As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
July 29, 2014
Registration No. 333-148723
Registration No. 811-22172
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | [X] | |
Pre-Effective Amendment No. |
[ ] | |
Post-Effective Amendment No. (78) |
[X] | |
and/or | ||
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | [X] | |
Amendment No. (79) |
[X] |
WORLD FUNDS TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235
(Address of Principal
Executive Offices)
(804) 267-7400
(Registrants Telephone Number)
The Corporation Trust Co.
Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington,
DE 19801
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
With Copy to
:
John H. Lively
The Law Offices of John H. Lively &
Associates, Inc.
A member firm of The 1940 Act Law Group
TM
11300
Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310
Leawood, KS 66211
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this filing .
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
[X] | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b); | |
[ ] | on _________________ (date) pursuant to paragraph (b); | |
[ ] | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1); | |
[ ] | on _________________ (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1); | |
[ ] | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2); or | |
[ ] | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485. |
If appropriate, check the following box:
|__| This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
Title of Securities Being Registered: shares of beneficial interest.
Perkins Discovery Fund
PROSPECTUS
July 29, 2014
Ticker: PDFDX
This prospectus describes the Perkins Discovery Fund. The Fund is authorized to offer one class of shares.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS | PAGE | |
Fund Summary | 1 | |
Investment Objective | 1 | |
Fees and Expenses of the Fund | 1 | |
Portfolio Turnover | 2 | |
Principal Investment Strategies | 2 | |
Principal Risks | 2 | |
Performance History | 3 | |
Investment Adviser | 5 | |
Portfolio Managers | 5 | |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 5 | |
Tax Information | 5 | |
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Intermediaries | 5 | |
Additional Information About Fund Investments | 6 | |
Additional Information About Risk | 7 | |
Management | 8 | |
How to Buy Shares | 10 | |
How to Sell Shares | 12 | |
General Information | 13 | |
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes | 15 | |
Distribution Arrangements | 19 | |
Index Descriptions | 19 | |
Financial Highlights | 20 | |
For More Information | 21 |
FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The Perkins Discovery Fund (the Fund) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees | ||
(fees paid directly from your investment) | ||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | None | |
Maximum deferred sales charges (load) (as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) | None | |
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed within 45 days of purchase) | 1.00% | |
Exchange Fee | None | |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | ||
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||
Management Fee | 1.00% | |
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | |
Other Expenses | 1.58% | |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 2.83% | |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (1) | (0.58%) | |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (1) | 2.25% | |
(1) |
Perkins Capital Management, Inc. (the Adviser) has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or pay Fund
expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, interest expense in connection with investment activities,
taxes and extraordinary expenses) in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or
Expense Reimbursement for shares of the Fund to 2.25% of the Funds average net asset (the Expense Cap). The
Expense Cap will remain in effect until at least July 31, 2015. The Agreement may be terminated at any time by the
Board upon 60 days notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser with the consent of the Board. Any reduction in advisory
fees or payment of expenses made by the Adviser is subject to reimbursement by the Fund if requested by the
Adviser, and the Board approves such reimbursement in subsequent fiscal years. This reimbursement may be
requested if the aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking
into account the reimbursement) does not exceed the Expense Cap. The Adviser is permitted to be reimbursed for
fee reductions and/or expense payments made in the prior three fiscal years. This table reflects the current expense
cap rate effective July 29, 2014, which differs from the Financial Highlights section of this Prospectus.
|
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year | |||
$228 | $822 | $1,443 | $3,115 | |||
1
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Funds performance. During the Funds most recent fiscal year, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of domestic companies with market capitalizations of under $1 billion at the time of purchase. The equity securities the Fund may purchase consist mostly of common stock, although the Fund may purchase preferred and convertible stocks.
In selecting investments, Perkins Capital Management, Inc. (the Adviser) seeks growth opportunities by investing in companies that it believes will appreciate in value. The Adviser seeks to discover investment opportunities primarily by searching for companies that it believes are in the process of undergoing some fundamental change. Companies undergoing change may have new products, processes, strategies, management, or may be subject to change by external forces. The Fund attempts to buy stocks of such companies when it believes the changes will result in higher earnings and/or a higher price-to-earnings ratio.
The Adviser will typically sell a holding when the reasons that the holding was purchased change. When a holding performs as anticipated, it may be sold when the Advisers price target is reached, when the holding becomes overvalued in the Advisers opinion, or when technical chart analysis indicates that a good sale point has been reached.
Note: Due to investment considerations, the Fund will close to new investors when it reaches $100 million in total assets. If the Fund closes to new investors, based on market conditions and other factors, it may reopen at a later date.
Principal Risks
There is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. The following principal risks can affect the value of your investment:
General Market Risk. The market price of a security may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than its cost when originally purchased or less than it was worth at an earlier time.
Equity Risk . Since the Fund purchases equity securities, it is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Funds equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility.
2
Management Risk. The Adviser may fail to implement the Funds investment strategies and meet its investment objective.
Smaller Companies Risk. Investing in securities of smaller companies including micro-cap, small-cap, medium-cap and less seasoned companies often involve greater volatility than investing in larger, more established companies and these securities may be less liquid than other securities.
Small Portfolio Risk. Although the Fund is diversified, from time to time, it holds a relatively small number of securities ( i.e ., under 40). As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of a single security held by the Fund may have a greater impact on the Funds net asset value and total return.
Performance History
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance from year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual returns for the periods indicated compare with those of a broad-based securities index and additional indices provided to offer a broader market perspective. The Funds past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.theworldfundstrust.com or by calling toll-free 800-673-0550.
The Fund was reorganized on October 26, 2012 from a series of Professionally Managed Portfolios, a Massachusetts business trust (the Predecessor Fund), to a series of the World Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the Reorganization). The performance information below is intended to serve as an illustration of the variability of the Funds returns since the Fund is a continuation of the Predecessor Fund and has the same investment objective and investment strategies as the Predecessor Fund. While the Fund is substantially similar to the Predecessor Fund and theoretically would have invested in the same portfolio of securities, the Funds performance during the same time period may have been different than the performance of the Predecessor Fund due to, among other things, differences in fees and expenses.
3
Perkins Discovery Fund
Calendar Year Total Returns*
*The Funds year-to-date return as of June 30, 2014 was 3.33%. | |||||
|
|||||
Highest Quarterly Return: | 2Q, 2009 | 27.23 | % | ||
Lowest Quarterly Return: | 4Q, 2008 | -30.24 | % | ||
|
Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2013 | ||||||||||
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years | ||||||||
Return Before Taxes | 41.43 | % | 24.56 | % | 8.51 | % | ||||
Return After Taxes on Distributions | 41.43 | % | 24.40 | % | 8.10 | % | ||||
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 23.45 | % | 20.24 | % | 7.00 | % | ||||
S&P 500 ® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 29.60 | % | 15.40 | % | 5.21 | % | ||||
NASDAQ Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 38.32 | % | 21.51 | % | 7.62 | % | ||||
Russell 2000 ® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 37.00 | % | 18.43 | % | 7.65 | % | ||||
Wilshire U.S. Micro-Cap Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 47.05 | % | 23.51 | % | 6.55 | % | ||||
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your situation and may differ from those shown. Furthermore, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to those who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other return figures because when a capital loss occurs upon redemption of Fund shares, a tax deduction is provided and benefits the investor.
4
Investment Adviser
Perkins Capital Management, Inc.
Portfolio Managers
Richard W. Perkins, CFA, President of the Adviser, has served as the Portfolio Manager to the Fund since its inception in 1998.
Daniel S. Perkins, CFA, Executive Vice President of the Adviser, has served as the Portfolio Manager to the Fund since its inception in 1998.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on days when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading through a financial advisor, by mail (Perkins Discovery Fund, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235), by wire, or by telephone at 1-800-673-0550. Purchases and redemptions by telephone are only permitted if you previously established this option on your account. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into the Fund is $2,500. Subsequent investments must be in amounts of $100 or more. The minimum initial investment amount for retirement accounts and automatic investment accounts is $1,000 or more and the subsequent investments are $100. The Fund may waive minimums for purchases or exchanges through employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Tax Information
The Funds distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
5
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT FUND INVESTMENTS
The Funds objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation. The Funds investment objective is nonfundamental which means it may be changed without shareholder vote upon at least a 60-day written notice to shareholders. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
The Advisers approach to equity investments is to seek opportunities for growth by investing in companies that it believes will appreciate in value. The Adviser seeks to discover investment opportunities primarily by searching for companies that it believes are in the process of undergoing some type of fundamental change. Stocks are purchased when it is believed that this change will result in higher earnings and/or a higher price/earnings ratio and thus a higher share price when that change is discovered by others. Companies undergoing change may have new products, processes, strategies, management, or may be subject to change by external forces. Although there is no regional or geographical limit to the location of portfolio companies, many of the companies in the Funds portfolio are located in the upper Midwest states.
In its investment selection process, the Adviser visits companies, reads a variety of reports and publications and utilizes computer programs to derive fundamental selection criteria. The Adviser also uses technical chart analysis to find investment opportunities and as an aid in selecting what the Adviser believes to be the best buy or sale point for a particular security.
The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of domestic companies with market capitalizations of under $1 billion at the time of purchase.
The Adviser will typically sell a holding when the reasons that the holding was purchased change. When a holding performs as anticipated, it may be sold when the Advisers price target is reached, when the holding becomes overvalued in the Advisers opinion, or when technical chart analysis indicates that a good sale point has been reached. When a holding does not perform as anticipated, the reasons for the holding being purchased may have changed or the Adviser may have been wrong about those reasons initially. In this situation, the Adviser will use fundamental and technical analysis to attempt to liquidate the position at the best price possible.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest according to its principal investment strategy noted above. However, the Fund may temporarily depart from its principal investment strategies, and make short-term investments in cash, cash equivalents and short-term debt securities and money market instruments, in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions. To the extent the Fund makes such defensive investments, it may not achieve its investment objective. For longer periods of time, the Fund may hold a substantial cash position. If the market advances during periods when the Fund is holding a large cash position, the Fund may not participate as much as it would have if it had been more fully invested. To the extent the Fund uses a money market fund for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such money market funds advisory fees and operational expenses.
In addition to common stocks, the Fund may also invest in convertible securities, including preferred stock, warrants and debentures.
6
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT RISK
An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. The value of your investment will go up and down, which means you could lose money when you sell your shares. There are risks involved with any investment, but the principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund include:
General Market Risk . General market risk is the risk that the market value of a security may fluctuate; sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than its cost when originally purchased or less than it is worth at an earlier time. General market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, sector of the economy or the market as a whole.
Equity Risk. Since the Fund purchases equity securities, it is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Funds equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility.
Management Risk. Management risk describes the Funds ability to meet its investment objective based on the Advisers success or failure at implementing investment strategies for the Fund. The value of your investment is subject to the effectiveness of the Advisers research, analysis and security selection decisions. If the Advisers investment strategies do not produce the expected results, your investment could be diminished or even lost.
Smaller Companies Risk. Investments in smaller companies including micro-cap, small-cap, medium-cap and less seasoned companies may be speculative, more volatile and involve greater risk than that customarily associated with larger companies. Many small companies are more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments. They may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources. New and improved products or methods of development may have a substantial impact on the earnings and revenues of such companies. Any such positive or negative developments may have a corresponding positive or negative impact on the value of their shares. As a result, the Funds shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in large-capitalization companies.
Small company shares, which usually trade on the over-the-counter market, may have few market makers, wider spreads between their quoted bid and asked prices and lower trading volumes. This may result in comparatively greater price volatility and less liquidity than the securities of companies that have larger market capitalizations and/or that are traded on the major stock exchanges, or market averages in general. In addition, the Fund and other client accounts of the Adviser, together, may hold a significant percentage of a companys outstanding shares. When making larger sales, the Fund may have to sell assets at discounts from quoted prices or may have to make a series of small sales over an extended period of time. For these reasons, the Funds NAV may be volatile.
The Fund may invest in the smallest of small company stocks, referred to as micro-cap companies. In addition to the risks of smaller companies in general, micro-cap companies may lack the necessary resources to take advantage of a valuable product or favorable market position or may be unable to withstand the competitive pressures of larger, more established companies. Micro-cap companies may be less financially secure than small-cap companies and may be more vulnerable to key personnel losses due to a smaller management group. A fund that invests in micro-cap securities
7
involves considerably more risk of loss and its returns may differ significantly from funds that invest in small-cap companies.
Additionally, to the extent the Fund invest in companies located in the Midwest or any other region, the Fund may be susceptible economic and market conditions that affect that region particularly.
Small Portfolio Risk. Although the Fund is diversified, from time to time, it holds a relatively small number of securities ( i.e ., under 40). As a result, an increase or decrease in the value of a single security held by the Fund may have a greater impact on the Funds net asset value and total return.
The Fund may be appropriate for investors who:
| Are pursuing a long-term goal such as retirement; | |
| Want to add an aggressive investment with growth potential to their investment portfolio; | |
| Understand and can bear the risks of investing in small companies; and | |
| Are willing to accept higher short-term risk along with higher potential for longterm growth of capital. |
Temporary Defensive Position . The investments and strategies described in this prospectus are those that the Fund uses under normal conditions. The Fund may take temporary defensive positions in attempting to respond to adverse market conditions. The Fund may invest any amount of its assets in cash or money market instruments in a defensive posture when the Adviser believes it is advisable to do so. Although taking a defensive posture is designed to protect the Fund from an anticipated market downturn, it could have the effect of reducing the benefit from any upswing in the market. When the Fund takes a defensive position, it may not achieve its investment objective.
MANAGEMENT
The Investment Adviser
The Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the Advisory Agreement) with Perkins Capital Management, Inc., 730 East Lake Street, Wayzata, MN 55391-1769. The Adviser was founded in 1984 and serves as investment adviser primarily to individual and institutional investors. As of June 30, 2014, the Adviser manages assets in excess of $167 million. The Adviser provides the Fund with advice on buying and selling securities. The Adviser also furnishes the Fund with office space and certain administrative services and provides most of the personnel needed by the Fund. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Fund compensates the Adviser for its investment advisory services at the annual rate of 1.00% of the Funds average daily net assets, payable on a monthly basis. Subject to the general supervision of the Board, the Adviser is responsible for managing the Fund in accordance with its investment objective and policies, and making decisions with respect to, and placing orders for, all purchases and sales of portfolio securities. The Adviser also maintains related records for the Fund. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, the Adviser earned an aggregate fee of 1.00% of the Funds average daily net assets for investment advisory services.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Boards approval of the Funds investment advisory agreement with the Adviser is available in the Funds Annual Report to shareholders for the year ended March 31, 2014.
8
The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or pay Fund expenses to ensure that the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, interest expense in connection with investment activities, taxes and extraordinary expenses) will not exceed 2.25% of the Funds average daily net assets. Any reduction in advisory fees or payment of expenses made by the Adviser is subject to reimbursement by the Fund if requested by the Adviser, and the Board approves such reimbursement in subsequent fiscal years. This reimbursement may be requested if the aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking into account the reimbursement) does not exceed the Expense Cap. The Adviser is permitted to be reimbursed for fee reductions and/or expense payments made in the prior three fiscal years. The Fund must pay its current ordinary operating expenses before the Adviser is entitled to any reimbursement of fees and/or expenses. The Expense Cap will remain in effect until July 31, 2015.
The Portfolio Managers
As co-portfolio managers, Mr. Richard W. Perkins and Mr. Daniel S. Perkins are principally responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds portfolio. Each has been associated with the Adviser since its inception in 1984.
Mr. Richard W. Perkins, CFA, is President and Portfolio Manager of Perkins Capital Management, Inc. and has been associated with the Adviser since 1984. He has over 50 years of experience in the investment business. As a former Senior Vice President at Piper, Jaffray & Hopwood, Inc., he was involved in corporate finance and venture capital activities, as well as rendering investment advice to domestic and foreign investment managers. He earned a BBA in Business and an MBA in Financial Analysis and Investment Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mr. Richard W. Perkins is the father of Mr. Daniel S. Perkins.
Mr. Daniel S. Perkins, CFA, has served as the Executive Vice President of Perkins Capital Management, Inc. since 2005 and has been associated with the Adviser since 1984. He was previously the Vice President for 20 years and has served as the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Prior to becoming a portfolio manager and Vice President for the Adviser, he was employed as a financial analyst at Perkins and Partners, Inc. Mr. Daniel S. Perkins earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Colorado-Boulder and an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Daniel S. Perkins is the son of Mr. Richard W. Perkins.
The SAI provides additional information about the co-portfolio managers compensation, other accounts they manage and their ownership of Fund shares.
The Trust
The Fund is a series of the Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust on April 9, 2007. The Trustees supervise the operations of the Fund according to applicable state and federal law, and the Trustees are responsible for the overall management of the Funds business affairs.
Rule 12b-1 Fees
The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Pursuant to the Distribution Plan, the Fund compensates the Distributor for services rendered and expenses borne in connection with activities primarily intended to result in the sale of the Funds shares
9
(this compensation is commonly referred to as 12b-1 fees). The Distribution Plan provides that the Fund will pay the annual rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Funds shares for activities primarily intended to result in the sale of those shares. These activities include reimbursement to entities for providing distribution and shareholder servicing with respect to the Funds shares. The 0.25% fee may also be used to make payments to persons who provide support services in connection with the distribution of the Funds shares and the servicing of the Funds shareholders. Because the 12b-1 fees are paid out of the Funds assets on an ongoing basis, these fees, over time, will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.
Other Expenses
In addition to the 12b-1 fees and the investment advisory fees, the Fund pays all expenses not assumed by the Adviser, including, without limitation, the following: the fees and expenses of its independent accountants and legal counsel; the costs of printing and mailing to shareholders annual and semi-annual reports, proxy statements, prospectuses, statements of additional information, and supplements thereto; the costs of printing registration statements; bank transaction charges and custodians fees; any proxy solicitors fees and expenses; filing fees; any federal, state, or local income or other taxes; any interest; any membership fees of the Investment Company Institute and similar organizations; fidelity bond and Trustees liability insurance premiums; and any extraordinary expenses, such as indemnification payments or damages awarded in litigation or settlements made.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Funds policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds portfolio securities is available in the Funds Statement of Additional Information. Complete holdings (as of the dates of such reports) are available in reports on Form N-Q and Form N-CSR filed with the SEC.
HOW TO BUY SHARES
You may purchase shares of the Fund through financial intermediaries, such as fund supermarkets or through brokers or dealers who are authorized by the Distributor to sell shares of the Fund (collectively, Financial Intermediaries). You may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. You may request a copy of this prospectus by calling (800) 998-3190. Financial Intermediaries who offer shares may require the payment of fees from their individual clients, which may be different from those described in this prospectus. For example, Financial Intermediaries may charge transaction fees or set different minimum investment amounts. Financial Intermediaries may also have policies and procedures that are different from those contained in this prospectus. Investors should consult their Financial Intermediary regarding its procedures for purchasing and selling shares of the Fund as the policies and procedures may be different.
Minimum Investments . To purchase shares of the Fund, you must make a minimum initial or subsequent investment as listed in the table below:
Minimum | To Open | To Add | ||
Investments | Your Account | to Your Account | ||
Regular Accounts | $2,500 | $100 | ||
Retirement Accounts | $1,000 | $100 | ||
Automatic | ||||
Investment Accounts | $1,000 | $100 |
10
The Trust may waive the minimum initial investment requirement for purchases made by directors, officers and employees of the Trust. The Trust may also waive the minimum investment requirement for purchases by its affiliated entities and certain related advisory accounts and retirement accounts (such as IRAs). The Trust may also change or waive policies concerning minimum investment amounts at any time. The Trust retains the right to refuse to accept an order.
Small Accounts . Due to the relatively higher cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust may deduct a fee of $50 per year (billed quarterly) from your account or may redeem the shares in your account, if the value of your account falls below $2,500. If you bring your account balance up to the required minimum within 30 days of being informed by the Transfer Agent that your account has become subject to the small account fee, no account fee or involuntary redemption will occur. The Trust will not close your account if it falls below the required minimum solely because of a market decline. The Trust reserves the right to waive this fee.
Customer Identification Program . Federal regulations require that the Trust obtain certain personal information about you when opening a new account. As a result, the Trust must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:
|
Name; | |
|
Date of birth (for individuals); | |
|
Residential or business street address (although post office boxes are still permitted for mailing); and | |
|
Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number. |
You may also be asked for a copy of your drivers license, passport, or other identifying document in order to verify your identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify your identity by cross referencing your identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.
After an account is opened, the Trust may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. The Trust also may close your account or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.
If your account is closed for this reason, your shares will be redeemed at the NAV next calculated after the account is closed.
Purchases by Mail . For initial purchases, the account application, which accompanies this prospectus, should be completed, signed and mailed to Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. (the Transfer Agent), the Funds transfer and dividend disbursing agent, at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 together with your check payable to the Fund. For subsequent purchases, include with your check the tear-off stub from a prior purchase confirmation or otherwise identify the name(s) of the registered owner(s) and social security number(s).
Purchases by Wire . You may purchase shares by requesting your bank to transmit by wire directly to the Transfer Agent. To invest by wire, please call the Trust at (800) 673-0550 or the Transfer Agent at (800) 628-4077 to advise the Trust of your investment and to receive further instructions. Your bank may charge you a small fee for this service. Once you have arranged to purchase shares by wire, please complete and mail the account application promptly to the Transfer Agent. This account application is required to complete the Funds records. You will not have access to your shares until the Funds records are complete. Once your account is opened, you may make additional investments using the wire procedure described above. Be sure to include your name and account number in the wire instructions you provide your bank.
11
Purchases by Telephone . You may also purchase shares by telephone, by contacting the Fund at (800) 673-0550 or the Transfer Agent at (800) 628-4077.
Other Purchase Information . You may purchase and redeem Fund shares, or exchange shares of the Fund for those of another, by contacting any broker authorized by the Distributor to sell shares of the Fund, by contacting the Fund at (800) 673-0550 or by contacting the Transfer Agent, at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 or by telephoning (800) 628-4077. Brokers may charge transaction fees for the purchase or sale of the Funds shares, depending on your arrangement with the broker.
HOW TO SELL SHARES
You may redeem your shares of the Fund at any time and in any amount by contacting your Financial Intermediary or by contacting the Fund by mail or telephone. For your protection, the Transfer Agent will not redeem your shares until it has received all information and documents necessary for your request to be considered in proper form (as defined below). The Transfer Agent will promptly notify you if your redemption request is not in proper form. The Transfer Agent cannot accept redemption requests which specify a particular date for redemption or which specify any special conditions.
The Funds procedure is to redeem shares at the NAV next determined after the Transfer Agent receives the redemption request in proper order. Payment of redemption proceeds will be made promptly, but no later than the seventh day following the receipt of the request in proper order. The Fund may suspend the right to redeem shares for any period during which the NYSE is closed or the SEC determines that there is an emergency. In such circumstances you may withdraw your redemption request or permit your request to be held for processing after the suspension is terminated.
If you sell your shares through a securities dealer or investment professional, it is such persons responsibility to transmit the order to the Fund in a timely fashion. Any loss to you resulting from failure to do so must be settled between you and such person.
Delivery of the proceeds of a redemption of shares purchased and paid for by check shortly before the receipt of the redemption request may be delayed until the Fund determines that the Transfer Agent has completed collection of the purchase check, which may take up to 15 days. Also, payment of the proceeds of a redemption request for an account for which purchases were made by wire may be delayed until the Fund receives a completed account application for the account to permit the Fund to verify the identity of the person redeeming the shares and to eliminate the need for backup withholding.
Redemption By Mail . To redeem shares by mail, send a written request for redemption, signed by the registered owner(s) exactly as the account is registered, to: Perkins Discovery Fund, Attn: Redemptions, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235. Certain written requests to redeem shares may require signature guarantees. For example, signature guarantees may be required if you sell a large number of shares, if your address of record on the account application has been changed within the last 30 days, or if you ask that the proceeds be sent to a different person or address. Signature guarantees are used to help protect you and the Fund. You can obtain a signature guarantee from most banks or securities dealers, but not from a Notary Public. Please call the Transfer Agent at (800) 628-4077 to learn if a signature guarantee is needed or to make sure that it is completed
12
appropriately in order to avoid any processing delays. There is no charge to shareholders for redemptions by mail.
Redemption By Telephone . You may redeem your shares by telephone provided that you requested this service on your initial account application. If you request this service at a later date, you must send a written request along with a signature guarantee to the Transfer Agent. Once your telephone authorization is in effect, you may redeem shares by calling the Transfer Agent at (800) 628-4077. There is no charge for establishing this service, but the Transfer Agent may charge your account a $10 service fee for each telephone redemption. The Transfer Agent may change the charge for this service at any time without prior notice. If it should become difficult to reach the Transfer Agent by telephone during periods when market or economic conditions lead to an unusually large volume of telephone requests, a shareholder may send a redemption request by overnight mail to the Transfer Agent at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235.
Redemption By Wire . If you request that your redemption proceeds be wired to you, please call your bank for instructions prior to writing or calling the Transfer Agent. Be sure to include your name, Fund name, Fund account number, your account number at your bank and wire information from your bank in your request to redeem by wire.
The Fund will not be responsible for any losses resulting from unauthorized transactions (such as purchases, sales or exchanges) if it follows reasonable security procedures designed to verify the identity of the investor. You should verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately after you receive them.
Redemption in Kind . The Fund intends to make payments for all redemptions in cash. However, if the Fund believes that conditions exist which make cash payments detrimental to the best interests of the Fund, payment for shares redeemed may be made in whole or in part through a distribution of portfolio securities chosen by the Adviser (under the supervision of the Board of Trustees). If payment is made in securities, shareholders may incur transaction costs in converting these securities into cash after they have redeemed their shares.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Signature Guarantees . To help protect you and the Fund from fraud, signature guarantees are required for: (1) all redemptions ordered by mail if you require that the check be made payable to another person or that the check be mailed to an address other than the one indicated on the account registration; (2) all requests to transfer the registration of shares to another owner; and (3) all authorizations to establish or change telephone redemption service, other than through your initial account application. Signature guarantees may be required for certain other reasons. For example, a signature guarantee may be required if you sell a large number of shares or if your address of record on the account has been changed within the last thirty (30) days.
In the case of redemption by mail, signature guarantees must appear on either: (1) the written request for redemption; or (2) a separate instrument of assignment (usually referred to as a stock power) specifying the total number of shares being redeemed. The Trust may waive these requirements in certain instances.
An original signature guarantee assures that a signature is genuine so that you are protected from unauthorized account transactions. Notarization is not an acceptable substitute. Acceptable guarantors only include participants in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP2000).
13
Participants in STAMP2000 may include financial institutions such as banks, savings and loan associations, trust companies, credit unions, broker-dealers and member firms of a national securities exchange.
Proper Form . Your order to buy shares is in proper form when your completed and signed account application and check or wire payment is received. Your written request to sell or exchange shares is in proper form when written instructions signed by all registered owners, with a signature guarantee if necessary, is received.
Automatic Investment Plan . Existing shareholders, who wish to make regular monthly investments in amounts of $100 or more, may do so through the Automatic Investment Plan. Under the Automatic Investment Plan, your designated bank or other financial institution debits a pre-authorized amount from your account on or about the 15th day of each month and applies the amount to the purchase of Fund shares. To use this service, you must authorize the transfer of funds by completing the Automatic Investment Plan section of the account application and sending a blank voided check.
Systematic Withdrawal Program . As another convenience, you may redeem your Fund shares through the Systematic Withdrawal Program (SWP). Under the SWP, you may choose to receive a specified dollar amount, generated from the redemption of shares in your account, on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. In order to participate in the SWP, your account balance must be at least $10,000 and each withdrawal amount must be for a minimum of $100. If you elect this method of redemption, the Fund will send a check to your address of record, or will send the payment via electronic funds transfer through the ACH network, directly to your bank account. For payment through the ACH network, your bank must be an ACH member and your bank account information must be maintained on your Fund account. The SWP may be terminated at any time by the Fund. You may also elect to terminate your participation in the SWP at any time by contacting the transfer agent sufficiently in advance of the next withdrawal.
A withdrawal under the program involves a redemption of shares and may result in a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. In addition, if the amount withdrawn exceeds the dividends credited to your account, the account ultimately may be depleted. To establish the SWP, complete the Systematic Withdrawal Plan section of the Funds Account Application. Please call (800) 628-4077 for additional information regarding the Funds SWP.
Exchange Privilege . You may exchange all or a portion of your shares in the Fund for shares of the same class of certain other funds of the Trust having different investment objectives, provided that the shares of the fund you are exchanging into are registered for sale in your state of residence. Your account may be charged $10 for a telephone exchange. An exchange is treated as a redemption and purchase and may result in realization of a gain or loss on the transaction. You wont pay a deferred sales charge on an exchange; however, when you sell the shares you acquire in an exchange, you will pay a deferred sales charge based on the date you bought the original shares you exchanged.
Excessive trading can adversely impact Fund performance and shareholders. Therefore, the Trust reserves the right to temporarily or permanently modify or terminate the Exchange Privilege. The Trust also reserves the right to refuse exchange requests by any person or group if, in the Trusts judgment, the Fund would be unable to invest the money effectively in accordance with its investment objective and policies, or would otherwise potentially be adversely affected. The Trust further reserves the right to restrict or refuse an exchange request if the Trust has received or anticipates simultaneous orders affecting significant portions of the Funds assets or detects a pattern of exchange requests that coincides with a market timing strategy. Although the Trust will attempt to give you prior notice when reasonable to do so, the Trust may modify or terminate the Exchange Privilege at any time.
14
How to Transfer Shares . If you wish to transfer shares to another owner, send a written request to the Transfer Agent at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235. Your request should include: (i) the name of the Fund and existing account registration; (ii) signature(s) of the registered owner(s); (iii) the new account registration, address, taxpayer identification number and how dividends and capital gains are to be distributed; (iv) any stock certificates which have been issued for the shares being transferred; (v) signature guarantees (See Signature Guarantees); and (vi) any additional documents which are required for transfer by corporations, administrators, executors, trustees, guardians, etc. If you have any questions about transferring shares, call the Transfer Agent at (800) 628-4077.
Account Statements and Shareholder Reports . Each time you purchase, redeem or transfer shares of the Fund, you will receive a written confirmation. You will also receive quarterly statements and a year-end statement of your account if any dividends or capital gains have been distributed, and an annual and a semi-annual report.
Shareholder Communications . The Fund may eliminate duplicate mailings of portfolio materials to shareholders who reside at the same address, unless instructed to the contrary. Investors may request that the Fund send these documents to each shareholder individually by calling the Fund at (800) 527-9525.
General . The Fund will not be responsible for any losses from unauthorized transactions (such as purchases, sales or exchanges) if it follows reasonable security procedures designed to verify the identity of the investor. You should verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately after you receive them.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Dividends and Capital Gain Distributions . Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually for the Fund. The Fund intends to distribute annually any net capital gains.
Dividends and distributions will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the Fund, unless you elect to have the distributions paid to you in cash. There are no sales charges or transaction fees for reinvested dividends and all shares will be purchased at NAV. Shareholders will be subject to tax on all dividends and distributions whether paid to them in cash or reinvested in shares. If the investment in shares is made within an IRA, all dividends and capital gain distributions must be reinvested.
Unless you are investing through a tax deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, it is not to your advantage to buy shares of the Fund shortly before the next distribution, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is known as buying a dividend. To avoid buying a dividend, check the Funds distribution schedule before you invest.
Taxes . In general, Fund distributions are taxable to you as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional shares of the Fund or receive them in cash. Any long-term capital gains the Fund distributes are taxable to you as long-term capital gains no matter how long you have owned your shares. Other Fund distributions (including distributions attributable to short-term capital gains of the Fund) will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income, except that distributions that are designated as qualified dividend income
15
will be taxable at the rates applicable to long-term capital gains. Every January, you will receive a Form 1099 that shows the tax status of distributions you received for the previous year. Distributions declared in December but paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December. The one major exception to these tax principles is that distributions on, and sales, exchanges and redemptions of, shares held in an IRA (or other tax-deferred retirement account) will not be currently taxable.
When you sell shares of the Fund, you may have a capital gain or loss. For tax purposes, an exchange of your shares of the Fund for shares of a different fund of the Trust is the same as a sale. The individual tax rate on any gain from the sale or exchange of your shares depends on how long you have held your shares.
Fund distributions and gains from the sale or exchange of your shares will generally be subject to state and local income tax. Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax. You should consult with your tax adviser about the federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences of your investment in the Fund.
By law, the Fund must withhold 28% of your taxable distributions and proceeds if you do not provide your correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or fail to certify that your TIN is correct and that you are a U.S. person, or if the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) has notified you that you are subject to backup withholding and instructs the Fund to do so.
Federal law requires that mutual fund companies report their shareholders cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the IRS on the Funds shareholders Consolidated Form 1099s when covered securities are sold. Covered securities are any regulated investment company and/or dividend reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012. The Fund has chosen average cost as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. A tax lot identification method is the way the Fund will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Funds standing tax lot identification method is the method covered shares will be reported on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific tax lot identification method. You may choose a method different than the Funds standing method and will be able to do so at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Please refer to the appropriate Internal Revenue Service regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances.
For those securities defined as covered under current IRS cost basis tax reporting regulations, the Fund is responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis and tax lot information for tax reporting purposes. The Fund is not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not covered. The Fund and its service providers do not provide tax advice. You should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with respect to any decisions you may make with respect to choosing a tax lot identification method.
NET ASSET VALUE
The Funds share price, called its NAV per share, is determined as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each business day that the NYSE is open (the Valuation Time). As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has been informed that the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Fund Shares NAV per share is computed by adding the total value of the Funds investments and other assets attributable to the Funds Shares, subtracting any liabilities attributable to the Funds Shares, and then dividing by the total number of Shares outstanding.
16
Shares are bought or exchanged at the public offering price per share next determined after a request has been received in proper form. The public offering price of the Funds Shares is equal to the NAV. Shares of the Fund held by you are sold or exchanged at the NAV per share next determined after a request has been received in proper form. Any request received in proper form before the Valuation Time, will be processed the same business day. Any request received in proper form after the Valuation Time, will be processed the next business day.
The Funds securities are valued at current market prices. Investments in securities traded on national securities exchanges or included in the NASDAQ National Market System are valued at the last reported sale price. Other securities traded in the over-the-counter market and listed securities for which no sales are reported on a given date are valued at the last reported bid price. Debt securities are valued by appraising them at prices supplied by a pricing agent approved by the Trust, which prices may reflect broker-dealer supplied valuations and electronic data processing techniques. Short-term debt securities (less than 60 days to maturity) are valued at their fair market value using amortized cost. Other assets for which market prices are not readily available are valued at their fair value as determined in good faith under procedures set by the Board. Generally, trading in corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and money market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times before the scheduled close of the NYSE. The value of these securities used in computing the NAV is determined as of such times.
The Trust has a policy that contemplates the use of fair value pricing to determine the NAV per share of the Fund when market prices are unavailable as well as under special circumstances, such as: (i) if the primary market for a portfolio security suspends or limits trading or price movements of the security; and (ii) when an event occurs after the close of the exchange on which a portfolio security is principally traded that is likely to have changed the value of the security. Since most of the Funds investments are traded on U.S. securities exchanges, it is anticipated that the use of fair value pricing will be limited.
When the Trust uses fair value pricing to determine the NAV per share of the Fund, securities will not be priced on the basis of quotations from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board believes accurately reflects fair value. Any method used will be approved by the Board and results will be monitored to evaluate accuracy. The Trusts policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Funds NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing. However, fair values determined pursuant to the Trusts procedures may not accurately reflect the price that the Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing.
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS
Frequent purchases and redemptions (Frequent Trading) of shares of the Fund may present a number of risks to other shareholders of the Fund. These risks may include, among other things, dilution in the value of shares of the Fund held by long-term shareholders, interference with the efficient management by the Adviser of the Funds portfolio holdings, and increased brokerage and administration costs. Due to the potential of an overall adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions affecting the sale price of portfolio securities, the Fund could face untimely losses as a result of having to sell portfolio securities prematurely to meet redemptions. Current shareholders of the Fund may face unfavorable impacts as portfolio securities concentrated in certain sectors may be more volatile than investments across broader ranges of industries as sector-specific market or economic
17
developments may make it more difficult to sell a significant amount of shares at favorable prices to meet redemptions. Frequent Trading may also increase portfolio turnover, which may result in increased capital gains taxes for shareholders of the Fund. These capital gains could include short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income tax rates.
The Trustees have adopted a policy that is intended to identify and discourage Frequent Trading by shareholders of the Fund under which the Trusts Chief Compliance Officer and Transfer Agent will monitor Frequent Trading through the use of various surveillance techniques. Under these policies and procedures, shareholders may not engage in more than four round-trips (a purchase and sale or an exchange in and then out of a Fund) within a rolling twelve-month period. Shareholders exceeding four round-trips will be investigated by the Fund and possibly restricted from making additional investments in the Fund. The intent of the policies and procedures is not to inhibit legitimate strategies, such as asset allocation, dollar cost averaging or similar activities that may nonetheless result in Frequent Trading of Fund shares. The Fund reserves the right to reject any exchange or purchase of Fund shares with or without prior notice to the account holder. In cases where surveillance of a particular account establishes what the Fund identifies as market timing, the Fund will seek to block future purchases and exchanges of Fund shares by that account. Where surveillance of a particular account indicates activity that the Fund believes could be either abusive or for legitimate purposes, the Fund may permit the account holder to justify the activity. The policies and procedures will be applied uniformly to all shareholders and the Fund will not accommodate market timers.
The Fund will assess a 1.00% redemption fee of Fund shares held for less than 45 days. The redemption fee is deducted from your proceeds and is retained by the Fund for the benefit of long-term shareholders. The first in, first out (FIFO) method issued to determine the holding period; this means that if you purchase shares on different days, the shares you held longest will be redeemed first for purposes of determining whether the redemption fee applies. The fee does not apply to Fund shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and the Automatic Investment Plan or shares redeemed through the Systematic Withdrawal Program. The Fund reserves the right to change the terms and amount of this fee upon at least a 60-day notice to shareholders.
The policies apply to any account, whether an individual account or accounts with financial intermediaries such as investment advisers, broker dealers or retirement plan administrators, commonly called omnibus accounts, where the intermediary holds Fund shares for a number of its customers in one account. Omnibus account arrangements permit multiple investors to aggregate their respective share ownership positions and purchase, redeem and exchange Fund shares without the identity of the particular shareholder(s) being known to the Fund. Accordingly, the ability of the Fund to monitor and detect Frequent Trading activity through omnibus accounts is very limited and there is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to identify shareholders who may be engaging in Frequent Trading through omnibus accounts or to curtail such trading. However, the Fund will establish information sharing agreements with intermediaries as required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act that may involve sharing of certain information about you and your account, and otherwise use reasonable efforts to work with intermediaries to identify excessive short-term trading in underlying accounts.
If the Fund identifies that excessive short-term trading is taking place in a participant-directed employee benefit plan accounts, the Fund or its Adviser or Transfer Agent will contact the plan administrator, sponsor or trustee to request that action be taken to restrict such activity. However, the ability to do so may be constrained by regulatory restrictions or plan policies. In such circumstances, it is generally not the policy of the Fund to close the account of an entire plan due to the activity of a limited number of participants. However, the Fund will take such actions as deemed appropriate in light of all the facts and circumstances.
18
The Funds policies provide for ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of current policies and surveillance tools, and the Trustees reserves the right to modify these or adopt additional policies and restrictions in the future. Shareholders should be aware, however, that any surveillance techniques currently employed by the Fund or other techniques that may be adopted in the future, may not be effective, particularly where the trading takes place through certain types of omnibus accounts. As noted above, if the Fund is unable to detect and deter trading abuses, the Funds performance, and its long-term shareholders, may be harmed. In addition, shareholders may be harmed by the extra costs and portfolio management inefficiencies that result from Frequent Trading, even when the trading is not for abusive purposes.
DISTRIBUTION ARRANGEMENTS
The Fund is offered through financial supermarkets, investment advisers and consultants, financial planners, brokers, dealers and other investment professionals, and directly through the Distributor. Investment professionals who offer Shares may request fees from their individual clients. If you invest through a third party, the policies and fees may be different than those described in this prospectus. For example, third parties may charge transaction fees or set different minimum investment amounts. If you purchase your shares through a broker-dealer, the broker-dealer firm is entitled to receive a percentage of the sales charge you pay in order to purchase Fund shares.
Rule 12b-1 Fees . The Board has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for the Funds shares (the Rule 12b-1 Plan). Pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plan, the Fund may finance from the assets of the shares certain activities or expenses that are intended primarily to result in the sale of its shares. The Fund finances these distribution and service activities through payments made to the Funds Distributor. The fee paid to the Funds Distributor is computed on an annualized basis reflecting the average daily net assets, up to a maximum of 0.25%. Because these fees are paid out of the shares assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost more than paying other types of sales charges.
Shareholder Servicing . Certain financial intermediaries that maintain street name or omnibus accounts with the Fund provide sub-accounting, recordkeeping and/or administrative services to the Fund and are compensated for such services by the Fund. These service fees may be paid pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plan or in addition to the fees paid under the 12b-1 Plan. For more information, please refer to the SAI.
INDEX DESCRIPTIONS
The S&P 500 ® Index is an unmanaged index generally representative of the market for the stocks of large-sized U.S. companies. The S&P 500 ® Index is provided as a measure of general market performance and does not include stocks similar to those considered for purchase by the Fund.
The NASDAQ Composite Index is a market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to represent the performance of the National Market System, which includes over 5,000 stocks traded only over-the-counter and not on an exchange.
The Russell 2000 ® Index is composed of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 ® Index, and is widely used as a measure of small-cap stock performance. The Russell 3000 ® Index is an index composed of the 3,000 largest U.S. companies.
19
The Wilshire U.S. Micro-Cap Index represents a float adjusted, market capitalization-weighted portfolio of all stocks below the 2,500 th rank by market capitalization in the Wilshire 5000 Index at March 31 and September 30 of each year.
Direct investment in an index is not possible.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Funds financial performance for the fiscal periods presented. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in shares of the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).
The financial highlights for the periods presented has been audited by Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, whose unqualified report thereon, along with the Funds financial statements, are included in the Funds Annual Report to Shareholders (the Annual Report). The Annual Report and the SAI are available at no cost from the Fund at the address and telephone number noted on the back page of this prospectus. The following information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto.
20
You will find more information about the Fund in the following:
The Funds Annual reports will contain more information about the Fund and its investments, and a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that had a significant effect on the Funds performance during the last fiscal year.
For more information about the Fund, you may wish to refer to the Funds Statement of Additional Information (the SAI) dated July 29, 2014, which is on file with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You can obtain a free copy of the annual and semi-annual reports, and SAI by writing to Perkins Discovery Fund, 730 East Lake Street, Wayzata, MN 55391-1769, by calling toll free (800) 998-3190 or by e-mail at: jpeltier@perkinscap.com or mail@ccofva.com . You may also access them through the Funds web site at www.perkinscapital.com . General inquiries regarding the Fund may also be directed to the above address or telephone number.
Information about the Trust, including the SAI, can be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC. Information about the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Reports and other information regarding the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SECs Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the Commissions Public Reference Section, Washington DC 20549-0102.
(Investment Company Act File No. 811-22172)
21
8730 Stony Point Parkway,
Suite 205
Richmond, Virginia 23235
(800) 673-0550
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Perkins Discovery
Fund
Ticker: PDFDX
Investment
Adviser:
Perkins Capital Management, Inc.
July 29, 2014
This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus dated July 29, 2014 of the Perkins Discovery Fund (the Fund), as it may be supplemented or revised from time to time.
This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Funds prospectus. You may obtain the prospectus of the Fund, the SAI and the Annual Report, free of charge, by writing to World Funds Trust (the Trust), 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 or by calling (800) 673-0550.
TABLE OF CONTENTS | |
Page |
THE TRUST | 1 |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES | 1 |
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS | 2 |
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS | 13 |
INVESTMENT ADVISER | 15 |
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS | 17 |
SERVICE PROVIDERS | 18 |
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST | 20 |
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SECURITIES HOLDERS | 26 |
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE | 26 |
DISTRIBUTION | 27 |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASES AND SALES | 29 |
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES | 31 |
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES | 31 |
TAXES | 33 |
BROKER ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES | 48 |
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES HOLDINGS | 50 |
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES | 52 |
PROXY VOTING | 53 |
CODE OF ETHICS | 54 |
FINANCIAL INFORMATION | 54 |
EXHIBIT A (PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF PERKINS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.) | 55 |
EXHIBIT B (COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS) | 61 |
THE TRUST
General . World Funds Trust (the Trust) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on April 9, 2007. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act) and commonly known as a mutual fund The Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to offer separate series (funds) of shares of beneficial interest (shares). The Trust reserves the right to create and issue shares of additional funds. Each fund is a separate mutual fund, and each share of each fund represents an equal proportionate interest in that fund. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any fund and all assets of such fund belong solely to that fund and would be subject to liabilities related thereto. Each fund of the Trust pays its (i) operating expenses, including fees of its service providers, expenses of preparing prospectuses, proxy solicitation material and reports to shareholders, costs of custodial services and registering its shares under federal and state securities laws, pricing, insurance expenses, brokerage costs, interest charges, taxes and organization expenses; and (ii) pro rata share of the funds other expenses, including audit and legal expenses. Expenses attributable to a specific fund shall be payable solely out of the assets of that fund. Expenses not attributable to a specific fund are allocated across all of the funds on the basis of relative net assets. The other funds of the Trust are described in one or more separate Statements of Additional Information.
The Fund . This SAI relates to the prospectus for the Fund, and should be read in conjunction with the applicable prospectus. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Funds prospectus. No investment in shares should be made without reading the prospectus. The Fund is a separate investment portfolio or series of the Trust. The Fund currently issues one class of shares.
Pursuant to a reorganization that took place on October 26, 2012, the Fund is the successor by merger to a series of Professionally Managed Portfolios (Predecessor Fund), a Massachusetts business trust. The Predecessor Fund had the same investment objectives and strategies and the same investment policies as the Fund. The Predecessor Fund commenced operations on April 9, 1998. The Funds investment adviser is Perkins Capital Management, Inc. (the Adviser).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
The Funds investment objective and principal investment strategies are described in the prospectus.
The Fund is diversified. This means that under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), the Fund must invest at least 75% of its assets in cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, investment company securities and other securities limited as to any one issuer to not more than 5% of the total assets of the investment company and not more than 10% of the voting securities of the issuer. Under applicable federal securities laws, the
1
diversification of a mutual funds holdings is measured at the time the fund purchases a security. However, if the Fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the Funds total assets due to movements in the financial markets. If the market affects several securities held by the Fund, the Fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of fewer issuers. In such case, the Fund would be subject to the risk that its performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few securities despite the Fund qualifying as a diversified fund under applicable federal securities laws. Furthermore, to the extent that these few securities represent a particular type of investment ( e.g ., securities of small- or medium-size companies) the Fund would be disproportionately subject to the risks associated with that investment.
The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the prospectus. For a description of certain permitted investments discussed below, see Description of Permitted Investments in this SAI.
Portfolio Turnover . Average annual portfolio turnover rate is the ratio of the lesser of sales or purchases to the monthly average value of the portfolio securities owned during the year, excluding from both the numerator and the denominator all securities with maturities at the time of acquisition of one year or less. A higher portfolio turnover rate involves greater transaction expenses to the Fund and may result in the realization of net capital gains, which would be taxable to shareholders when distributed. The Funds Adviser makes purchases and sales for the Funds portfolio whenever necessary, in the Advisers opinion, to meet the Funds objective. During the Funds most recent fiscal period, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its portfolio.
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS
The following discussion of investment techniques and instruments supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the investment information in the Funds prospectus. In seeking to meet its investment objective, the Fund may invest in any type of security whose characteristics are consistent with its investment programs described below.
Recent Regulatory Events
The U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the SEC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and other governmental and regulatory bodies have recently taken or are considering taking actions to address the financial crisis. These actions include, but are not limited to, the enactment by the United States Congress of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, and imposes a new regulatory framework over the U.S. financial services industry and the consumer credit markets in general, and proposed regulations by the SEC. Given the broad scope, sweeping nature, and relatively recent enactment of some of these regulatory measures, the potential impact they could have on securities held by the Fund is unknown. There can be no assurance that these measures will not have an adverse effect on the value or marketability of securities held by the Fund. Furthermore, no assurance can be made that the U.S. Government or any U.S. regulatory body (or other authority or regulatory
2
body) will not continue to take further legislative or regulatory action in response to the economic crisis or otherwise, and the effect of such actions, if taken, cannot be known.
Recent Economic Events
While the U.S. and global markets had experienced extreme volatility and disruption for an extended period of time, 2010 and the beginning of 2011 witnessed more stabilized economic activity as expectations for an economic recovery increased. However, risks to a robust resumption of growth persist including: a weak consumer weighed down by high rates of debt and unemployment, the growing size of the federal budget deficit and national debt, and the threat of inflation. In 2010, several European Union (EU) countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, began to face budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is continued concern about national-level support for the euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy amount European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) member countries. Member countries are required to maintain tight controls over inflation, public debt, and budget deficit to qualify for membership in the European EMU. These requirements can severely limit European EMU member countries ability to implement monetary policy to address regional economic conditions. A return to unfavorable economic conditions could impair the Funds ability to execute its investment strategies.
Equity Securities
Common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities are examples of equity securities in which the Fund may invest.
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 Funds 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.
Because the Fund invests in the equity securities of small-size companies, it will be exposed to the risks of smaller-sized companies. Small-size companies are defined as companies that are under $1 billion in market cap. Small-size companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, or services, markets, or financial resources, or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks may not be well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership, and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, regardless of whether they are based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, as compared to larger-sized
3
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 Funds portfolio.
The Fund may invest in companies that are unseasoned; that is, companies that have limited or unprofitable operating histories, limited financial resources, and inexperienced management. In addition, small and unseasoned companies often face competition from larger or more established firms that have greater resources. Securities of small and unseasoned companies are frequently traded in the over-the-counter market or on regional exchanges where low trading volumes may result in erratic or abrupt price movements. To dispose of these securities, the Fund may need to sell them over an extended period or below the original purchase price. Investments by the Fund in these small or unseasoned companies may also be regarded as speculative.
Common Stock. Common stocks represent a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the companys business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions. 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 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 with respect to the payment of dividends and liquidation of assets. Preferred stock is 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 issuers 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 . The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities (such as debt securities or preferred stock) may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or dividends paid on preferred stock until the convertible stock matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than an issuers common stock. However, the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. In addition to the general risk associated with equity securities discussed above, the market value of convertible securities is also affected by prevailing interest rates, the credit quality of the issuer and any call provisions. While convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than nonconvertible debt securities of similar quality, they do enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying common stock.
4
Warrants
The Fund may also invest in warrants. A warrant gives the holder a 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 Funds entire investment therein).
Other Investment Companies
The Fund may invest in the securities of other registered investment companies subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act, and subject to such investments being consistent with the overall objective and policies of the Fund. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear the Funds proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Funds own operations.
Section 12(d)(1)(A) generally prohibits a fund from purchasing (1) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of another fund; (2) securities of another fund having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the acquiring fund; and (3) securities of the other fund and all other funds having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the acquiring fund. There are some exceptions, however, to these limitations pursuant to various rules promulgated by the SEC.
In accordance with Section 12(d)(1)(F) and Rule 12d1-3 of the 1940 Act, the provisions of Section 12(d)(1) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if (i) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of such registered investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (ii) the Fund is not proposing to offer or sell any security issued by it through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public or offering price including a sales load that exceeds the limits set forth in Rule 2830 of the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) applicable to a fund of funds (i.e., 8.5%).
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. 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 Adviser, subject to the sellers agreement to repurchase and the Funds agreement to resell such securities at a mutually agreed upon date and price. The repurchase price generally 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).
5
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 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 Funds rights with respect to such securities to be delayed or limited. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans under the 1940 Act.
The Fund may not enter into a repurchase agreement with more than seven days to maturity if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would be invested in illiquid securities including such repurchase agreements.
Illiquid Securities
The Fund may not invest more than 15% of the value of its net assets in securities that have legal or contractual restrictions on resale or are otherwise illiquid. The Adviser will monitor the amount of illiquid securities in the Funds portfolio, under the supervision of the Board, to ensure compliance with this investment restriction.
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 requests 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.
Restricted Securities
The Fund may invest in securities that are subject to restrictions on resale because it has not been registered under the Securities Act. These securities are sometimes referred to as private placements. Although securities which may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with the provisions of Rule 144A under the Securities Act are technically considered restricted securities, the Fund may purchase Rule 144A securities without regard to the limitation on investments in illiquid securities described above in the Illiquid Securities section, provided that a determination is made that such securities have a readily available trading market. The Fund may also purchase certain commercial paper issued in reliance on the exemption from regulations in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act (4(2) Paper). The Adviser will determine the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(2) Paper under the supervision of the Board. The liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(2) Paper will be monitored by the Adviser,
6
and if as a result of changed conditions it is determined that a Rule 144A security or 4(2) Paper is no longer liquid, the Funds holdings of illiquid securities will be reviewed to determine what, if any, action is required to assure that the Fund does not exceed its applicable percentage limitation for investments in illiquid securities.
Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and the Fund might be unable to dispose of restricted securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption requirements. 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.
When-Issued Securities
The Fund is authorized to purchase securities on a when-issued basis. The price of such securities, which may be expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment to purchase is made, but delivery and payment for the when-issued securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within one month of the purchase; during the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund to the issuer and no interest accrues to the Fund. To the extent that assets of the Fund are held in cash pending the settlement of a purchase of securities, the Fund would earn no income; however, it is the Funds intention to be fully invested to the extent practicable and subject to the policies stated above. While when-issued securities may be sold prior to the settlement date, any purchase of such securities would be made with the purpose of actually acquiring them unless a sale appears desirable for investment reasons. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the value of the security in determining its net asset value (NAV). The market value of the when-issued securities may be more or less than the purchase price. The Fund does not believe that its NAV or income will be adversely affected by its purchase of securities on a when-issued basis. The Fund will segregate liquid assets with its custodian equal in value to commitments for when-issued securities. Such segregated assets either will mature or, if necessary, be sold on or before the settlement date.
Securities Lending
The Fund may lend securities from its portfolio to brokers, dealers and financial institutions (but not individuals) in order to increase the return on its portfolio. The SEC currently requires that the following conditions must be met whenever the Funds portfolio securities are loaned: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral from the borrower; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) the Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees approved by the Board in connection with the loan; (6) while voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the Board be able to recall the loaned securities in time to vote or consent whenever a material event will occur affecting the loaned securities, and (7) the Fund may not loan its portfolio securities so that the value of the
7
loaned securities is more than one-third of its total asset value, including collateral received from such loans. These conditions may be subject to future modification. Such loans will be terminable at any time upon specified notice. The Fund might experience the risk of loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund. In addition, the Fund will not enter into any portfolio security lending arrangement having a duration of longer than one year. The principal risk of securities lending is potential default or insolvency of the borrower. In either of these cases, the Fund could experience delays in recovering securities or collateral or could lose all or part of the value of the loaned securities.
Any loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. Any securities that the Fund may receive as collateral will not become part of the Funds investment portfolio at the time of the loan and, in the event of a default by the borrower, the Fund will, if permitted by law, dispose of such collateral except for such part thereof that is a security in which the Fund is permitted to invest. During the time securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any accrued income on those securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral and earn income or receive an agreed-upon fee from a borrower that has delivered cash-equivalent collateral. All investments made with the collateral are subject to the risks associated with such investments. If such investments lose value, the Fund will have to cover the loss when repaying the collateral.
It is not anticipated that the Fund will loan more than 5% of the value of its portfolio securities.
Short Sales
The Fund may seek to hedge investments or realize additional gains through short sales. The Fund may make short sales, which are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own, in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at or prior to the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to repay the lender any dividends or interest that accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The net proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. The Fund also will incur transaction costs in effecting short sales.
The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest, or expenses that the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale.
8
No securities will be sold short if, after effect is given to any such short sale, the total market value of all securities sold short would exceed 25% of the value of the Funds net assets.
Whenever the Fund engages in short sales, its custodian will segregate liquid assets equal to the difference between (a) the market value of the securities sold short at the time they were sold short and (b) any assets required to be deposited with the broker in connection with the short sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale). The segregated assets are marked to market daily, provided that at no time will the amount deposited in it plus the amount deposited with the broker is less than the market value of the securities at the time they were sold short.
Leverage Through Borrowing
The Fund may borrow money for leveraging purposes. 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 Funds assets fluctuate in value, while the interest obligation resulting from a borrowing will be fixed by the terms of the Funds agreement with its lender, the Funds NAV 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.
Foreign Investments
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers, including depositary receipts. In determining whether an issuer is foreign, the Adviser will consider various factors including where the company is headquartered, where the companys principal operations are located, where the companys revenues are derived, where the principal trading market is located and the country in which the company is legally organized. The weight given to each of these factors will vary depending upon the circumstances. Investments in foreign securities may involve a greater degree of risk than those in domestic securities.
American Depositary Receipts, European Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts . Among the means through which the Fund may invest in foreign securities is the purchase of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, while EDRs and GDRs, in bearer form, may be denominated in other currencies and are designed for use in European securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. EDRs and GDRs are European and Global receipts evidencing a similar arrangement. ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs may be purchased through sponsored or unsponsored facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer
9
of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the depositary security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts of the deposited securities.
Risks of Foreign Securities . Investing in foreign securities involves certain risks not ordinarily associated with investments in securities of domestic issuers. Foreign securities markets have, for the most part, substantially less volume than the U.S. markets and securities of many foreign companies are generally less liquid and their prices more volatile than securities of U.S. companies. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign exchanges, brokers and issuers than in the U.S. The rights of investors in certain foreign countries may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. issuers and the Fund may have greater difficulty taking appropriate legal action to enforce its rights in a foreign court than in a U.S. court. Investing in foreign securities also involves risks associated with government, economic, monetary, and fiscal policies (such as the adoption of protectionist trade measures) possible foreign withholding taxes on dividends and interest payable to the Fund, possible taxes on trading profits, inflation, and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. Furthermore, there is the risk of possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of the foreign issuer or foreign deposits and the possible adoption of foreign government restrictions such as exchange controls. Also, foreign issuers are not necessarily subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to domestic issuers and as a result, there may be less publicly available information on such foreign issuers than is available from a domestic issuer.
In addition, the Fund may invest up to 5% of its net assets in foreign securities of companies that are located in developing or emerging markets. Investing in securities of issuers located in these markets may pose greater risks not typically associated with investing in more established markets such as increased risk of social, political and economic instability. Emerging market countries typically have smaller securities markets than developed countries and therefore less liquidity and greater price volatility than more developed markets. Securities traded in emerging markets may also be subject to risks associated with the lack of modern technology, poor infrastructures, the lack of capital base to expand business operations and the inexperience of financial intermediaries, custodians and transfer agents. Emerging market countries are also more likely to impose restrictions on the repatriation of an investors assets and even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation, the mechanics of repatriations may delay or impede the Funds ability to obtain possession of its assets. As a result, there may be an increased risk or price volatility associated with the Funds investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations.
Dividends and interest payable on the Funds foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding tax. The Fund may also be subject to foreign taxes on its trading profits. Some countries may also impose a transfer or stamp duty on certain securities transactions. The imposition of these taxes will increase the cost to the Fund of investing in those countries that
10
impose these taxes. To the extent such taxes are not offset by credits or deductions available to shareholders in the Fund under U.S. tax law, they will reduce the net return to the Funds shareholders. It is not anticipated that the Fund will be eligible to pass through to shareholders a federal tax credit or federal tax deduction related to any foreign taxes borne by the Fund.
To the extent the Fund invests in securities denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund will be subject to the risk that 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 Funds assets denominated in that currency. Investing in foreign denominated securities may also result in transaction costs incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. In addition, only a limited market currently exists for hedging transactions relating to currencies in certain emerging markets and securities transactions undertaken in foreign markets may not be settled promptly, subjecting the Fund to the risk of fluctuating currency exchange rates pending settlement.
Options on Securities
Although it has no present intention of doing so, the Fund reserves the right to engage in certain purchases and sales of options on securities. The Fund may write ( i.e ., sell) call options (calls) on equity securities if the calls are covered throughout the life of the option. A call is covered if the Fund owns the optioned securities. When the Fund writes a call, it receives a premium and gives the purchaser the right to buy the underlying security at any time during the call period at a fixed exercise price regardless of market price changes during the call period. If the call is exercised, the Fund will forego any gain from an increase in the market price of the underlying security over the exercise price.
The Fund may purchase a call on securities to effect a closing purchase transaction which is the purchase of a call covering the same underlying security and having the same exercise price and expiration date as a call previously written by the Fund on which it wishes to terminate its obligation. If the Fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to sell the underlying security until the call previously written by the Fund expires (or until the call is exercised and the Fund delivers the underlying security).
The Fund also may write and purchase put options (puts). When the Fund writes a put, it receives a premium and gives the purchaser of the put the right to sell the underlying security to the Fund at the exercise price at any time during the option period. When the Fund purchases a put, it pays a premium in return for the right to sell the underlying security at the exercise price at any time during the option period. If any put is not exercised or sold, it will become worthless on its expiration date. When the Fund writes a put, it will maintain at all times during the option period, in a segregated account, liquid assets equal in value to the exercise price of the put.
The Funds option positions may be closed out only on an exchange that provides a secondary market for options of the same series, but there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist at a given time for any particular option.
The Funds custodian, or a securities depository acting for them, generally acts as escrow agent as to the securities on which the Fund has written puts or calls, or as to other securities
11
acceptable for such escrow so that no margin deposit is required of the Fund. Until the underlying securities are released from escrow, they cannot be sold by the Fund.
In the event of a shortage of the underlying securities deliverable on exercise of an option, the Options Clearing Corporation has the authority to permit other, generally comparable securities to be delivered in fulfillment of option exercise obligations. If the Options Clearing Corporation exercises its discretionary authority to allow such other securities to be delivered, it may also adjust the exercise prices of the affected options by setting different prices at which otherwise ineligible securities may be delivered. As an alternative to permitting such substitute deliveries, the Options Clearing Corporation may impose special exercise settlement procedures.
The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets. The purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions.
Short-Term Investments
The Fund may invest in any of the following securities and instruments:
Certificates of Deposit, Bankers Acceptances and Time Deposits. The Fund may hold 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 banks, savings and loan associations or financial institutions which, at the time 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.
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.
Commercial Paper and Short-Term Notes. 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.
12
Commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase A-2 or higher by S&P ® , Prime-1 or Prime-2 by Moodys, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Exhibit B.
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 issuers of such entities as the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). Of these obligations, only those of the GNMA and T-Bills, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury.
Agency Obligations . The Fund may make short-term investments in agency obligations, such as the 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, and the Student Loan Marketing Association. Some, such as those of the Export-Import Bank of United States, are supported only by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury; others, such as those of the FNMA, are supported by only the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agencys obligations; still others, such as those of the Student Loan Marketing Association, 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 because they are not obligated by law to do so.
As of September 7, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has been appointed to be the Conservator of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and FNMA for an indefinite period. In accordance with the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 and the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, as Conservator, the FHFA will control and oversee the entities until the FHFA deems them financially sound and solvent. The effect that this conservatorship will have on FNMAs debt and equity is unclear, and no assurance can be given that any steps taken by the FHFA or the U.S. Treasury with respect to FNMA will succeed. FNMA has been and remains the subject of investigations by federal regulators over certain accounting matters. Such investigations, and any resulting restatements of financial statements, may adversely affect FNMA and, as a result, the payment of principal or interest on securities it issues.
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
Fundamental . The investment limitations described below have been adopted by the Trust with respect to the Fund and are fundamental (Fundamental), i.e, they may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. As used in the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information, the term majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund means the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the
13
Fund are present or represented at such meeting; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Other investment practices which may be changed by the Board of Trustees without the approval of shareholders to the extent permitted by applicable law, regulation or regulatory policy are considered non-fundamental (Non-Fundamental).
The Fund may not:
1. |
Make loans
to others, except (a) through the purchase of debt securities in accordance with
its investment objectives and policies, (b) through the lending of its portfolio
securities as described above and in its Prospectus, or (c) to the extent the entry
into a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan.
|
||
2.(a) |
Borrow money,
except as stated in the Prospectus and this SAI. Any such borrowing will be made
only if immediately thereafter there is an asset coverage of at least 300% of all
borrowings.
|
||
(b) |
Mortgage,
pledge or hypothecate any of its assets except in connection with any such borrowings
and any with respect to 33 1/3% of its assets.
|
||
3. |
Purchase securities
on margin, participate on a joint or joint and several basis in any securities trading
account, or underwrite securities. (Does not preclude the Fund from obtaining such
short-term credit as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of
its portfolio securities.)
|
||
4. |
Purchase or
sell real estate, commodities or commodity contracts. (As a matter of operating
policy, the Board may authorize the Fund to engage in certain activities regarding
futures contracts for bona fide hedging purposes; any such authorization will be
accompanied by appropriate notification to shareholders.)
|
||
5. |
Invest 25%
or more of the market value of its assets in the securities of companies engaged
in any one industry. (Does not apply to investment in the securities of the U.S.
government, its agencies or instrumentalities.)
|
||
6. |
Issue senior
securities, as defined in the 1940 Act, except that this restriction shall not be
deemed to prohibit the Fund from (a) making any permitted borrowings, mortgages
or pledges, or (b) entering into options, futures or repurchase transactions.
|
||
7. |
Purchase the
securities of any issuer, if as a result more than 5% of the total assets of the
Fund would be invested in the securities of that issuer, other than obligations
of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, provided that up to 25%
of the value of its assets may be invested without regard to this limitation.
|
14
With respect to the percentages adopted by the Trust as maximum limitations on its investment policies and limitations, an excess above the fixed percentage will not be a violation of the policy or limitation unless the excess results immediately and directly from the acquisition of any security or the action taken. This paragraph does not apply to the borrowing policy set forth in paragraph 2 above.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing limitations, any investment company, whether organized as a trust, association or corporation, or a personal holding company, may be merged or consolidated with or acquired by the Trust, provided that if such merger, consolidation or acquisition results in an investment in the securities of any issuer prohibited by said paragraphs, the Trust shall, within ninety days after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or acquisition, dispose of all of the securities of such issuer so acquired or such portion thereof as shall bring the total investment therein within the limitations imposed by said paragraphs above as of the date of consummation.
Non-Fundamental . The following limitations have been adopted by the Trust with respect to the Fund and are considered Non-Fundamental. The Non-Fundamental limitations may be changed by the Trusts Board of Trustees at any time without shareholder approval.
The Fund may not:
1. |
Invest in
any issuer for purposes of exercising control or management.
|
||
2. |
Invest in
securities of other investment companies except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
|
||
3. |
Invest, in
the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets in securities with legal or contractual
restrictions on resale, securities which are not readily marketable and repurchase
agreements with more than seven days to maturity.
|
||
4. |
With respect
to fundamental investment restriction 2(a) above, the Fund will not purchase portfolio
securities while outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of its assets.
|
Except with respect to borrowing and illiquid securities, if a percentage restriction described in the Funds Prospectus or this SAI is adhered to at the time of investment, a subsequent increase or decrease in a percentage resulting from a change in the values of assets will not constitute a violation of that restriction.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Investment advisory services are provided to the Fund by Perkins Capital Management, Inc., pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the Advisory Agreement) with the Trust. The Adviser is controlled by Richard W. Perkins, a portfolio manager of the Fund.
15
As compensation, the Fund pays the Adviser a monthly management fee (accrued daily) based upon the average daily net assets of the Fund at the annual rate of 1.00%.
On October 26, 2012, the Predecessor Fund was reorganized into a new series of the Trust (i.e., the Fund). Prior to the reorganization, Perkins Capital Management, Inc. was the investment advisor to the Predecessor Fund.
For the fiscal periods ended March 31, the Fund/Predecessor Fund paid the following fees to the Adviser:
2014 | 2013 | 2012 | |
Fees Accrued | $118,890 | $108,405 | $153,826 |
Fees Waived | $(98,106) | $(108,405) | $(73,399) |
Net Advisory Fee Paid | $20,784 | $0 | $80,427 |
The Advisory Agreement continues in effect for successive annual periods so long as such continuation is specifically approved at least annually by the vote of (1) the Board (or a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund), and (2) a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of any party to the Advisory Agreement, in each case cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by either party to the Advisory Agreement upon a 60-day written notice and is automatically terminated in the event of its assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act.
The use of the name Perkins by the Fund is pursuant to a license granted by the Adviser, and in the event the Advisory Agreement with the Fund is terminated, the Adviser has reserved the right to require the Fund to remove any references to the name Perkins.
The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce fees and/or pay Fund expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, interest expense in connection with investment activities, taxes, and extraordinary expenses) in order to the limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement for shares of the Fund to 2.25% of the Funds average net assets (the Expense Cap) beginning July 29, 2014. Prior to July 29, 2014 the Expense Cap was 2.00%. The Expense Cap will remain in effect until July 31, 2015. The Adviser is permitted to be reimbursed for fee reductions and/or expense payments made in the prior three fiscal years. Any such reimbursement is subject to the Boards review and approval. This reimbursement may be requested by the Adviser if the aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking into account the reimbursement) does not exceed the Expense Cap.
The Adviser may make payments to banks or other financial institutions that provide shareholder services and administer shareholder accounts. If a bank or other financial institution were prohibited from continuing to perform all or a part of such services, management of the Fund believes that there would be no material impact on the Fund or its shareholders. Financial institutions may charge their customers fees for offering these services to the extent permitted by
16
applicable regulatory authorities, and the overall return to those shareholders availing themselves of the financial institutions services will be lower than to those shareholders who do not. The Fund may from time to time purchase securities issued by financial institutions that provide such services; however, in selecting investments for the Fund, no preference will be shown for such securities.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Messrs. Richard W. Perkins and Daniel S. Perkins serve as co-portfolio managers of the Fund.
Mr. Richard W. Perkins has served as President of Perkins Capital Management, Inc. and as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. The following provides information regarding other accounts managed by Mr. Richard W. Perkins as of June 30, 2014:
Number of | Assets in | |||||||
Accounts for | Accounts for | |||||||
which | which | |||||||
Total Number of | Advisory Fee | Advisory Fee | ||||||
Category of | Accounts | Total Assets in | is Based on | is Based on | ||||
Account | Managed | Accounts Managed | Performance | Performance | ||||
Registered Investment Companies | 1 | $12,426,897 | 0 | $0 | ||||
Pooled Investment Vehicles | 1 | $5,174,913 | 1 | $5,174,913 | ||||
Other Accounts | 68 | $77,420,230 | 0 | $0 |
Mr. Daniel S. Perkins has served as Vice President of Perkins Capital Management, Inc. for over twenty years and he has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. The following provides information regarding other accounts managed by Mr. Daniel S. Perkins as of June 30, 2014:
Number of | Assets in | |||||||
Accounts for | Accounts for | |||||||
which | which | |||||||
Total Number of | Advisory Fee | Advisory Fee | ||||||
Category of | Accounts | Total Assets in | is Based on | is Based on | ||||
Account | Managed | Accounts Managed | Performance | Performance | ||||
Registered Investment Companies | 1 | $12,426,897 | 0 | $0 | ||||
Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | ||||
Other Accounts | 4 | $1,831,239 | 0 | $0 |
17
The portfolio managers compensation is a fixed salary determined by industry standards as well as the assets under management and fees collected by Perkins Capital Management, Inc. They may receive a bonus based on the overall net income of Perkins Capital Management, Inc. They have a fixed retirement plan. The portfolio managers salary and bonus is not based on the performance of the Fund.
Because the Adviser performs investment management services for various clients, certain conflicts of interest could arise. Investment decisions for the Funds are made independently from those of other client accounts managed or advised by the Adviser. Nevertheless, it is possible that at times identical securities will be acceptable for the Fund and one or more of such client accounts. In such an event, the position of the Fund and such client account(s) in the same security may vary and the length of time that each may hold its investment in the same security may likewise vary as well as the price of such investment and the priority of purchases and sales of such investments. During the management of client accounts, many decisions are made by the Adviser that may cause a conflict of interest or the favoring of one client over another. Some, but not all of these decisions are: the timing of client orders, the priority of client orders, the frequency of client orders, whether client orders should be executed individually or grouped together for execution, and the commission, mark-up or mark down paid by clients on transactions. If the Adviser decides the best way to execute a clients order is to include it as part of a grouped transaction, the individual client may receive an average price on his order; may or may not receive the same commission, mark-up or mark down as other clients pay; may, depending on the size of his order, pay a minimum total commission which could result in greater per share commission than paid by other clients; and may or may not have his shares allocated to him on the same trade date that the grouped transaction was executed.
Fund Shares Owned by the Portfolio Managers. The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Portfolio Managers in the Fund as of June 30, 2014.
Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned | ||
(None, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000, $100,001 | ||
Name of Portfolio Manager | -$500,000, $500,001-$1,000,000, Over $1,000,000) | |
Richard W. Perkins | $100,001 - $500,000 | |
Daniel S. Perkins | $10,001 - $50,000 | |
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Administrator . Pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement with the Trust (the Services Agreement), Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc. (CSS), located at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235, serves as the administrator of the Fund. CSS supervises all aspects of the operation of the Fund, except those performed by the
18
Adviser. CSS provides certain administrative services and facilities for the Fund, including preparing and maintaining certain books, records, and monitoring compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements.
As administrator, CSS provides shareholder, recordkeeping, administrative and blue-sky filing services. For such administrative services, CSS receives an asset-based fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, subject to an annual minimum. For the period October 26, 2012 through March 31, 2013, CSS earned $12,976 for its services. For the year ended March 31, 2014, CSS earned $28,617 for its services.
Prior to the reorganization effective October 26, 2012, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (USBFS) provided administrative services to the Predecessor Fund. USBFS also acted as fund accountant, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Predecessor Fund under separate agreements.
Custodian . UMB Bank, N.A. (the Custodian), 928 Grand Blvd., 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64106, serves as the custodian of the Funds assets. The Custodian has entered into a foreign sub-custody arrangement with Citibank, N.A., as the approved foreign custody manager (the Delegate) to perform certain functions with respect to the custody of the Funds assets outside of the United States of America. The Delegate shall place and maintain the Funds assets with an eligible foreign custodian; provided that, the Delegate shall be required to determine that the Funds assets will be subject to reasonable care based on the standards applicable to custodians in the relevant market.
Accounting Services . Pursuant to an Accounting Service Agreement (the Accounting Agreement), Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc. (CFA), 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 acts as the accounting services agent of the Fund. As the accounting services agent of the Fund, CFA maintains and keeps current the books, accounts, records, journals or other records of original entry relating to the Funds business. For its services as accounting agent, CFA receives an asset-based fee, computed daily and paid monthly on the average daily net assets of the Fund, against a minimum fee plus out-of-pocket expenses.
Transfer Agent . Pursuant to a Transfer Agent Agreement with the Trust, Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. (CFSI or the Transfer Agent) acts as the Trusts transfer and dividend disbursing agent. CFSI is located at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235.
CFSI provides certain shareholder and other services to the Trust, including furnishing account and transaction information and maintaining shareholder account records. CFSI is responsible for processing orders and payments for share purchases. CFSI mails shareholder reports, confirmation forms for purchases and redemptions and prospectuses to shareholders. CFSI disburses income dividends and capital distributions and prepares and files appropriate tax-related information concerning dividends and distributions to shareholders. For its services as transfer agent, CFSI receives per account fees and transaction charges against a minimum fee plus out-of-pocket expenses.
19
Principal Underwriter . First Dominion Capital Corp. (FDCC or the Distributor), located at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235, serves as the principal underwriter and national distributor for the shares of the Fund on a best efforts basis and pursuant to a Distribution Agreement (the Distribution Agreement). The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
FDCC is registered as a broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The offering of the Funds shares is continuous. The Distributor may receive Distribution 12b-1 and Service Fees from the Fund, as described in the prospectus and this SAI.
John Pasco, III, interested trustee and Chairman of the Board, is the sole owner of CSS, CFA, CFSI, and FDCC. Therefore, CSS, CFA, CFSI, and FDCC may be deemed to be affiliates of the Trust and each other.
Prior to the reorganization, Quasar Distributors, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (Quasar), served as the Predecessor Funds principal underwriter in a continuous public offering of the Funds shares.
Legal Counsel . The Law Offices of John H. Lively & Associates, Inc., a member firm of The 1940 Act Law Group, 11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310, Leawood, Kansas 66211, serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Fund.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm . The Trusts independent registered public accounting firm, Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, audits the Trusts annual financial statements, assists in the preparation of certain reports to the SEC and prepares the Trusts tax returns. Tait, Weller & Baker LLP is located at 1818 Market Street, Suite 2400, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
TRUSTEES & OFFICERS OF THE TRUST
Trustees and Officers . The Trust is governed by the Board, which is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The trustees are experienced businesspersons who meet throughout the year to oversee the Trusts activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund and review performance. The names, addresses and ages of the trustees and officers of the Trust, together with information as to their principal occupations during the past five years, are listed below. The trustees who are considered interested persons as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, as well as those persons affiliated with the investment adviser and the principal underwriter, and officers of the Trust, are noted with an asterisk(*).
20
Each Trustee was nominated to serve on the Board of Trustees based on their particular experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills. Generally, the Trust believes that each Trustee is competent to serve because of their individual overall merits including: (i) experience, (ii) qualifications, (iii) attributes and (iv) skills. Mr. David J. Urban has been a Professor of Education since 1989. His strategic planning, organizational and leadership skills help the Board set long-term goals. Ms. Mary Lou H. Ivey has over 10 years of business experience as a practicing tax accountant and, as such, brings tax, budgeting and financial reporting skills to the Board. Mr. Theo H. Pitt has experience as an investor, including his role as trustee of several other investment companies and business experience as Senior Partner of a financial consulting company, as a partner of a real estate partnership and as an Account Administrator for a money management firm. Mr. John Pasco III serves as President, Treasurer and Director of the Trusts administrator and also serves as a member of 2 other mutual fund boards outside of the Fund Complex. Mr. Pasco has over 30 years of experience in the mutual fund industry, including several years on staff with the Securities and Exchange Commission. With experience from these positions, he is able to provide the Board with knowledge and insight related to fund administration. The Trust does not believe any one factor is determinative in assessing a Trustees qualifications, but that the collective experience of each Trustee makes them each highly qualified.
Following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and their principal occupation over the last five years.
INTERESTED TRUSTEES
NAME, ADDRESS
AND AGE |
POSITION(S)
HELD WITH THE TRUST |
TERM OF
OFFICE AND LENGTH OF TIME SERVED |
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S)
DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS |
NUMBER
OF FUNDS IN FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN BY TRUSTEE |
OTHER
DIRECTORSHIPS HELD BY TRUSTEE DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS |
John Pasco
III*
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 69 |
Trustee |
Indefinite,
Since
June 2010 |
President, Treasurer and Director of Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc. (CSS), the Trusts Administrator; President and Director of First Dominion Capital Corp. (FDCC), the Trusts underwriter; President and Director of Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc (CFSI), the Trusts Transfer and Disbursing Agent; President and Director of Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc. (CFA), which provides bookkeeping services to the Trust; and Chairman, Director and President of The World Funds, Inc., a registered investment company, since 1997. | 7 |
The World
Funds,
Inc.; American Growth Fund, Inc. |
Mr. Pasco would be an interested trustee, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, because of his positions with and financial interests in CSS, CFSI, CFA and FDCC.
21
NON-INTERESTED TRUSTEES
NAME, ADDRESS
AND AGE |
POSITION(S)
HELD WITH THE TRUST |
TERM OF
OFFICE AND LENGTH OF TIME SERVED |
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S)
DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS |
NUMBER
OF FUNDS IN FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN BY TRUSTEE |
OTHER
DIRECTORSHIPS HELD BY TRUSTEE DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS |
David J. Urban
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age : 59 |
Trustee |
Indefinite,
Since
June 2010 |
Dean, Jones College of Business, Middle Tennessee State University since June 2013; Virginia Commonwealth University, Professor of Education from 1989 to 2013. | 7 | None |
Mary Lou H.
Ivey
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 56 |
Trustee |
Indefinite,
Since
June 2010 |
Accountant, Harris, Hardy & Johnstone, P.C., Certified Public Accountants, since 2008; Accountant, Wildes, Stevens & Brackens & Co., Certified Public Accountants, from 2007 to 2008; Accountant, Martin, Dolan & Holton, Ltd., Certified Public Accountants, from1997 to 2007. | 7 | None |
Theo H. Pitt,
Jr.
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 76 |
Trustee |
Indefinite,
Since
August 2013 |
Senior Partner, Community Financial Institutions Consulting (bank consulting) since 1997 and Account Administrator, Holden Wealth Management Group of Wachovia Securities (money management firm) 2003 to 2008. | 7 | Independent Trustee of Gardner Lewis Investment Trust for the two series of that trust; Hanna Investment Trust for the one series of that trust; Hillman Capital Management Investment Trust for the one series of that trust; DGHM Investment Trust for the two series of that Trust; and Starboard Investment Trust for the18 series of that trust; (all registered investment companies). |
OFFICERS WHO ARE NOT TRUSTEES
NAME, ADDRESS
AND AGE |
POSITION(S)
HELD WITH THE TRUST |
TERM OF
OFFICE AND LENGTH OF TIME SERVED |
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S)
DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS |
NUMBER
OF FUNDS IN FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN BY TRUSTEE |
OTHER
DIRECTORSHIPS HELD BY TRUSTEE DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS |
Karen M. Shupe
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 50 |
Treasurer | Indefinite, Since June 2008 | Managing Director of Fund Operations, Commonwealth Companies, since 2003. | N/A | N/A |
David Bogaert
8730 Stony Point Pkwy |
Vice President | Indefinite, Since November | Managing Director of Business Development, Commonwealth Companies, October 2013 present; | N/A | N/A |
Suite 205
Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 50 |
2013 | Senior Vice President of Business Development and other positions for Huntington Asset Services, Inc. from 1986 to 2013. |
22
John H. Lively
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 45 |
Secretary |
Indefinite,
Since November 2013 |
Attorney, The Law Offices of John H. Lively & Associates, Inc. (law firm), March 2010 to present: Attorney, Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP (law firm), March 2007 to February 2010. | N/A | N/A |
Cynthia D.
Baughman
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 45 |
Assistant
Secretary |
Indefinite,
Since November 2013 |
Attorney, The Law Offices of John H. Lively & Associates, Inc. (law firm), July 2011 to present; Associate, Investment Law Group, LLP (law firm) (May 2009 June 2011); Associate, Dechert, LLP (law firm) (Oct. 1999 Feb. 2009). | N/A | N/A |
Lauren Jones
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 31 |
Assistant
Secretary |
Indefinite,
Since December 2009 |
Relationship Manager, Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., since 2006. | N/A | N/A |
Julian G.
Winters
8730 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 205 Richmond, VA 23235 Age: 45 |
Chief
Compliance Officer |
Indefinite,
Since August 2013 |
Managing Member of Watermark Solutions, LLC (investment compliance and consulting) since March 2007. | N/A | N/A |
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees oversees the Trust and certain aspects of the services that the Adviser and the Funds other service providers. Each trustee will hold office until their successors have been duly elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal. Each officer of the Trust serves at the pleasure of the Board and for a term of one year or until their successors have been duly elected and qualified.
The Trust has a standing Audit Committee of the Board composed of Mr. Urban, Ms. Ivey and Mr. Pitt. The functions of the Audit Committee are to meet with the Trusts independent auditors to review the scope and findings of the annual audit, discuss the Trusts accounting policies, discuss any recommendations of the independent auditors with respect to the Trusts management practices, review the impact of changes in accounting standards on the Trusts financial statements, recommend to the Board the selection of independent registered public accounting firm, and perform such other duties as may be assigned to the Audit Committee by the Board. For the Trusts most recent fiscal year ended, March 31, 2014, the Audit Committee met four times.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is comprised of Mr. Urban, Ms. Ivey and Mr. Pitt. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees purposes, duties and powers are set forth in its written charter, which is described in Exhibit C the charter also describes the process by which shareholders of the Trust may make nominations. The Trust established this Committee on August 2, 2013 and, as of March 31, 2014, the Committee met two times.
23
The Valuation Committee is comprised of Mr. Urban, Ms. Ivey and Mr. Pitt. The Valuation Committee meets as needed in the event that the Funds hold any securities that are subject to valuation and it reviews the fair valuation of such securities on an as needed basis. The Trust established this Committee on August 2, 2013 and, as of March 31, 2014, the Committee did not meet.
Trustee Compensation . Each Trustee who is not an interested person of the Trust may receive compensation for their services to the Trust. All Trustees are reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings.
Pension or | Total Compensation | |||||||
Name of | Aggregate | Retirement Benefits | Estimated | From Fund and Fund | ||||
Person / | Compensation | Accrued As Part of | Annual Benefits | Complex Paid To | ||||
Position | From Fund | Funds Expenses | upon Retirement | Trustees (*)(1) | ||||
David J. | $2,396 | $0 | $0 | $5,000 | ||||
Urban, | ||||||||
Trustee | ||||||||
Mary Lou H. | $2,396 | $0 | $0 | $5,000 | ||||
Ivey, Trustee | ||||||||
Theo H. Pitt, | $1,458 | $0 | $0 | $3,750 | ||||
Jr., Trustee | ||||||||
* | Company does not pay deferred compensation. | |
(1) | The Fund Complex consists of the Trust, which is comprised of the seven Funds. | |
(2) | Mr. Pitt became a Trustee to the Trust on August 2, 2013. |
Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares As of March 31, 2014, no Trustees owned any amounts of Fund shares.
Sales Loads . No front-end or deferred sales charges are applied to purchase of Fund shares by current or former trustees, officers, employees or agents of the Trust, the Adviser, or the principal underwriter and by the members of their immediate families.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Mr. Pasco, who is an interested person of the Trust, within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Trust does not have a lead independent trustee. The use of an interested Chairman balanced by an independent Audit Committee allows the
24
Board to access the expertise necessary of oversee the Trust, identify risks, recognize shareholder concerns and needs and highlight opportunities. The Audit Committee is able to focus Board time and attention to matters of interest to shareholders and, through its private sessions with the Trusts auditor, Chief Compliance Officer and legal counsel, stay fully informed regarding management decisions. Considering the size of the Trust and its shareholder base, the Trustees have determined that an interested Chairman balanced by an independent Audit Committee is the appropriate leadership structure for the Board of Trustees.
Mutual funds face a number of risks, including investment risk, compliance risk and valuation risk. The Board oversees management of the Funds risks directly and through its officers. While day-to-day risk management responsibilities rest with the each Funds Chief Compliance Officer, investment advisers and other service providers, the Board monitors and tracks risk by: (1) receiving and reviewing quarterly reports related to the performance and operations of the Funds; (2) reviewing and approving, as applicable, the compliance policies and procedures of the Trust, including the Trusts valuation policies and transaction procedures; (3) periodically meeting with the portfolio manager to review investment strategies, techniques and related risks; (4) meeting with representatives of key service providers, including the Funds investment advisers, administrator, distributor, transfer agent and the independent registered public accounting firm, to discuss the activities of the Funds; (5) engaging the services of the Chief Compliance Officer of the each Fund to monitor and test the compliance procedures of the Trust and its service providers; (6) receiving and reviewing reports from the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm regarding the Funds financial condition and the Trusts internal controls; and (7) receiving and reviewing an annual written report prepared by the Chief Compliance Officer reviewing the adequacy of the Trusts compliance policies and procedures and the effectiveness of their implementation. The Board has concluded that its general oversight of the investment advisers and other service providers as implemented through the reporting and monitoring process outlined above allows the Board to effectively administer its risk oversight function.
Each Trustee was nominated to serve on the Board of Trustees based on their particular experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills. The characteristics that have led the Board to conclude that each of the Trustees should continue to serve as a Trustee of the Trust are discussed above.
Policies Concerning Personal Investment Activities . The Fund, the Adviser, and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics, pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that permit investment personnel, subject to their particular code of ethics, to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, for their own account.
The Codes of Ethics are on file with, and can be reviewed and copied at the SEC Public Reference Room in Washington, D. C. In addition, the Codes of Ethics are also available on the EDGAR Database on the SECs Internet website at http://www.sec.gov .
Proxy Voting Policies . The Trust is required to disclose information concerning the Funds proxy voting policies and procedures to shareholders. The Board has delegated to Adviser
25
the responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Fund. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which have been reviewed by the Board, and which are found in Exhibit A. Any material changes to the proxy policies and procedures will be submitted to the Board for approval. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ending June 30, will be available (1) without charge, upon request by calling (800) 673-0550; and (2) on the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov .
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SECURITIES HOLDERS
A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of such control. As a controlling shareholder, each of these persons could control the outcome of any proposal submitted to the shareholders for approval, including changes to the Funds fundamental policies or the terms of the management agreement with the Adviser.
As of June 30, 2014, the following persons were record owners (or to the knowledge of the Company, beneficial owners) of 5% or more of the shares of the Fund.
Names and Addresses | Number of shares | Percent of Class |
Charles Schwab
& co., Inc.
101 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94104 |
43,152 | 13.62% |
As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and officers of the Trust own beneficially none of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
General Policy . The Fund adheres to Section 2(a)(41), and Rule 2a-4 thereunder, of the 1940 Act with respect to the valuation of portfolio securities. In general, securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at current market value, and all other securities are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board. In complying with the 1940 Act, the Trust relies on guidance provided by the SEC and by the SEC staff in various interpretive letters and other guidance.
Equity Securities . Securities listed on a securities exchange, market or automated quotation system for which quotations are readily available (except for securities traded on NASDAQ), including securities traded over the counter, are valued at the last quoted sale price on the primary exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded on valuation date (or at approximately 4:00 p.m. ET if a securitys primary exchange is normally open at that time), or, if there is no such reported sale on the valuation date, at the most recent quoted bid price. For securities traded on NASDAQ, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used. If
26
such prices are not available or determined to not represent the fair value of the security as of the Funds pricing time, the security will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith using methods approved by the Trusts Board of Trustees.
Money Market Securities and other Debt Securities . If available, money market securities and other debt securities are priced based upon valuations provided by recognized independent, third-party pricing agents. Such values generally reflect the last reported sales price if the security is actively traded. The third-party pricing agents may also value debt securities by employing methodologies that utilize actual market transactions, broker-supplied valuations, or other methodologies designed to identify the market value for such securities. Such methodologies generally consider such factors as security prices, yields, maturities, call features, ratings and developments relating to specific securities in arriving at valuations. Money market securities and other debt securities with remaining maturities of sixty days or less may be valued at their amortized cost, which approximates market value. If such prices are not available or determined to not represent the fair value of the security as of the Funds pricing time, the security will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith using methods approved by the Trusts Board of Trustees.
Use of Third-Party Independent Pricing Agents. Pursuant to contracts with the Administrator, market prices for most securities held by the Fund are provided daily by third-party independent pricing agents that are approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust. The valuations provided by third-party independent pricing agents are reviewed daily by the Administrator.
DISTRIBUTION
The Distributor may from time to time offer incentive compensation to dealers (which sell shares of the Fund that are subject to sales charges) allowing such dealers to retain an additional portion of the sales load. A dealer who receives all of the sales load may be considered an underwriter of the Funds shares.
In connection with promotion of the sales of the Fund, the Distributor may, from time to time, offer (to all broker dealers who have a sales agreement with the Distributor) the opportunity to participate in sales incentive programs (which may include non-cash concessions). The Distributor may also, from time to time, pay expenses and fees required in order to participate in dealer sponsored seminars and conferences, reimburse dealers for expenses incurred in connection with pre-approved seminars, conferences and advertising, and may, from time to time, pay or allow additional promotional incentives to dealers as part of pre-approved sales contests.
Plan of Distribution . The Fund has a Plan of Distribution or 12b-1 Plan under which it may finance certain activities primarily intended to sell such class of shares, provided the categories of expenses are approved in advance by the Board and the expenses paid under the Plan were incurred within the preceding 12 months and accrued while the 12b-1 Plan is in effect. The Trust has adopted the Plan in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, which regulates circumstances under which an investment company may directly or
27
indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution of its shares. The Trust intends to operate the Plan in accordance with its terms and with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules concerning sales charges.
The 12b-1 Plan provides that the Fund will pay a fee to FDCC at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to the Funds Shares in consideration for distribution and other services and the assumption of related expenses, including the payment of commissions and transaction fees, in conjunction with the offering and sale of the Funds shares. The fee is paid to FDCC as compensation for distribution-related activities.
The table below shows the amount of Rule 12b-1 fees incurred and the allocation of such fees by the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014.
Advertising
and Marketing |
Printing
and Postage |
Payment
to Dealers |
Total
Rule 12b-1 fees incurred |
$13,685 | $65 | $21,817 | $29,723 |
Payments for distribution expenses under the 12b-1 Plan are subject to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Rule 12b-1 defines distribution expenses to include the cost of any activity which is primarily intended to result in the sale of shares issued by the Trust. Rule 12b-1 provides, among other things, that an investment company may bear such expenses only pursuant to a plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1. In accordance with Rule 12b-1, the 12b-1 Plan provides that a report of the amounts expended under the 12b-1 Plan, and the purposes for which such expenditures were incurred, will be made to the Board for its review at least quarterly. The 12b-1 Plan provides that it may not be amended to increase materially the costs which shares of the Fund may bear for distribution pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan without shareholder approval, and that any other type of material amendment must be approved by a majority of the Board, and by a majority of the trustees who are neither interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust nor have any direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the 12b-1 Plan or in any related agreement (the 12b-1 Trustees), by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of considering such amendments. Pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan, the Fund may also make payments to persons who provide support services in connection with the distribution of the Funds shares and servicing of the Funds shareholders.
The Trust understands that Service Organizations may charge fees to their customers who are the beneficial owners of Fund shares, in connection with their accounts with such Service Organizations. Any such fees would be in addition to any amounts which may be received by an institution under the applicable 12b-1 Plan. Under the terms of each servicing agreement entered into with the Trust, Service Organizations are required to provide to their customers a schedule of any fees that they may charge in connection with customer investments in Fund shares.
The Board has concluded that there is a reasonable likelihood that the 12b-1 Plan will benefit the Fund by potentially increasing asset size, providing for a steady in-flow of cash from the sale of new shares, among other things. The 12b-1 Plan is subject to annual re-approval by a majority of the 12b-1 Trustees and is terminable at any time with respect to a Fund by a vote of a
28
majority of the 12b-1 Trustees or by vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable classes outstanding shares of the Fund. Any agreement entered into pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan with a Service Organization is terminable with respect to the Fund without penalty, at any time, by vote of a majority of the 12b-1 Trustees, by vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable classes outstanding shares of the Fund, by FDCC or by the Service Organization. An agreement will also terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.
As long as the 12b-1 Plan is in effect, the nomination of the trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) must be committed to the discretion of the 12b-1 Trustees.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASES AND SALES
Purchasing Shares . You may purchase shares of the Fund directly from the Distributor. You may also buy shares through accounts with brokers and other institutions (authorized institutions) that are authorized to place trades in Fund shares for their customers. If you invest through an authorized institution, you will have to follow its procedures. Your institution may charge a fee for its services, in addition to the fees charged by the Fund. You will also generally have to address your correspondence or questions regarding the Fund to your authorized institution. The offering price per share is equal to the NAV next determined after the Fund or authorized institution receives your purchase order. Your authorized institution is responsible for transmitting all subscription and redemption requests, investment information, documentation and money to the Fund on time. Certain authorized institutions have agreements with the Fund that allow them to enter confirmed purchase or redemption orders on behalf of clients and customers. Under this arrangement, the authorized institution must send your payment to the Fund by the time it prices its shares on the following day. If your authorized institution fails to do so, it may be responsible for any resulting fees or losses.
The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order and to suspend the offering of shares. Under certain circumstances the Trust or the Adviser may waive the minimum initial investment for purchases by officers, trustees, and employees of the Trust and its affiliated entities and for certain related advisory accounts and retirement accounts (such as IRAs). The Fund may also change or waive policies concerning minimum investment amounts at any time.
Exchanging Shares . If you request the exchange of the total value of your account from one fund to another, we will reinvest any declared but unpaid income dividends and capital gain distributions in the new fund at its net asset value. Backup withholding and information reporting may apply. Information regarding the possible tax consequences of an exchange appears in the tax section in this SAI.
If a substantial number of shareholders sell their shares of the Fund under the exchange privilege, within a short period, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it would otherwise have held, thus incurring additional transactional costs. Increased use of the exchange
29
privilege may also result in periodic large inflows of money. If this occurs, it is the Funds general policy to initially invest in short-term, interest-bearing money market instruments.
However, if the Adviser believes that attractive investment opportunities (consistent with the Funds investment objective and policies) exist immediately, then it will invest such money in portfolio securities in as orderly a manner as is possible.
The proceeds from the sale of shares of the Fund may not be available until the third business day following the sale. The fund you are seeking to exchange into may also delay issuing shares until that third business day. The sale of Fund shares to complete an exchange will be effected at net asset value of the Fund next computed after your request for exchange is received in proper form.
Eligible Benefit Plans . An eligible benefit plan is an arrangement available to the employees of an employer (or two or more affiliated employers) having not less than 10 employees at the plans inception, or such an employer on behalf of employees of a trust or plan for such employees, their spouses and their children under the age of 21 or a trust or plan for such employees, which provides for purchases through periodic payroll deductions or otherwise. There must be at least 5 initial participants with accounts investing or invested in Fund shares and/or certain other funds.
The initial purchase by the eligible benefit plan and prior purchases by or for the benefit of the initial participants of the plan must aggregate not less than $2,500 and subsequent purchases must be at least $50 per account and must aggregate at least $250. Purchases by the eligible benefit plan must be made pursuant to a single order paid for by a single check or federal funds wire and may not be made more often than monthly. A separate account will be established for each employee, spouse or child for which purchases are made. The requirements for initiating or continuing purchases pursuant to an eligible benefit plan may be modified and the offering to such plans may be terminated at any time without prior notice.
Selling Shares . You may sell your shares by giving instructions to the Transfer Agent by mail or by telephone. The Fund will use reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine and, if the procedures are followed, will not be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions.
The Funds procedure is to redeem shares at the NAV next determined after the Transfer Agent receives the redemption request in proper order. Payment will be made promptly, but no later than the seventh day following the receipt of the redemption request in proper order. The Board may suspend the right of redemption or postpone the date of payment during any period when (a) trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted as determined by the SEC or such exchange is closed for other than weekends and holidays, (b) the SEC has by order permitted such suspension, or (c) an emergency, as defined by rules of the SEC, exists during which time the sale of Fund shares or valuation of securities held by the Fund are not reasonably practicable.
30
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser or the Distributor and their affiliates may, out of their own resources and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, pay a 1% solicitation fee to securities dealers or other financial intermediaries (collectively, a Financial Intermediary) on each customer purchase solicited by the Financial Intermediary in excess of $1 million. These payments may be in addition to payments made by the Fund to the Financial Intermediary under the Funds Rule 12b-1 Plan. For more information regarding the Funds Rule 12b-1 Plan, please see Distribution - Plan of Distribution.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
As described briefly in the applicable prospectus, the Fund offers the following shareholder services:
Regular Account . The regular account allows for voluntary investments to be made at any time. Available to individuals, custodians, corporations, trusts, estates, corporate retirement plans and others, investors are free to make additions and withdrawals to or from their account as often as they wish. Simply use the account application provided with the prospectus to open your account.
Telephone Transactions . A shareholder may redeem shares or transfer into another fund by telephone if this service is requested at the time the shareholder completes the initial account application. If it is not elected at that time, it may be elected at a later date by making a request in writing to the Transfer Agent and having the signature on the request guaranteed. The Fund employs reasonable procedures designed to confirm the authenticity of instructions communicated by telephone and, if it does not, it may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent transactions. As a result of this policy, a shareholder authorizing telephone redemption or transfer bears the risk of loss which may result from unauthorized or fraudulent transactions which the Fund believes to be genuine. When requesting a telephone redemption or transfer, the shareholder will be asked to respond to certain questions designed to confirm he shareholders identity as the shareholder of record. Cooperation with these procedures helps to protect the account and the Fund from unauthorized transactions.
Automatic Investment Plan . Any shareholder may utilize this feature, which provides for automatic monthly investments into your account. Upon your request, the Transfer Agent will withdraw a fixed amount each month from a checking or savings account for investment into the Fund. This does not require a commitment for a fixed period of time. A shareholder may change the monthly investment, skip a month or discontinue the Automatic Investment Plan as desired by notifying the Transfer Agent at (800) 628-4077.
Systematic Withdrawal Program. The Fund offers a Systematic Withdrawal Program (SWP). Under the SWP, you may choose to receive a specified dollar amount, generated from the redemption of shares in your account, on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. In order to participate in the SWP, your account balance must be at least $10,000 and each withdrawal
31
amount must be for a minimum of $100. If you elect this method of redemption, the Fund will send a check to your address of record, or will send the payment via electronic funds transfer through the ACH network, directly to your bank account. For payment through the ACH network, your bank must be an ACH member and your bank account information must be maintained on your Fund account. The SWP may be terminated at any time by the Fund. You may also elect to terminate your participation in the SWP at any time by contacting the transfer agent sufficiently in advance of the next withdrawal.
A withdrawal under the program involves a redemption of shares and may result in a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. In addition, if the amount withdrawn exceeds the dividends credited to your account, the account ultimately may be depleted. To establish the SWP, complete the Systematic Withdrawal Plan section of the Funds Account Application. Please call (800) 628-4077 for additional information regarding the Funds SWP.
Retirement Plans . Fund shares are available for purchase in connection with the following tax-deferred prototype retirement plans:
1. Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) . IRAs are available for use by individuals with compensation for services rendered who wish to use shares of the Fund as the funding medium for individual retirement savings. IRAs include traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs and Rollover IRAs.
2. Simplified Employee Pension Plans (SEPs) . SEPs are a form of retirement plan for sole proprietors, partnerships and corporations.
For information about eligibility requirements and other matters concerning these plans and to obtain the necessary forms to participate in these plans, please call the Trust at (800) 673-0550. Each plans custodian charges nominal fees in connection with plan establishment and maintenance. These fees are detailed in the plan documents. You may wish to consult with your attorney or other tax adviser for specific advice concerning your tax status and plans.
Exchange Privilege . Shareholders may exchange their shares for shares of any other series of the Trust, provided the shares of the Fund the shareholder is exchanging into are registered for sale in the shareholders state of residence. Each account must meet the minimum investment requirements. Also, to make an exchange, an exchange order must comply with the requirements for a redemption or repurchase order and must specify the value or the number of shares to be exchanged. Your exchange will take effect as of the next determination of the Funds NAV per share (usually at the close of business on the same day). The Transfer Agent will charge your account a $10 service fee each time you make such an exchange. The Trust reserves the right to limit the number of exchanges or to otherwise prohibit or restrict shareholders from making exchanges at any time, without notice, should the Trust determine that it would be in the best interest of its shareholders to do so. For tax purposes, an exchange constitutes the sale of the shares of the fund from which you are exchanging and the purchase of shares of the fund into which you are exchanging. Consequently, the sale may involve either a capital gain or loss to the shareholder for federal income tax purposes. The exchange privilege is available only in states where it is legally permissible to do so.
32
TAXES
The following discussion is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders. The discussion reflects applicable federal income tax laws of the U.S. as of the date of this SAI, which tax laws may be changed or subject to new interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS), possibly with retroactive effect. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. income, estate or gift tax, or foreign, state or local tax concerns affecting the Fund and its shareholders (including shareholders owning large positions in the Fund). The discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
In addition, no attempt is made to address tax concerns applicable to an investor with a special tax status such as a financial institution, real estate investment trust, insurance company, regulated investment company (RIC), individual retirement account, other tax-exempt entity, dealer in securities or non-U.S. investor. Furthermore, this discussion does not reflect possible application of the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Unless otherwise noted, this discussion assumes shares of the Fund are held by U.S. shareholders and that such shares are held as capital assets.
A U.S. shareholder is a beneficial owner of shares of the Fund that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is:
|
a citizen
or individual resident of the United States (including certain former citizens and
former long-term residents);
|
||
|
a corporation
or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created
or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the
District of Columbia;
|
||
|
an estate,
the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its
source; or
|
||
|
a trust with
respect to which a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision
over its administration and one or more U.S. shareholders have the authority to
control all of its substantial decisions or the trust has made a valid election
in effect under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
|
A Non-U.S. shareholder is a beneficial owner of shares of the Fund that is an individual, corporation, trust or estate and is not a U.S. shareholder. If a partnership (including any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds shares of the Fund, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally depends upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A prospective shareholder who is a partner of a partnership holding the Fund shares should consult its tax advisors with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of its Fund shares.
33
Taxation as a RIC. The Fund intends to qualify and remain qualified as a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Internal Revenue Code). The Fund will qualify as a RIC if, among other things, it meets the source-of-income and the asset-diversification requirements. With respect to the source-of-income requirement, the Fund must derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income (including tax-exempt interest) from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such shares, securities or currencies and (ii) net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership. A qualified publicly traded partnership is generally defined as a publicly traded partnership under Internal Revenue Code section 7704. However, for these purposes, a qualified publicly traded partnership does not include a publicly traded partnership if 90% or more of its income is described in (i) above. Income derived from a partnership (other than a qualified publicly traded partnership) or trust is qualifying income to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership or trust which would be qualifying income if realized by the Fund in the same manner as realized by the partnership or trust.
The Fund may invest in ETFs that are taxable as RICs under the Code. Accordingly, the income the Fund receives from such ETFs should be qualifying income for purposes of the Fund satisfying the 90% Test described above. However, the Fund may also invest in one or more ETFs that are not taxable as RICs under the Code and that may generate non-qualifying income for purposes of satisfying the 90% Test. The Fund anticipates monitoring its investments in such ETFs so as to keep the Funds non-qualifying income within acceptable limits of the 90% Test, however, it is possible that such non-qualifying income will be more than anticipated which could cause the Fund to inadvertently fail the 90% Test thereby causing the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC. In such a case, the Fund would be subject to the rules described below.
If a RIC fails this 90% source-of-income test it is no longer subject to a 35% penalty as long as such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. Instead, the amount of the penalty for non-compliance is the amount by which the non-qualifying income exceeds one-ninth of the qualifying gross income.
With respect to the asset-diversification requirement, the Fund must diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year (i) at least 50% of the value of the Funds total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, the securities of other RICs and other securities, if such other securities of any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the value of the Funds total assets or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Funds total assets is invested in the securities other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs of (a) one issuer, (b) two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (c) one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.
34
If a RIC fails this asset-diversification test, such RIC, in addition to other cure provisions previously permitted, has a 6-month period to correct any failure without incurring a penalty if such failure is de minimis, meaning that the failure does not exceed the lesser of 1% of the RICs assets, or $10 million. Such cure right is similar to that previously and currently permitted for a REIT.
Similarly, if a RIC fails this asset-diversification test and the failure is not de minimis, a RIC can cure failure if: (a) the RIC files with the Treasury Department a description of each asset that causes the RIC to fail the diversification tests; (b) the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect; and (c) the failure is cured within six months (or such other period specified by the Treasury). In such cases, a tax is imposed on the RIC equal to the greater of: (a) $50,000 or (b) an amount determined by multiplying the highest rate of tax (currently 35%) by the amount of net income generated during the period of diversification test failure by the assets that caused the RIC to fail the diversification test.
If the Fund qualifies as a RIC and distributes to its shareholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of the sum of (i) its investment company taxable income as that term is defined in the Internal Revenue Code (which includes, among other things, dividends, taxable interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses and certain net foreign exchange gains as reduced by certain deductible expenses) without regard to the deduction for dividends paid, and (ii) the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest, if any, over certain deductions attributable to such interest that are otherwise disallowed, the Fund will be relieved of U.S. federal income tax on any income of the Fund, including long-term capital gains, distributed to shareholders. However, any ordinary income or capital gain retained by the Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate federal income tax rates (currently at a maximum rate of 35%). The Fund intends to distribute at least annually substantially all of its investment company taxable income, net tax-exempt interest, and net capital gain.
The Fund will generally be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on the portion of its undistributed ordinary income with respect to each calendar year and undistributed capital gains if it fails to meet certain distribution requirements with respect to the one-year period ending on October 31 in that calendar year. To avoid the 4% federal excise tax, the required minimum distribution is generally equal to the sum of (i) 98% of the Funds ordinary income (computed on a calendar year basis), (ii) 98.2% of the Funds capital gain net income (generally computed for the one-year period ending on October 31) and (iii) any income realized, but not distributed, and on which we paid no federal income tax in preceding years. The Fund generally intends to make distributions in a timely manner in an amount at least equal to the required minimum distribution and therefore, under normal market conditions, does not expect to be subject to this excise tax.
The Fund may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which it does not receive cash. For example, if the Fund holds debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with payment in
35
kind interest or, in certain cases, with increasing interest rates or that are issued with warrants), the Fund must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the life of the obligation regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by the Fund in the same taxable year. Because any original issue discount accrued will be included in the Funds investment company taxable income (discussed above) for the year of accrual, the Fund may be required to make a distribution to its shareholders to satisfy the distribution requirement, even though it will not have received an amount of cash that corresponds with the income earned.
To the extent that the Fund has capital loss carryforwards from prior tax years, those carryforwards will reduce the net capital gains that can support the Funds distribution of Capital Gain Dividends. If the Fund uses net capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning on or before December 22, 2010 (pre-2011 losses), those carryforwards will not reduce the Funds current earnings and profits, as losses incurred in later years will. As a result, if the Fund then makes distributions of capital gains recognized during the current year in excess of net capital gains (as reduced by carryforwards), the portion of the excess equal to pre-2011 losses factoring into net capital gain will be taxable as an ordinary dividend distribution, even though that distributed excess amount would not have been subject to tax if retained by the Fund. Capital loss carryforwards are reduced to the extent they offset current-year net realized capital gains, whether the Fund retains or distributes such gains. Beginning in 2011, a RIC is permitted to carry forward net capital losses indefinitely and may allow losses to retain their original character (as short or as long-term). For net capital losses recognized prior to such date, such losses are permitted to be carried forward up to 8 years and are characterized as short-term. These capital loss carryforwards may be utilized in future years to offset net realized capital gains of the Fund, if any, prior to distributing such gains to shareholders.
As of March 31, 2014, the Fund had capital loss carryforwards of $860,612, which expire March 31, 2018.
Except as set forth in Failure to Qualify as a RIC, the remainder of this discussion assumes that the Fund will qualify as a RIC for each taxable year.
Failure to Qualify as a RIC. If the Fund is unable to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement or otherwise fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it will be subject to corporate level income tax on all of its income and gain, regardless of whether or not such income was distributed. Distributions to the Funds shareholders of such income and gain will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In such event, the Funds distributions, to the extent derived from the Funds current or accumulated earnings and profits, would constitute ordinary dividends, which would generally be eligible for the dividends received deduction available to corporate shareholders, and non-corporate shareholders would generally be able to treat such distributions as qualified dividend income eligible for reduced rates of U.S. federal income taxation provided in each case that certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied.
Distributions in excess of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholders tax basis in their Fund
36
shares, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. To qualify as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the source-of-income, the asset diversification, and the annual distribution requirements for that year and dispose of any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. Subject to a limited exception applicable to RICs that qualified as such under the Internal Revenue Code for at least one year prior to disqualification and that requalify as a RIC no later than the second year following the nonqualifying year, the Fund would be subject to tax on any unrealized built-in gains in the assets held by it during the period in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC that are recognized within the subsequent 10 years, unless the Fund made a special election to pay corporate-level tax on such built-in gain at the time of its requalification as a RIC.
Taxation for U.S. Shareholders. Distributions paid to U.S. shareholders by the Fund from its investment company taxable income (which is, generally, the Funds ordinary income plus net realized short-term capital gains in excess of net realized long-term capital losses) are generally taxable to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Funds earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. Such distributions (if designated by the Fund) may qualify (i) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders under Section 243 of the Internal Revenue Code to the extent that the Funds income consists of dividend income from U.S. corporations, excluding distributions from tax-exempt organizations, exempt farmers cooperatives or real estate investment trusts or (ii) in the case of individual shareholders as qualified dividend income eligible to be taxed at reduced rates under Section 1(h)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code (which generally provides for a maximum 20% rate) to the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income, and provided in each case certain holding period and other requirements are met. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations ( e.g. , generally, foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a qualified comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, or the stock with respect to which such dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). A qualified foreign corporation generally excludes any foreign corporation, which for the taxable year of the corporation in which the dividend was paid, or the preceding taxable year, is a passive foreign investment company. Distributions made to a U.S. shareholder from an excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends), including capital gain dividends credited to such shareholder but retained by the Fund, are taxable to such shareholder as long-term capital gain if they have been properly designated by the Fund, regardless of the length of time such shareholder owned the shares of the Fund. The maximum tax rate on capital gain dividends received by individuals is generally 20%. Distributions in excess of the Funds earnings and profits will be treated by the U.S. shareholder, first, as a tax-free return of capital, which is applied against and will reduce the adjusted tax basis of the U.S. shareholders shares and, after such adjusted tax basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain to the U.S. shareholder (assuming the shares are held as a capital asset). The Fund is not required to provide written notice designating the amount of any qualified dividend income or capital gain dividends and other distributions. The Forms 1099 will instead serve this notice purpose.
37
As a RIC, the Fund will be subject to the AMT, but any items that are treated differently for AMT purposes must be apportioned between the Fund and the shareholders and this may affect the shareholders AMT liabilities. The Fund intends in general to apportion these items in the same proportion that dividends paid to each shareholder bear to the Funds taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction).
For purpose of determining (i) whether the annual distribution requirement is satisfied for any year and (ii) the amount of capital gain dividends paid for that year, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, elect to treat a dividend that is paid during the following taxable year as if it had been paid during the taxable year in question. If the Fund makes such an election, the U.S. shareholder will still be treated as receiving the dividend in the taxable year in which the distribution is made. However, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following year, will be treated as if it had been received by the U.S. shareholders on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.
The Fund intends to distribute all realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. If, however, the Fund were to retain any net capital gain, the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to shareholders who, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the federal income tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. If such an event occurs, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, generally be increased by the difference between the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in the shareholders gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholders.
Sales and other dispositions of the shares of the Fund generally are taxable events. U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax adviser with reference to their individual circumstances to determine whether any particular transaction in the shares of the Fund is properly treated as a sale or exchange for federal income tax purposes, as the following discussion assumes, and the tax treatment of any gains or losses recognized in such transactions. The sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund will generally result in capital gain or loss to the shareholder equal to the difference between the amount realized and his adjusted tax basis in the shares sold or exchanged, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year at the time of sale. Any loss upon the sale or exchange of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) by such shareholder with respect to such shares. A loss realized on a sale or exchange of shares of the Fund generally will be disallowed if other substantially identical shares are acquired within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date that the shares are disposed. In such case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Present law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates
38
applicable to ordinary income of corporations. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain will currently be taxed at the rate applicable to ordinary income, currently a maximum of 35%, while long-term capital gain generally will be taxed at a maximum rate of 20%. Capital losses are subject to certain limitations.
Federal law requires that mutual fund companies report their shareholders cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the Internal Revenue Service on the Funds shareholders Consolidated Form 1099s when covered securities are sold. Covered securities are any regulated investment company and/or dividend reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012.
The Fund has chosen average cost as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. A tax lot identification method is the way the Fund will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Funds standing tax lot identification method is the method covered shares will be reported on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific tax lot identification method. You may choose a method different than the Funds standing method and will be able to do so at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Please refer to the appropriate Internal Revenue Service regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances.
For those securities defined as covered under current Internal Revenue Service cost basis tax reporting regulations, the Fund is responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis and tax lot information for tax reporting purposes. The Fund is not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not covered. The Fund and its service providers do not provide tax advice. You should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with respect to any decisions you may make with respect to choosing a tax lot identification method.
For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, certain U.S. shareholders, including individuals and estates and trusts, will be subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their net investment income, which should include dividends from the Fund and net gains from the disposition of shares of the Fund. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in the Fund.
Original Issue Discount, Pay-In-Kind Securities, Market Discount and Commodity-Linked Notes. Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance (and zero-coupon debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt obligations that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (OID) is treated as interest income and is included in the Funds taxable income (and required to be distributed by the Fund) over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security.
39
Some debt obligations (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Very generally, market discount is the excess of the stated redemption price of a debt obligation (or in the case of an obligations issued with OID, its revised issue price) over the purchase price of such obligation. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt obligation having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the accrued market discount on such debt obligation. Alternatively, the Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in the Funds income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in the Funds income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects. In the case of higher-risk securities, the amount of market discount may be unclear. See Higher-Risk Securities.
Some debt obligations (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount (very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price over the purchase price), or OID in the case of certain types of debt obligations. The Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income (as ordinary income) over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt obligations having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.
In addition, payment-in-kind securities will, and commodity-linked notes may, give rise to income that is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.
If the Fund holds the foregoing kinds of securities, it may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary (including when it is not advantageous to do so). The Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution than they would in the absence of such transactions.
Higher-Risk Securities. To the extent such investments are permissible for the Fund, the Fund may invest in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default. Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present special tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts
40
or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income. In limited circumstances, it may also not be clear whether the Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, and if so, what amount of market discount the Fund should recognize. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Issuer Deductibility of Interest. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high yield discount obligations owned by the Fund may not be deductible to (and thus, may affect the cash flow of) the issuer. If a portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high yield discount obligations is not deductible, that portion will be treated as a dividend for purposes of the corporate dividends-received deduction. In such cases, if the issuer of the high yield discount obligations is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.
Interest paid on debt obligations owned by the Fund, if any, that are considered for U.S. tax purposes to be payable in the equity of the issuer or a related party will not be deductible to the issuer, possibly affecting the cash flow of the issuer.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders. A tax-exempt shareholder could recognize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 514(b). Furthermore, a tax-exempt shareholder may recognize UBTI if the Fund recognizes excess inclusion income derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs if the amount of such income recognized by the Fund exceeds the Funds investment company taxable income (after taking into account deductions for dividends paid by the Fund).
In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT (as defined in section 664 of the Internal Revenue Code) that realizes any UBTI for a taxable year, must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI solely as a result of investing in the Fund that recognizes excess inclusion income. Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in the Fund that recognizes excess inclusion income, then the regulated investment company will be subject to a tax on that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders, at the highest federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which this IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder, and thus reduce such
41
shareholders distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholders interest in the Fund. The Fund has not yet determined whether such an election will be made. CRTs and other tax-exempt investors are urged to consult their tax advisers concerning the consequences of investing in the Fund.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies. A passive foreign investment company (PFIC) is any foreign corporation: (i) 75% or more of the gross income of which for the taxable year is passive income, or (ii) the average percentage of the assets of which (generally by value, but by adjusted tax basis in certain cases) that produce or are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%. Generally, passive income for this purpose means dividends, interest (including income equivalent to interest), royalties, rents, annuities, the excess of gains over losses from certain property transactions and commodities transactions, and foreign currency gains. Passive income for this purpose does not include rents and royalties received by the foreign corporation from active business and certain income received from related persons.
Equity investments by the Fund in certain PFICs could potentially subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax or other charge (including interest charges) on the distributions received from the PFIC or on proceeds received from the disposition of shares in the PFIC. This tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to Fund shareholders. However, the Fund may elect to avoid the imposition of that tax. For example, if the Fund is in a position to and elects to treat a PFIC as a qualified electing fund ( i.e. , make a QEF election), the Fund will be required to include its share of the PFIC s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC. Alternatively, the Fund may make an election to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its PFIC holdings to the market as though it had sold and repurchased its holdings in those PFICs on the last day of the Funds taxable year. Such gains and losses are treated as ordinary income and loss. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may accelerate the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increase the amount required to be distributed by the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require the Fund to liquidate other investments (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to meet its distribution requirement, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and affect the Funds total return. Dividends paid by PFICs will not be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income.
Because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC, the Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances.
Foreign Currency Transactions. The Funds transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. Any such net gains could require a larger dividend toward the end of the calendar year. Any such net losses will generally reduce and potentially require the recharacterization of prior ordinary income distributions. Such ordinary income treatment may accelerate Fund distributions to shareholders and increase the distributions taxed to shareholders as ordinary income. Any net ordinary losses so created cannot be carried forward by the Fund to offset income or gains earned in subsequent taxable years.
42
Master Limited Partnerships To qualify for master limited partner (MLP) status, a partnership must generate at least 90% of its income from what the IRS deems qualifying sources, which include all manner of activities related to the production, processing or transportation of oil, natural gas and coal. MLPs, as partnership, pay no corporate tax, and the IRS deems much of the distributions paid out as a return of capital, and taxes on such distributions are deferred until the Fund sells its position therein. As partnerships, MLPs pass through the majority of their income to investors in the form of regular quarterly distributions. You as owner of the Fund are responsible for paying tax on your share of distributions received. In addition, the regular quarterly cash payments MLPs pay out are known as distributions rather than dividends. With respect to each MLP in which the Fund invests, MLP investors, and therefore you as owner of the Fund, may be subject to the state tax of each state in which the MLP has operations or does business. If a MLP is held in a tax-sheltered account, such as an IRA, the portion of the distributions designated as ordinary income may be considered unrelated business taxable income (UBTI), and subject to tax. However, UBTI is usually a small percentage of total distributions and it will not be taxed as long as the amount of this income and all other sources of UBTI does not exceed $1,000 in any year.
Foreign Taxation. Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes.
The ETFs in which the Fund invests may invest in foreign securities. Dividends and interest received by an ETFs holding of foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If the ETF in which the Fund invests is taxable as a RIC and meets certain other requirements, which include a requirement that more than 50% of the value of such ETFs total assets at the close of its respective taxable year consists of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, then the ETF should be eligible to file an election with the IRS that may enable its shareholders, including the Fund in effect, to receive either the benefit of a foreign tax credit, or a tax deduction, with respect to any foreign and U.S. possessions income taxes paid the by Fund, subject to certain limitations.
A qualified fund of funds is a RIC that has at least 50% of the value of its total interests invested in other RICs at the end of each quarter of the taxable year. If the Fund satisfied this requirement or if it meets certain other requirements, which include a requirement that more than 50% of the value of the Funds total assets at the close of its taxable year consist of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, then the Fund should be eligible to file an election with the IRS that may enable its shareholders to receive either the benefit of a foreign tax credit, or a tax deduction, with respect to any foreign and U.S. possessions income taxes paid by the Fund, subject to certain limitations.
43
Foreign Shareholders. Capital Gain Dividends are generally not subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax. Absent a specific statutory exemption, dividends other than Capital Gain Dividends paid by the Fund to a shareholder that is not a U.S. person within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code (such shareholder, a foreign shareholder) are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding.
Effective for taxable years of a regulated investment company beginning before January 1, 2012, a regulated investment company is not required to withhold any amounts (i) with respect to distributions (other than distributions to a foreign person (w) that does not provide a satisfactory statement that the beneficial owner is not a U.S. person, (x) to the extent that the dividend is attributable to certain interest on an obligation if the foreign person is the issuer or is a 10% shareholder of the issuer, (y) that is within a foreign country that has inadequate information exchange with the United States, or (z) to the extent the dividend is attributable to interest paid by a person that is a related person of the foreign person and the foreign person is a controlled foreign corporation) from U.S.-source interest income of types similar to those not subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual foreign person, to the extent such distributions are properly reported as such by the Fund in a written notice to shareholders (interest-related dividends), and (ii) with respect to distributions (other than (a) distributions to an individual foreign person who is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the distribution and (b) distributions subject to special rules regarding the disposition of U.S. real property interests as described below) of net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses to the extent such distributions are properly reported by the regulated investment company (short-term capital gain dividends). If the Fund invests in an underlying fund that pays such distributions to the Fund, such distributions retain their character as not subject to withholding if properly reported when paid by the Fund to foreign persons.
The Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so. The exemption from withholding for interest-related and short-term capital gain dividends will expire for distributions with respect to taxable years of the Fund beginning on or after January 1, 2012, unless Congress enacts legislation providing otherwise. These exemptions from withholding will not be available to foreign shareholders of Funds that do not currently report their dividends as interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends.
In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports all or a portion of a payment as an interest-related or short-term capital gain dividend to shareholders. Foreign persons should contact their intermediaries regarding the application of these rules to their accounts.
Under U.S. federal tax law, a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign shareholder generally is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on the sale of shares of the Fund or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such
44
gain or dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States, (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other conditions are met, or (iii) the special rules relating to gain attributable to the sale or exchange of U.S. real property interests (USRPIs) apply to the foreign shareholders sale of shares of the Fund or to the Capital Gain Dividend the foreign shareholder received (as described below).
Special rules would apply if the Fund were either a U.S. real property holding corporation (USRPHC) or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain exceptions to the definition thereof. Very generally, a USRPHC is a domestic corporation that holds USRPIs the fair market value of which equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market values of the corporations USPRIs, interests in real property located outside the United States, and other assets. USRPIs are generally defined as any interest in U.S. real property and any interest (other than solely as a creditor) in a USRPHC or former USRPHC.
If the Fund were a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the exceptions referred to above, any distributions by the Fund to a foreign shareholder (including, in certain cases, distributions made by the Fund in redemption of its shares) attributable to gains realized by the Fund on the disposition of USRPIs or to distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier regulated investment company or REIT that the Fund is required to treat as USRPI gain in its hands generally would be subject to U.S. tax withholding. In addition, such distributions could result in the foreign shareholder being required to file a U.S. tax return and pay tax on the distributions at regular U.S. federal income tax rates. The consequences to a foreign shareholder, including the rate of such withholding and character of such distributions ( e.g ., as ordinary income or USRPI gain), would vary depending upon the extent of the foreign shareholders current and past ownership of the Fund. On and after January 1, 2012, this look-through USRPI treatment for distributions by the Fund, if it were either a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of the exceptions referred to above, to foreign shareholders applies only to those distributions that, in turn, are attributable to distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier REIT, unless Congress enacts legislation providing otherwise.
In addition, if the Fund were a USRPHC or former USRPHC, it could be required to withhold U.S. tax on the proceeds of a share redemption by a greater-than-5% foreign shareholder, in which case such foreign shareholder generally would also be required to file U.S. tax returns and pay any additional taxes due in connection with the redemption.
Whether or not the Fund is characterized as a USRPHC will depend upon the nature and mix of the Funds assets. The Fund does not expect to be a USRPHC. Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisors concerning the application of these rules to their investment in the Fund.
If a beneficial holder of Fund shares who is a foreign shareholder has a trade or business in the United States, and the dividends are effectively connected with the beneficial holders conduct of that trade or business, the dividend will be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates.
45
If a beneficial holder of Fund shares who is a foreign shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any effectively connected income or gain will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by that beneficial holder in the United States.
Backup Withholding. The Fund generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and redemption proceeds paid to any individual shareholder who fails to properly furnish the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding tax rate currently is 28%.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholders U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.
Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Funds shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayers treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
Shareholder Reporting Obligations With Respect to Foreign Financial Assets. Certain individuals (and, if provided in future guidance, certain domestic entities) must disclose annually their interests in specified foreign financial assets on IRS Form 8938, which must be attached to their U.S. federal income tax returns for taxable years beginning after March 18, 2010. The IRS has not yet released a copy of the Form 8938 and has suspended the requirement to attach Form 8938 for any taxable year for which an income tax return is filed before the
46
release of Form 8938. Following Form 8938s release, individuals will be required to attach to their next income tax return required to be filed with the IRS a Form 8938 for each taxable year for which the filing of Form 8938 was suspended. Until the IRS provides more details regarding this reporting requirement, including in Form 8938 itself and related Treasury regulations, it remains unclear under what circumstances, if any, a shareholders (indirect) interest in the Funds specified foreign financial assets, if any, will be required to be reported on this Form 8938.
Other Reporting and Withholding Requirements. Rules enacted in March 2010 require the reporting to the IRS of direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts and foreign entities by U.S. persons. Failure to provide this required information can result in a 30% withholding tax on certain payments (withholdable payments) made after December 31, 2012. Specifically, withholdable payments subject to this 30% withholding tax include payments of U.S.-source dividends and interest made on or after January 1, 2014, and payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposal of property that can produce U.S.-source dividends or interest made on or after January 1, 2015.
The IRS has issued only very preliminary guidance with respect to these new rules; their scope remains unclear and potentially subject to material change. Very generally, it is possible that distributions made by the Fund after the dates noted above (or such later dates as may be provided in future guidance) to a shareholder, including a distribution in redemption of shares and a distribution of income or gains otherwise exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to non-U.S. shareholders described above ( e.g. , Capital Gain Dividends, Short-Term Capital Gain Dividends and interest-related dividends, as described above) will be subject to the new 30% withholding requirement. Payments to a foreign shareholder that is a foreign financial institution will generally be subject to withholding, unless such shareholder enters into a timely agreement with the IRS. Payments to shareholders that are U.S. persons or foreign individuals will generally not be subject to withholding, so long as such shareholders provide the Fund with such certifications or other documentation, including, to the extent required, with regard to such shareholders direct and indirect owners, as the Fund requires to comply with the new rules. Persons investing in the Fund through an intermediary should contact their intermediary regarding the application of the new reporting and withholding regime to their investments in the Fund.
Shareholders are urged to consult a tax advisor regarding this new reporting and withholding regime, in light of their particular circumstances.
Shares Purchased through Tax-Qualified Plans. Special tax rules apply to investments through defined contribution plans and other tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the suitability of shares of the Fund as an investment through such plans, and the precise effect of an investment on their particular tax situation.
The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the
47
Fund and its shareholders. These provisions are subject to change by legislative and administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal income, estate or gift taxes, or foreign, state, local taxes or other taxes.
BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES
Brokerage Transactions . Generally, equity securities are bought and sold through brokerage transactions for which commissions are payable. Purchases from underwriters will include the underwriting commission or concession, and purchases from dealers serving as market makers will include a dealers mark-up or reflect a dealers mark-down. The purchase price for securities bought from dealers serving as market makers will similarly include the dealers mark up or reflect a dealers mark down. When the Fund executes transactions in the over-the-counter market, it will generally deal with primary market makers unless prices that are more favorable are otherwise obtainable.
In selecting brokers and dealers to execute portfolio transactions, the Adviser may consider research and brokerage services furnished to the Adviser or its affiliates. The Adviser may not consider sales of shares of the Fund as a factor in the selection of brokers and dealers, but may place portfolio transactions with brokers and dealers that promote or sell the Funds shares so long as such transactions are done in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Trustees that are designed to ensure that the selection is based on the quality of execution and not on sales efforts. When placing portfolio transactions with a broker or dealer, the Adviser may aggregate securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for other advisory accounts managed by the Adviser. In aggregating such securities, the Adviser will average the transaction as to price and will allocate available investments in a manner that the Adviser believes to be fair and reasonable to the Fund and such other advisory accounts. An aggregated order will generally be allocated on a pro rata basis among all participating accounts, based on the relative dollar values of the participating accounts, or using any other method deemed to be fair to the participating accounts, with any exceptions to such methods involving the Trust being reported to the Trustees.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act permits the Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause the Fund to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. In addition to agency transactions, the Adviser may receive brokerage and research services in connection with certain riskless principal transactions, in accordance with applicable SEC guidance. Brokerage and research services include: (1) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (2) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, Fund strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (3) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). In the case of research services, the Adviser believes that access to independent investment research is beneficial to its investment decision-making processes and, therefore, to the Fund.
48
To the extent that research services may be a factor in selecting brokers, such services may be in written form or through direct contact with individuals and may include information as to particular companies and securities as well as market, economic, or institutional areas and information which assists in the valuation and pricing of investments. Examples of research-oriented services for which the Adviser might utilize Fund commissions include research reports and other information on the economy, industries, sectors, groups of securities, individual companies, statistical information, political developments, technical market action, pricing and appraisal services, credit analysis, risk measurement analysis, performance and other analysis. The Adviser may use research services furnished by brokers in servicing all client accounts and not all services may necessarily be used in connection with the account that paid commissions to the broker providing such services. Information so received by the Adviser will be in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by the Funds Adviser under the Advisory Agreement. Any advisory or other fees paid to the Adviser are not reduced as a result of the receipt of research services.
In some cases the Adviser may receive a service from a broker that has both a research and a non-research use. When this occurs, the Adviser makes a good faith allocation, under all the circumstances, between the research and non-research uses of the service. The percentage of the service that is used for research purposes may be paid for with client commissions, while the Adviser will use its own funds to pay for the percentage of the service that is used for non-research purposes. In making this good faith allocation, the Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest, but the Adviser believes that its allocation procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that it appropriately allocates the anticipated use of such services to their research and non-research uses.
From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the seller may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide the Adviser with research services. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the seller will provide research credits in these situations at a rate that is higher than that which is available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
Brokerage with Fund Affiliates . The Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of either the Fund, the Adviser or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 1934 Act) and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules further require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund for exchange transactions not exceed usual and customary brokerage commissions. The rules define usual and customary commissions to include amounts which are reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during
49
a comparable period of time. The Trustees, including those who are not interested persons of the Fund, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.
For the fiscal period ended March 31, 2014 the Fund paid no brokerage commissions on portfolio transactions effected by affiliated brokers.
Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers The Fund is required to identify any securities of its regular brokers and dealers (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which the Fund may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. As of June 30, 2014, the Fund did not hold any securities of its regular brokers and dealers.
Allocation. When two or more clients managed by the Adviser are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the transactions are allocated in a manner deemed equitable to each client. In some cases this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Fund is concerned. In other cases, however, the ability to participate in volume transactions will be beneficial to the Fund. The Board believes that these advantages, when combined with the other benefits available because of the Advisers organization, outweigh the disadvantages that may exist from this treatment of transactions.
For the fiscal years ended March 31, the Fund and Predecessor Fund paid aggregate brokerage commissions as follows:
2014 | $54,890 |
2013 | $40,385 |
2012 | $53,098 |
Of such amount, the following was paid to firms for research, statistical or other services provided to the Adviser:
2014 | $10,534 |
2013 | $13,506 |
2012 | $40,578 |
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES HOLDINGS
The Trust maintains written policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of its portfolio holdings to ensure that disclosure of information about portfolio securities is in the best interests of the Funds shareholders. The Board reviews these policies and procedures on an annual basis. Compliance will be periodically assessed by the Board in connection with a report from the Trusts Chief Compliance Officer. In addition, the Board has reviewed and approved the list below of entities that may receive portfolio holdings information prior to and more frequently than the public disclosure of such information (i.e., non-standard disclosure). The Board has
50
also delegated authority to the Trusts President and to senior management at the Trusts administrator, Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc. (CSS), to provide such information in certain circumstances (see below). The Board is notified of, and reviews any requests for non-standard disclosure approved by the Trusts President and/or senior management at CSS. CSS reports quarterly to the Board regarding the implementation of such policies and procedures.
The Trust is required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) to file its complete portfolio holdings schedule with the SEC on a quarterly basis. This schedule is filed with the Trusts annual and semi-annual reports on Form N-CSR for the second and fourth fiscal quarters and on Form N-Q for the first and third fiscal quarters. The portfolio holdings information provided in these reports is as of the end of the quarter in question. Form N-CSR must be filed with the SEC no later than ten (10) calendar days after the Trust transmits its annual or semi-annual report to its shareholders. Form N-Q must be filed with the SEC no later than sixty (60) calendar days after the end of the applicable quarter.
The Trusts service providers which have contracted to provide services to the Trust and its funds, including, for example, the custodian and the Funds accountants, and which require portfolio holdings information in order to perform those services, may receive non-standard disclosure. Non-standard disclosure of portfolio holdings information may also be provided to a third-party when the Trust has a legitimate business purpose for doing so. The Trust has the following ongoing arrangements with certain third parties to provide the Funds full portfolio holdings:
1. |
to the Trusts auditors within sixty (60) days after the applicable fiscal period for use
in providing audit opinions;
|
||
2. |
to financial
printers within sixty (60) days after the applicable fiscal period for the purpose
of preparing Trust regulatory filings;
|
||
3. |
to rating
agencies on a monthly basis for use in developing a rating for the Fund; and
|
||
4. |
to the Trusts administrator, custodian, transfer agent and accounting services provider
on a daily basis in connection with their providing services to the Fund.
|
The Trust currently has no other arrangements for the provision of non-standard disclosure to any party or shareholder.
Other than the non-standard disclosure discussed above, if a third-party requests specific, current information regarding the Funds portfolio holdings, the Trust will refer the third-party to the latest regulatory filing.
Non-standard disclosure of portfolio holdings may only be made pursuant to a written request that has been approved by the Board. The Board has authorized the President of the Trust
51
and senior management at CSS to consider and approve such written requests for non-standard disclosure; provided that, they promptly report any such approval to the Board.
All of the arrangements above are subject to the policies and procedures adopted by the Board to ensure such disclosure is for a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. There may be instances where the interests of the Trusts shareholders respecting the disclosure of information about portfolio holdings may conflict or appear to conflict with the interests of the Funds investment Adviser, principal underwriter for the Trust or an affiliated person of the Trust (including such affiliated persons investment Adviser or principal underwriter). In such situations, the conflict must be disclosed to the Board, and the Board must be afforded the opportunity to determine whether or not to allow such disclosure.
Affiliated persons of the Trust who receive non-standard disclosure are subject to restrictions and limitations on the use and handling of such information pursuant to a Code of Ethics, including requirements to maintain the confidentiality of such information, pre-clear securities trades and report securities transactions activity, as applicable. Affiliated persons of the Trust and third party service providers of the Trust receiving such non-standard disclosure will be instructed that such information must be kept confidential and that no trading on such information should be allowed.
Neither the Trust, its investment Adviser, nor any affiliate thereof receives compensation or other consideration in connection with the non-standard disclosure of information about portfolio securities.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on April 9, 2007. The Trusts Agreement and Declaration of Trust authorizes the Board to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest in the Trust and to classify or reclassify any unissued shares into one or more series of shares. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust further authorizes the trustees to classify or reclassify any series of shares into one or more classes. The Trusts shares of beneficial interest have no par value.
Shares have no preemptive rights and only such conversion or exchange rights as the Board may grant in its discretion. When issued for payment as described in the prospectus, shares will be fully paid and non-assessable. In the event of a liquidation or dissolution of the Trust or an individual fund, shareholders of a fund are entitled to receive the assets available for distribution belonging to the particular fund, and a proportionate distribution, based upon the relative asset values of the respective fund, of any general assets of the Trust not belonging to any particular fund which are available for distribution.
Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each full share held, and a proportionate fractional vote for each fractional share held, and will vote in the aggregate and not by class, except as otherwise expressly required by law or when the Board determines that the matter to be
52
voted on affects only the interests of shareholders of a particular class. Voting rights are not cumulative and, accordingly, the holders of more than 50% of the aggregate of the Trusts outstanding shares may elect all of the trustees, irrespective of the votes of other shareholders.
Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that any matter required to be submitted to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Trust shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each fund affected by the matter. A particular fund is deemed to be affected by a matter unless it is clear that the interests of each fund in the matter are substantially identical or that the matter does not affect any interest of the fund. Under the Rule, the approval of an investment management agreement or any change in an investment objective, if fundamental, or in a fundamental investment policy would be effectively acted upon with respect to a fund only if approved by a majority of the outstanding shares of such fund. However, the Rule also provides that the ratification of the appointment of independent public accountants, the approval of principal underwriting contracts and the election of trustees may be effectively acted upon by shareholders of the Trust voting without regard to series or class.
The Trust does not presently intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders except as required by the 1940 Act or other applicable law. Upon the written request of shareholders owning at least 25% of the Trusts shares, the Trust will call for a meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of one or more trustees and other certain matters. To the extent required by law, the Trust will assist in shareholder communication in such matters.
The Board has full power and authority, in its sole discretion, and without obtaining shareholder approval, to divide or combine the shares of any class or series thereof into a greater or lesser number, to classify or reclassify any issued shares or any class or series thereof into one or more classes or series of shares, and to take such other action with respect to the Trusts shares as the Board may deem desirable. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust authorizes the trustees, without shareholder approval, to cause the Trust to merge or to consolidate with any corporation, association, trust or other organization in order to change the form of organization and/or domicile of the Trust or to sell or exchange all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust, or any series or class thereof, in dissolution of the Trust, or any series or class thereof. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust permits the termination of the Trust or of any series or class of the Trust by the trustees without shareholder approval. However, the exercise of such authority by the Board without shareholder approval may be subject to certain restrictions or limitations under the 1940 Act.
PROXY VOTING
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Fund to the Adviser. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which are included in Exhibit A to this SAI. The Board of Trustees will periodically review the Funds proxy voting record.
53
The Trust is required to disclose annually the Funds complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX. The Funds proxy voting record for each year ended June 30 is available upon request by calling 1-800-673-0550 or by writing to the Fund at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235. The Funds Form N-PX will also be available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
CODES OF ETHICS
The Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Trust, has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. In addition, the Adviser, Distributor and Administrator have each adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1. These Codes of Ethics apply to the personal investing activities of trustees, officers and certain employees (access persons). Rule 17j-1 and the Codes of Ethics are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by access persons. Under each Code of Ethics, access persons are permitted to engage in personal securities transactions, but are required to report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. In addition, certain access persons are required to obtain approval before investing in initial public offerings or private placements, or are prohibited from making such investments. Copies of these Codes of Ethics are on file with the SEC, and are available to the public.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The Fund is a continuation of the Predecessor Fund and, therefore, the Funds financial information includes results of the Predecessor Fund. The Predecessor Fund commenced operations on April 9, 1998. Shareholders of the Predecessor Fund approved the reorganization into the Fund on October 12, 2012 and received shares of the Fund on October 26, 2012. The audited financial statements of the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal periods ended March 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, including the financial highlights appearing in the Annual Report to shareholders, have been adopted by the Fund and are incorporated by reference and made a part of this document. You may request a copy of the annual and semi-annual reports for both the Fund, once available, and Predecessor Fund at no charge by calling the Fund at:
World Funds
Trust
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205
Richmond, Virginia 23235
Telephone:
(800) 673-0550
54
EXHIBIT A
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
OF
PERKINS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
Policy
Perkins Capital Management, Inc., (Adviser) acts as discretionary investment adviser for various clients including clients governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and open-end investment companies (mutual funds). Item 15 of our advisory contract reads Client hereby retains all authority and responsibility to vote proxies for any stocks held in the Account unless voting authority is specifically delegated to Perkins Capital Management, Inc. in writing by the clients Therefore, unless a client (including a named fiduciary under ERISA) specifically delegates the right, in writing, for Adviser to vote the proxies or to take shareholder action with respect to other corporate actions requiring shareholder actions, the client shall retain responsibility for such actions. Adviser will vote all proxies and act on all other actions in a timely manner as part of its full discretionary authority over client assets when requested in writing in accordance with this policy and procedure. Corporate actions may include, for example and without limitation, tender offers or exchanges, bankruptcy proceedings, and class actions.
When voting proxies or acting with respect to corporate actions for clients, Perkins Capital Management, Inc.s utmost concern is that all decisions be made solely in the best interest of the client (and for ERISA accounts, plan beneficiaries and participants, in accordance with the letter and spirit of ERISA). Adviser will act in a prudent and diligent manner intended to enhance the economic value of the assets of the clients account.
Background
Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised.
Investment advisers registered with the SEC, and which exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, are required by Rule 206(4)-6 of the Advisers Act to (a) adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that client securities are voted in the best interests of clients, which must include how an adviser addresses material conflicts that may arise between an advisers interests and those of its clients; (b) to disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the adviser with respect to the voting of proxies for their securities; (c) to describe to clients a summary of its proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy to its clients; and (d) maintain certain records relating to the advisers proxy voting activities when the adviser does have proxy voting authority.
55
Responsibility
The CCO has the responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of our proxy voting policy, practices, disclosures and record keeping, including making amendments to our voting guidelines in our procedures. Currently two employees share the process of voting proxies at the direction of the portfolio managers.
Procedure
When Perkins Capital Management, Inc. is delegated to vote proxies, the Adviser is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all proxies received are voted in a timely manner and in a manner consistent with the Advisers determination of the clients best interest. Although many proxy proposals can be voted in accordance with the Advisers established guidelines, the Adviser recognizes that some proposals require special consideration which may dictate that the Adviser makes an exception to the following guidelines.
Also when delegated to vote proxies, the Adviser will be responsible for ensuring that all corporate action notices or requests which require shareholder action received by Adviser are addressed in a timely manner and consistent action is taken across all similarly situated client accounts.
Conflicts of Interest
Where a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between Advisers interest and clients interest, including a mutual fund client, individual portfolio managers will resolve such a conflict in the manner described below:
|
Vote in Accordance
with the Guidelines: To the extent that the Adviser has little or no discretion
to deviate from the guidelines with respect to the proposal in question, the Adviser
shall vote in accordance with such pre-determined voting policy. If the guidelines
are not specific enough to direct the individual portfolio manager, the assistant
voting the proxy, the CCO and portfolio manager will discuss and arrive at a mutually
agreeable solution for voting.
|
||
|
Obtain Consent
of Clients: To the extent that Adviser has discretion to deviate from the guidelines
with respect to the proposal in question, Adviser will disclose the conflict to
the relevant clients and obtain their consent to the proposed vote prior to voting
the securities. The disclosure to the client will include sufficient detail regarding
the matter to be voted on and the nature of Advisers conflict that the client
would be able to make an informed decision regarding the vote. If a client does
not respond to such a conflict disclosure request or denies the request, Adviser
will abstain from voting the securities held by that clients account.
|
||
|
Client Directive
to Use and Independent Third Party: Alternatively, a client may, in writing, specifically
direct Adviser to forward all proxy matters in which Adviser has a conflict of interest
regarding the clients securities to an identified independent third party
for review and recommendation. Where such independent third partys
|
56
recommendations
are received on a timely basis, Adviser will vote all such proxies in accordance
with such third partys recommendation. If the third partys recommendations
are not timely received, Adviser will abstain from voting the securities held by
that clients account.
|
When delegated to vote proxies, Perkins Capital Management, Inc. will review the proxy proposal for conflicts of interest as part of the overall vote review process. All material conflict of interest so identified by Adviser will be addressed in later sections of this policy.
Limitations
In certain circumstances where Adviser has determined that it is in the clients best interest, Adviser will not vote proxies received. The following are some, but not all, circumstances where Adviser will limit its role in voting proxies:
|
Client Maintains
Proxy Voting Authority: Where client has read and agreed to Item 15 of our advisory
contract, Adviser will not vote the securities and will direct the relevant custodian
to send the proxy material directly to the client. If any proxy material is received
by Adviser, it will promptly be forwarded to the client or a specified third party.
|
||
|
Terminated
Account: Once a client account has been terminated with Adviser in accordance with
its investment advisory agreement, Adviser will refrain from voting any proxies
received after the termination. However, the client may specify in writing who the
proxies shall be forwarded to and we will oblige.
|
||
|
Limited Value:
If Adviser determines that the value of a clients economic interest or the
value of the portfolio holding is indeterminable or insignificant, Adviser may abstain
from voting a clients proxies. Adviser also may refrain from voting proxies
received for securities which are no longer held by the clients account. In
addition, Adviser generally will not vote securities where the economic value of
the securities in the client account is less than $100.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Program: When securities are out on loan, they are transferred into the
borrowers name and are voted by the borrower, in its discretion. However, where
Adviser determines that a proxy vote (or other shareholder action) is materially
important to the clients account, Adviser may recall the security for purposes
of voting. However, Perkins Capital Management, Inc. is not in the business of lending
securities.
|
||
|
Unjustifiable
Costs: In certain circumstances, after doing a cost-benefit analysis, Adviser may
abstain from voting where the cost of voting a clients proxy would exceed
any anticipated benefits to the client of the proxy proposal.
|
Procedures of Associate Responsible for Voting:
In the event that a client delegates this authority to Perkins Capital Management, Inc., our typical procedure will be as follows:
57
|
The associate
receives proxies and annual or other reports for accounts that the adviser is responsible
for voting.
|
||
|
The associate
gives copies of the proxy statement and annual or other report to the appropriate
portfolio managers and they direct the vote.
|
||
|
Once voting
decisions have been made:
|
||
|
Electronic
Voting: Associates go online and vote each proxy as designated. A confirmation is
then returned through email. These confirmations are saved in the associates email
box, printed and filed with the proxy statement and annual or other report.
|
||
|
Manual Voting:
Associate will sign and stamp each proxy after manually checking each issue being
voted and send through regular postal service.
|
||
|
Each proxy
is also entered into a Microsoft Access database where upon completing the voting
for all the accounts that we are responsible for, a report is run and filed under
the ticker symbol of that particular company with a copy of the proxy statement
and annual or other report.
|
If there is disagreement as to how a proxy is to be voted, it is the responsibility of the portfolio managers and the CCO to discuss and substantiate the voting. Further explanations of standard voting procedures are listed in the guidelines section of this document.
Recordkeeping
In accordance with Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act, Adviser will maintain for the time periods set forth in the Rule the following information:
|
These proxy
voting procedures and policies and all amendments thereto;
|
||
|
All proxy
statements received regarding client securities (provided however, that Adviser
may rely on the proxy statement filed on EDGAR as its records);
|
||
|
A record of
all votes cast on behalf of clients;
|
||
|
Records of
all client request for proxy voting information;
|
||
|
Any documents
prepared by Adviser that were material to making a decision how to vote or that
memorialize the basis for the decision; and
|
||
|
All records
relating to requests made to clients regarding conflicts of interest in voting the
proxy. These requests will be kept in the client correspondence files.
|
Adviser will describe in its Part II of Form ADV (or other brochure fulfilling the requirement of Rule 204-3) its proxy voting policies and procedures and will inform clients how they may obtain information on how Adviser voted proxies with respect to the clients portfolio securities. Fund clients may obtain information on how their securities coordinate with all mutual fund clients by viewing form NP-X on the SEC website. This form is filed annually in June in cooperation with US Bancorp Fund Services.
58
Guidelines
Each proxy issued will be considered individually by the portfolio manager who manages the account holding the shares. In the event that the portfolio managers differ in their voting, the majority of the shares held will be used as the guideline for voting all shares under PCMs discretion. The following guidelines are a partial list to be used in voting proposals contained in the proxy statement, but will not be used as rigid rules.
59
60
EXHIBIT B
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Moodys Investors Service, Inc.
Prime-1Issuers (or related supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by many of the following characteristics: leading market positions in well-established industries, high rates of return on funds employed, conservative capitalization structures with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection, broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation, and well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.
Prime-2Issuers (or related supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, will be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternative liquidity is maintained.
Standard & Poors Ratings Group
A-1This highest category indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is strong. Those issues determined to possess extremely strong safety characteristics are denoted with a plus (+) sign designation.
A-2Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is satisfactory. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high as for issues designated A-1.
61
Exhibit C
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter
World Funds Trust
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Membership
1. |
The Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee of World Funds Trust (the Trust)
shall be composed entirely of Independent Trustees.
|
Board Nominations and Functions
1. |
The Committee
shall make nominations for Trustee membership on the Board of Trustees, including
the Independent Trustees. The Committee shall evaluate candidates qualifications
for Board membership and their independence from the investment advisers to the
Trusts series portfolios and the Trusts other principal service providers.
Persons selected as Independent Trustees must not be interested person
as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, nor shall Independent
Trustee have and affiliations or associations that shall preclude them from voting
as an Independent Trustee on matters involving approvals and continuations of Rule
12b-1 Plans, Investment Advisory Agreements and such other standards as the Committee
shall deem appropriate. The Committee shall also consider the effect of any relationships
beyond those delineated in the 1940 Act that might impair independence,
e.g.
,
business, financial or family relationships with managers or service providers.
See Appendix A for Procedures with Respect to Nominees to the Board.
|
||
2. |
The Committee
shall periodically review Board governance procedures and shall recommend any appropriate
changes to the full Board of Trustees.
|
||
3. |
The Committee
shall periodically review the composition of the Board of Trustees to determine
whether it may be appropriate to add individuals with different backgrounds or skill
sets from those already on the Board.
|
||
4. |
The Committee
shall periodically review trustee compensation and shall recommend any appropriate
changes to the Independent Trustees as a group.
|
Committee Nominations and Functions
1. |
The Committee
shall make nominations for membership on all committees and shall review committee
assignments at least annually.
|
||
2. |
The Committee
shall review, as necessary, the responsibilities of any committees of the Board,
whether there is a continuing need for each committee, whether there is a need for
additional committees of the Board, and whether committees should be combined or
reorganized. The Committee shall make recommendations for any such action to the
full Board.
|
62
Other Powers and Responsibilities
1. |
The Committee
shall have the resources and authority appropriate to discharge its responsibilities,
including authority to retain special counsel and other experts or consultants at
the expense of the Trust.
|
||
2. |
The Committee
shall review this Charter at least annually and recommend any changes to the full
Board of Trustees.
|
Adopted: | August 2, 2013 |
APPENDIX A TO THE NOMINATING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHARTER
WORLD FUNDS TRUST
PROCEDURES WITH RESPECT TO NOMINEES TO THE BOARD
I. |
Identification
of Candidates
. When a vacancy on the Board of Trustees exists or is anticipated,
and such vacancy is to be filled by an Independent Trustee, the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee shall identify candidates by obtaining referrals from such
sources as it may deem appropriate, which may include current Trustees, management
of the Trust, counsel and other advisors to the Trustees, and shareholders of the
Trust who submit recommendations in accordance with these procedures. In no event
shall the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consider as a candidate
to fill any such vacancy an individual recommended by any investment adviser of
any series portfolio of the Trust, unless the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee has invited management to make such a recommendation.
|
||
II. |
Shareholder
Candidates.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall, when identifying
candidates for the position of Independent Trustee, consider any such candidate
recommended by a shareholder if such recommendation contains: (i) sufficient background
information concerning the candidate, including evidence the candidate is willing
to serve as an Independent Trustee if selected for the position; and (ii) is received
in a sufficiently timely manner as determined by the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee in its
|
63
discretion.
Shareholders shall be directed to address any such recommendations in writing to
the attention of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, c/o the Secretary
of the Trust. The Secretary shall retain copies of any shareholder recommendations
which meet the foregoing requirements for a period of not more than 12 months following
receipt. The Secretary shall have no obligation to acknowledge receipt of any shareholder
recommendations.
|
|||
III. | Evaluation of Candidates . In evaluating a candidate for a position on the Board of Trustees, including any candidate recommended by shareholders of the Trust, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall consider the following: (i) the candidates knowledge in matters relating to the mutual fund industry; (ii) any experience possessed by the candidate as a director or senior officer of public companies; (iii) the candidates educational background; (iv) the candidates reputation for high ethical standards and professional integrity; (v) any specific financial, technical or other expertise possessed by the candidate, and the extent to which such expertise would complement the Boards existing mix of skills, core competencies and qualifications; (vi) the candidates perceived ability to contribute to the ongoing functions of the Board, including the candidates ability and commitment to attend meetings regularly and work collaboratively with other members of the Board; (vii) the candidates ability to qualify as an Independent Trustee and any other actual or potential conflicts of interest involving the candidate and the Trust; and (viii) such other factors as the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determines to be relevant in light of the existing composition of the Board and any anticipated vacancies. Prior to making a final recommendation to the Board, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall conduct personal interviews with those candidates it concludes are the most qualified candidates. |
64
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits
(a)(1) | Certificate of Trust of World Funds Trust (formerly, Abacus World Funds Trust) (the Registrant) dated April 9, 2007. 1 | |
(a)(2) | Certificate of Amendment dated January 7, 2008 to the Registrants Certificate of Trust dated April 9, 2007. 1 | |
(a)(3) | Registrants Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated April 9, 2007, as revised June 23, 2008. 2 | |
(b) | Registrants By-Laws dated April 9, 2007. 1 | |
(c) | Not applicable. | |
(d)(1) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Union Street Partners, LLC with respect to the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 5, 7 | |
(d)(2) | Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Union Street Partners, LLC and McGinn Investment Management, Inc. with respect to the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 6, 7 | |
(d)(3) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Perkins Capital Management, Inc. 18 | |
(d)(4) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Virginia Financial Innovations Corp. with respect to the Virginia Equity Fund 10 | |
(d)(7) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC with respect to the DGHM All-Cap Value Fund. 12 | |
(d)(8) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC with respect to the DGHM V2000 SmallCap Value Fund. 12 | |
(d)(9) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC with respect to the REMS International Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 14 | |
(d)(10) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and B. Riley Asset Management, LLC with respect to the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 15 | |
(d)(11) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Toreador Research and Trading, LLC with respect to the Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(d)(12) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Capital Management, LLC with respect to the European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(d)(13) | Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Commonwealth Capital Management, LLC and Vontobel Asset Management, with respect to the European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(d)(14) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services, LLC with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(d)(15) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services, LLC with respect to the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(d)(16) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Leadsman Capital, LLC with respect to the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 |
(d)(17) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Chicago partners Investment Group, LLC with respect to the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(e)(1) | Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp. 3 | |
(e)(2) | Amended and Restated Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp. 5 | |
(e)(3) | Schedule B to Amended and Restated Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp, updated August 2, 2013. 12 | |
(e)(4) | Schedule B to Amended and Restated Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp, updated October 11, 2013. 14 | |
(e)(5) | Schedule B to Amended and Restated Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp, updated November 26, 2013. 15 | |
(e)(6) | Schedule B to Amended and Restated Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp, updated August xx, 2014. 19 | |
(e)(7) | Schedule B to Amended and Restated Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp, updated September xx, 2014. 19 | |
(e)(8) | Schedule B to Amended and Restated Principal Underwriter Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and First Dominion Capital Corp, updated September xx, 2014. 19 | |
(f) | Not applicable. | |
(g)(1) | Custody Agreement dated July 30, 2008 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A. 2 | |
(g)(2) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated June 15, 2008, between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 5 | |
(g)(3) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated June 15, 2008, between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the Perkins Discovery Fund. 15 | |
(g)(4) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated June 15, 2008, between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the Virginia Equity Fund. 10 | |
(g)(5) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated June 15, 2008, between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 15 | |
(g)(6) | Custody Agreement dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman with respect to Toreador International Fund 19 | |
(g)(7) | Custody Agreement dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman with respect to European Equity Fund 19 | |
(g)(8) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 |
(g)(9) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(g)(10) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(g)(11) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(h)(1) | Administrative Services Agreement dated July 30, 2008 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc. 3 | |
(h)(2) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement. 4 | |
(h)(3) | Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement dated July 30, 2008, as amended and restated between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc. 4 | |
(h)(4) | Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc. 5 | |
(h)(5) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 5 | |
(h)(6) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the Perkins Discovery Fund. 8 | |
(h)(7) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the Virginia Equity Fund 10 | |
(h)(8) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the DGHM Funds. 12 | |
(h)(9) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the REMS International Fund. 14 | |
(h)(10) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the B Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 15 | |
(h)(11) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(h)(12) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(h)(13) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 |
(h)(14) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(h)(15) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(h)(16) | Schedule A to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., with respect to the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(h)(17) | Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. 3 | |
(h)(18) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2008 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. 4 | |
(h)(19) | Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services. 5 | |
(h)(20) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 5 | |
(h)(21) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the Perkins Discovery Fund. 8 | |
(h)(22) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the Virginia Equity Fund 10 | |
(h)(23) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the DGHM Funds. 12 | |
(h)(24) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the REMS International Fund. 14 | |
(h)(25) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 15 | |
(h)(26) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(h)(27) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(h)(28) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(h)(29) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 |
(h)(30) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(h)(31) | Schedule C to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated October 1, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., with respect to the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(h)(32) | Accounting Services Agreement dated July 30, 2008 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc. 3 | |
(h)(33) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement dated July 30, 2008 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc. 4 | |
(h)(34) | Amended and Restated Accounting Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc. 5 | |
(h)(35) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 5 | |
(h)(36) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the Perkins Discovery Fund. 8 | |
(h)(37) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the Virginia Equity Fund 10 | |
(h)(38) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the DGHM Funds. 12 | |
(h)(39) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the B Riley Diversified Equity Fund 15 | |
(h)(40) | Accounting Services Agreement dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman with respect to Toreador International Fund 19 | |
(h)(41) | Accounting Services Agreement dated August xx, 2014 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman with respect to European Equity Fund 19 | |
(h)(42) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(h)(43) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(h)(44) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(h)(45) | Schedule A to the Accounting Services Agreement, dated August 30, 2008, between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., with respect to the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(h)(46) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Union Street Partners, LLC with respect to the Class A and Class C shares of the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 5, 7 |
(h)(47) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and McGinn Investment Management, Inc. with respect to the Class A of the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 6 | |
(h)(48) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Perkins Capital Management, Inc. with respect to shares of the Perkins Discovery Fund. 18 | |
(h)(49) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Virginia Financial Innovations Corp. with respect to shares of the Virginia Equity Fund. 10 | |
(h)(50) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC with respect to the DGHM Funds. 12 | |
(h)(51) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC with respect to the REMS International Fund. 14 | |
(h)(52) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and B. Riley Asset Management, LLC with respect to the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 15 | |
(h)(53) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Toreador Research and Trading, LLC with respect to the Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(h)(54) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Capital Management, LLC with respect to the European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(h)(55) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services, LLC with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(h)(56) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services, LLC with respect to the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(h)(57) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Leadsman Capital, LLC with respect to the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(h)(58) | Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Chicago Partners Investment Group, LLC with respect to the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(h)(59) | Shareholder Services Plan dated October 1, 2008. 3 | |
(h)(60) | Revised Schedule A to the Shareholder Services Plan dated October 1, 2008. 4 | |
(h)(61) | Amended Schedule A to the Shareholder Services Plan. 5 | |
(h)(62) | Amended Schedule A to the Shareholder Services Plan with respect to the Virginia Equity Fund 10 | |
(h)(63) | Shareholder Services Plan, dated August 2, 2013, with respect to DGHM V2000 SmallCap Value Fund Investor Share Class. 12 | |
(h)(64) | Amended Schedule A to the Shareholder Services Plan with respect to the REMS International Fund 14 | |
(i)(1) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for Union Street Partners Value Fund. 9 | |
(i)(2) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for Perkins Discovery Fund. 11,18 | |
(i)(3) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for Virginia Equity Fund. 10 | |
(i)(4) | Consent of Legal Counsel for DGHM Funds. 17 | |
(i)(5) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for REMS International Fund. 14 |
(i)(6) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for B Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 15 | |
(i)(7) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(i)(8) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(i)(9) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(i)(10) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(i)(11) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(i)(12) | Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel for Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(j)(1) | Consent of independent public accountants for Union Street Partners Value Fund. 9 | |
(j)(2) | Consent of independent public accountants for Perkins Discovery Fund. 18 | |
(j)(3) | Consent of independent public accountants for Virginia Equity Fund. 19 | |
(j)(4) | Consent of independent public accountants for DGHM Funds. 17 | |
(j)(5) | Consent of independent public accountants for REMS International Fund. 19 | |
(j)(6) | Consent of independent public accountants for B Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 19 | |
(j)(7) | Consent of independent public accountants for Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(j)(8) | Consent of independent public accountants for European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(j)(9) | Consent of independent public accountants for REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(j)(10) | Consent of independent public accountants for REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(j)(11) | Consent of independent public accountants for Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(j)(12) | Consent of independent public accountants for Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(k) | Not applicable. | |
(l) | Not applicable. | |
(m)(1) | Plans of Distribution Pursuant to Rule 12b-1dated October 1, 2008, with respect to Class A Shares, Class C Shares and Class P (Platform) Shares. 3 | |
(m)(2) | Revised Schedule A to the Plans of Distribution Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 dated October 1, 2008, with respect to Class A Shares, Class C Shares and Class P (Platform) Shares. 4 | |
(m)(3) | Revised Schedule A to the Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. 5, 11 | |
(m)(4) | Amended Schedule A to the Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. 6 | |
(m)(5) | Amended Schedule A to the Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 with respect to Virginia Equity Fund 10 | |
(m)(6) | Fixed Compensation Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for Perkins Discovery Fund. 18 |
(m)(7) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated August 2, 2013, for the Investor Class Shares and C Class Shares of the DGHM Funds. 12 | |
(m)(8) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated November 26, 2013, for the Investor Class Shares of the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 15 | |
(m)(9) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated May 16, 2014, for the Investor and C Class Shares of the Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(m)(10) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated May 16, 2014, for the A Class and C Class Shares of the European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(m)(11) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated May 16, 2014, for the Platform Class Shares of the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(m)(12) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated May 16, 2014, for the Platform Class Shares of the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(m)(13) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated May 16, 2014, for the A Class and Investor Class Shares of the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 19 | |
(m)(14) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated September xx, 2014, for the A Class and Investor Class Shares of the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(m)(15) | Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated September xx, 2014, for the A Class and Investor Class Shares of the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(n)(1) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Class A Shares and Class C Shares of the Union Street Partners Value Fund. 5 | |
(n)(2) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Institutional Class Shares, Investor Class Shares and C Class Shares of the DGHM Funds. 12 | |
(n)(3) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Institutional Class Shares and Investor Class Shares of the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 19 | |
(n)(4) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Institutional Class Shares, Class C Shares and Investor Class Shares of the Toreador International Fund. 19 | |
(n)(5) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Class A Shares and Class C Shares of the European Equity Fund. 19 | |
(n)(6) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Institutional Class and Platform Class Shares of the REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund. 19 | |
(n)(7) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Institutional Class and Platform Class Shares of the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(n)(8) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Investor Class, Institutional Class and A Class Shares of the REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund. 19 | |
(n)(9) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Investor Class, Institutional Class and Class A Shares of the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund. 19 | |
(n)(10) | Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan with respect to Investor Class and Institutional Class of the Big 4 Onefund. 19 | |
(o) | Reserved. | |
(p)(1) | Combined Code of Ethics for the Registrant, Commonwealth Capital Management, LLC and First Dominion Capital Corp. (the distributor for the Registrant). 4 |
(p)(2) | Code of Ethics for Union Street Partners, LLC. 5 | |
(p)(3) | Code of Ethics for McGinn Investment Management, Inc. 19 | |
(p)(4) | Code of Ethics for Perkins Capital Management, Inc. 8 | |
(p)(5) | Code of Ethics for Virginia Financial Innovations Corp. 10 | |
(p)(6) | Code of Ethics for Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC 14 | |
(p)(7) | Code of Ethics for B. Riley Asset Management, LLC 15 | |
(p)(8) | Code of Ethics for Toreador Research and Trading, LLC 19 | |
(p)(9) | Code of Ethics for Commonwealth Capital Management, LLC 19 | |
(p)(10) | Code of Ethics for Vontobel Asset Management, Inc. 19 | |
(p)(11) | Code of Ethics for Real Estate Management Services, Inc. 19 | |
(p)(12) | Code of Ethic for Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC 17 | |
(p)(13) | Code of Ethic for Leadsman Capital, LLC 19 | |
(p)(14) | Code of Ethic for Chicago Partners Investment Group, LLC 19 | |
(q) | Powers of Attorney 16 | |
1. | Incorporated herein by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 8, 2008 (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
2. | Incorporated herein by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August 28, 2008 (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
3. | Incorporated herein by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on October 2, 2008 (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
4. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on November 25, 2008 (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
5. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on December 13, 2010 (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
6. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January 24, 2011 (file Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
7. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April 7, 2011 (file Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
8. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August 17, 2012 (file Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
9. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January 30, 2013 (file Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
10. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on June 21, 2013. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
11. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 30, 2013 (file Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
12. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August 9, 2013. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
13. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on October 23, 2013. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
14. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on December 26, 2013. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
15. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February 10, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
16. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May 30, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). |
17. | Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on June 30, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172). | |
18. | Filed herewith. | |
19. | To be filed by amendment. |
Item 29. Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control With Registrant
None. |
Item 30. Indemnification
See Article VIII, Section 2 of the Registrants Agreement and Declaration of Trust and the section titled Indemnification of Trustees, Officers, Employees and Other Agents in the Registrants By-Laws.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and, therefore, is unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by trustees, officers or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustees, officers or controlling persons in connection with the shares being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.
Item 31. Business and other Connections of the Investment Adviser
The list required by this Item 31 as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each of the investment advisers and sub-advisers, and each director, officer or partner of such investment advisers or sub-advisers, is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee, is incorporated herein by reference to Schedules A and D of each investment advisers or sub-advisers Form ADV listed opposite such investment advisers or sub-advisers name below, which is currently on file with the SEC as required by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.
Item 32. Principal Underwriters
a) | First Dominion Capital Corp. also acts as underwriter to The World Funds, Inc. | |
b) | First Dominion Capital Corp. The information required by this Item 32(b) with respect to each director, officer or partner of FDCC is incorporated herein by reference to Schedule A of Form BD, filed by FDCC with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (File No. 8-33719). | |
c) | Not applicable. |
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
The accounts, books or other documents of the Registrant required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder are kept in several locations:
a) | Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 (records relating to its function as transfer agent to the Funds). | |
b) | Commonwealth Shareholder Services, Inc., 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 (records relating to its function as administrator to the Funds). | |
c) | First Dominion Capital Corporation, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 (records relating to its function as distributor to the Funds). | |
d) | Commonwealth Fund Accounting, Inc., 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 (records relating to its function as fund accounting agent to the Funds). | |
e) | Union Street Partners LLC, 1421 Prince Street, Suite 400 Alexandria, VA 22314. (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Union Street Partners Value Fund). | |
f) | McGinn Investment Management, Inc., 201 North Union Street, Suite 101, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (records relating to its function as sub-adviser to the Union Street Partners Value Fund). | |
g) | Perkins Capital Management, Inc., 730 East Lake Street, Wayzata, MN 55391-1769 (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Perkins Discovery Fund). | |
h) | Virginia Financial Innovations Corp., 798 Park Ave. NW, Suite 204, Norton, VA 24273 (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Virginia Equity Fund). | |
i) | Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC, 565 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2101, New York, NY 10017 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the DGHM Funds). | |
j) | Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC, 1100 Fifth Avenue, South, Suite 301, Naples, FL 34102-6407 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the REMS International Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund; REMS Real Estate Income 50-50 Fund and REMS Real Estate Value Opportunity Fund). | |
k) | B. Riley Asset Management, LLC, 11100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800, Los Angeles, California 90025 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund). | |
l) | Toreador Research and Trading, LLC, 7493 N. Ingram Avenue, Suite 104, Fresno, California 93711 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Toreador International Fund). | |
m) | Commonwealth Capital Management, LLC, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the European Equity Fund). | |
n) | Vontobel Asset Management, Inc., 450 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022 (records relating to its function as sub-adviser to the European Equity Fund). | |
o) | Leadsman Capital, LLC, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund). | |
p) | Chicago Partners Investment Group, LLC, One North Wacker Drive, Suite 4110, Chicago, Illinois 60606 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Big 4 Onefund). |
Item 34. Management Services
There are no management-related service contracts not discussed in Parts A or B of this Form. |
Item 35. Undertakings
Not applicable. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 78 to the Registrants Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Richmond, Commonwealth of Virginia on the 29th day of July, 2014.
WORLD FUNDS TRUST
By: |
/s/ John Pasco,
III
John Pasco, III Trustee and Chairman |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 78 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/ John Pasco, III | Trustee and Chairman | July 29, 2014 | ||
*David J. Urban | Trustee | July 29, 2014 | ||
*Mary Lou H. Ivey | Trustee | July 29, 2014 | ||
*Theo H. Pitt | Trustee | July 29, 2014 | ||
/s/ Karen Shupe | Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer | July 29, 2014 | ||
*By: Karen M. Shupe |
*Attorney-in-fact pursuant to Powers of Attorney
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
Perkins Discovery Fund
THIS INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT is made as of the 20 th day of July, 2012 by and between the World Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the Trust), on behalf of the Trusts Perkins Discovery Fund series (the Fund) and Perkins Capital Management, Inc. (the Advisor).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS , the Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Investment Company Act); and
WHEREAS , the Fund is a series of the Trust having separate assets and liabilities; and
WHEREAS , the Advisor is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act) and is engaged in the business of supplying investment advice as an independent contractor; and
WHEREAS , the Trust desires to retain the Advisor to render advice and services to the Fund pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, and the Advisor desires to furnish said advice and services;
NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants and the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties to this Agreement, intending to be legally bound hereby, mutually agree as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT OF ADVISOR . The Trust hereby employs the Advisor and the Advisor hereby accepts such employment, 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 Trusts Board of Trustees (the Board of Trustees).
2. DUTIES OF ADVISOR.
(a)
General Duties
. The Advisor shall act as investment adviser to the Fund and
shall supervise investments of the Fund on behalf of the Fund in accordance with
the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund as set forth in
the Funds and 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 Trustees may impose from time to time
in writing to the Advisor (collectively, the Investment Policies). In
providing such services, the 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 of 1986, the Uniform Commercial Code and other applicable
law.
|
|
Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Advisor shall: (i) furnish the Fund
with advice and recommendations with respect to the investment of the Funds
assets and the purchase and sale of portfolio securities for the Fund, including
the taking of such steps as may be necessary to implement such advice and recommendations
(i.e., placing the orders); (ii) manage and oversee the investments of the Fund,
subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Trusts Board of Trustees;
(iii) vote proxies for the Fund, file ownership reports under Section 13 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 1934 Act) for the Fund, and take
other actions on behalf of the Fund; (iv) 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 or another agent of
the Fund;
|
(v) furnish
reports, statements and other data on securities, economic conditions and other
matters related to the investment of the Funds assets which the Funds
administrator or distributor or the officers of the Trust may reasonably request;
and (vi) render to the Trusts Board of Trustees such periodic and special
reports with respect to the Funds investment activities as the Board may reasonably
request, including at least one in-person appearance annually before the Board of
Trustees.
|
|
(b)
Brokerage.
The Advisor shall be responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the
Fund, for broker-dealer selection, and for negotiation of brokerage commission rates,
provided that the Advisor shall not direct orders to an affiliated person of the
Advisor without general prior authorization to use such affiliated broker or dealer
from the Trusts Board of Trustees. The Advisors primary consideration
in effecting a securities transaction will be execution at the most favorable price.
In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction, the 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 Board of Trustees of the Trust may determine and consistent
with Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, the 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 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
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 Advisors overall responsibilities with respect to the Trust. Subject to the same policies
and legal provisions, the 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 Advisor
shall determine, and the Advisor shall report on such allocations regularly to the
Trust, indicating the broker-dealers to whom such allocations have been made and
the basis therefor.
|
|
On occasions
when the Advisor deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest
of the Fund as well as of other clients, the 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 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.
|
3. REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ADVISOR.
(a) The Advisor shall use its best judgment and efforts in rendering the advice and services to the Fund as contemplated by this Agreement. | |
(b) The Advisor shall maintain all licenses and registrations necessary to perform its duties hereunder in good order. |
2
(c)
The Advisor shall conduct its operations at all times in conformance with the Advisers
Act, the Investment Company Act, and any other applicable state and/or self-regulatory
organization regulations.
|
||
(d) The Advisor shall maintain errors and omissions insurance in an amount at least
equal to that disclosed to the Board of Trustees in connection with their approval
of this Agreement.
|
4. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR . The 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 or the Fund in any way, or in any way be deemed an agent for the Trust or for the Fund. It is expressly understood and agreed that the services to be rendered by the Advisor to the Fund under the provisions of this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the 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. ADVISORS PERSONNEL . The 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 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 Trusts Board of Trustees may desire and reasonably request and any compliance staff and personnel required by the Advisor.
6. EXPENSES .
(a) With respect
to the operation of the Fund, the Advisor shall be responsible for (i) the Funds organizational expenses; (ii) providing the personnel, office space and equipment
reasonably necessary for the operation of the Fund; (iii) the expenses of printing
and distributing extra copies of the Funds prospectus, statement of additional
information, and sales and advertising materials (but not the legal, auditing or
accounting fees attendant thereto) to prospective investors (but not to existing
shareholders) to the extent such expenses are not covered by any applicable plan
adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act (each, a 12b-1
Plan); (iv) the costs of any special Board of Trustees meetings or shareholder
meetings convened for the primary benefit of the Advisor; and (v) any costs of liquidating
or reorganizing the Fund (unless such cost is otherwise allocated by the Board of
Trustees). If the Advisor has agreed to limit the operating expenses of the Fund,
the Advisor also shall be responsible on a monthly basis for any operating expenses
that exceed the agreed upon expense limit.
|
|
(b)
The Fund is responsible for and has assumed the obligation for payment of all of
its expenses, other than as stated in Subparagraph 6(a) above, including but not
limited to: 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
net asset value and of maintaining its books of account required under the Investment
Company Act; taxes, if any; a pro rata portion of expenditures in connection with
meetings of the Funds shareholders and the Board of Trustees that are properly
payable by the Fund; salaries and expenses of officers of the Trust, including without
limitation the Trusts Chief Compliance Officer, and fees and expenses of members
of the Board of Trustees or members of any advisory board or committee who are not
members of,
|
3
affiliated
with or interested persons of the Advisor; insurance premiums on property or personnel
of the Fund which 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 which are covered by any 12b-1 Plan; legal, auditing and accounting
fees; all or any portion of trade association dues or educational program expenses
determined appropriate by the Board of Trustees; fees and expenses (including legal
fees) of registering and maintaining registration of its shares for sale under applicable
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 herein otherwise prescribed.
|
|
(c) The Advisor
may voluntarily or contractually absorb certain Fund expenses.
|
|
(d) To the
extent the Advisor incurs any costs by assuming expenses which are an obligation
of the Fund as set forth herein, the Fund shall promptly reimburse the Advisor for
such costs and expenses, except to the extent the Advisor has otherwise agreed to
bear such expenses. To the extent the services for which the Fund is obligated to
pay are performed by the Advisor, the Advisor shall be entitled to recover from
the Fund to the extent of the Advisors actual costs for providing such services.
In determining the Advisors actual costs, the Advisor may take into account
an allocated portion of the salaries and overhead of personnel performing such services.
|
|
(e) The Advisor
may not pay fees in addition to any Fund distribution or servicing fees to financial
intermediaries, including without limitation banks, broker-dealers, financial advisors,
or pension administrators, for sub-administration, sub-transfer agency or any other
shareholder servicing or distribution services associated with shareholders whose
shares are held in omnibus or other group accounts, except with the prior authorization
of the Trusts Board of Trustees. Where such arrangements are authorized by
the Trusts Board of Trustees, the Advisor shall report regularly to the Trust
on the amounts paid and the relevant financial institutions.
|
7. INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND MANAGEMENT FEE.
(a) The Fund
shall pay to the Advisor, and the Advisor agrees to accept, as full compensation
for all services furnished or provided to such Fund pursuant to this Agreement,
an annual management fee at the rate set forth in Schedule A to this Agreement.
|
|
(b) The management
fee shall be accrued daily by the Fund and paid to the Advisor on the first business
day of the succeeding month.
|
|
(c) The initial
fee under this Agreement shall be payable on the first 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 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 Advisor under this Agreement will be reduced to the extent of any
receivable owed by the Advisor to the Fund and as required under any expense limitation
applicable to the Fund.
|
4
(e) The 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 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 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) Any such
reductions made by the Advisor in its fees or payment of expenses which are the
Funds obligation are subject to reimbursement by the Fund to the Advisor,
if so requested by the Advisor, in subsequent fiscal years if the aggregate amount
actually paid by the Fund toward the operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking
into account the reimbursement) does not exceed the applicable limitation on Fund
expenses. Under the expense limitation agreement, the Advisor may recoup reimbursements
made in any fiscal year of the Fund over the following three fiscal years. Any such
reimbursement is also contingent upon Board of Trustees review and approval at time
the reimbursement is made. Such reimbursement may not be paid prior to the Funds payment of current ordinary operating expenses.
|
|
(g) The 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 Advisor hereunder.
|
8. NO SHORTING; NO BORROWING . The 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 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 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. For this purpose, failure to pay any amount due and payable to the Fund for a period of more than thirty (30) days shall constitute a borrowing.
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 its responsibility for and control of the conduct of the affairs of the Trust and Fund. In this connection, the Advisor acknowledges that the 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 Advisor agrees to supply such information to the Funds administrator and to permit such compliance inspections by the Funds administrator as shall be reasonably necessary to permit the administrator to satisfy its obligations and respond to the reasonable requests of the Board of Trustees.
11. ADVISORS LIABILITIES AND INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) The Advisor
shall have responsibility for the accuracy and completeness (and liability for the
lack thereof) of the statements in the Funds offering materials (including
the prospectus, the
|
5
statement
of additional information, advertising and sales materials), except for information
supplied by the administrator or the Trust or another third party for inclusion
therein.
|
|
(b) The Advisor
shall be liable to the Fund for any loss (including brokerage charges) incurred
by the Fund as a result of any improper investment made by the Advisor in contradiction
of the Investment Policies.
|
|
(c) In the
absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence, or reckless disregard of
the obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Advisor, the Advisor shall
not be subject to liability to 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, federal securities laws
and certain state laws impose liabilities under certain circumstances on persons
who have acted in good faith, and therefore nothing herein shall in any way constitute
a waiver or limitation of any rights which the Trust, the Fund or any shareholder
of the Fund may have under any federal securities law or state law.
|
|
(d) Each party
to this Agreement shall indemnify and hold harmless the other party and the shareholders,
directors, 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 expenses and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith)
arising out of the Indemnifying Partys 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
negligence in the performance of duties hereunder or by reason of reckless disregard
of obligations and duties under this Agreement.
|
|
(e) No
provision of this Agreement shall be construed to protect any Trustee or officer
of the Trust, or officer of the Advisor, from liability in violation of Sections
17(h) and (i) of the Investment Company Act.
|
12. NON-EXCLUSIVITY; TRADING FOR ADVISORS OWN ACCOUNT . The Trusts employment of the Advisor is not an exclusive arrangement. The Trust may from time to time employ other individuals or entities to furnish it with the services provided for herein. Likewise, the 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 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 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 Advisers Act and has been approved by the Board of Trustees.
13. TRANSACTIONS WITH OTHER INVESTMENT ADVISERS. The Advisor is not an affiliated person of any investment adviser responsible for providing advice with respect to any other series of the Trust, or of any promoter, underwriter, officer, director, member of an advisory board or employee of any other series of the Trust. The Advisor shall not consult with the investment adviser of any other series of the Trust concerning transactions for the Fund or any other series of the Trust.
6
14. TERM.
(a) This Agreement
shall become effective at the time the Fund commences operations pursuant to an
effective amendment to the Trusts Registration Statement under the Securities
Act of 1933 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 (l) year so long as such continuation is
approved at least annually by (i) the Board of Trustees 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. The terms majority of the outstanding voting securities
and interested persons shall have the meanings set forth in the Investment
Company Act.
|
|
(b) The Fund may use the name Perkins Discovery Fund or any name derived
from or using the name Perkins only 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 the Advisor.
|
15. TERMINATION; NO ASSIGNMENT .
(a) This Agreement
may be terminated by the Trust on behalf of the Fund at any time without payment
of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of the Fund, upon sixty (60) days written notice to the
Advisor, and by the Advisor upon sixty (60) days written notice to the Fund.
In the event of a termination, the 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 the 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.
|
16. NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION . Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the Advisor agrees on behalf of itself and its managers, members, officers, and employees (1) to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of 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 Trust, not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities 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 Trust and communicated in writing to the Advisor. Such written approval shall not be unreasonably withheld by the Trust and may not be withheld where the 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.
17. ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE . The Advisor acknowledges that, in compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, the USA PATRIOT Act, and any implementing regulations thereunder (together, AML Laws), the Trust has adopted an Anti-Money Laundering Policy. The Advisor agrees to comply with the Trusts Anti-Money Laundering Policy and the AML Laws, as the same may apply to the Advisor, now and in the future. The Advisor further agrees to provide to the Trust and/or the administrator such reports, certifications and contractual assurances as may be reasonably requested by the Trust. The Trust may disclose information regarding the Advisor to governmental and/or
7
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.
18. CERTIFICATIONS; DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES . The Advisor acknowledges that, in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act), and the implementing regulations promulgated thereunder, the Trust and the Fund are required to make certain certifications and have adopted disclosure controls and procedures. To the extent reasonably requested by the Trust, the Advisor agrees to use its best efforts to assist the Trust and the Fund in complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and implementing the Trusts disclosure controls and procedures. The Advisor agrees to inform the Trust of any material development related to the Fund that the Advisor reasonably believes is relevant to the Funds certification obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. GOVERNING LAW . This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles of Delaware or any other jurisdiction; 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 Advisers Act and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
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.
WORLD FUNDS TRUST
On behalf of
the
Perkins Discovery Fund
By:_/s/ John Pasco, III____________
Name: John Pasco, III
Title: President
PERKINS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
By: _/s/ Daniel S. Perkins__________________
Name: Daniel S. Perkins
Title: Executive Vice President
8
SCHEDULE A
Series or Fund of World Funds Trust Annual Fee Rate
Perkins Discovery Fund 1.00% of average daily net assets
9
OPERATING EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT |
WORLD FUNDS TRUST |
Perkins Discovery Fund |
THIS OPERATING EXPENSES LIMITATION AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is effective as of the 23 rd day of July 2014, by and between the World Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the Trust ), on behalf of the Perkins Discovery Fund (the Fund), a series of the Trust, and the Advisor of the Fund, Perkins Capital Management, Inc. (the Advisor).
WITNESSETH :
WHEREAS , the Advisor renders advice and services to the Fund pursuant to the terms and provisions of an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor dated as of the 20 th day of July 2012, (the Investment Advisory Agreement); and
WHEREAS , the Fund, and each of its respective classes, is responsible for, and has assumed the obligation for, payment of certain expenses pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement that have not been assumed by the Advisor; and
WHEREAS , the Advisor desires to limit the Funds Operating Expenses (as that term is defined in Paragraph 2 of this Agreement) pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, and the Trust (on behalf of the Fund) desires to allow the Advisor to implement those limits;
NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants and the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties, intending to be legally bound hereby, mutually agree as follows:
1. LIMIT ON OPERATING EXPENSES. The Advisor hereby agrees to limit each class of the Funds current Operating Expenses to an annual rate, expressed as a percentage of each class respective average annual net assets to the amounts listed in Appendix A (the Annual Limits). In the event that the current Operating Expenses of a class of the Fund, as accrued each month, exceed its Annual Limit, the Advisor will pay to that class of the Fund, on a monthly basis, the excess expense within fifteen (15) calendar days, or such other period as determined by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, of being notified that an excess expense payment is due. In the event that the Board of Trustees of the Trust determines that an excess expense payment due date be other than fifteen (15) calendar days, the Trust will provide the Advisor with ten (10) calendar days written notice prior to the implementation of such other excess expense payment due date.
2. DEFINITION. For purposes of this Agreement, the term Operating Expenses with respect to each class of the Fund, is defined to include all expenses necessary or appropriate for the operation of the Fund and each of its classes, including the Advisors investment advisory or management fee detailed in the Investment Advisory Agreement, any Rule 12b-1 fees and other expenses described in the Investment Advisory Agreement, but does not include any front-end or contingent deferred loads, taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, or extraordinary expenses such as litigation.
3. REIMBURSEMENT OF FEES AND EXPENSES. The Advisor retains its right to receive reimbursement of any excess expense payments paid by it pursuant to this Agreement under the same terms and conditions as it is permitted to receive reimbursement of reductions of its investment management fee under the Investment Advisory Agreement.
4. TERM. This Agreement shall become effective on the date specified herein and shall remain in effect indefinitely and for a period of not less than one year, unless sooner terminated as provided in Paragraph 5 of this Agreement.
5. TERMINATION. This Agreement may be terminated at any time, and without payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, upon sixty (60) days written notice to the Advisor. This Agreement may not be terminated by the Advisor without the consent of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. This Agreement will automatically terminate if the Investment Advisory Agreement is terminated, with such termination effective upon the effective date of the Investment Advisory Agreements termination.
6. ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement and all rights and obligations hereunder may not be assigned without the written consent of the other party.
7. 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.
8. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware 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 of 1940, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and attested by their duly authorized officers, all on the day and year first above written.
WORLD FUNDS TRUST | PERKINS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC. | |
On behalf of the | ||
Perkins Discovery Fund | ||
By: /s/ John Pasco, III | By:__/s/ Daniel S. Perkins_____________ | |
Name: John Pasco, III | Name: Daniel S. Perkins | |
Title: President | Title: Executive Vice President | |
2
Appendix A | ||
Fund Operating Expense Limit | ||
The Perkins Discovery Fund 2.25% |
3
|
John H. Lively
The Law Offices of John H. Lively & Associates, Inc. A Member Firm of The 1940 Act Law Group TM 11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310 Leawood, KS 66211 Phone: 913.660.0778 Fax: 913.660.9157 john.lively@1940actlawgroup.com |
July 29, 2014
World Funds Trust
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205
Richmond, VA 23235
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We hereby consent to the use of our name and to the reference to our firm under the caption Service Providers in the Statement of Additional Information for the Perkins Discovery Fund, a series portfolio of the World Funds Trust (the Trust), which is included in Post-Effective Amendment No. 78 to the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (No. 333-148723), and Amendment No. 79 to Registration Statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (No. 811-22172), on Form N-1A of the Trust.
Sincerely,
|
|
/s/ John H. Lively
|
|
The Law Offices of
John H. Lively & Associates, Inc.
|
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the references to our firm in the Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of The World Funds Trust and to the use of our report dated May 28, 2014 on the financial statements and financial highlights of Perkins Discovery Fund. Such financial statements and financial highlights appear in the 2014 Annual Report to Shareholders which is incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information.
/s/ TAIT, WELLER & BAKER LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
July 29, 2014
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION PURSUANT TO RULE 12B-1 |
Perkins Discovery Fund |
(Fixed Compensation Plan) |
This Plan of Distribution Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (the Plan) is adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1 (the Rule) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Act), by World Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the Trust) with respect to its series of shares designated the Perkins Discovery Fund (the Fund). The Plan has been approved by a majority of the Trusts Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan (the independent Trustees), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan.
In reviewing the Plan, the Board of Trustees considered the proposed range and nature of payments and terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust on behalf of the Fund and Perkins Capital Management, Inc. (the Advisor) and the nature and amount of other payments, fees and commissions that may be paid to the Advisor, its affiliates and other agents of the Trust. The Board of Trustees, including the independent Trustees, concluded that the proposed overall compensation of the Advisor and its affiliates was fair and not excessive.
In its considerations, the Board of Trustees also recognized that uncertainty may exist from time to time with respect to whether payments to be made by the Fund to the Advisor, as the initial distribution coordinator, or other firms under agreements with respect to the Fund may be deemed to constitute impermissible distribution expenses. As a general rule, an investment company may not finance any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of its shares, except pursuant to the Rule. Accordingly, the Board of Trustees determined that the Plan also should provide that payments by the Trust and expenditures made by others out of monies received from the Trust which are later deemed to be for the financing of any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares shall be deemed to have been made pursuant to the Plan.
The approval of the Board of Trustees included a determination that in the exercise of the Trustees reasonable business judgment and in light of their fiduciary duties, there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the Trust, the Fund to which the Plan applies and its shareholders.
The provisions of the Plan are as follows:
1. Annual Fee. The Fund will pay to the Advisor, as the Funds distribution coordinator, an annual fee for the Advisors services in connection with the promotion and distribution of the Funds shares and related shareholder servicing. The annual fee paid to the Advisor under the Plan will be calculated daily and paid monthly by the Fund on the first day of each month based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, as follows: an annual rate of up to 0.25%. This fee is not tied exclusively to actual distribution and service expenses, and the fee may exceed the expenses actually incurred.
2. Services Covered by the Plan. The fee paid under Section 1 of the Plan is intended to compensate the Advisor for performing the following kinds of services: services primarily intended to result in the sale of the Funds shares (distribution services), including, but not limited to: (a) making payments, including incentive compensation, to agents for and consultants to the Advisor, any affiliate of the Advisor or the Trust, including pension administration firms that provide distribution and shareholder related services and broker-dealers that engage in the distribution of the Funds shares; (b) making payments to persons who provide support services in connection with the distribution of the Funds shares
and servicing of the Funds shareholders, including, but not limited to, personnel of the Advisor, office space and equipment, telephone facilities, answering routine inquiries regarding the Fund, processing shareholder transactions and providing any other shareholder services not otherwise provided by the Trusts transfer agency or other servicing arrangements; (c) making payments pursuant to the form of Distribution Agreement attached hereto as an exhibit; (d) formulating and implementing marketing and promotional activities, including, but not limited to, direct mail promotions and television, radio, newspaper, magazine and other mass media advertising; (e) printing and distributing prospectuses, statements of additional information and reports of the Fund to prospective shareholders of the Fund; (f) preparing, printing and distributing sales literature pertaining to the Fund; and (g) obtaining whatever information, analysis and reports with respect to marketing and promotional activities that the Trust may, from time to time, deem advisable. Such services and activities shall be deemed to be covered by this Plan whether performed directly by the Advisor or by a third party.
3. Written Reports. The Advisor shall furnish to the Board of Trustees of the Trust, for its review, on a quarterly basis, a written report of the monies paid to it under the Plan with respect to the Fund, and shall furnish the Board of Trustees of the Trust with such other information as the Board of Trustees may reasonably request in connection with the payments made under the Plan in order to enable the Board of Trustees to make an informed determination of whether the Plan should be continued as to the Fund.
4. Termination. The Plan may be terminated as to the Fund at any time, without penalty, by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and the Distribution Agreement under the Plan may be likewise terminated on not more than sixty (60) days written notice. Once terminated, no further payments shall be made under the Plan notwithstanding the existence of any unreimbursed current or carried forward Distribution Expenses.
5. Amendments. The Plan and any Distribution Agreement may not be amended to increase materially the amount to be spent for distribution and servicing of Fund shares pursuant to Section 1 hereof without approval by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. All material amendments to the Plan and any Distribution Agreement entered into with third parties shall be approved by the independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on any such amendment. The Advisor may assign its responsibilities and liabilities under the Plan to another party who agrees to act as distribution coordinator for the Trust with the consent of a majority of the independent Trustees.
6. Selection of Independent Trustees. So long as the Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of the Trusts independent Trustees shall be committed to the discretion of such independent Board of Trustees.
7. Effective Date of Plan. The Plan shall take effect at such time as it has received requisite Trustee approval and, unless sooner terminated, shall continue in effect for a period of more than one year from the date of its execution only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including the independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such continuance.
8. Preservation of Materials. The Trust will preserve copies of the Plan, any agreements relating to the Plan and any report made pursuant to Section 5 above, for a period of not less than six years (the first two years in an easily accessible place) from the date of the Plan, agreement or report.
9. Meanings of Certain Terms. As used in the Plan, the terms interested person and majority of the outstanding voting securities will be deemed to have the same meaning that those terms have under the Act and the rules and regulations under the Act, subject to any exemption that may be granted to the Trust under the Act by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
2
This Plan and the terms and provisions thereof are hereby accepted and agreed to by the Trust and the Advisor, as distribution coordinator, as evidenced by their execution hereof, as of this 20 th day of July, 2012.
WORLD FUNDS TRUST
On behalf of the Perkins
Discovery Fund
By:__ /s/_ John Pasco, III | |
Title:President |
PERKINS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
as Distribution Coordinator
By:_/s/_Daniel S. Perkins | |
Title:Vice President |
3