not offer or accept gifts or other items of value (including entertainment) unless it is clearly reasonable to do so in the circumstances and within the limits as set out below. Where there is a law or rule that applies to the conduct of a business or the acceptance of gifts of even nominal value, the law or rule must be followed. |
|
PAM must evidence how it manages the conflicts of interest arising from gifts and entertainment, and the reporting and approval regime for doing this is set out below. |
3.2.2 Acceptable Gifts at all times without Compliance pre-approval or post-reporting
Certain gifts and entertainment do not create the risk of corruption or breach of trust to PAM and are permissible. Therefore, you may accept or give the following without the approval of Compliance:
|
Gifts, gratuities, amenities or favours based on obvious family or personal relationships (e.g. between an employees parents, children or spouse) where the circumstances make it clear that those relationships (rather than PAMs business) are the basis for the gift |
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Advertising or promotional material (courtesy gifts generally <CHF100), such as pens, pencils, note pads, key chains, umbrellas, calendars, Pictet chocolates and similar items, typically with the Pictet logo. |
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Civic, charitable, educational or religious organisation awards for recognition of service and accomplishment, and |
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Small gifts with a value up to CHF50 or the equivalent thereof. (NB multiple small gifts under CHF 50 received from the same provider over the course of a rolling 3-month period should be aggregated and reported to Compliance if they exceed CHF50 in total). |
All other gifts and entertainment, which should be of a scale and nature such that they could not be judged to impair compliance with the employees duty to act honestly, fairly and professionally, and in the best interests of the client, must be pre-approved by Compliance as set in section 3.2.3.
3.2.3 Limits and Rules for the receipt and provision of Gifts and Entertainment
Employees who accept/give, directly or indirectly, anything of value (in excess of the value of small gifts - CHF 50), from / to any business partner of PAM including gifts and entertainment must:
|
Comply with the limits, and prohibitions as set out in the tables below. Monetary limits are set out in CHF but should also be interpreted in the local equivalent. |
|
Notify Compliance via Star Compliance |
1) |
before offering a gift or entertainment |
2) |
before the receipt of entertainment |
3) |
within seven calendar days of receipt of a gift |
and obtain prior approval from Compliance in the cases of (1) and (2) above before giving such a gift (if above reporting threshold defined in the tables below) or receiving entertainment (in all cases)
|
All requests for approval must clearly state how the gift or entertainment is designed to enhance the quality of the service provided to our end client |
Where gifts are received in excess of the limits as set out in section 3.3, Compliance may require the gift to be returned to the provider, or to be surrendered to compliance for auction or to be raffled for charity, if a return of the gift would cause offence.
ExCo has delegated to Compliance the responsibility for determining compliance with this code. Therefore, Compliance will approve or refuse requests based upon the reasonableness of the circumstances and on whether the circumstances pose a threat to PAMs integrity. This will include the frequency of gifts and entertainment received/given from/to the same source.
Compliance will maintain records of all requests and responses and monitor the Gifts register maintained in Star Compliance.
The limits for the receipt and provision of gifts and entertainment are set out in sections 3.3 3.4. Monetary limits are set out in CHF but should also be interpreted in the local equivalent.
3.2.4 Business Meals
The receipt or provision of meals is a valuable means of communicating with business partners and developing relationships. Nonetheless, these can still be considered as inducements and possibly give rise to a conflict of interests, especially if the frequency of such entertainment is too high and the scale of such meals are lavish or extravagant.
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Therefore, the following rules apply to business meals:
|
All business meals received or given, with a cost per head of greater than CHF100, must be promptly recorded on StarCompliance. |
|
The maximum permitted cost of a business meal given or received is CHF300 or its equivalent. If a meal received is greater than this limit, the employee receiving the meal must either pay the excess over CHF300 personally or make a payment to charity for that amount. Employees are required to make any necessary payment to charity within 10 business days of the business meal and evidence must be provided to Compliance. |
|
This CHF300 limit for business meals shall apply proportionally to very senior employees, especially when entertaining very senior employees of business partners, but reporting is still required via Star Compliance. |
In the case of business meals received, it is the responsibility of the PAM employees to determine whether a business meal exceeds the threshold, including asking the provider if necessary. Employees are not required to obtain copies of bills from the providers of business meals.
When determining whether the cost of a meal exceeds the reporting threshold, employees should consider the entirety of the spending during the entertainment (e.g. including refreshments, etc).
Where employees seek reimbursement via their expenses for business meals provided to actual or potential business partners, then they are required to include within their expenses claim on HR Insights details of the number of employees and guests that attended the business meal.
Please note that the provision of business meals / drink to public officials in certain jurisdictions may be banned. If an employee has any doubt about whether the provision of a business meal or refreshment is permitted, they should contact Compliance.
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3.3 Limits and Prohibitions for the Receipt of Gifts and Entertainment Global requirements
This table must be read in conjunction with the notes below
COMPLIANCE PRIOR APPROVAL (STARCOMPLIANCE) |
POST REPORTING (STARCOMPLIANCE) |
REPORTING THRESHOLD |
ACCEPTANCE
|
PROHIBITIONS |
EXCEPTIONS |
|||||||
Receipt of Gifts |
Yes if > reporting threshold
No if < reporting threshold of if advertising or promotional material (4) |
|
CHF 50
NB multiple small gifts under CHF 50 from the same provider over a rolling 3-month period should be aggregated, and reported to Compliance if > CHF50 |
Per item: CHF 150
Per provider per annum: CHF 200 / 2 gifts Per recipient per annum: CHF 500 |
Receipt of gift above acceptance limits except (Note 3) Receipt of cash or cash equivalents Business Partner negotiated discounts for personal use, unless available to all local PAM employees Solicitation of gifts Gifts from public officials |
Gifts if surrendered to Compliance as per (Note 3)
Red envelopes in Asia. (Note 4)
Prior Compliance and ExCo member approval (in exceptional circumstances only i.e. expected to be extremely limited) |
||||||
Receipt of Entertainment | yes | | CHF50 |
Per item: CHF 500
Per provider per annum: 2 events
Per recipient per annum: CHF 1500 / 5 events |
Acceptance of accommodation and transport to events
Entertainment during working time
Entertainment above the Acceptance Limits
For all Pictet AM employees: a sporting, cultural, leisure or similar event taking place in the UK (Note 1)
For UK-based Pictet AM employees: sporting, cultural, leisure or similar event (taking place in the UK or anywhere else) (Note 1) |
Prior Compliance and ExCo member approval (in exceptional circumstances only i.e. expected to be extremely limited) | ||||||
Receipt of Business Meals / Drinks | no | Only required if > reporting threshold | Lunch and dinner: 100 CHF | CHF300 |
CHF 300
Acceptance of accommodation and transport to events |
It shall apply proportionally to very senior employees, especially when being entertained by very senior business partners employees | ||||||
Seminar/conference with educational purpose and related to Pictet AM activities | no | no | | | Acceptance of accommodation and transport to events (excluding low-cost local transport such as bus/taxi) | |
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Notes
1) |
Sporting cultural or similar events are not permitted for PAM Ltd staff as in the view of the FCA such events are incapable of enhancing the quality of service to clients. This rule applies to (a) Pictet AM employees based in the UK (who may not attend any sporting, cultural, leisure or similar events, wherever the event takes place) and (b) Pictet AM employees based outside of the UK (who may not attend sporting, cultural, leisure or similar events if such events take place in the UK). |
2) |
Mixed use events must be broken down into constituent parts, e.g. broker presentation / seminar / conference followed by entertainment or a business meal requires separate recording and / or approval for the entertainment or business mealAny entertainment should be ancillary to the main purpose of the event, the majority of which should be educational in nature. |
3) |
If a gift offered is greater than the limits above, and it would be considered extremely rude to refuse such a gift, then such a gift may be accepted on condition that it is surrendered to Compliance, in which case it would be excluded from the calculation of the employees annual limit. |
4) |
Red envelopes in Asia are customarily used to mark special occasions such as Chinese New Year and Weddings. Red envelopes are reserved for interactions between two Asian parties (e.g. PAM HK and a local client) with an upper limit of CHF 150. |
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3.4 Limits and Prohibitions for the Provision of Gifts and Entertainment Global requirements
This table must be read in conjunction with the notes below
COMPLIANCE PRIOR APPROVAL (STARCOMPLIANCE) |
POST REPORTING (STARCOMPLIANCE) |
REPORTING
|
PROVISION LIMITS |
PROHIBITIONS |
EXCEPTIONS |
|||||||
Provision of Gifts |
Yes if > reporting threshold
No if < reporting threshold of if advertising or promotional material (4) |
|
For Government related clients and US ERISA clients (Note 2): CHF 0
For all other Business partners: CHF 50 (Note1)
NB multiple small gifts under CHF 50 received from the same provider over the course of a rolling 3-month period should be aggregated, and reported to Compliance if they exceed CHF50 |
Per item: CHF 150
Per recipient per annum: CHF 500 |
Provision of gift above acceptance limits except (3)
Provision of cash or cash equivalents
Gifts to Public officials may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions |
Prior Compliance and ExCo member approval (in exceptional circumstances only i.e. expected to be extremely limited)
Red envelopes in Asia. (Note 7) |
||||||
Provision of Entertainment | Yes | | |
Per item: CHF500
Per recipient per annum: CHF1500 / 5 events |
Entertainment during working time
Entertainment above Acceptance Limits
For UK-based employees: all sporting, cultural, leisure or similar events (3)
For all employees- all sporting, cultural, leisure, or similar events in the UK (3) Provision of accommodation and transport to events |
Prior Compliance and ExCo member approval (in exceptional circumstances only i.e. expected to be extremely limited) | ||||||
Provision of Business Meals / Drinks | no | Yes if > reporting threshold |
For Government related clients and US ERISA clients (Note 2): CHF 0
For all other Business partners: Lunch and dinner: CHF 100 |
For UK Retail Financial Advisers: CHF 100 per head
All Others- CHF300 |
Provision of business meals/drinks above acceptance limits
CHF300 |
It shall apply proportionally to very senior employees, especially when entertaining very senior business partners employees | ||||||
Provision of seminar/conference with educational purpose and related to Pictet AM activities |
Educational Seminars No
Accommodation and transport (excluding low-cost local transport such as bus / taxi) if essential for attendance |
no | | | Provision of accommodation and transport to educational seminar/conference unless essential for attendance (Not lavish or extravagant) | RHG: provision of accommodation is paid from the central RHG budget, and is not subject to these rules |
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Notes In addition to the notes in Section 3.4
1) |
Low-cost Pictet souvenirs such as umbrellas, pens etc. may be given at exhibitions, seminars, etc. without limit and with no reporting |
2) |
Great care should be taken before offering Gifts & Entertainment to public employees / officers, or employees / officers of related entities (e.g. Local Government or State pension schemes), as, depending on the rules of recipients, even dinners and lunches may not be acceptable, especially in the USA. |
3) |
Sporting cultural, leisure or similar events are not permitted as in the view of the FCA, such events are incapable of enhancing the quality of service to clients. |
5) |
The provision of accommodation and transport (excluding low-cost local transport such as buses / taxis) is not permitted unless essential for attendance at an educational seminar such as RHG and is permitted by local regulation. In such cases, the prior approval of Compliance is required. |
6) |
Mixed use events to be broken down into constituent parts. E.g. broker presentation / seminar followed by a concert requires separate recording and approval for the entertainment event. Or a lunch time conference must be split between 1. The conference and 2. The business meal. In general, any entertainment should be ancillary to the main purpose of the event, the majority of which should be educational in nature. |
Red envelopes in Asia are customarily used to mark special occasions such as Chinese New Year and Weddings. Red envelopes are reserved for interactions between two Asian parties (e.g. PAM HK and a local client) with an upper limit of CHF 150, but may not be offered to public officials
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3.5 Determination of the value of a gift or entertainment
The value of a gift or entertainment for the purposes of this Code is on the basis of the cost incurred by the provider or the market value of the entertainment, whichever is the higher, and not on the basis of the face value of the ticket. Recipients should always arrange for confirmation of the cost of the entertainment to be sent directly from the provider to the Compliance department.
Compliance is the ultimate arbiter of the value of a gift or entertainment.
3.6 Considerations for the approval of a gift or entertainment
On occasions, entertainment offered may also include an employees family or connected persons. In this case, the normal rules apply, with the value of the entertainment being calculated on the basis of the total value of the entertainment provided to the employees and their family.
3.7 Prohibited Behaviour
|
Soliciting for themselves, a Connected Person or for a third party anything of value from anyone in return for PAM business, service or confidential information. Gifts and entertainment may only be offered or accepted when they are unsolicited, involve no commitment, are offered to or received from the same person infrequently, and are within the limits set out in this Code of Ethics. If a person attempts to solicit favours from PAM employees, the employee must notify Compliance immediately, and decline /return any gift or entertainment offered. |
If it is not possible or reasonable to return / decline, one of the following mitigating actions are required:
1. |
Return item to where purchased and donate proceeds to an independent charity (charity) |
2. |
The employee pays to a charity the value of the item, as approved by Compliance. |
3. |
Surrender to Compliance for inclusion in the annual Christmas raffle |
4. |
Giving the gift to a charity. |
|
Accepting cash, or cash equivalents such as gift cards or exclusive discounts from a Business Partner. NB red envelopes are permitted in Asia to celebrate Chinese New Year and weddings, subject to an upper limit of CHF 150, but may not be offered to public officials. |
|
Using your position to obtain anything of value from a Business Partner to whom you refer business |
|
Except as provided above, accepting anything of value from anyone outside Pictet in connection with the business of PAM |
|
Reimbursing the provider with the cost of the entertainment to avoid the reporting of gifts and entertainment under these rules. |
|
Receipt of gifts from public officials |
As well as constituting a breach of this Code, any of the above prohibited behaviours may also constitute a breach of the UK Bribery Act if carried out in relation to PAM Ltd, its Dubai branch or a UK based Business Partner, and could result in a criminal conviction. Please refer to PAMs anti-Bribery Policy for further information.
3.8 Provision of Gifts or Entertainment to certain US clients
US Clients subject to ERISA or Department of Labor legislation are generally prohibited from accepting gifts or entertainment of any description, sometimes including lunch and refreshments. Therefore, employees should not offer gifts or entertainment to these clients. If you are in any doubt, please check with the client or Compliance prior to offering the gift or entertainment.
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In addition, some Government related clients have strict and complicated reporting requirements relating to the value of gifts / entertainment received or given. It is therefore extremely important that PAM employees fully report all such gifts, entertainments and business meals and provide a fair value of all such items received or provided, irrespective of the reporting thresholds included in this Code.
3.9 Other Considerations
3.9.1 Travel to and Accommodation at Entertainment Events or seminars/conferences
|
Received by Pictet AM employees: Employees must pay their own travel expenses and accommodation costs. The employee is required to notify the provider that they cannot accept travel and accommodation costs to entertainment events or seminars/conferences, and that the employee must pay for such costs themselves. |
|
Offered by Pictet AM employees to business partners: travel and accommodation are considered as gifts and subject to the rules set in this section - please see section 3.4. |
3.9.2 Leave for Entertainment
Business Unit Heads must sanction leave of absence taken by employees to attend entertainment events during working time. Unless otherwise agreed, absence during working time must be taken as holiday.
3.9.3 Christmas Charity Raffle
Christmas traditionally sees the giving of presents to / from clients and typically from brokers, suppliers and service providers.
To ensure fairness to all employees and to avoid any conflict of interest, all non-perishable tangible gifts received in the Christmas period, whether they are required to be reported or not, must be given to the Compliance Department irrespective of their value. Compliance will then organise a charity raffle in the New Year to distribute the gifts among employees.
The only exceptions to the above relate to the receipt of items that would be perishable before Christmas, which may be retained by employees for sharing amongst the employees team. Such gifts must still be declared to Compliance, subject to the de-minimus amount for reporting. PAM staff must not encourage Business Partners to deliver gifts to the staff members home. However, in the event that gifts are received at home, it is the responsibility of the employee to promptly report the gift and surrender it to Compliance at their own cost.
Please, note that all gifts that are given to Compliance for the Christmas Charity Raffle must still be reported as set out in section 3.2.3. However, where such gifts are surrendered to Compliance, they are not to be included within the gifts limits as set out in sections 3.3 and 3.4
3.10 Record Keeping
In accordance with FCA, SEC, MAS, SFC, CSSF and FINMA and other relevant regulators record keeping requirements, Compliance will keep records of all gifts / entertainment received or provided for a period of five years, unless stricter local requirements apply.
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3.11 Failure to Report Gifts and Entertainment
The failure to report the receipt or giving of a gift or entertainment will constitute a breach of this Code and will be recorded in the PAM breaches register. These failures will also be taken into consideration when determining employees bonuses, as described in section 1.8 of this Code.
3.12 US Political Contributions
The SEC pay to play rule, (206(4)-5) prohibits SEC registered investment advisers from providing advisory services for compensation to government clients for a two-year period after the adviser or certain of its executives contribute to a public official or candidate for such office.
Therefore, to prevent PAM being excluded from managing money for US public bodies, it is important that any employees involved in client solicitation, or members of the ExCo do not make any US political donations to a public official or candidate for such office in excess of USD 150.
Therefore, all Investment and Distribution employees and ExCo members must obtain approval from Compliance prior to making any US political contributions to a public official or candidate for such office.
Compliance will also require a quarterly attestation regarding the number and value of any such US political donations.
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4 DEALING WITH PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
4.1 Introduction
We are sensitive to any activities, interests or relationships that might interfere with, or even appear to interfere with, our ability to act fairly and in the best interests of our clients. We put our long-term interests ahead of our short-term goals. All employees should therefore be mindful of potential conflicts of interest, both between an employee (and any person linked to them) and our clients, between Pictet and our clients, and between our clients.
A conflict of interest occurs when you allow any interest, activity or influence outside of Pictet to:
|
Influence your judgment when acting on behalf of Pictet or its clients |
|
Compete against Pictet or its clients in any business activity |
|
Divert business from Pictet |
|
Diminish the efficiency with which you perform your regular duties |
|
Harm or impair Pictets financial or professional reputation or |
|
Benefit you at the expense of Pictet or its clients. |
As an employee you are not permitted to participate in any activity that causes a conflict of interest or gives the appearance of a conflict. Areas frequently involved in conflicts of interest and examples of prohibited activities are described below.
If you believe that you have, or may be perceived to have, a conflict of interest, you must disclose it in writing to your Head of Compliance who will keep copies of all such disclosures. Disclosures required in this section should be made via STAR Compliance, but please contact Compliance if you need any assistance in making the disclosure or have any questions about what needs to be disclosed
Conflicts of interest may not always be clear cut, so if you are in any doubt as to whether a conflict of interest arises, you should consult the Compliance Department.
4.2 Self-Dealing
You shall report any business relationship or proposed business transaction the Group may have with any entity in which you or a related party has a direct or indirect interest or from which you or a related party may derive a benefit, or where a related party is employed, if such a relationship or transaction might give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest.
You will refrain from representing the Group in any activity (whether an internal activity or a transaction between the Group and a third party) that requires your judgement or discretion and that affects a person or entity in which you have a material interest, financial or otherwise. You will also not represent any third party in any transaction with the Group that involves the exercise of discretion by either party.
4.3 Outside Activities
It is not permitted, without prior approval, to accept other functions or responsibilities outside the Group, in particular any activity that may interfere or conflict with your duties, involve compensation or involve the Group in connection with your personal activities.
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The prior approval referred to above must be obtained from the local Head of Compliance and the relevant ExCo member.
Please note that Compliance and your ExCo member have the responsibility for determining whether any outside activity that may interfere with your duties, or otherwise conflict with Pictet is material and therefore, for the avoidance of doubt, employees are required to report all outside business activities.
In accordance with the requirements of Group Directive 8, if an employee wishes to acquire responsibilities outside the Group with an entity engaged in a commercial activity (including within the financial sector), whether for remuneration or not, they must obtain the prior approval of one of the Partners in charge of PAM.
4.4 Accepting Honoraria
Neither you nor any connected person may accept cash honoraria for your public speaking or writing services on Pictets behalf.
If a cash honorarium is tendered, you must disclose this to your local Head of Compliance, who may instruct this to be donated to charity. You may accept non-cash honoraria of modest value (as per gifts policy) or may accept reimbursement for related expenses.
4.5 Accepting Fiduciary Appointments
A fiduciary appointment is an appointment as an administrator, executor, guardian, custodian for a minor, trustee or managing agent. Unless you are acting on behalf of a connected person to you, or you have obtained approval from your local Head of Compliance and your ExCo member, you may not accept a fiduciary or co-fiduciary appointment. If such approval is given you must ensure that your appointment does not interfere with the time and attention that is required to affect your job responsibilities.
4.6 Public sector and Political activity
The Code does not permit Pictet assets to directly finance any individual politician in any jurisdiction. Pictet assets include money as well as your time during regular working hours, Pictet equipment and supplies, office space, clerical help and advertising facilities. In jurisdictions other than Switzerland, this prohibition extends to all other political activity, not including membership and support of relevant trade and industry bodies.
You are encouraged to participate in your personal capacity (entirely unrelated to the business of the Pictet Group) in political, charitable, educational or other civic affairs, insofar as it does not interfere or conflict with your responsibilities at Pictet. Any personal political or charitable donation must be permitted by applicable law. NB In the US many states also restrict the use of corporate funds and assets in connection with state elections. Please also refer to section 3.12 for further details regarding US political donations.
Please review the requirements of Serving as an External Director or Officer (below) as they may apply to your participation in civic affairs. You should not imply Pictets sponsorship or support of any outside event or organisation without the approval of a Director, Head of Branch or ExCo member.
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4.7 Serving as an External Director or Officer of a Public Company or Client entity
In view of the potential conflicts of interest and the possible liability for both you and Pictet, you should be cautious when considering service as an officer, partner or director of any non-Pictet entity other than as a representative of Pictet. Before agreeing to such service, you should seek the approval of your local Head of Compliance and your appropriate ExCo member.
If you are serving as an officer, or director of an external entity, you should:
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Not attempt to influence or take part in any vote or decision that may lead to the use of a Pictet product or service by the external entity, or result in the conferring of a special benefit to Pictet by the external entity and ensure that the external entitys records reflect your abstention; |
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Relinquish any responsibility you may have for any Pictet relationship with the external entity unless acting as a representative of Pictet; and |
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Be satisfied that the external entity conducts its affairs lawfully, ethically and in accordance with prudent management and financial practices. |
4.7.1 Additional comments where employees act as officers of a client entity
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The holding of the position in a client entity is fully covered by the ordinary compensation received by the employee. Any additional compensation is subject to the express consent of the relevant Global Co-Head of PAM Compliance and HR, as well as the relevant ExCo member. |
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If the client relationship with Pictet is terminated, the employee must notify the Heads of PAM HR and Compliance, as the employee may need to resign as an officer / director of the client entity. |
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If an employee ceases to be employed by the Pictet group, then the employee undertakes, as may be necessary, to resign from the bodies of all legal entities set up by the Pictet group for or on behalf of clients. |
4.7.2 Annual declaration by all employees
On an annual basis, all employees are required to confirm to Compliance details of any firms to which they serve as directors.
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5 RESPECTING PICTET CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
5.1 In General
You shall treat confidential information as such and disclose non-public information concerning our clients, our Group or any of our employees only as required to do so by law or regulation or with appropriate consent. You shall use confidential information only for valid business purposes or as agreed and will under no circumstances use it for your personal or any other persons gain.
You shall maintain effective controls and monitoring whenever confidential and sensitive information is used or transferred, to prevent it from being transmitted to any person outside the Group, including family or friends, or even to colleagues who do not need such information to perform their jobs. Any documents you keep or create relating to the business of the Group are and remain the property of the Group, even after the employment relationship has terminated.
We adhere to the highest international standards of information security, including with respect to cyber security management. We apply due care when receiving, handling and storing data, and adhere to pre-defined data security standards and procedures designed to prevent unauthorised access, use, modification or destruction.
5.2 Client Information
We collect, maintain and use our clients personal information in a manner that allows us to provide them with choices and options for products and services, as permitted by law, and consistent with the Pictet Group Privacy Policy, which is available on the Pictet AM web-site.
To this end, we strive to maintain appropriate systems and technology and, accordingly, to train employees with access to such information. When we use other companies to provide services for us, we require them to protect the personal and confidential information they receive. You will protect personal and confidential information about our clients and use it appropriately. Moreover, you should ensure that client information is used only for authorised purposes relating to your position and job responsibilities and shared only with authorised persons.
5.3 Talking to the Press
5.3.1 Background
From time to time, certain employees may be approached by the press for comment (verbal or written), which can be in many different forms including face to face interviews, telephone questions and answers and written commentary.
In respect of relations with the press, all employees must adhere to Directive 49 Communication in respect of appropriate prior approval and internal notification, and section 5.3.2. As a general rule, any initiative regarding external communication must be conducted in compliance with prevailing regulatory and legal requirements.
The following paragraph sets out in more detail the specific requirements covering the minimum standards that all employees must adhere to in complying with the Group Directive.
These standards focus on front office investment (e.g. investment managers and analysts) and senior Distribution employees, who may be called upon to communicate with the press in their area of expertise. Other employees would not typically be expected to communicate with the press and, if approached, must refer in all cases directly to Group Corporate Communications, and obtain their consent before replying to questions from the media.
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5.3.2 Minimum Standards
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Only Investment employees specifically approved by their CIO, and Distribution employees specifically approved by the Head of Intermediaries or Head of Institutional, (or Country Heads at the discretion of the Heads of Intermediaries / Institutional) are deemed to be defined specialist for the purposes of Directive 49 and these minimum standards. A central list of these defined specialists is maintained by Group Corporate Communications. However, if in doubt refer to your CIO or the Heads of Intermediaries / Institutional as appropriate; |
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Defined specialists should only speak about their area of specialty; |
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Defined specialists must proactively seek and receive prior approval from Group Corporate Communications before communicating with the press; |
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If asked to comment on a specific stock or bond, the individual must declare that they may have a direct or indirect economic interest in that stock or bond (but note below regarding short positions); |
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In no circumstances can specific stock/bond comments be made where net short positions are held in portfolios within the expert commentators area of responsibility; |
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It must be assumed in all cases that any comments made will, or may be specifically attributable to an individual and/or Pictet, and, therefore, individuals communicating with the press must ensure that they do so with the utmost integrity and professionalism and in compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements (e.g. Market Behaviour Rules especially concerning rumours and price sensitive information); and |
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Approved individuals must ensure they have received appropriate media training and maintain training records as necessary. |
5.4 Pictet Proprietary Information
You shall not release to any person or entity not officially connected with the Group any non-public information about the Group, regulatory examination reports, internal audit reports and other internal reviews, presentations, policies and procedures, meeting minutes, documents or notes without appropriate approval, except as required by law or regulation.
This obligation survives your employment with Pictet. Pictet has proprietary rights in any materials, products or services that you create, which relates to your work at Pictet, that use Pictets resources (equipment, etc.) or that are created during your regular working hours. You must disclose such materials, products or services to Pictet.
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6 PICTET GROUP GOVERNANCE PILLARS
6.1 Management Commitment and Communication
Board members and senior management set the tone at the top by acting as role models, ensuring that an appropriate compliance culture is disseminated throughout the Group in line with the agreed risk tolerance levels and sanctioning any unacceptable behaviour. This starts with the Groups Partners and permeates through all the Group Entities Boards of Directors and Management Committees and business line Executive Boards and Executive Committees. Compliance as a day-to-day expected behaviour is enshrined in the Groups values and guiding principles.
The principles on which Pictet has thrived over two centuries independence, long-term thinking, partnership, responsibility and entrepreneurial spirt have remained unchanged. Our purpose is to build responsible partnerships with our clients and the companies we invest in.
6.2 Incentives
The way in which we remunerate both employees and business partners (e.g. external asset managers, business referrers and distributors) is designed to facilitate responsible business conduct and fair treatment of customers and to avoid conflicts of interest. When determining remuneration, factors such as customer satisfaction, product retention, compliance with established standards, satisfactory audit/compliance reviews and results from incident/complaint reviews are taken into consideration.
6.3 Employees Qualifications and Training
We ensure that all employees are properly qualified and trained for the service they provide before they can exercise their activity, and undergo continuing professional development as required for their position and level of responsibility. Mandatory induction training is provided to new employees on arrival and regular refresher training as needed.
6.4 Three Lines of Defence
Primary responsibility for day-to-day compliance rests with line management and respective employees in business, operations and administrative functions, i.e. the first line of defence. Line managers ensure that regular critical controls are duly carried out and corrective action taken in due time.
Our control and support functions act as a second line of defence, providing instructions and advice to first-line employees and line management on regulatory requirements. The primary objective of these control and support functions is to anticipate, detect and evaluate risks and to assist management in mitigating them, where necessary carrying out their own controls.
A third line of defence is provided by the Internal Audit function.
Notwithstanding the above, the first line shall not rely on either the second or third lines of defence to compensate for any shortcomings.
6.5 Monitoring and Control
We put the necessary resources into monitoring mechanisms, including both systems and human surveillance means, to ensure strict compliance with the Groups established standards. We use risk indicators to identify the level of compliance and any potential breach, for timely reporting and escalation to top management. We retain, review and inspect communications made using e-mail, voice and other electronic communications systems provided by the Group.
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7 DATA RETENTION
The SEC, FCA, FINMA and other regulators requires that regulated firms retain all messages (including e-mail, Bloomberg, KIT, and Skype) sent by employees for 5 years, unless stricter local requirements apply. (e.g. in Switzerland the requirement is 10 years). As a result, all inbound and outbound messages for employees of PAM including internal and personal messages are retained, including those deleted by employees.
Under relevant data protection and secrecy laws, we are required to protect the confidentiality of personal messages. Therefore, whilst we retain all employees messages, the following procedures are in place to ensure compliance with these requirements:
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Only Compliance and a restricted number of Administrators have access to messages and may carry out periodic monitoring of messages as required by SEC rules, and as recommended by relevant regulators. |
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Where any other person needs access to messages, this will require the approval of, and supervision by Compliance. Access will only be granted for business use, which will include compliance monitoring and investigations. |
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In all cases where access to messages is granted, Compliance and any other person reviewing messages will disregard any private messages as soon as it becomes obvious that a message is private and has no bearing on PAMs or Pictets business, or any investigation being undertaken, and will not copy or forward or use in any other way any such private messages. |
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In the event of a regulatory inspection, the SEC, FINMA, FCA and other regulatory inspectors are required to respect the privacy of private messages where they have no bearing on the business of PAM or Pictet. |
All messages you send or receive will be retained for at least 5 years, (10 in Switzerland)
During an inspection a regulator could ask to view any persons messages, although the SEC should only review those mails relating to US clients, who have signed an agreement with PAM LTD, PAM SA, PAM US or PAM (S), and not another entity such as Banque Pictet & Cie SA.
However, there are some PAM employees such as CRM, BD, Operations and MIS, who have relationships with both SEC and non-SEC clients. They will be considered as double-hatted. If the SEC requires the e-mail of a double-hatted employees, all his / her e-mails for the period requested by the SEC will have to be printed and any name / identification of non-SEC clients will have to be redacted. This process will be overseen by Compliance, and as this task will be very time consuming, the number of double-hatted employees should be strictly limited.
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8 PAM SECURITY POLICY
PAM has set-up a dedicated IT network with the aims of providing PAM users with a security policy that is adapted to institutional asset management standards. The PAM Security Policy thus amends the standard security rules and directives of the Pictet Group. However, the PAM Security Policy does not aim to be exhaustive, so whenever an item is not specifically covered within the PAM Policy, the standard Group rules and directives do apply.
The PAM Security Policy can be found by clicking on the attached link below, and all employees are required to read and comply with this policy.
https://kit.pictet.com/docs/pam-security-policy/
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APPENDIX A DEFINITION OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
Beneficial ownership, for purposes of this Code, shall be determined in accordance with the definition of beneficial owner set forth in Rule 16a-1(a) under the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, i.e. a person must have a direct or indirect pecuniary interest to have beneficial ownership. Although the following list is not intended to be exhaustive, pursuant to the rule, a person is generally regarded as the beneficial owner of the following securities:
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Securities held in the persons own name; |
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Securities held with another in joint tenancy, community property or other joint ownership; |
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Securities held by a bank or broker as nominee or custodian on such persons behalf of securities pledged as collateral for a loan; |
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Securities held by members of the persons immediate family sharing the same household (immediate family means any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse (including unmarried partner), sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships); |
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Securities held by a relative not residing in the persons home if the person is a custodian, guardian or otherwise has controlling influence over the purchase, sale or voting of such securities; |
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Securities held by a trust in which the person is a beneficiary and has or shares the power to make purchase or sales decisions; |
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Securities held by a trust for which the person serves as a trustee and in which the person has a pecuniary interest (including pecuniary interests by virtue of performance fees and by virtue of holdings by the persons immediate family); |
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Securities held by a general partnership or limited partnership in which the person is a general partner; |
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Securities owned by a corporation in which the person has a control position or in which the person has or shares investment control over the portfolio securities (other than a registered investment company); |
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Securities in a portfolio giving the person certain performance related fees; and |
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Securities held by another person or entity pursuant to any agreement, understanding, relationship or other arrangement giving the person any direct or indirect pecuniary interest. |
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APPENDIX B TEMPLATE LETTER TO REQUEST BROKER TO SUPPLY COPY INFORMATION ON PERSONAL ACCOUNTS TO COMPLIANCE
[BROKER NAME]
[BROKER ADDRESS]
For the Attention of the Compliance Department
Re [insert employee name] account no. [insert account number(s)]
[Insert employee name] is an employee of [insert Pictet entity name ] As an employee of [insert Pictet entity name ], duplicate statements of all trading accounts listed above (including at least quarterly transaction reports and a full statement of holdings as at 30 June each year, with nil statements as necessary), and any confirmation of trades executed within those accounts must be delivered via e-mail to the Compliance department at :
[Please select appropriate e-mail address from below:
PAM_Compliance_Asia@pictet.com |
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for PAM HK, Taiwan and Singapore employees |
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compliance_PAMSA@pictet.com |
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for all PAM SA, PAM US and PAM E SA employees |
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compliance_ldn@pictet.com |
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for all other PAM employees (ex-Japan) |
Statements should be sent on at least a quarterly basis, as at 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December.
If you require any further information, please contact the compliance contact at the above e-mail address.
Yours Sincerely
[Name of employee]
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Oldfield Partners LLP
Code of Ethics
March 2020
Code of Ethics
I. |
STANDARDS OF BUSINESS CONDUCT |
1.1 |
Introduction |
As a fiduciary the Firm stands in a position of trust and confidence with respect to its clients. Accordingly, the Firm has a duty to place the interests of its clients before its own interests and that of its Staff; to act honestly, in good faith and to exercise the degree of care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent investment advisor would exercise in the circumstances.
In order to assist the Firm and its Staff in meeting the Firms obligations as a fiduciary, the Firm has adopted this Code of Ethics (the Code), the purpose of which is to ensure the fair treatment of the Firms clients through the exercise of the highest standards of integrity and ethical business conduct by the Firm and its Staff.
Staff must avoid any situation in which personal interests conflict with their duties to the Firm and its clients. When faced with a conflict of interest, all Staff are required to exercise the business judgment of responsible persons, uninfluenced by considerations other than the best interests of the Firms clients.
Staff are subject to the rules and restrictions contained herein with respect to their personal securities trading, gifts and business entertainment, external affiliations and political and governmental activities. The rules set out the minimum standards; however the spirit of the rules must also be complied with. Failure to follow the spirit, as well as the detail, of the rules themselves may result in disciplinary action.
Staff should understand that the general principles apply to all conduct with clients, external persons and other Staff, whether or not the conduct is covered also by more specific standards or procedures as set forth herein.
FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE CODE MAY RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION, INCLUDING TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.
1.2 |
Persons covered by the Code of Ethics |
This Code, including the personal account dealing policies which it contains, applies to all Staff as defined herein. For the purpose of this Code Staff includes, for FCA purposes, any relevant person1 who is involved in activities that may give rise to a conflict of interest, or who has access to inside information or to other confidential information relating to clients or transactions with or for clients and Access Persons2 as defined by the SEC, but will exclude outsourcers operating pursuant to outsource arrangements which address conflicts of interest arising, including personal securities transactions. Non-working partners are not covered by the Code of Ethics.
1 |
Relevant person (in summary) is defined as any of the following (a) a director, partner or equivalent, manager, Employee or appointed representative of the Firm, and (b) any other natural person, including persons operating under an outsourcing arrangement, whose services are placed at the disposal and under the control of the Firm and who is involved in the provision by the Firm of regulated activities. |
2 |
Access Person means a supervised person who has access to non-public information regarding a clients purchase or sale of securities, who is involved in making securities recommendations to clients or who has access to such recommendations that are non-public; a supervised person means a director or officer (or other person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), employee and any other person who provides advice on behalf of the Firm and is subject to the Firms supervision and control. |
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March 2020
1.3 |
Obligation to Comply with the Law |
The Firm and its Staff are required to comply with all laws applicable to its business operations, including the FCA rules and regulations (FCA Rules), the Securities Act of 1933, the Exchange Act, the Investment Company Act, the Advisers Act and any rules adopted by the SEC under these and other applicable statutes (SEC Rules) and other applicable regulatory and legal obligations concerning the provision of investment services. Staff have a duty to know, understand and comply with any of those laws which apply to their duties and responsibilities. Staff must be aware that their legal obligations may be more extensive than their obligations to the Firm and its clients.
II. |
PERSONAL SECURITIES TRADING |
2.1 |
Introduction and summary |
These rules apply to all executive partners and employees (staff members). They do not apply to non-working partners. The fiduciary obligation of the Firm and of all staff members is to put clients interests first. Due to inherent conflicts of interest in staff investing in types of securities which the Firm may also invest for client accounts, the Firm restricts staff from opening new positions in listed equity securities and related derivatives. Personal Account (PA) investments by staff members into funds managed by the Firm are encouraged, such investments being in the fund share class in which no investment management fee is charged. The summary in the remainder of this paragraph is not a substitute for thorough acquaintance with the remainder of this section. If staff members are in any doubt as to how these rules apply to a proposed PA transaction, then direction must be sought from the Compliance Officer and the Chairman whose decision will be final.
Approval: All PA transactions in Reportable Securities 3, including in the Firms funds and the funds of third-party asset managers, must be approved in advance by the Compliance Officer and either the Chief Executive or the Chief Investment Officer. Approval is also required in relation to transactions associated with publicly-listed securities including any formal or informal offer to buy or sell, taking up rights on a rights issue and exercising conversion or subscription rights and exercising an option; the restrictions also extend to buying or selling an investment under any offer, including a take-over or tender offer, which is made to the public or all (or substantially all) the holders of the investment concerned. It should not be presumed that approval will be given. Copies of contract notes must be sent to the Compliance Officer as soon as possible after approved transactions have been completed.
Prohibited transactions: The purchase of any listed equity security and derivatives of listed equity securities is not permitted except with prior approval, which will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Approval will not normally be given for the sale of securities which are also held in client portfolios if a transaction for clients is being contemplated. Conflicts must be avoided and clients interests must always come first.
. For the purposes of this policy only, listed investment trusts will be regarded as funds, not equities. This provision would be reviewed if any portfolios managed by the Firm were to invest in investment trusts.
Transactions in unlisted or private equity securities are not so restricted
Minimum holding period: All PA purchases which require approval must be held for a minimum period of 90 days, unless there are exceptional circumstances where permission may be given by the Compliance Officer and either the Chief Executive or the Chief Investment Officer.
3 |
These include Designated Investments as defined by the FCA and any security as defined in section 202(a)(18) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a)(18)) |
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March 2020
If, in retrospect, the Firm judges that a PA transaction of any kind may appear to have been in conflict with the spirit or letter of this policy, the Firm may require the staff member to disgorge any profit which would be given to charity (irrespective of any capital gains liability with which the staff member may be left).
All PA dealing will be reported regularly by the Compliance Officer to the Partners and to the Oldfield & Co Board. The PA dealing policy will be reviewed by the Partners at least annually.
2.2 |
Definition of Personal Account |
A PA for the purpose of this Code includes any securities account over which a staff member exercises sole or joint direct or indirect influence or control.
This policy covers not only staff members own personal securities accounts, but those of related persons as detailed below:
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A staff members spouse or partner who is considered by national law to be equivalent to a spouse; |
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Any immediate family members who reside in the same household as the staff member; |
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Any person to whom a staff member provides primary financial support, and either (i) whose financial affairs are controlled by the staff member, or (ii) for whom they provide discretionary advisory services; |
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Any joint account which includes a staff member as a participant; |
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Any account over which the staff member has investment discretion or otherwise can exercise control, but excluding accounts over which the staff member exercises investment discretion in his or her role at the Firm; and |
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Any other account in which the staff member is directly or indirectly financially interested except where they are relying exclusively on the investment discretion of a third party. |
If the spouse, partner, family member or dependent of a member of staff wishes to exercise their own investment discretion and not be subjected to the restrictive elements of this policy, they must sign an agreement declaring that they will act independently and without direct or indirect influence of the staff member.
2.3 |
Definition of Reportable Securities |
This Code applies to transactions in Reportable Securities4 which include all funds, stocks, bonds or other debt instruments, participations, convertible securities, warrants, options, futures contracts, forward contracts, CFDs (including rolling spot forex contracts), spread bets, and any other type of derivative instrument.
Reportable Securities do not include the following:
(i) |
UK or US government securities; |
(ii) |
bankers acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high-quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements; |
4 |
These include Designated Investments as defined by the FCA and any security as defined in section 202(a)(18) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a)(18)); the restrictions set out in this Code extend to any staff member involvement in any formal or informal offer to buy or sell, taking up rights on a rights issue and exercising conversion or subscription rights and exercising an option; the restrictions also extend to buying or selling an investment under any offer, including a take-over or tender offer, which is made to the public or all (or substantially all) the holders of the investment concerned. |
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Code of Ethics
March 2020
(iii) |
shares issued by money market funds; and |
(iv) |
Spreadbets on non-financial underlying instruments. |
III. |
RESTRICTIONS ON TRADING IN PERSONAL ACCOUNTS |
3.1 |
Prohibited Trading |
PA transactions in listed equity securities and related derivatives are not normally permitted. Where permission is exceptionally granted, trades in PAs must be executed in a way that could not disadvantage any client.
In order to achieve this:
(i) |
PA trades in such securities will only be permitted following clearance in advance from the Compliance Officer and either the Chief Executive or the Chief Investment Officer. This should be done using the prescribed PA transaction approval form. Exceptionally, authorisation may be sought and given by email but all such email-based approvals will require a PA transaction approval form to be completed as soon as practical after the event. |
(ii) |
Clearance will only be granted where the staff member confirms that they have made all reasonable efforts to determine whether there are any trades being made or contemplated for clients or funds; |
(iii) |
PA trades involving a sale to, or purchase from, any client of the Firm are not permitted; and |
(iv) |
PA trades in securities where dealing is contemplated will not normally be permitted. Exceptions may be made, for example in the case of a rights issue. |
3.2 |
Exceptions to Pre-Clearance Requirement |
In recognition of the de minimis or involuntary nature of certain transactions, this paragraph sets forth exceptions to the pre-clearance requirements. The reporting obligations of the Code continue to apply to any transaction exempted from pre-clearance pursuant to this paragraph.
Accordingly, the following transactions in PAs are exempt only from the pre-clearance requirements:
(A) |
Purchases or sales that are non-volitional on the part of the staff member such as the receipt of securities as a gift or inheritance, acquisitions of securities through stock dividends, stock splits, reverse stock splits, mergers, consolidations, spin-offs, and other similar corporate reorganizations; and |
(B) |
Purchases or sales pursuant to an automatic investment plan (i.e. a programme in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation, including any dividend reinvestment plans). A staff member must notify the Compliance Officer of the details of these automatic investment plans, but approval in advance of each transaction is not required. |
3.3 |
Important Restrictions |
A staff member can only make a PA trade where there is nothing to their knowledge to prevent the trade being undertaken because of a conflict of interest or other restriction. A PA sale will not normally be approved if the investment has been held for less than 90 days. In addition:
any staff member who is precluded from entering into a transaction for their PA must not:
(a) |
procure any other person to enter into such a transaction; or |
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Code of Ethics
March 2020
(b) |
communicate any information or opinion to any other person if they know or ought to know that the person may as a result, enter into such a transaction, or counsel or procure some other person to do so. |
This does not apply to actions which a staff member might take in the course of their employment with the Firm. For example, the fact that a staff member is prohibited from dealing in a security as a result of (a) or (b) above does not mean that they are precluded from dealing for a customer.
IV. |
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS |
4.1 |
Transaction Reports |
After executing a trade on a PA, the staff member must ensure that the Compliance Officer promptly receives a copy of the contract note (or similar report) in respect of the transaction. The staff member must request each broker and/or bank/custodian at which the staff member maintains a PA to supply duplicate contract notes and account statements directly to the Compliance Officer.
In addition, a quarterly confirmation that PA transactions have been conducted and pre-cleared, or a statement that no such transactions have occurred, signed off by the Staff member, must be returned to the Compliance Officer no later than 30 days after the close of the quarterly reporting period.
These reporting obligations apply to all PA transactions including those not subject to a pre-clearance requirement.
Summary reports of all PA dealing will be provided to the Oldfield & Co Board annually and simultaneously to the Firms Partners.
4.2 |
Holdings Reports |
Staff members are required to disclose all their PAs and submit a statement for each PA detailing all Reportable Securities held, at the start of employment or no later than 10 days after becoming an Access Person and annually thereafter. Holding Reports must contain the information set out in the pro-forma attached, and be sourced from the PA provider/broker.
Holdings reports should be dated no more than 45 days prior to the reporting date. Staff must notify the Compliance Officer promptly of any new PA containing Reportable Securities.
V. |
GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT POLICY |
The Firm operates a Gifts and Entertainment policy applicable to benefits or inducements given to or provided by Staff which might be seen as conflicting with their duties to the Firm or to any of the Firms clients. In order to address conflicts of interest that may arise when a member of Staff accepts or gives a gift, favour or other items of value (gifts), or entertainment (meals, sports events etc.) (entertainment), the Firm requires Staff to obtain written approval by the Compliance Officer, Chief Investment Officer or the Chief Executive for the retention of any gifts received above a value determined by the Partners from time to time (currently £150). The receipt or provision of excessive inducements is a cause of concern by regulators as it can cause behaviour which is detrimental to the interests of clients. Before giving or receiving any inducement staff should consider whether the Firms reputation would be negatively impacted if the details were widely published.
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Staff are prohibited from giving or accepting any cash gifts or cash equivalents to or from an investor, prospective investor, or any entity that does business with or potentially could conduct business with or on behalf of the Firm. |
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No gift or entertainment of any value whatsoever involving foreign government officials or their families (including a governmental, quasi-governmental or local authority) may be given or sponsored by the Firm or any Staff without the prior written approval of the Compliance Officer as such gifts may constitute unacceptable bribes in certain jurisdictions. |
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Oldfield Partners LLP
Code of Ethics
March 2020
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Any gifts or entertainment proposed to be given by any member of Staff which exceed a value of £150 per recipient in any 12 month period must be approved in writing and in advance by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer or the Compliance Officer. Such gifts and entertainment must always be charged to the Firm and subject to this policy. |
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Staff may provide ordinary business entertainment where the total value is less than £150 per head without pre-clearance. |
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For entertainment received where the value is estimated to be above £150 per head and where notified to Staff in advance (e.g. an invitation to an event), prior approval as indicated above is required. Where prior approval is not possible, the Staff member must notify the Chief Executive Officer and the Compliance Officer as soon as practicable after the event. |
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Participation in conferences, seminars and other training events (organised and paid for by third-parties) on the benefits and features of a specific financial instrument or an investment service are permitted. |
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Where Staff travel on broker or issuer sponsored research trips, the Firm should pay for the cost of travel and accommodation. |
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Where entertainment is given or received it should be for the purpose of cultivating business relations and, importantly, discussing business matters. Entertainment which does not have a business purpose and is therefore solely for the gratification of recipients is not permitted. |
For the purposes of this policy Staff includes members of staff, their families and associates.
Each quarter, Staff are requested to declare that they have complied with the Firms policies on gifts and entertainment.
5.4 |
Reporting and Staff Acknowledgment |
All gifts reported for approval must be in writing, disclosing inter alia the name of relevant Staff member and external party(ies) involved, a description of the gift and an indication of approximate value. Staff will be required to confirm in writing on a quarterly basis that they have reported all relevant gifts.
In order to meet FCA requirements on the recording of inducements, the Compliance Officer should be provided with full details of ALL gifts, entertainment and other inducements (including attendance at conferences and seminars, not paid for by the Firm) given and received for recording in the inducements log. This should include: the name of relevant Staff member; the external party (ies); a description of the gift/entertainment/other inducement and its actual or estimated value and, in respect of entertainment, a description of the business discussed. Investment staff should use the e-mail investors@oldfieldpartners.com while other staff should use the e-mail all@oldfieldpartners.com as a means of notification.
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Oldfield Partners LLP
Code of Ethics
March 2020
VI. |
OUTSIDE AFFILIATIONS |
6.1 |
Policy |
Staff members service on the board of directors of an outside company, as well as other activities or affiliations outside the Firm may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, examples of which include:
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Serving a charitable organization as both an officer, director, trustee, or in another managerial or financial capacity and investment manager of record. |
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Serving an estate account as both executor and/or administrator and investment manager of record. |
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Serving a trust/fiduciary account as both trustee/fiduciary and investment manager of record. |
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Serving a corporation or firm account as both director (officer or general partner) and investment manager of record. |
It is the Firms policy that external business activities or affiliations are generally prohibited unless the Firm has determined that (i) such activity is not in inconsistent with the interests of the Firms clients, and (ii) does not interfere with the relevant Staff members duties to the Firm.
Therefore, no Staff may serve as an officer, director, general partner, trustee, owner, proprietor, member of a limited liability company or partnership, consultant or agent for any business operation other than the Firm or its affiliates without prior written approval from the Partners.
6.2 |
Approval Process |
Any Staff member who wishes to serve as an officer, director, general partner, trustee, owner, proprietor, member of a limited liability company or partnership, consultant or agent for any business operation other than the firm or its affiliates must consult with and obtain the approval of the Partners. To obtain approval:
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The Staff member must set out in writing (e-mail is acceptable) the nature of any outside affiliation, the reasons for the affiliation and must describe any measures that will be taken to reduce the potential conflict of interest involved. |
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Approval must be documented in writing. |
The approval process outlined above also applies any time a member of Staff changes his/her status with respect to an outside affiliation.
On occasion, Staff may be required to supply the Partners with additional information concerning an outside affiliation before a decision is reached.
6.3 |
Personal Connections |
Employees are required to disclose to the Compliance Officer if, to the extent known, a family member5:
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is employed by a brokerage firm, investment bank, investment adviser or other financial institution; |
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is employed by a competitor in a business unit that could reasonably be expected to benefit financially from information to which the Employee has access; or |
5 |
See definition in section 6.4. |
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Oldfield Partners LLP
Code of Ethics
March 2020
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serves as an officer, director, or partner of a public or private company, or otherwise routinely comes in contact with sensitive confidential information on public or private companies. |
If an Employee has a close familial or personal relationship with someone who does not fall into one of the above categories, and a reasonable person could question whether a conflict exists (such as someone residing in the Employees home) then such person should be included in the category of family member for the purposes of this Code.
6.4 |
Affiliations with Publicly Traded Issuers |
An outside affiliation involving publicly traded issuers must be reported if:
(a) |
The issuer for which a member of Staff has been previously approved as director/trustee, officer or general partner intends to commence public trading; |
(b) |
To the knowledge of the member of Staff, a family member is, or becomes, an officer, general partner or director/trustee of a publicly traded issuer; or |
(c) |
To the knowledge of the member of Staff, he/she or a family member individually or together with others beneficially owns, in the aggregate, 5% or more of the equity securities of a publicly traded issuer. |
For the purpose of this Code, family member is defined as a Staff members:
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spouse, or spousal equivalent in accordance with national law; |
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parents and stepparents; |
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children, and stepchildren; |
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siblings; |
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in-laws; |
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grandparents and grandchildren; |
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nieces and nephews; |
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aunts and uncles; and |
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any person sharing the Staffs household (other than a tenant or Staff). |
6.5 |
Interest in Clients/Parties Doing Business with the Firm |
No Staff may, without written approval, have a substantial interest in any outside business that, to his/her knowledge is a client of, or otherwise involved currently in a business transaction with the Firm.
A substantial interest includes:
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any investment in an outside business involving an amount which exceeds the greater of 10% of a Staff members gross assets, or £10,000 GBP (or equivalent); or |
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any investment in an outside business involving an ownership interest greater than 2% of the outstanding equity interests in the business. |
Staff do not need approval for bank deposits, or investments in mutual funds, partnerships or similar enterprises that are publicly owned and engaged primarily in the business of investing in securities, real estate or other investments assets.
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Oldfield Partners LLP
Code of Ethics
March 2020
6.6 |
Political and Governmental Activities |
Except with prior approval from the Compliance Officer no corporate political contributions or in-house activities (or commitments for contributions or in-house activities) may be made or undertaken. This prohibition includes both US and non-US.:
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Contributions to incumbents, candidates and political campaigns; |
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Contributions in support of or opposed to ballot issues; |
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Payments of honoraria; and |
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Donation of the Firms services of value to an incumbent or candidate for the purpose of influencing any election, reducing debt in connection with an election, or paying for transition or inaugural expenses incurred by a successful candidate. |
Prohibited in-house activities include the donations of services, such as a member of Staffs time during normal work hours, corporate equipment or facilities, or other corporate resources.
Staff must report to the Compliance Officer if he/she:
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Holds an elected or appointed governmental, municipal or political party office or position; or |
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Serves as an elected or appointed member of a governmental, municipal or political party board, body or advisory committee. |
6.7 |
Reporting |
All Staff will be required to submit a signed written statement annually detailing their external affiliations.
VII. |
EXCEPTIONS TO THE CODE |
The Compliance Officer may, under very limited circumstances, grant an exception from the requirements of the Code on a case-by-case basis, provided that:
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The member of Staff seeking the exception provides the Compliance Officer with a written statement (i) detailing the efforts made to comply with the requirement from which the Staff member seeks an exception and (ii) containing a representation that compliance with the requirement would impose significant undue hardship on the Staff member; |
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The Compliance Officer believes that the exception would not harm or defraud a client, violate the general principles stated in the Code or compromise the Staff members or the firms fiduciary duty to any client; and |
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The Staff member provides any supporting documentation that the Compliance Officer may request from the Staff member. |
No exceptions may be made to the fundamental requirements contained in the Code that have been adopted to meet applicable laws including, inter alia, the Advisers Act.
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Oldfield Partners LLP
Code of Ethics
March 2020
VIII. |
ADMINISTRATION OF THE CODE |
8.1 |
Acknowledgement |
The Compliance Officer shall distribute annually a copy of the Code to all Staff. The Compliance Officer will also distribute promptly all amendments to the Code.
All Staff are required annually to sign and acknowledge their receipt of this Code by signing a form of acknowledgement (generally in the form of the Firms Employee Reporting Statement).
8.2 |
ADV Disclosure |
The Compliance Officer shall ensure that the Firms Form ADV:
(i) |
describes the Code of Ethics in Item 11 of Part 2A, and |
(ii) |
offers to provide a copy of the Code of Ethics to any client or prospective client upon request. |
8.3 |
Disclosure of Violations |
If Staff are aware of a conflict of interest or any violation of the Code, policies or the law, they are under a duty to provide all details of the conflict of interest or violation to the Compliance Officer immediately. The Compliance Officer will keep proper records of all such disclosures and serious violations may lead to disciplinary action including possibly dismissal.
8.4 |
Authority to Exempt Transactions |
The Compliance Officer has the authority to exempt any Staff or any personal securities transaction of a Staff member from any or all of the provisions of this Code of Ethics if the Compliance Officer determines that such exemption would not be against any interests of a client and would be in accordance with applicable law. The Compliance Officer will prepare and file a written memorandum of any exemption granted, describing the circumstances and reasons for the exemption.
8.5 |
Record Keeping |
The Compliance Officer will keep in an easily accessible place for at least five (5) years copies of this Code of Ethics, all Brokers Confirmations and, all trade confirmations, account statements, periodic statements and reports of Staff, copies of all pre-clearance forms, records of violations and actions taken as a result of violations, acknowledgments and other memoranda relating to the administration of this Code.
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Oldfield Partners LLP
Code of Ethics
March 2020
Version | 3 (Previously incorporated within the Compliance Manual US Supplement) | |
Date of Version | 16 March 2020 | |
Created by | Simon Rogers, Meteora Partners, LLP | |
Approved by | John McEwing, Compliance Officer | |
Confidentiality Level | Restricted. Selected sections may be provided to third parties with the approval of the Compliance Officer. | |
Change History | Please refer to red-line version |
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