As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2019 |
Registration No.333-148723 |
Registration No.811-22172 |
UNITED STATES |
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION |
Washington, D.C. 20549 |
FORM N-1A |
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | [X] | ||
Pre-Effective Amendment No. |
[ ] | ||
Post-Effective Amendment No. (330) |
[X] | ||
and/or | |||
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | [X] | ||
Amendment No. (331) |
[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 |
Practus, LLP |
11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310 |
Leawood, KS 66211 |
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
[X] | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b); | |
[ ] | On ________________ 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.
The Cboe Vest Family of Funds
(the
Funds)
PROSPECTUS
February 28, 2019
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAGX) | Class A Shares (KNGAX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCGX) | Class C Shares (KNGCX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMGX) | Investor Class Shares (KNGLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIGX) | Institutional Class Shares (KNGIX) | |
Class Y Shares (BUYGX) | Class Y Shares (KNGYX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund | |
Class A Shares (MRAAX) | Class A Shares (ENGAX) | |
Class C Shares (MRACX) | Class C Shares (ENGCX) | |
Investor Class Shares (MRALX) | Investor Class Shares (ENGLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (MRAIX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENGIX) | |
Class Y Shares (MRAYX) | Class Y Shares (ENGYX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (January) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (July) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAJX) | Class A Shares (BUALX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCJX) | Class C Shares (BUCLX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMJX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIJX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUILX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (February) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (August) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAFX) | Class A Shares (BUATX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCFX) | Class C Shares (BUCTX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMFX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMTX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIFX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUITX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (March) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (September) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAMX) | Class A Shares (BUASX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCMX) | Class C Shares (BUCSX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMMX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMSX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIMX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUISX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (April) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (October) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAAX) | Class A Shares (BUAOX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCAX) | Class C Shares (BUCOX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMAX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMOX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIAX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUIOX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (May) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (November) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAYX) | Class A Shares (BUANX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCYX) | Class C Shares (BUCNX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMYX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMNX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIYX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUINX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (June) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (December) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAUX) | Class A Shares (BUADX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCUX) | Class C Shares (BUCDX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMUX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMDX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIUX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUIDX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (July) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAJX) | Class A Shares (ENALX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCJX) | Class C Shares (ENCLX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMJX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIJX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENMIX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (August) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAFX) | Class A Shares (ENATX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCFX) | Class C Shares (ENCTX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMFX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMTX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIFX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENITX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (March) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (September) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAMX) | Class A Shares (ENASX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCMX) | Class C Shares (ENCSX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMMX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMSX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIMX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENISX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (April) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAAX) | Class A Shares (ENAOX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCAX) | Class C Shares (ENCOX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMAX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMOX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIZX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENIOX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (May) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAYX) | Class A Shares (ENANX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCZX) | Class C Shares (ENCNX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMYX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMNX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIYX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENINX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (June) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (December) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAUX) | Class A Shares (ENADX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCUX) | Class C Shares (ENCDX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMUX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMDX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIUX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENIDX) |
IMPORTANT NOTE: Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Funds shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the fund or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Funds or your financial intermediary electronically by calling or sending an email request.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. You can inform the Funds or your financial intermediary that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by calling or sending an email request. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Funds held with the fund complex/your financial intermediary.
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.
Investment Adviser:
Cboe Vest
SM
Financial LLC (the Adviser)
1765 Greensboro Station Pl, 9th Floor
McLean, Virginia 22102
TABLE OF CONTENTS | ||
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund | 1 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund | 15 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund | 24 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund | 36 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (January) Fund | 50 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (February) Fund | 61 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (March) Fund | 72 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (April) Fund | 83 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (May) Fund | 94 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (June) Fund | 105 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (July) Fund | 116 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (August) Fund | 127 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (September) Fund | 138 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (October) Fund | 149 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (November) Fund | 160 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (December) Fund | 171 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund | 182 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund | 193 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (March) Fund | 204 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (April) Fund | 215 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (May) Fund | 226 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (June) Fund | 237 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (July) Fund | 248 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (August) Fund | 259 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (September) Fund | 270 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund | 281 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund | 292 | |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (December) Fund | 303 | |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS INVESTMENTS | 314 | |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT RISK | 324 | |
MANAGEMENT | 334 | |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT OF THE ADVISERS LICENSORS AND THE FUNDS METHODOLOGY | 336 | |
HOW TO BUY SHARES | 339 | |
HOW TO SELL SHARES | 341 | |
GENERAL INFORMATION | 343 |
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES | 345 | |
NET ASSET VALUE | 347 | |
SHARE CLASS ALTERNATIVES | 348 | |
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS | 351 | |
DISTRIBUTION ARRANGEMENTS | 352 | |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | 353 | |
FOR MORE INFORMATION | 374 |
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund (the Buffer Fund or, solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index Balanced Series (the SPRO Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) |
Cboe Vest
SM
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written
expense limitation agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses
of the Fund (exclusive of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans,
taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses
and dividend expense on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily
net assets of each class of shares of the Fund, except for the Class Y shares where
the
|
1
Adviser
has agreed to limit the total expenses to 0.70%. The Adviser may not terminate this
expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,141 | $1,616 | $2,925 |
Class C | $198 | $936 | $1,696 | $3,697 |
Investor Class | $122 | $592 | $1,088 | $2,456 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $469 | $865 | $1,976 |
Class Y | $72 | $342 | $633 | $1,463 |
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. For the most recent fiscal year ended October 31, 2018, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 0.00%.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the indices that underlie the SPRO Index. The Fund will effectively divide its portfolio into twelve segments (referred to herein as a tranche), and each tranche will be invested in options that are tied to a particular month of the year. The Fund will implement this general approach to portfolio construction until it has reached an asset level at which the Adviser determines that it is prudent and efficient to convert the Fund into a fund of funds structure. When the Adviser converts the Fund to a fund of funds structure, the Fund will invest in other mutual funds advised by the Adviser. Each of these other mutual funds will be similar to the twelve tranches that the Fund will initially construct for its portfolio in that each of these other mutual funds will invest in options similar to a particular index that the mutual fund is designed to track and each will be tied to a particular month of the year.
2
Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO Index
The SPRO Index is a balanced index that is a composite of the twelve (12) Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index Monthly Series (the Buffer Index Monthly Series) that correspond to each month of the year (e.g., the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index January Series, the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index February Series, . . .etc.). The SPRO Index is rebalanced on the third Wednesday of each month to be equally weighted among the 12 Buffer Index Monthly Series. The methodology for the SPRO Index, as well as each of the Buffer Index Monthly Series was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . Each of the Buffer Index Monthly Series is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options (FLEX Options) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to a decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
Each of the Buffer Index Monthly Series measures the performance of a portfolio of exchange-traded FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective Buffer Index Monthly Series and, if held to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy for each Buffer Index Monthly Series is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of the month corresponding to the Buffer Index Monthly Series, pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprise the Buffer Index Monthly Series is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: Each of the Buffer Index Monthly Series measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective Buffer Index Monthly Series and expire on the third Wednesday of the month the following year.
3
The options are:
|
Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month of
the respective Buffer Index Monthly Series.
|
|
|
Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
|
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of the month of the respective Buffer Index Monthly Series.
|
|
|
Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
|
|
Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
|
|
Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
The SPRO Index, which is a balanced index that is a composite of the 12 Buffer Index Monthly Series, will effectively be comprised of 72 FLEX options with varying strikes and expiration dates.
Advisers Investment Approach
The Fund generally invests in a series of 12 monthly rolling tranches (meaning a portion of the Funds investment, i.e ., a January, February portion, March portion etc.). The Fund constructs each monthly tranche with FLEX Options that will be held for an approximate period of one year and that are similar to those utilized by the Buffer Index Monthly Series. Each monthly tranche seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the returns of the Buffer Index Monthly Series corresponding to that month. Each month, a previously purchased tranches options will generally expire, be exercised or be sold at or near their expiration, and the proceeds generally are used to purchase (or roll into) a new tranche of options expiring in approximately one year. In other words, at any given time, the Fund will generally have one tranche with options expiring in approximately one month, a second tranche expiring in approximately two months, and so on, up to a twelfth tranche expiring in approximately twelve months. The rolling nature of the tranches creates diversification of investment time period and market level compared to the risk of buying or selling investments at any one time.
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options for each monthly tranche that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise each of the Buffer Index Monthly Series. Each monthly tranche that is constructed within the Funds portfolio seeks to provide returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of the month to which the tranche belongs to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year (the tranche holding period) subject to the following conditions:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the tranche holding period, the tranche seeks
to provide a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the S&P
500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the tranche
holding period (the Capped Return).
|
4
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the tranche holding period by 10% or less (the
Buffer Amount), the tranche seeks to provide a total return of zero.
|
|
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the tranche holding period by more than 10%,
the tranche seeks to provide a total return loss that is 10% less than the percentage
loss on the S&P 500
®
Index with a maximum loss of approximately 90%.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that seek to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, each tranche may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), shares of the Reference ETF, and fixed income securities issued by the U.S. Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. Each monthly tranche is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index by tracking the SPRO Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver the cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options, similar to those that are part of the SPRO Index, to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive the cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive the cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
5
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect, within each monthly tranche, an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. For any given tranche, the FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while each monthly tranche of the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow each monthly tranche of the Fund to participate in gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the gains in each monthly tranche of the Fund will be capped. The Fund expects that its assets will generally be invested evenly across the monthly tranches. As a result, portions of the Funds investments will have different levels of protection against declines in the S&P 500 ® Index and different levels of capped gains from gains in the S&P 500 ® Index. This creates diversification of market levels, protection levels and capped levels on a monthly basis compared to the risk of investing only in a single monthly tranche with the market level, protection level and capped level fixed for approximately one year.
The Funds strategy is designed so that any amount owed by the Fund on FLEX Options written by the Fund (Written Options) will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the FLEX Options purchased by the Fund (Purchased Options) or will be covered by the shares of the Reference ETF held by the Fund. The Fund receives premiums in exchange for the Written Options and pays premiums in exchange for the Purchased Options. Because amounts owed on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the Purchased Options or shares of the Reference ETF, the Fund will not be in a net obligation position from the use of FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
To the extent that the Fund converts to a fund of funds and thereby begins to invest in other mutual funds to implement its investment strategy, it will only invest in mutual funds that seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of one or more of the Buffer Index Monthly Series (Buffer Monthly Funds). There are twelve (12) Buffer Monthly Funds that are advised by the Adviser that are also offered in this prospectus. Once the Funds assets reach a certain level, the Fund will only implement its investment strategy by investing in the Buffer Monthly Funds. Until such time, the Buffer Funds portfolio will be allocated to twelve (12) separate annual tranches (i.e., one for each month of the year) as described above.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe ® and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Buffer Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Buffer Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff.
6
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Buffer Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk . The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Index Limitations. The SPRO Index, as well as each of the Buffer Index Monthly Series, is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent uses an option valuation method to calculate the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the SPRO Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO Index and each of the Buffer Index Monthly Series do not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
7
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
ETF Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an ETF or may invest in shares of an ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the ETF invests. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Risks of Investing in Other Investment Companies and Underlying Funds . The Fund will incur higher and duplicative expenses when it invests in mutual funds and ETFs. There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices of the underlying funds and ETFs. When the Fund invests in an underlying mutual fund or ETF, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of securities comprising the underlying funds or index on which the ETF or index mutual fund or other vehicle is based and the value of the Funds investments will fluctuate in response to the performance and risks of the underlying investments or index. In addition to the brokerage costs associated with the Funds purchase and sale of the underlying securities, ETFs, mutual funds and other vehicles incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund. As a result, the Funds shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of these investment vehicles, in addition to Fund expenses. Because the Fund is not required to hold shares of underlying funds for any minimum period, it may be subject to, and may have to pay, short-term redemption fees imposed by the underlying funds. ETFs are subject to additional risks such as the fact that the market price of an ETFs shares may trade above or below its NAV or an active market may not develop. The Fund has no control over the investments and related risks taken by the underlying funds in which it invests. The Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations adopted under that statute impose conditions on investment companies which invest in other investment companies, and as a result, the Fund is generally restricted on the amount of shares of another investment company it may purchase to shares amounting to no more than 3% of the outstanding voting shares of such other investment company.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate
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8
environment,
risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Fixed-income securities with
longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally
making them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.
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Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative return of each monthly tranche is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in each monthly tranche is based on an assumption of holding the investment for one year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum capped return. Because each monthly tranches return (or the return for one of the Monthly Funds as the case may be) will be capped, the return of the Fund with respect to any particular tranche (or Monthly Fund) may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or Reference ETF.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or Reference ETF closing value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
9
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the written options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns referencing the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns referencing the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance of a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. ETFs face index correlation risk which is the risk that the performance
of an ETF will vary from the actual performance of the target index, known as tracking
error. It is possible that the Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may,
in certain circumstances, diverge significantly from the performance of the S&P
500
®
Index due to the Reference ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the
S&P 500
®
Index, temporary unavailability of certain securities in the secondary
market, differences in trading hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising
the S&P 500
®
Index, the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs)
or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees
that will reduce its price performance relative to the S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of ETFs tend to trade at a discount from their net asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net assets in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares of the Fund.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have not previously managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO Index, and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
11
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Funds Institutional Class shares from year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual returns for the periods indicated compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The calendar year returns of the Investor Class, Class A, Class C and Class Y shares would differ from those of the Institutional Class due to different expense structures.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
During the periods shown, the highest quarterly return was 5.00% (quarter ended March 31, 2017) and the lowest quarterly return was -7.84% (quarter ended December 31, 2018).
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Average Annual Returns For The Period Ended December 31, 2018
The table below shows how average annual total returns of the Funds shares compared to those of the Funds benchmark. The table also presents the impact of taxes on the Funds Institutional Class shares. 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 an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After tax returns for Class A, Class C, Investor Class and Class Y shares will differ from those of the Institutional Class shares as the expenses of those classes differ.
Institutional Shares | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(8/23/2016) |
Return Before Taxes | -2.19% | 4.81% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | -2.19% | 4.81% |
Return After
Taxes on Distributions
and Sale of Fund Shares |
-1.38% | 3.87% |
Class A | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(July 24, 2018) |
Return Before Taxes | N/A* | -5.82% |
Class C | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(July 24, 2018) |
Return Before Taxes | N/A* | -6.67% |
Investor Shares | 1 Year |
Since Inception
(12/7/2016) |
Return Before Taxes | -2.46% | 4.23% |
Class Y Shares | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(July 24, 2018) |
Return Before Taxes | N/A* | -5.65% |
1 Year |
Since
Inception
(8/23/2016) |
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Cboe S&P
500
®
Buffer Protect
Balanced Series |
-1.92% | 5.04% |
S&P 500 ® Index | -4.38% | 5.97% |
* Class
A, Class C and Class Y commenced operations on July 24, 2018 and therefore did not
have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this prospectus.
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Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC, is the investment adviser to the Fund.
13
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception on August 23, 2016.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since at least March 2018.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since May 2018.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
14
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund (the Aristocrats Fund or, solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Index (the Cboe Aristocrats Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) | Cboe Vest Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, |
15
extraordinary
expenses and dividend expense on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the
average daily net assets of each class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus,
except for the Class Y shares where the Adviser has agreed to limit the total expenses
to 0.70%. The Adviser may not terminate this expense limitation agreement prior
to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or reimbursement of an expense by the Adviser
is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years following the date such waiver
and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment
without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement
and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,176 | $1,687 | $3,085 |
Class C | $198 | $845 | $1,517 | $3,314 |
Investor Class | $122 | $667 | $1,238 | $2,793 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $570 | $1,069 | $2,445 |
Class Y | $72 | $342 | $633 | $1,463 |
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. For the most recent fiscal year ended October 31, 2018, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 205.91%
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an investment approach designed to track the performance of the Cboe Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses. The Cboe Aristocrats Index is designed with the primary goal of generating an annualized level of income that is approximately 3.5% over the annual dividend yield of the S&P 500 ® Index and a secondary goal of generating price returns that are proportional to the price returns of the S&P 500 ® Index.
About the Indexs Strategy
The Cboe Aristocrats Index, constructed and maintained by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Index Calculation Agent and/or Cboe), an affiliate of the Adviser, is designed with the primary goal of generating an annualized level of income that is approximately 3.5% over the annual dividend yield of the S&P 500 ® Index and a secondary goal of generating price returns that are proportional to the price
16
returns of the S&P 500 ® Index. The Cboe Aristocrats Index investment strategy includes:
|
buying
an equally weighted portfolio of stocks of companies (Stock Portfolio)
that are the members of the S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
®
Index (SPDAUDT
Index); and,
|
|
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partially
writing hypothetical weekly U.S. exchange-traded covered call options (Call
Options) on each of the stocks.
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Stock Portfolio : The Stock Portfolio in the Cboe Aristocrats Index is rebalanced to be equally weighted each January, April, July and October and is reconstituted on an annual basis by selecting stocks that have options that trade on a national securities exchange and are members of the SPDAUDT Index during the January rebalance. The SPDAUDT Index, constructed and maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, includes companies that are currently members of the S&P 500 ® , have increased dividend payments each year for at least 25 years, and meet certain market capitalization and liquidity requirements. The SPDAUDT Index contains a minimum of 40 stocks, which are equally weighted, and no single sector is allowed to comprise more than 30% of the Index weight. If there are fewer than 40 stocks with at least 25 consecutive years of dividend growth or if sector caps are breached, the SPDAUDT Index will include companies with shorter dividend growth histories.
Call Options : Each stock in the Stock Portfolio is partially overwritten with an exchange-traded-call option on that stock. Each exchange-traded call option included in the Cboe Aristocrats Index is a hypothetical European-style option ( i.e ., an option which can only be exercised at the strike price at its expiration) with an approximate term of 7-days (Term). The strike price ( i.e ., the price at which a call option can be exercised) of each call option included in the Cboe Aristocrats Index must be as close as possible to the closing price of the options underlying stock price as of the beginning of the Term, the last business day of the week. Each such option will automatically be deemed exercised on its expiration date if its underlying stock price is above its strike price. If the stock underlying the call option closes above the options strike price, a cash settlement payment in an amount equal to the difference between the strike price and the closing price of the stock is deemed to be made and the Cboe Aristocrats Index value is correspondingly reduced. If the underlying stock does not close above its strike price, then the option expires worthless and the entire amount of the premium payment is retained within the Cboe Aristocrats Index. The Call Options are rolled at the end of the Term, into a new set of Call Options with a new term of approximately 7 days. The Cboe Aristocrats Index is designed to vary the number of Call Options written over the Term such that the Stock Portfolio is partially overwritten with Call Options. The number of Call Options written is determined at the start of the Term such that total annualized income per unit of investment expressed as a percentage over the calendar year (Annualized Yield) from dividends received from the Stock Portfolio and the premiums received from the Call Options is approximately 3.5% over the annual dividend yield of the S&P 500 ® Index. The Cboe Aristocrats Index may utilize FLexible EXchange ® Options (FLEX Options), which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but unlike standardized exchange-traded options provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles and expiration dates.
The Cboe Aristocrats Index is published under the Bloomberg ticker symbol SPAI.
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About the Funds Strategy
The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Cboe Aristocrats Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Funds total assets will be invested in component securities of the Cboe Aristocrats Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Fund intends to invest in a sample of the securities in the Cboe Aristocrats Index with a view towards making quarterly distributions at an approximate rate of 3.5% over the annual dividend yield of the S&P 500 ® Index, before fees and expenses.
The Fund may invest in the entire Stock Portfolio or a representative sample of the Stock Portfolio whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the Stock Portfolio as a whole. The Fund will seek to reconstitute and rebalance at or close to the same time as when the Stock Portfolio is rebalanced.
The Fund may sell European style FLEX Options that reference the stock that the Fund may invest in. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter (OTC) options positions. OTC options are options that do not trade on an exchange.
The Fund is non-diversified.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff.
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the Fund invests can be worse than expected and investments may fail to perform as the Adviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares in the Fund may decrease.
18
Specific risks of investing in the Fund are described below.
Call Options Risk . Writing call options are speculative activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The Funds use of derivatives, such as call options, can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying stock, which may be magnified by certain features of the options. These risks are heightened when the Funds portfolio managers use options to enhance the Funds return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge (or offset) the risk of a position or security held by the Fund. When selling a call option, the Fund will receive a premium; however, this premium may not be enough to offset a loss incurred by the Fund if the price of the underlying stock is above the strike price by an amount equal to or greater than the premium. The value of an option may be adversely affected if the market for the option becomes less liquid or smaller, and will be affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the stock subject to the option, an increase in interest rates, a change in the actual and perceived volatility of the stock market and the common stock and the remaining time to expiration. Additionally, the value of an option does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying stock(s). The Funds use of options may reduce the Funds ability to profit from increases in the value of the underlying stock(s).
FLEX Options Risk . The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete, and the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment. FLEX Options are also subject to the Call Option Risk described above.
Equity Securities Risk . The Fund invests in equity securities. The value of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of these equity securities. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as the current market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur.
Sector Concentration Risk . The Fund from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors.
Market Risk . Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Overall security values could decline generally or could underperform other investments.
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Portfolio Turnover Risk . The Funds strategy will frequently involve buying and selling Call Options to generate premium income. High portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and generating greater tax liabilities for shareholders. Portfolio turnover risk may cause the Funds performance to be less than you expect.
Index Limitations Risk . The Cboe Aristocrats Index is designed to represent a proposed option writing strategy. The Index Calculation Agent uses an option valuation method to calculate the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Cboe Aristocrats Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent securities or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the Cboe Aristocrats Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform the Index.
Tracking Error Risk . The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Cboe Aristocrats Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX Option contracts that constitute the Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the Cboe Aristocrats Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Non-Diversification Risk . The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund than is a diversified fund.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have not previously managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, the possible application of the straddle or qualified covered call rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Performance History
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Funds Institutional Class shares from year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual returns for the periods indicated compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The calendar year returns of the Investor Class, Class A, Class C and Class Y shares would differ from those of the Institutional Class due to different expense structures.
During the periods shown, the highest quarterly return was 7.27% (quarter ended September 30, 2018) and the lowest quarterly return was -8.83% (quarter ended December 31, 2018).
Average Annual Returns For The Period Ended December 31, 2018
The table below shows how average annual total returns of the Funds shares compared to those of the Funds benchmark. The table also presents the impact of taxes on the Funds Institutional Class shares. 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 an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After tax returns for Class A, Class C, Investor Class and Class Y shares will differ from those of the Institutional Class shares as the expenses of those classes differ.
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Institutional Shares | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(09/11/2017) |
Return Before Taxes | -4.26% | 3.23% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | -5.89% | 1.61% |
Return After
Taxes on Distributions
and Sale of Fund Shares |
-2.65% | 1.86% |
Class A | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(09/11/2017) |
Return Before Taxes | -4.34% | 3.07% |
Class C | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(09/11/2017) |
Return Before Taxes | -5.25% | 2.17% |
Investor Shares | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(09/11/2017) |
Return Before Taxes | -4.49% | 2.87% |
Class Y Shares | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(07/24/2018) |
Return Before Taxes | N/A* | -4.84% |
1 Year |
Since
Inception
(09/11/2017) |
|
Cboe S&P
500
®
Dividend
Aristocrats Target Income Index |
-3.12% | 4.72% |
S&P 500 ® Index | -4.38% | 0.58% |
* Class
Y commenced operations on July 24, 2018 and therefore did not have a full calendar
year of performance as of the date of this prospectus.
|
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
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Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception in September 2017.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since at least March 2018.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since May 2018.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
23
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund (the Enhance and Buffer Fund or, solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Index (the Enhance and Buffer Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Share Class Alternatives and in the section Distribution at page in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which
it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive of interest, distribution
fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired
|
24
fund fees and expenses, brokerage
commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense on short sales) to an annual
rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each class of shares of the Fund
offered in this prospectus, except for the Class Y shares where the Adviser has
agreed to limit the total expenses to 0.70%. The Adviser may not terminate this
expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,028 | $1,389 | $2,401 |
Class C | $198 | $710 | $1,248 | $2,721 |
Investor Class Shares | $122 | $747 | $1,398 | $3,146 |
Institutional Class Shares | $97 | $471 | $870 | $1,986 |
Class Y Shares | $72 | $368 | $686 | $1,588 |
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. For the most recent fiscal year ended October 31, 2018, the Funds portfolio turnover rate 0.00%.
Principal Investment Strategies
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Enhance and Buffer Index, by constructing a portfolio of options that are similar to options that comprise the Index.
Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers approach to managing the Fund (see Advisers Investment Approach below), it is important to understand the Enhance and Buffer Index. Immediately following this section is information about the Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
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About the Index
The methodology of the Enhance and Buffer Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The Enhance and Buffer Index is designed to provide target outcome returns linked to the U.S. large capitalization stock market. The Index measures the returns of a portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options (FLEX Options) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Buffer Range Capture options strategy that over a period of approximately one month seeks to provide, before net options premium paid or received, 2 times enhanced returns on appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level of 5.0%, buffer protect against the first 3.5% of losses, and deliver 2 times enhanced returns on losses of more than 3.5%.
The Enhanced Buffer Range Capture Strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Buffer Range Capture strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset (e.g., the S&P 500 ® Index) which, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, buffer protect against downside losses due to a decline in the underlying asset in a pre-defined range, and two-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation in the underlying asset beyond the buffer range.
The options portion of the Enhance and Buffer Index measures the performance of a portfolio of exchange-traded European-style options FLEX Options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date, that replicate the returns of an Enhanced Buffer Range Capture Strategy that:
| has its inception on the last business day of a calendar month and | ||
| if held to the last business day of the following month, seeks to provide returns that | ||
o |
provide
two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the S&P 500
®
Index
up to a capped level of 5%,
|
||
o |
buffer
protect against downside losses due to decline in the S&P 500
®
Index of the
first 3.5%, and
|
||
o |
provide
two-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation in the underlying asset
beyond the 3.5% buffer.
|
The net options premium paid or received to enter into the Enhanced Buffer Range Capture Strategy is computed by the Index Calculation Agent on the last business day of each month and is subtracted or added to the returns of the Enhance and Buffer Index, and assumed to be invested in cash, cash equivalents, or fixed income securities issued by the U.S. Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less.
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective, the Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Enhance and
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Buffer Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in the component securities (i.e., FLEX Options or standardized options (the Options Portfolio)) that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the Enhance and Buffer Index. The Funds returns or losses from the Options Portfolio before all estimated fees and expenses accrue from two sources that are a function of the price and returns of the S&P 500 ® Index:
Enhanced Buffer Range Capture Strategy
First, the Fund will accrue returns from the Enhanced Buffer Range Capture Strategy that are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the last business day of each calendar month to the last business day of the following calendar month (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks a return
from the Options Portfolio that increases by twice the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return of 5%;
|
|
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 3.5% or less, the Fund
seeks a return from the Options Portfolio of zero; and
|
|
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 3.5%, the Fund
seeks a return loss from the Options Portfolio that is 3.5% less than twice the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum possible loss of 100%.
|
Net Options Premiums
Second, the Fund will accrue returns from the Net Options Premiums that represents the difference between the total premiums paid for the Options Portfolio and a comparable direct notional investment in the stocks that comprise the S&P 500 Index. The Funds Options Portfolio, which seeks to replicate the returns of the Enhance and Buffer Indexs Enhanced Buffer Range Capture Strategy, consists of buying options (Bought Options) and selling (or writing) options (Sold Options). By selling Sold Options at the start of the holding period, the Fund receives premiums from the options buyer. By buying Bought Options at the start of the holding period, the Fund pays premiums to the options seller. The total premium paid by the Fund at the start of the holding period is the difference between the premium paid for purchasing the Bought Options less the premium received for selling the Sold Options. The Net Options Premiums refers to the difference between the total premiums paid by the Fund and comparable direct notional investment in the stocks that comprise the S&P 500 Index. When the Net Options Premiums is positive, the returns of the Fund over the holding period are reduced by the Net Options Premiums. When the Net Options Premiums are negative, the return of the Fund over the holding period is increased by the Net Options Premiums. The Net Options Premiums will be invested in cash, cash equivalents, or fixed income securities issued by the U.S. Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less.
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX or standardized options that reference either the S&P 500 ® Index and/or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that seek to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference
27
ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written call options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the U.S. Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less that are similar to those utilized in the Enhance and Buffer Index. It is anticipated that more than 90% of the Funds investment will be in FLEX options. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive and two-to-one losses for losses beyond the first 3.5% loss when the market is negative by more than 3.5%.
The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with those of the S&P 500 ® Index, with the monthly gains enhanced in a certain range of positive returns for the S&P 500 Index while being capped outside that range and the monthly losses mitigated in a certain range of negative returns while being enhanced outside that range.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver the cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The Enhance and Buffer Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call options similar to those that are part of the Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive the cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive the cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price. Option contracts are generally European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date.
The options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 3.5% of the S&P 500 ® Index on a monthly basis. The options do not protect against declines of over 3.5% and will enhance the losses for declines of more than 3.5% in the S&P 500 ® Index by a two-to-one basis with respect to losses in excess of 3.5%. The Fund will bear any losses in excess of 3.5%. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 3.5% of the S&P 500 ® Index on a monthly basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The options
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also are intended to allow the Fund to participate in enhanced gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum monthly return of 5%. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum return of 5%, the Funds gains will be capped. The Fund may have to pay a net premium for taking the position in the portfolio of options. This premium will impose a cost on the Fund and reduce its performance. The proceeds from the portfolio of options, upon their expiry will have to be higher than the premium paid for the Fund to realize any gains before any fees and expenses.
As the options expire every month, they are replaced. By replacing options monthly, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made are partially protecting against downturns, enhancing gains subject to a cap, risking enhanced losses, and sacrificing gains above 5% in the following month.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the Fund invests can be worse than expected and investments may fail to perform as the Adviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares in the Fund may decrease.
Specific risks of investing in the Fund are described below.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based. The options may be European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
29
FLEX Options Risk . The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete, and the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment. FLEX Options are also subject to the Options Risk described above.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index . The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, the Reference ETF or the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index, the Reference ETF or the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index, the Reference ETF or the or the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or Reference ETF closing value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Fixed Income Risk. The value of the Funds investments in fixed income securities will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified. In addition, the credit quality of securities held by the Fund may be lowered if an issuers financial condition changes.
30
Amplified Returns Risk . The Funds portfolio exposes the Fund to amplified losses from price depreciation in the level of the S&P 500 Index of more than 3.5% from last trading day of a month to the last trading day of the following month. The rate of loss to the Fund is twice the rate of price depreciation in the level of the S&P 500 Index of more than 3.5% from the last trading day of a month to the last trading day of the following month. For time periods other than from the last trading day of a month to the last trading day of the following month, the Fund could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
Market Risk . Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Overall security values could decline generally or could underperform other investments. Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
ETF Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the ETF invests. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Index Limitations Risk . The Enhance and Buffer Index is designed to represent a proposed option writing strategy. The Index Calculation Agent uses an option valuation method to calculate the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent securities or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform the Index.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the Enhance and Buffer Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
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Tracking Error Risk . The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Enhance and Buffer Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX Option contracts that constitute the Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Non-Diversification Risk . The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund than is a diversified fund.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have not previously managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Funds Institutional Class shares from year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual returns for the periods indicated compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The calendar year returns of the Investor Class, Class A, Class C and Class Y shares would differ from those of the Institutional Class due to different expense structures.
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During the periods shown, the highest quarterly return was 7.57% (quarter ended September 30, 2018) and the lowest quarterly return was -16.01% (quarter ended December 31, 2018).
Average Annual Returns For The Period Ended December 31, 2018
The table below shows how average annual total returns of the Funds shares compared to those of the Funds benchmark. The table also presents the impact of taxes on the Funds Institutional Class shares. 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 an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After tax returns for Class A, Class C, Investor Class and Class Y shares will differ from those of the Institutional Class shares as the expenses of those classes differ.
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Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception in November 2017.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since at least March 2018.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since May 2018.
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For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund (the Enhanced Growth Fund or, solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index Balanced Series (the SPEN Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus, except for the
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Class Y
shares where the Adviser has agreed to limit the total expenses to 0.70%. The Adviser
may not terminate this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020.
Each waiver or reimbursement of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment
by the Fund within three years following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement
was made, provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding
the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at
the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A | $691 | $1,013 | $1,357 | $2,325 |
Class C | $199 | $817 | $1,462 | $3,192 |
Investor Class | $123 | $564 | $1,030 | $2,322 |
Institutional Class | $98 | $474 | $875 | $1,997 |
Class Y | $73 | $418 | $787 | $1,825 |
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. For the most recent fiscal year ended October 31, 2018, the Funds portfolio turnover rate 0.00%.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the indices that underlie the SPEN Index. The Fund will effectively divide its portfolio into twelve segments (referred to herein as a tranche), and each tranche will be invested in options that are tied to a particular month of the year. The Fund will implement this general approach to portfolio construction until it has reached an asset level at which the Adviser determines that it is prudent and efficient to convert the Fund into a fund of funds structure. When the Adviser converts the Fund to a fund of funds structure, the Fund will invest in other mutual funds advised by the Adviser. Each of these other mutual funds will be similar to the twelve tranches that the Fund will initially construct for its portfolio in that each of these other mutual funds will invest in options similar to a particular index that the mutual fund is designed to track and each will be tied to a particular month of the year.
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Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN Index
The SPEN Index is a balanced index that is a composite of the twelve (12) Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index Monthly Series (the EG Index Monthly Series) that correspond to each month of the year (e.g., the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index January Series, the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index February Series, . . .etc.). The SPEN Index is rebalanced on the third Wednesday of each month to be equally weighted among the 12 EG Index Monthly Series. The methodology for the SPEN Index, as well as each of the EG Index Monthly Series was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . Each of the EG Index Monthly Series is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
Each of the EG Index Monthly Series measures the performance of a portfolio of exchange-traded FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective EG Index Monthly Series and, if held to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy for each EG Index Monthly Series is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of the month corresponding to the EG Index Monthly Series, pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprise the EG Index Monthly Series is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: Each of the EG Index Monthly Series measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective EG Index Monthly Series and expire on the third Wednesday of the month the following year.
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The options are:
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Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective
EG Index Monthly Series.
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|
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Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month
of the respective EG Index Monthly Series.
|
|
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Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
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Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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The SPEN Index, which is a balanced index that is a composite of the 12 EG Index Monthly Series, will effectively be comprised of 48 FLEX options with varying strikes and expiration dates.
Advisers Investment Approach
The Fund invests in a series of 12 monthly rolling tranches (meaning a portion of the Funds investment, i.e ., a January, February portion, March portion etc.). The Fund constructs each monthly tranche with FLEX Options that will be held for an approximate period of one year and that are similar to those utilized by the EG Index Monthly Series. Each monthly tranche seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the returns of the EG Index Monthly Series corresponding to that month. Each month, a previously purchased tranches options will generally expire, be exercised or be sold at or near their expiration, and the proceeds generally are used to purchase (or roll into) a new tranche of options expiring in approximately one year. In other words, at any given time, the Fund will generally have one tranche with options expiring in approximately one month, a second tranche expiring in approximately two months, and so on, up to a twelfth tranche expiring in approximately twelve months. The rolling nature of the tranches creates diversification of investment time period and market level compared to the risk of buying or selling investments at any one time.
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options for each monthly tranche that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise each of the EG Index Monthly Series. Each monthly tranche that is constructed within the Funds portfolio seeks to provide returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of the month to which the tranche belongs to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year (the tranche holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the tranche holding period, the tranche seeks
to provide a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the tranche holding period (the Capped Return).
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the tranche holding period, the tranche seeks
to provide a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the S&P
500
®
Index.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, each tranche may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), shares of the Reference ETF, and fixed income securities issued by the U.S. Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. Each monthly tranche is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver the cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive the cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive the cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver the cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
With respect to each tranche, the FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to provide, on an annualized basis, two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. There is no guarantee that the Fund will provide such returns for any given period of time. Notwithstanding the design of the FLEX Options to provide two-to-one enhanced returns, the FLEX Options also are intended to allow each monthly tranche of the Fund to participate in gains in the S&P 500 ® Index only up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the gains in each monthly tranche of the Fund will be capped. The Fund expects that its assets will generally be invested evenly across the monthly tranches. As a result, portions of the Funds investments will have different levels of capped gains from gains in the S&P 500 ® Index. This creates diversification of market levels and capped levels on a monthly basis compared to the risk of investing only in a single monthly tranche with the market level and capped level fixed for approximately one year.
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The Funds strategy is designed so that any amount owed by the Fund on FLEX Options written by the Fund (Written Options) will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the FLEX Options purchased by the Fund (Purchased Options) or will be covered by the shares of the Reference ETF held by the Fund. The Fund receives premiums in exchange for the Written Options and pays premiums in exchange for the Purchased Options. Because amounts owed on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the Purchased Options or shares of the Reference ETF, the Fund will not be in a net obligation position from the use of FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
To the extent that the Fund converts to a fund of funds and thereby begins to invest in other mutual funds to implement its investment strategy, it will only invest in mutual funds that seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of one or more of the EG Index Monthly Series (Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds). There are twelve (12) Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds that are advised by the Adviser that are offered in a separate prospectus. Once the Funds assets reach a certain level, the Fund will only implement its investment strategy by investing in the Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds. Until such time, the Funds portfolio will be allocated to twelve (12) separate annual tranches (i.e., one for each month of the year) as described above.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff.
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance
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of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk . The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Index Limitations. The SPEN Index, as well as each of the EG Index Monthly Series, is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent uses an option valuation method to calculate the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the SPEN Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN Index and each of the EG Index Monthly Series do not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
ETF Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an ETF or may invest in shares of an ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the ETF invests. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and
42
other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Risks of Investing in Other Investment Companies and Underlying Funds . The Fund will incur higher and duplicative expenses when it invests in mutual funds and ETFs. There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices of the underlying funds and ETFs. When the Fund invests in an underlying mutual fund or ETF, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of securities comprising the underlying funds or index on which the ETF or index mutual fund or other vehicle is based and the value of the Funds investments will fluctuate in response to the performance and risks of the underlying investments or index. In addition to the brokerage costs associated with the funds purchase and sale of the underlying securities, ETFs, mutual funds and other vehicles incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund. As a result, the Funds shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of these investment vehicles, in addition to Fund expenses. Because the Fund is not required to hold shares of underlying funds for any minimum period, it may be subject to, and may have to pay, short-term redemption fees imposed by the underlying funds. ETFs are subject to additional risks such as the fact that the market price of an ETFs shares may trade above or below its NAV or an active market may not develop. The Fund has no control over the investments and related risks taken by the underlying funds in which it invests. The Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations adopted under that statute impose conditions on investment companies which invest in other investment companies, and as a result, the Fund is generally restricted on the amount of shares of another investment company it may purchase to shares amounting to no more than 3% of the outstanding voting shares of such other investment company.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk.
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Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . Each monthly tranche that is constructed within the Funds portfolio seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. Each tranche seeks to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of the month to which the tranche belongs to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. For time periods other than from the third Wednesday of the month to which the tranche belongs to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the tranche could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The return of each monthly tranche is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in each monthly tranche is based on an assumption of holding the investment for one year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum capped return. Because each monthly tranches return (or the return for one of the Monthly Funds as the case may be) will be capped, the return of the Fund with respect to any particular tranche (or the Monthly Funds) may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or Reference ETF.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or Reference ETF closing value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
44
The value of the written options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns referencing the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns referencing the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance of a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. ETFs face index correlation risk which is the risk that the performance
of an ETF will vary from the actual performance of the target index, known as tracking
error. It is possible that the Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may,
in certain circumstances, diverge significantly from the performance of the S&P
500
®
Index due to the Reference ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the
S&P 500
®
Index, temporary unavailability of certain securities in the secondary
market, differences in trading hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising
the S&P 500
®
Index, the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs)
or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of ETFs tend to trade at a discount from their net asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net assets in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares of the Fund.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have not previously managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN Index, and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
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Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Funds Institutional Class shares from year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual returns for the periods indicated compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The calendar year returns of the Investor Class, Class A, Class C and Class Y shares would differ from those of the Institutional Class due to different expense structures.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
During the periods shown, the highest quarterly return was 7.47% (quarter ended March 31, 2017) and the lowest quarterly return was -14.38% (quarter ended December 31, 2018).
Average Annual Returns For The Period Ended December 31, 2018
The table below shows how average annual total returns of the Funds shares compared to those of the Funds benchmark. The table also presents the impact of taxes on the Funds Institutional Shares. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and
47
do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After tax returns for the Class A, Class C, Investor Class and Class Y Shares will differ from those of the Institutional Shares as the expenses of those classes differ.
Institutional Shares | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(December 21, 2016) |
Return Before Taxes | -7.06% | 4.70% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | -8.46% | 3.92% |
Return After
Taxes on Distributions
and Sale of Fund Shares |
-3.11% | 3.50% |
Class A | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(January 31, 2017) |
Return Before Taxes | -7.26% | 3.67% |
Class C | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(July 24, 2018) |
Return Before Taxes | N/A* | -12.08% |
Investor Shares | 1 Year |
Since
Inception
(January 31, 2017) |
Return Before Taxes | -7.24% | 3.83% |
Class Y Shares | 1 Year |
Since Inception
(July 24, 2018) |
Return Before Taxes | N/A* | -11.60% |
1 Year |
Since
Inception
(December 21, 2016) |
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Cboe S&P
500 Enhanced Growth
Index Balanced Series |
-6.19% | 4.98% |
S&P 500 Index | -4.38% | 5.13% |
* Class
C and Class Y did not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of
this prospectus.
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Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception in December 2016.
48
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since at least March 2018.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since May 2018.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
49
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (January) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (January) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index January Series (the SPRO01 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
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(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
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50
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO01 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO01 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO01 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO01 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO01 Index
The methodology of the SPRO01 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO01 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO01 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
51
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO01 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of January and if held to the third Wednesday of January the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of January pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO01 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of January and expire on the third Wednesday of January the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of January.
|
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Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
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Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of January.
|
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Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
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Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
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Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO01 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO01. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of January of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following January (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
52
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide shareholders
with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
|
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
|
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO01 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO01 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO01 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO01 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO01 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the
53
index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in January are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in January in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
54
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO01 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO01 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO01 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO01 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO01 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO01 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO01 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of January and held until the third Wednesday of the following January. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO01 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the
55
risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
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The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
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The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
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Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO01 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO01 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO01 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO01 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO01 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO01 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO01 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO01 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO01 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO01 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO01 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO01 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
59
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (February) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (February) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index February Series (the SPRO02 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
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(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser
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61
may not
terminate this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver
or reimbursement of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund
within three years following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made,
provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense
limitation in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the
waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO02 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO02 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO02 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO02 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO02 Index
The methodology of the SPRO02 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO02 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO02 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
62
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO02 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of February and if held to the third Wednesday of February the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of February pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO02 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO02 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of February and expire on the third Wednesday of February the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of February.
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Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of February.
|
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Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
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Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO02 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO02. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of February of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following February (the holding period) subject to the
63
following conditions:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO02 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO02 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO02 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are
64
part of the SPRO02 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO02 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in February are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in February in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO02 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO02 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO02 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO02 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO02 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO02 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO02 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of February and held until the third Wednesday of the following February. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO02 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
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Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
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Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
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The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
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Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO02 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO02 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO02 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO02 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO02 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO02 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO02 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO02 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO02 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO02 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO02 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO02 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (March) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (March) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index March Series (the SPRO03 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
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(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
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reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO03 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO03 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO03 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO03 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO03 Index
The methodology of the SPRO03 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO03 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO03 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
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hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO03 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of March and if held to the third Wednesday of March the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of March pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO03 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO03 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of March and expire on the third Wednesday of March the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of March.
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Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of March.
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Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
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Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO03 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO03. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of March of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following March (the holding period) subject to the
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following conditions:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO03 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO03 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO03 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO03 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO03
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Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in March are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in March in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO03 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO03 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO03 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO03 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO03 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO03 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO03 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of March and held until the third Wednesday of the following March. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO03 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
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Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
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Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
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The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
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Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO03 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO03 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO03 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO03 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO03 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO03 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO03 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO03 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO03 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO03 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO03 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO03 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (April) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (April) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index April Series (the SPRO04 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
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(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
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reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO04 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO04 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO04 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO04 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO04 Index
The methodology of the SPRO04 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO04 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO04 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
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hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO04 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of April and if held to the third Wednesday of April the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of April pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO04 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO04 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of April and expire on the third Wednesday of April the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of April.
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Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of April.
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Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level. Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO04 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO04. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P
85
500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of April of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following April (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO04 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO04 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO04 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO04 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO04
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Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in April are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in April in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO04 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO04 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO04 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO04 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO04 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO04 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO04 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of April and held until the third Wednesday of the following April. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO04 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
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Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
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Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
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The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
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Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO04 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO04 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO04 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO04 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO04 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO04 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO04 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO04 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO04 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO04 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO04 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO04 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (May) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (May) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index May Series (the SPRO05 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
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(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
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reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO05 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO05 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO05 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO05 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO05 Index
The methodology of the SPRO05 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO05 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO05 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
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hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO05 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of May and if held to the third Wednesday of May the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of May pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO05 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO05 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of May and expire on the third Wednesday of May the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of May.
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Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of May.
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Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
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Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
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Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO05 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO05. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of May of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following May (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide shareholders
with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO05 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO05 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO05 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO05 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO05 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the
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index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in May are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in May in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO05 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO05 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO05 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO05 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO05 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO05 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO05 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of May and held until the third Wednesday of the following May. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO05 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the
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risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
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The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
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The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
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Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO05 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO05 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO05 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO05 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO05 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO05 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO05 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO05 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO05 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO05 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO05 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO05 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (June) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (June) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index June Series (the SPRO06 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum
sales charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum
deferred sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other
Expenses and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial
fiscal year.
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(2) |
Cboe
Vest Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense
limitation agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the
Fund (exclusive of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes,
acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and
dividend expense on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily
net assets of each class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser
may not terminate this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020.
Each waiver or
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reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO06 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO06 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO06 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO06 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO06 Index
The methodology of the SPRO06 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO06 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO06 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
106
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO06 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of June and if held to the third Wednesday of June the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of June pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO06 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO06 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of June and expire on the third Wednesday of June the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of June.
|
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Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of June.
|
||
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Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
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Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
||
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Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO06 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO06.
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The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of June of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following June (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
||
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
|
||
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO06 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO06 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO06 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO06 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO06
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Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in June are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in June in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO06 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO06 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO06 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO06 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO06 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO06 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO06 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of June and held until the third Wednesday of the following June. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO06 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
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Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
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Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
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The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively
managed and attempts to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities.
This differs from an actively managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform
a benchmark index. As a result, the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities
of the S&P 500
®
Index regardless of the current or projected performance
on a specific security or particular industry or market sector, which could impact
the unit price of the Reference ETF, the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation
risk which is the risk that the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary
from the actual performance of the target index, known as tracking error.
It is possible that the Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain
circumstances, diverge significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P
500
®
Index, temporary unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market,
differences in trading hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising
the S&P 500
®
Index, the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs)
or due to other circumstances.
|
||
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Securities Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in
securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF
may lose money because the borrower of the Reference ETFs loaned securities
fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.
|
||
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Fees and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the
Reference ETF will reflect transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price
performance relative to the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade
at a discount from their net asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
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Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO06 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO06 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO06 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO06 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO06 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO06 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO06 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO06 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO06 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO06 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO06 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO06 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
115
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (July) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (July) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index July Series (the SPRO07 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum
sales charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum
deferred sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the
amount redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers
and/or Expense
Reimbursements (2) |
(0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other
Expenses and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial
fiscal year.
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(2) |
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Cboe
Vest Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense
limitation agreement under
which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive of interest,
distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses,
brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense on short sales)
to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each class of shares
of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate this expense
limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or reimbursement of
an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO07 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO07 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO07 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO07 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
117
About the SPRO07 Index
The methodology of the SPRO07 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO07 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO07 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO07 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of July and if held to the third Wednesday of July the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of July pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO07 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO07 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of July and expire on the third Wednesday of July the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of July.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of July.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO07 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO07. The
118
Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of July of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following July (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
||
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
|
||
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO07 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO07 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
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The SPRO07 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO07 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO07 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in July are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in July in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
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Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO07 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO07 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO07 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO07 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO07 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO07 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO07 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of July and held until the third Wednesday of the following July. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
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Equity Risk . The SPRO07 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk.
The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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||
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Interest
Rate Risk.
An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk.
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Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
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The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively
managed and attempts to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities.
This differs from an actively managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform
a benchmark index. As a result, the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities
of the S&P 500
®
Index regardless of the current or projected performance
on a specific security or particular industry or market sector, which could impact
the unit price of the Reference ETF, the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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||
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Tracking Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation
risk which is the risk that the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary
from the actual performance of the target index, known as tracking error.
It is possible that the Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain
circumstances, diverge significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P
500
®
Index, temporary unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market,
differences in trading hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising
the S&P 500
®
Index, the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs)
or due to other circumstances.
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Securities Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in
securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF
may lose money because the borrower of the Reference ETFs loaned securities
fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.
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Fees and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the
Reference ETF will reflect transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price
performance relative to the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
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Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade
at a discount from their net asset value.
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
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Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO07 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO07 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO07 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO07 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO07 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO07 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO07 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO07 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO07 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO07 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO07 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO07 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax
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treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (August) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (August) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index August Series (the SPRO08 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other
Expenses and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial
fiscal year.
|
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(2) |
Cboe
Vest Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense
limitation agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the
Fund (exclusive of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes,
acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and
dividend expense on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily
net assets of each class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser
may not terminate this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020.
Each waiver or
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reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO08 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO08 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO08 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO08 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO08 Index
The methodology of the SPRO08 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO08 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO08 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
128
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO08 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of August and if held to the third Wednesday of August the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of August pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO08 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO08 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of August and expire on the third Wednesday of August the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of August.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of August.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO08 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO08. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of August of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following August (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
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|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO08 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO08 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO08 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO08 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO08
130
Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in August are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in August in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO08 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO08 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO08 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO08 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO08 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO08 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO08 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of August and held until the third Wednesday of the following August. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO08 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
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Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
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Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
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The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively
managed and attempts to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities.
This differs from an actively managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform
a benchmark index. As a result, the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities
of the S&P 500
®
Index regardless of the current or projected performance
on a specific security or particular industry or market sector, which could impact
the unit price of the Reference ETF, the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation
risk which is the risk that the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary
from the actual performance of the target index, known as tracking error.
It is possible that the Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain
circumstances, diverge significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P
500
®
Index, temporary unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market,
differences in trading hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising
the S&P 500
®
Index, the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs)
or due to other circumstances.
|
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|
Securities Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in
securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF
may lose money because the borrower of the Reference ETFs loaned securities
fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.
|
||
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Fees and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the
Reference ETF will reflect transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price
performance relative to the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade
at a discount from their net asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
135
Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO08 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO08 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO08 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO08 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO08 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO08 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO08 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO08 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO08 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO08 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO08 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO08 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (September) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (September) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index September Series (the SPRO09 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
|
138
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO09 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO09 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO09 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO09 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO09 Index
The methodology of the SPRO09 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO09 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO09 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
139
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO09 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of September and if held to the third Wednesday of September the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of September pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO09 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO09 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of September and expire on the third Wednesday of September the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of September.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of September.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO09 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO09.
140
The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of September of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following September (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO09 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO09 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO09 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are
141
part of the SPRO09 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO09 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis . The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in September are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in September in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
142
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO09 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO09 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO09 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO09 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO09 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO09 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO09 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of September and held until the third Wednesday of the following September. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO09 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
143
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
144
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
145
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
146
Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO09 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO09 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO09 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO09 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO09 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO09 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO09 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO09 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO09 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO09 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO09 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO09 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
147
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
148
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (October) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (October) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index October Series (the SPRO10 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | Class A | Class C | Investor Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual Fund
Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
|
149
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO10 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO10 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO10 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO10 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO10 Index
The methodology of the SPRO10 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO10 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO10 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
150
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO10 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of October and if held to the third Wednesday of October the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of October pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO10 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO10 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of October and expire on the third Wednesday of October the following year. The options are:
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Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of October.
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|
Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of October.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
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Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
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Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO10 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO10.
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The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of October of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following October (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO10 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO10 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO10 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO10 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO10
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Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap . Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in October are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in October in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
153
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO10 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO10 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO10 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO10 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO10 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO10 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO10 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of October and held until the third Wednesday of the following October. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO10 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
154
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
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Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
155
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
156
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
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Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
157
Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO10 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO10 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO10 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO10 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO10 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO10 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO10 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO10 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO10 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO10 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO10 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO10 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
158
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
159
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (November) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (November) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index November Series (the SPRO11 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual Fund
Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
|
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reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO11 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO11 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO11 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO11 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO11 Index
The methodology of the SPRO11 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO11 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO11 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
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Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO11 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of November and if held to the third Wednesday of November the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of November pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO11 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO11 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of November and expire on the third Wednesday of November the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of November.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of November.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO11 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO11. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of November of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following November (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide shareholders
with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
|
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|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO11 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO11 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO11 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPRO11 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO11 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the
163
index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap. Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in November are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in November in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
164
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO11 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO11 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO11 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO11 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO11 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO11 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO11 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of November and held until the third Wednesday of the following November. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO11 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the
165
risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
166
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
167
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
168
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO11 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO11 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO11 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO11 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO11 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO11 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO11 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO11 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO11 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO11 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO11 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO11 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
169
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
170
FUND SUMMARY - Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (December) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (December) Fund (solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index December Series (the SPRO12 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.68% | 2.43% | 1.68% | 1.43% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | (0.48%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.20% | 1.95% | 1.20% | 0.95% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser
|
171
may not
terminate this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver
or reimbursement of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund
within three years following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made,
provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense
limitation in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the
waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $690 | $1,030 |
Class C | $198 | $712 |
Investor Class | $122 | $483 |
Institutional Class | $97 | $405 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO12 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPRO12 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPRO12 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPRO12 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPRO12 Index
The methodology of the SPRO12 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPRO12 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPRO12 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
172
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of a Buffer Protect options strategy.
Buffer Protect options strategy: A Buffer Protect options strategy is a type of Target Outcome strategy. A Target Outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. A Buffer Protect options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset which when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options seeks to target returns that buffer protect against downside losses due to decline in the underlying asset, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain in the underlying asset.
The SPRO12 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Buffer Protect options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of December and if held to the third Wednesday of December the following year, seeks to buffer protect against the first 10% of losses due to a decline in the S&P 500 ® Index, while providing participation up to a maximum capped gain. The capped level of the Buffer Protect options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of December pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPRO12 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPRO12 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of six purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of December and expire on the third Wednesday of December the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Index Call Options. The Purchased Index Call Options are call options
purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which
is the price of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of December.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Call Options. The Written Type A Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Call Options. The Written Type B Index Call Options are
call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third
Wednesday of December.
|
||
|
Written
Type A Index Put Options. The Written Type A Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Written
Type B Index Put Options. The Written Type B Index Put Options are put
options written each with a strike price at 90% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Index Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO12 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO12.
173
The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of December of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following December (the holding period) subject to the following conditions:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by the percentage increase of the
S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of
the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by 10% or less (the Buffer
Amount), the Fund seeks to provide shareholders with a total return of zero;
and
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period by more than 10%, the Fund
seeks to provide shareholders with a total return loss that is 10% less than the
percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index a with a maximum loss of approximately
90%.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), written put FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund the buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), purchased put FLEX Options (i.e., options that give the Fund the right to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index), and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide partial protection from market downturns at the expense of limiting gains when the market is strongly positive. The Funds portfolio will be designed to provide investment returns that are correlated with, but less volatile than, those of the S&P 500 ® Index and by tracking the SPRO12 Index to mitigate losses when the S&P 500 ® Index declines in exchange for accepting a limit on gains when the S&P 500 ® Index increases. By seeking to track the SPRO12 Index, the Fund seeks to provide an investment vehicle with a risk/reward profile in which the risks in comparison to a hypothetical investment in the S&P 500 ® Index are somewhat limited, as are the potential rewards.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPRO12 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written put and call FLEX Options similar to those that are
174
part of the SPRO12 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPRO12 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
The FLEX Options the Fund uses are designed to protect an investment that is designed to track the S&P 500 ® Index against a decline of up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis. The FLEX Options do not protect against declines of over 10% and investors will bear a loss that is 10% less than the percentage loss on the S&P 500 ® Index. Further, while the Fund seeks to limit losses from declines up to 10% of the S&P 500 ® Index on an annualized basis, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The FLEX Options also are intended to allow the Fund to participate on gains in the S&P 500 ® Index up to a maximum cap . Thus, even if S&P 500 ® Index gains exceed that maximum cap, the Funds gains will be capped.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in December are continuously protecting against downturns and sacrificing upswings realized in December in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
175
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO12 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPRO12 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPRO12 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPRO12 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPRO12 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPRO12 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPRO12 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of December and held until the third Wednesday of the following December. For purchase or sale of the shares outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPRO12 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
176
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
177
Leveraging Risk. The use of leverage, such as that embedded in options, could magnify the Funds gains or losses.
The positive or negative Fund return is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
178
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its portfolio will be comprised of 10% or less of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX
179
Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing their respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPRO12 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPRO12 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO12 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPRO12 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPRO12 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPRO12 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPRO12 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPRO12 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPRO12 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPRO12 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPRO12 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPRO12 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
180
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
181
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund (the Enhanced Growth Fund or, solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index January Series (the SPEN01 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or
|
182
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that
the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation
in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or
reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN01 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN01 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN01 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN01 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN01 Index
The methodology of the SPEN01 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN01 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN01 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
183
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN01 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of January and if held to the third Wednesday of January the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of January pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN01 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of January and expire on the third Wednesday of January the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN01 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN01. The Fund seeks to returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of January of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following January (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start
of the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
184
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN01 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN01 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN01 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN01 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in January are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in January in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
185
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
186
Index Limitations. The SPEN01 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN01 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN01 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN01 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN01 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN01 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN01 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of January and held until the third Wednesday of the following January. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN01 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment,
risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Fixed-income securities with
longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally
making them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.
|
187
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares of the Fund are bought on the third Wednesday of January and held until the third Wednesday of the following January. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of January to the third Wednesday of January the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
188
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
189
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the
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Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN01 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN01 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN01 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN01 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN01 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN01 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN01 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN01 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN01 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN01 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN01 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN01 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
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Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund (the Enhanced Growth Fund or, solely for this Fund Summary,the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index February Series (the SPEN02 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
|
193
following
the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the Fund is able
to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time
of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN02 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN02 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN02 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN02 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN02 Index
The methodology of the SPEN02 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN02 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN02 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
194
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN02 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of February and if held to the third Wednesday of February the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of February pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN02 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of February and expire on the third Wednesday of February the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN02 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN02 . The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of February of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following February in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
|
195
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN02 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN02 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN02 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN02 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in February are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside realized in February in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
196
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
197
Index Limitations. The SPEN02 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN02 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN02 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN02 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN02 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN02 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN02 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of February and held until the third Wednesday of the following February. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN02 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
198
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income
securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically low interest rate
environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Fixed-income securities
with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally
making them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of February and held until the third Wednesday of the following February. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of February to the third Wednesday of February the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where
199
the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
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The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
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||
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
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Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that its will not invest more than f 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
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Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its respective investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN02 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN02 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN02 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN02 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN02 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN02 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN02 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN02 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN02 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN02 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN02 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN02 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance from year to year and
202
by showing the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
203
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (March) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (March) Fund (the Enhanced Growth Fund or, solely for this Fund Summary, the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index March Series (the SPEN03 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2020. Each waiver or
|
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reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three years
following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made, provided that the
Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place
at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement
is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN03 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN03 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN03 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN03 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN03 Index
The methodology of the SPEN03 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN03 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN03 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
205
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN03 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of March and if held to the third Wednesday of March the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of March pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN03 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of March and expire on the third Wednesday of March the following year. The options are:
| Purchased Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price of the S&P 500 ® Index on the third Wednesday of the month. | ||
| Written Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month. | ||
| Written Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level. | ||
| Purchased Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased each with a strike price at the Initial Level. |
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN03 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN03. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of March of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following March in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
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206
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN03 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN03 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN03 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN03 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in March are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in March in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
207
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
208
Index Limitations. The SPEN03 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN03 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN03 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN03 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN03 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN03 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN03 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of March and held until the third Wednesday of the following March. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN03 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
209
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income
securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically low interest rate
environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Fixed-income securities
with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally
making them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of March and held until the third Wednesday of the following March. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of March to the third Wednesday of March the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where
210
the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index . The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
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The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
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Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
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|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
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Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN03 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN03 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN03 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN03 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN03 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN03 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN03 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN03 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN03 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN03 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN03 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN03 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance from year to year and
213
by showing the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
214
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (April) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (April) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index April Series (the SPEN04 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or
|
215
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that
the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation
in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or
reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN04 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN04 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN04 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN04 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN04 Index
The methodology of the SPEN04 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN04 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN04 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
216
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN04 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of April and if held to the third Wednesday of April the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of April pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN04 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of April and expire on the third Wednesday of April the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN04 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN04. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of April of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following April in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
|
217
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN04 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN04 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN04 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN04 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in April are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in April in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
218
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
219
Index Limitations. The SPEN04 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN04 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN04 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN04 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN04 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN04 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN04 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of April and held until the third Wednesday of the following April. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN04 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk.
The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
220
|
Interest
Rate Risk.
An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of April and held until the third Wednesday of the following April. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of April to the third Wednesday of April the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month
221
the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
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The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
223
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN04 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN04 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN04 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN04 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN04 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN04 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN04 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN04 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN04 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN04 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN04 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN04 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the
224
Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
225
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (May) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (May) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index May Series (the SPEN05 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
|
226
years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped. |
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN05 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN05 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN05 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN05 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN05 Index
The methodology of the SPEN05 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN05 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN05 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
227
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN05 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of May and if held to the third Wednesday of May the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of May pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN05 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of May and expire on the third Wednesday of May the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN05 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN05. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of May of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following May in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start
of the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
228
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN05 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN05 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN05 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN05 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in May are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in May in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
229
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
230
Index Limitations. The SPEN05 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN05 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN05 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN05 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN05 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN05 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN05 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of May and held until the third Wednesday of the following May. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN05 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment,
risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Fixed-income securities with
longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally
making them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.
|
231
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of May and held until the third Wednesday of the following May. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of May to the third Wednesday of May the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
232
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
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The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
|
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
|
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
|
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
|
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the
234
Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN05 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN05 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN05 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN05 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN05 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN05 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN05 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN05 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN05 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN05 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN05 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN05 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
235
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
236
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (June) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (June) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index June Series (the SPEN06 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
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237
years following
the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that the Fund is able
to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time
of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
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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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN06 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN06 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN06 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN06 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN06 Index
The methodology of the SPEN06 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN06 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN06 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
238
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN06 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of June and if held to the third Wednesday of June the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of June pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN06 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of June and expire on the third Wednesday of June the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN06 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN06. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of June of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following June in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start
of the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
239
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If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN06 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN06 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN06 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN06 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in June are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in June in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
240
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
241
Index Limitations. The SPEN06 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN06 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN06 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN06 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN06 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN06 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN06 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of June and held until the third Wednesday of the following June. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN06 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer
durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally making
them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.
|
242
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of June and held until the third Wednesday of the following June. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of June to the third Wednesday of June the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
243
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be
244
exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
245
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN06 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN06 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN06 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN06 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN06 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN06 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN06 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN06 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN06 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN06 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN06 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN06 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
246
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
247
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (July) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (July) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index July Series (the SPEN07 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Investor Class | Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
|
248
years following
the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that the Fund is able
to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time
of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN07 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN07 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN07 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN07 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN07 Index
The methodology of the SPEN07 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN07 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN07 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
249
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN07 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of July and if held to the third Wednesday of July the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of July pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN07 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of July and expire on the third Wednesday of July the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN07 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN07. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of July of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following July in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start
of the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
250
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN07 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN07 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN07 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN07 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in July are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in July in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
251
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
252
Index Limitations. The SPEN07 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN07 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN07 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN07 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN07 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN07 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN07 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of July and held until the third Wednesday of the following July. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN07 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer
durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally making
them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.
|
253
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of July and held until the third Wednesday of the following July. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of July to the third Wednesday of July the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
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Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be
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exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
256
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN07 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN07 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN07 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN07 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN07 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN07 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN07 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN07 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN07 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN07 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN07 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN07 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
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Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
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FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (August) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (August) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index August Series (the SPEN08 Index).
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) |
Class A | Class C |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that
the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation
in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or
reimbursement is recouped.
|
259
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN08 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN08 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN08 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN08 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN08 Index
The methodology of the SPEN08 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN08 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN08 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at
260
inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN08 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of August and if held to the third Wednesday of August the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of August pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN08 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of August and expire on the third Wednesday of August the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN08 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN08. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of August of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following August in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start
of the holding period (the Capped Return);
|
||
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN08 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN08 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN08 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN08 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in August are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in August in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
262
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPEN08 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN08 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary
263
from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN08 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN08 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN08 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN08 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN08 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of August and held until the third Wednesday of the following August. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN08 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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264
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of August and held until the third Wednesday of the following August. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of August to the third Wednesday of August the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
265
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
266
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
267
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN08 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN08 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN08 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN08 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN08 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN08 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN08 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN08 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN08 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN08 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN08 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN08 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
268
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
269
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (September) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (September) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index September Series (the SPEN09 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or
|
270
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that
the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation
in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or
reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class Shares | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class Shares | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN09 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN09 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN09 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN09 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN09 Index
The methodology of the SPEN09 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN09 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN09 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
271
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN09 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of September and if held to the third Wednesday of September the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of September pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN09 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of September and expire on the third Wednesday of September the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN09 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN09. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of September of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following September in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
|
272
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN09 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN09 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN09 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN09 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in September are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in September in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
273
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
274
Index Limitations. The SPEN09 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN09 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN09 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN09 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN09 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN09 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN09 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of September and held until the third Wednesday of the following September. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN09 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
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|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of September and held until the third Wednesday of the following September. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of September to the third Wednesday of September the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month
276
the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
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The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
278
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN09 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN09 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN09 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN09 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN09 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN09 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN09 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN09 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN09 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN09 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN09 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN09 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the
279
Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
280
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index October Series (the SPEN10 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges
(load) (as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) | Other Expenses and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year. | ||
(2) | Cboe Vest Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or |
281
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that
the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation
in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or
reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class Shares | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class Shares | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN10 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN10 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN10 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN10 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN10 Index
The methodology of the SPEN10 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN10 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN10 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
282
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN10 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of October and if held to the third Wednesday of October the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of October pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN10 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of October and expire on the third Wednesday of October the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN10 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN10. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of October of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following October in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
|
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|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN10 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN10 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN10 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN10 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in October are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in October in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
284
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
285
Index Limitations. The SPEN10 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN10 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN10 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN10 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN10 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN10 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN10 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of October and held until the third Wednesday of the following October. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN10 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
286
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of October and held until the third Wednesday of the following October. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of October to the third Wednesday of October the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month
287
the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
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The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
289
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN10 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN10 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN10 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN10 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN10 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN10 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN10 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN10 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN10 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN10 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN10 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN10 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the
290
Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
291
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index November Series (the SPEN11 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75% | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00% | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | ||||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.25% | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% | ||||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | ||||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71% | 2.46% | 1.71% | 1.46% | ||||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | (0.20%) | ||||||||||
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) |
1.51% | 2.26% | 1.51% | 1.26% | ||||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or
|
292
reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that
the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation
in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or
reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class Shares | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class Shares | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN11 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN11 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN11 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN11 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN11 Index
The methodology of the SPEN11 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN11 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN11 Index is designed to measure the returns of a
293
hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN11 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of November and if held to the third Wednesday of November the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of November pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN11 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of November and expire on the third Wednesday of November the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Call Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each
with a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written
Put Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with
a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN11 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN11. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of November of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following November in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase
of the S&P 500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding period
(the Capped Return);
|
294
|
If the
S&P 500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide
shareholders with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN11 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN11 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN11 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN11 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in November are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in November in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
295
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
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Index Limitations. The SPEN11 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN11 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN11 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN11 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN11 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN11 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN11 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of November and held until the third Wednesday of the following November. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN11 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
297
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value
of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
|
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of November and held until the third Wednesday of the following November. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of November to the third Wednesday of November the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month
298
the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
299
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index
regardless of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular
industry or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF,
the FLEX Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary
unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading
hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index,
the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees
and Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect
transaction costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the
S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
300
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN11 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN11 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN11 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN11 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN11 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN11 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN11 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN11 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN11 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN11 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN11 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN11 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the
301
Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
For important information about purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the sections of this prospectus entitled Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Tax Information, and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries.
302
FUND SUMMARY Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (December) Fund
Investment Objective
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (December) Fund (the Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index December Series (the SPEN12 Index).
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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section Distribution Arrangements and in the section Distribution in the Funds Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A | Class C |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
|||||||||||||
Maximum sales
charge (load) imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75 | % | None | None | None | ||||||||||||
Maximum deferred
sales charges (load)
(as a percentage of the NAV at time of purchase) |
None | None | None | None | |||||||||||||
Redemption
Fee (as a percentage of the amount
redeemed on shares after holding them for 30 days or less) |
2.00 | % | 2.00 | % | 2.00 | % | None | ||||||||||
Exchange Fee | None | None | None | None | |||||||||||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
|||||||||||||||||
Management Fee | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | |||||||||
Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fees | 0.25 | % | 1.00 | % | 0.25 | % | None | ||||||||||
Other Expenses (1) | 0.68 | % | 0.68 | % | 0.68 | % | 0.68 | % | |||||||||
Shareholder Services Plan (1) | 0.02 | % | 0.02 | % | 0.02 | % | 0.02 | % | |||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | 0.01 | % | 0.01 | % | 0.01 | % | 0.01 | % | |||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.71 | % | 2.46 | % | 1.71 | % | 1.46 | % | |||||||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (2) | (0.20 | %) | (0.20 | %) | (0.20 | %) | (0.20 | %) | |||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (after fee waivers and expense reimbursements) (2) | 1.51 | % | 2.26 | % | 1.51 | % | 1.26 | % | |||||||||
(1) |
Other Expenses
and Shareholder Services Plan are estimated for the Funds initial fiscal year.
|
||
(2) |
Cboe Vest
Financial LLC (the Adviser) has entered into a written expense limitation
agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of the Fund (exclusive
of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense
on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each
class of shares of the Fund offered in this prospectus. The Adviser may not terminate
this expense limitation agreement prior to February 28, 2019. Each waiver or reimbursement
of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within three fiscal
|
303
years following
the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that the Fund is able
to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time
of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
|
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. The effect of the Advisers agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses is only reflected in the first year of each example shown below. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years |
Class A | $720 | $1,064 |
Class C | $229 | $747 |
Investor Class Shares | $154 | $519 |
Institutional Class Shares | $128 | $442 |
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.
Principal Investment Strategies
General Overview of the Funds Portfolio Construction
As explained in greater detail below, the Fund attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN12 Index, by constructing a portfolio of specially designed options that are similar to options that comprise the SPEN12 Index. Before you read more about the specifics of the Advisers Investment Approach to managing the Fund, it is important to understand the SPEN12 Index. Immediately following this section is information about the SPEN12 Index and its constituent parts. Following this disclosure is information about the Advisers Investment Approach (i.e., how the Adviser manages the Fund to achieve its objective).
About the SPEN12 Index
The methodology of the SPEN12 Index was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe ® ), an affiliate of the Adviser. The value of the SPEN12 Index is calculated daily as of the close of trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange by Cboe ® (the Index Calculation Agent) utilizing an option valuation model and data provided by Cboe ® . The SPEN12 Index is designed to measure the returns of a hypothetical portfolio of exchange-traded FLexible EXchange ® Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and are designed to track the returns of an Enhanced Growth options strategy.
304
Enhanced Growth options strategy: An Enhanced Growth options strategy is a type of target outcome strategy. A target outcome strategy seeks to target returns from an investment that is bought at inception of the strategy and held for a specific period of time. An Enhanced Growth options strategy is an investment in a portfolio of options linked to an underlying asset that, when bought at inception of the strategy and held to the expiration of the options, seeks to target returns that, over a period of approximately a one year, provides two-to-one enhanced returns on the price appreciation of the underlying asset up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses from price depreciation.
The SPEN12 Index measures the performance of portfolio of exchange trade FLEX Options that replicate the returns of a continuously rolling Enhanced Growth options strategy that has its inception on the third Wednesday of December and if held to the third Wednesday of December the following year, seeks to provide two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index up to a capped level, while providing one-to-one exposure to any losses. The capped level of the Enhanced Growth options strategy is determined by the Index Calculation Agent on the third Wednesday of December pursuant to a mathematical calculation such that the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that comprises the SPEN01 is equivalent to the value of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Index composition: The SPEN12 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of four purchased and written exchange-traded FLEX Options referencing the S&P 500 ® Index, that are each entered into on the third Wednesday of December and expire on the third Wednesday of December the following year. The options are:
|
Purchased
Call Options. The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased
each with a strike price at 50% of the Initial Level, which is the price
of the S&P 500
®
Index on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written Call
Options. The Written Call Options are call options written each with
a strike price that will be determined on the third Wednesday of the month.
|
||
|
Written Put
Options. The Written Put Options are put options written each with a
strike price at 50% of the Initial Level.
|
||
|
Purchased
Put Options. The Purchased Index Put Options are put options purchased
each with a strike price at the Initial Level.
|
Advisers Investment Approach
To meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN12 Index, the Fund will invest in FLEX Options that are similar to the FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN12. The Fund seeks to achieve returns or losses before all estimated fees and expenses that based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index from the third Wednesday of December of a given year and held until the third Wednesday of the following December in the next year (the holding period) and that are designed to conform to the following performance targets:
|
If the S&P
500
®
Index appreciates over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide shareholders
with a total return that increases by twice the percentage increase of the S&P
500
®
Index, up to a maximum return that is determined at the start of the holding
period (the Capped Return);
|
||
|
If the S&P
500
®
Index decreases over the holding period, the Fund seeks to provide shareholders
with a total return loss that is equal to the percentage loss on the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
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The Fund will construct a non-diversified portfolio that may include exchange-traded FLEX Options that reference the S&P 500 ® Index and / or FLEX Options that reference exchange-traded funds that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (the Reference ETF). Specifically, the Fund may consist of purchased call FLEX Options (i.e., options that gives the Fund the right to buy the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and written call FLEX Options (i.e., options that obligate the Fund to sell the Reference ETF or the value of the S&P 500 ® Index) and cash or fixed income securities issued by the US Treasury of duration of approximately one year or less. The Fund is designed to provide enhanced participation in positive returns up to a predetermined capped level and one-to-one returns on the downside. By seeking to track the SPEN12 Index, the Fund attempts to provide an investment vehicle that seeks to provide similar returns to the S&P 500 ® Index, with similar volatility and downside risk, but higher upside potential in market environments with modest gains.
Option contracts on an index give one party the right to receive or deliver cash value of the particular index, and another party the obligation to receive or deliver the cash value of that index. Option contracts on an individual security such as an ETF give one party the right to buy or sell the particular security, and another party the obligation to sell or buy that same security. Many options are exchange-traded and are available to investors with set or defined contract terms. The Fund will use FLEX Options, which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but that provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles (i.e., American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of Over-the-Counter (OTC) options positions.
The SPEN12 Index measures the performance of a portfolio of purchased and written put and call FLEX options. The Fund will utilize purchased and written FLEX Options similar to those that are part of the SPEN12 Index to seek to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the SPEN12 Index. Put options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to sell an asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index put option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) of the put has the obligation to buy the asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index put option) at a certain defined price. Call options give the holder (i.e., the buyer) the right to buy an asset (or receive cash value of the index, in case of index call option) and the seller (i.e., the writer) the obligation to sell the asset (or deliver cash value of the index, in case of index call option) at a certain defined price.
As the options mature approximately every year, they are replaced. By replacing options annually, the Fund seeks to ensure that investments made in December are enhancing participation in positive returns up to a predetermined level and providing one-to-one returns on the downside s realized in December in the following year. As explained in the Principal Risks disclosure, a key underlying component of the successful implementation of the Funds investment strategy is that an investor should stay invested in the Fund for at least one year.
Any FLEX Options that are written by the Fund that create an obligation to sell or buy an asset will be offset with a position in FLEX Options purchased by the Fund that to create the right to buy or sell the
306
same asset such that the Fund will always be in a net long position. That is, any obligations of the Fund created by its writing of FLEX Options will be covered by offsetting positions in other purchased FLEX Options.
From time to time, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or invest them in liquid, short-term investments, including U.S. government obligations, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, other investment companies, money market instruments or other securities.
Because of certain potential limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 associated with trading options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Fund will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Fund from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff .
Principal Risks
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Funds net asset value (NAV) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPEN12 Index is designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent utilizes an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of the SPEN12 Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend
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and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the SPEN12 Index does not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes.
Index Sampling Risk . Index sampling risk is the chance that the investments selected for the Fund, in the aggregate, will not provide investment performance matching that of the SPEN12 Index. The Adviser expects the index sampling risk to be low.
Newly Created Index Risk. The SPEN12 Index is newly created and has a limited history of performance. As such, it is uncertain how closely the SPEN12 Index may be able to track the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options that comprise the SPEN12 Index.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve the targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index over the holding period of approximately one year. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on targeted returns linked to the S&P 500 ® Index if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of December and held until the third Wednesday of the following December. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund outside this holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the level of the S&P 500 ® Index.
Equity Risk . The SPEN12 Index provides an investor exposure to the equity securities markets. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the exchange-traded funds (ETF) invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gains or losses to the Fund depending on the holding period.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
|
Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default. A decline in an issuers credit rating may cause a decrease
in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
|
||
|
Interest
Rate Risk
. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the
value of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given the historically
low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened.
Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes
in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities
with shorter durations.
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Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Market Events Risk . Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund that is a diversified fund.
Options Risk . The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, S&P 500 ® Index changes, and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. The Fund could experience a loss if securities underlying the options do not perform as anticipated. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities, stock indexes or ETFs on which the options are based.
Market Risk. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Amplified Returns Risk . The Fund seeks to achieve its objective of enhanced participation in price appreciation up to a predetermined level of the S&P 500 ® Index and one-to-one participation in price depreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index by purchasing and selling call options to gain twice the exposure to the price of the S&P 500 ® Index in a predetermined price range. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver the targeted enhanced upside participation in the predetermined price range if the shares are bought on the third Wednesday of December and held until the third Wednesday of the following December. For purchase or sale of the shares of the Fund over time periods other than from the third Wednesday of December to the third Wednesday of December the following year investors could experience more than one-to-one losses in market declines.
The positive Fund return is subject to a capped upside. The target return for an investment in the Fund is based on an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum Capped Return. Because the Funds return will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on shareholders purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding till the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
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Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make the Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration is based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
Risk of Loss. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The value of the Written Options has a negative impact on the value of your investment. The Written Options create an obligation to make a payment in contrast to the Purchased Options which create the potential for receipt of a payment. As the value of the Written Options increases, it has a negative impact on the value of your shares in the Fund.
The value of the FLEX Options may change with the implied volatility of the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. No one can predict whether implied volatility will rise or fall in the future.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the Reference ETF. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the Reference ETF, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the Reference ETF.
The value of the Fund does not appreciate due to dividend payments paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index. The Fund seeks to provide target returns on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index, which does not include returns from dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500 ® Index.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the
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Reference ETF. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
|
Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index regardless
of the current or projected performance on a specific security or particular industry
or market sector, which could impact the unit price of the Reference ETF, the FLEX
Options and the Fund.
|
||
|
Tracking
Error
. Exchange-traded funds face index correlation risk which is the risk that
the performance of an exchange-traded fund will vary from the actual performance
of the target index, known as tracking error. It is possible that the
Reference ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge
significantly from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference
ETF not investing in all stocks comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary unavailability
of certain securities in the secondary market, differences in trading hours between
the Reference ETF and securities comprising the S&P 500
®
Index, the occurrence
of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs) or due to other circumstances.
|
||
|
Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
|
||
|
Fees and
Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect transaction
costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
||
|
Discount
. Shares of exchange-traded funds tend to trade at a discount from their net
asset value.
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell a FLEX Option.
No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net asset value in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
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Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have never managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
New Fund Risk . The Fund is recently formed. Accordingly, investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may not employ a successful investment strategy, or may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such liquidation could have negative tax consequences to shareholders.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the SPEN12 Index. A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the SPEN12 Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN12 Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Fund attempts to track the performance of the SPEN12 Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the SPEN12 Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the SPEN12 Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the SPEN12 Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the SPEN12 Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the SPEN12 Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute SPEN12 Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the SPEN12 Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the SPEN12 Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
Tax Risk. The Fund expects to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and other laws so that it will be taxed as a regulated Investment company; however, the federal income tax treatment of certain aspects of the proposed operations of the Fund are not entirely clear. This includes the tax aspects of the Funds options strategy, its hedging strategy, the possible application of the straddle rules, and various loss limitation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Performance History
The Fund recently commenced operations and, as a result, does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that 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 the Funds average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
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Updated performance information is available at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/ or by calling the Fund toll-free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
Investment Adviser
Cboe Vest Financial LLC is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karan Sood, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Howard Rubin, Managing Director of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Rachel Ames, a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since its inception.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Funds on days when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading through a financial advisor, by mail (addressed to the appropriate Fund, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235), by wire, or by calling the Funds toll free at 1-855-505-VEST (8378). Purchases and redemptions by telephone are only permitted if you previously established this option on your account. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into a Fund is $1,000 for Class A shares, Class C shares, and Investor Class shares, $100,000 for Institutional Class shares, and $10,000,000 for Class Y shares. Subsequent investments must be in amounts of $100 or more for Class A shares, Class C shares, Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares. There is no minimum subsequent investment amount for Class Y shares. The Funds may waive minimums for purchases or exchanges through employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Tax Information
Each 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 in which case withdrawals will be taxed. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the tax consequences to them of investing in the Funds.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Funds through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Funds and their 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 Funds over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS INVESTMENTS
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund (the Buffer Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Index Balanced Series (SPRO Index). The Funds investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days written notice to shareholders.
The Buffer Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, reflect the return of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of shares may be influenced by multiple factors, including, but not limited to:
| The return and volatility of the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| The dividend rate on the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| Interest rates; | ||
|
Economic,
financial, political, regulatory, and other events that affect the S&P 500
®
Index and/or issuers of securities in the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
To track the performance of the SPRO Index before fees and expenses, each of the 12 monthly tranches of the Buffer Fund will seek to track the corresponding Buffer Index Monthly Series. To implement this investment strategy for each monthly tranche, the Buffer Fund may invest directly in a portfolio of FLEX Options or invest in the 12 Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Monthly Funds.
Each monthly tranche of the Buffer Fund currently may, under normal conditions, consist of four kinds of FLEX Options referred to as the Purchased Call Options, Written Call Options, Purchased Put Options, and Written Put Options (each of these is further described below), and shares of an exchange traded fund (ETF) that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index (Reference ETF). The Purchased Call Options and Purchased Put Options may be referred to as the Purchased Options . The Written Put Options and Written Call Options may be referred to as the Written Options . The Purchased Call Options and Written Call Options together may be referred to as the Call Options . The Purchased Put Options and Written Put Options may be referred to as the Put Options .
The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. FLEX Options are customized option contracts available through national securities exchanges that are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation ( OCC ), a market clearinghouse. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize assets and indices referenced by the options, exercise prices, exercise styles ( i.e. American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Each option contract entitles the holder thereof (i.e. the purchaser of the option) to purchase (for the call options) or sell (for the put options) 100 shares of the Reference ETF at the strike price.
The Buffer Fund is designed so that any amount owed by the Fund on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at expiration from the Purchased Options or will be covered by the shares of the Reference ETF held by the Fund. The Buffer Fund receives premiums in exchange for the Written Options and pays premiums in exchange for the Purchased Options. The OCC and the securities exchange that the Options are listed on do not charge ongoing fees to writers or purchasers of the
314
options during their life for continuing to hold the option contracts. Because amounts owed on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at expiration from the Purchased Options or will be covered by the shares of the Reference ETF held by the Fund, the Buffer Fund will not be required to post any additional collateral for the options. It is possible that applicable regulations governing the Buffer Funds utilization of the FLEX Options may change at some point in the future in which case the Fund will conform to such requirements and, accordingly, its obligations to cover its positions may change.
Purchased Call Options . The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased by the Buffer Fund, each with a strike price lower than the Initial Level, which is the price of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference ETF if the option is on the Reference ETF) on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective monthly tranche of the Fund ( Purchased Call Option Strike Price ). If the price of shares of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference ETF if the option is on the Reference ETF) as of the option expiration date (the Closing Value ) is less than or equal to the Purchased Call Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Purchased Call Options will expire without a payment being made to the Buffer Fund (i.e. the Purchased Call Options will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is greater than the Purchased Call Option Strike Price, then the Purchased Call Options collectively provide payment to be made to the Buffer Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Written Call Options . The Written Call Options are call options written by the Buffer Fund each with a strike price higher than the Initial Level ( Written Call Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is less than or equal to the Written Call Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Written Call Options will expire without a payment being made by the Buffer Fund. If the Closing Value is greater than the Written Call Option Strike Price, then the Written Call Options collectively provide payment to be made by the Buffer Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Purchased Put Options . The Purchased Put Options are put options purchased by the Buffer Fund each with a strike price higher than the Initial Level ( Purchased Put Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is greater than or equal to the Purchased Put Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Purchased Put Options will expire without a payment being made to the Buffer Fund (i.e. the Purchased Put Options will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is less than the Purchased Put Option Strike Price, then the Purchased Put Options collectively provide payment to be made to the Buffer Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Written Put Options . The Written Put Options are put options written by the Buffer Fund each with a strike price lower than the Initial Level ( Written Put Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is greater than or equal to the Written Put Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Written Put Options will expire without a payment being made by the Buffer Fund. If the Closing Value is less than the Written Put Option Strike Price, then the Written Put Options collectively provide payment to be made by the Buffer Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund (the Aristocrats Fund) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Index (the Cboe Aristocrats Index). The Aristocrats Funds investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days written notice to shareholders.
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The Aristocrats Fund employs an investment approach designed to track the performance of the Cboe Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses. Unlike an actively-managed fund that utilizes active management investment strategies to meet its investment objective, the Aristocrats Fund employs a passive approach to investing that is designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Aristocrats Funds total assets will be invested in component securities of the Cboe Aristocrats Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Aristocrats Fund employs various investment techniques that the Adviser believes should, in the aggregate, simulate the movement of the Cboe Aristocrats Index. The investment techniques utilized to simulate the movement of the Index are intended to enhance liquidity, maintain a tax-efficient portfolio and reduce transaction costs, while, at the same time, seeking to maintain high correlation with, and similar aggregate characteristics ( e.g . with respect to equity funds, market capitalization and industry weightings) to the Cboe Aristocrats Index. For example, the Aristocrats Fund may invest in or gain exposure to only a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which exposure is intended to have aggregate characteristics like those of the Index. Under certain circumstances, the Aristocrats Fund may invest in or obtain exposure to components not included in the Cboe Aristocrats Index or overweight or underweight certain components of the Index with the intent of obtaining exposure with aggregate characteristics like the Index, including, as applicable, the general credit profile of the Index. The Adviser does not invest the assets of the Aristocrats Fund in securities or financial instruments based on the Advisers view of the investment merit of a security, instrument, or company, other than for cash management purposes, nor does it conduct conventional investment research or analysis, or forecast market movement or trends, in managing the assets of the Fund. The Aristocrats Fund generally seeks to remain fully invested always in securities and/or financial instruments that, in combination, provide exposure to the Cboe Aristocrats Index without regard to market conditions, trends, direction, or the financial condition of an issuer.
The Cboe Aristocrats Index, constructed and maintained by Cboe ® , an affiliate of the Adviser, is designed with the primary goal of generating an annualized level of income that is approximately 3.5% over the annual dividend yield of the S&P 500 ® Index and a secondary goal of generating price returns that are proportional to the price returns of the S&P 500 ® Index. The Index investment strategy includes:
|
buying an
equally-weighted portfolio of stocks of companies (Stock Portfolio)
that are the members of the S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
®
Index (SPDAUDT
Index) and;
|
||
|
partially
writing hypothetical weekly U.S. exchange-traded covered call options (Call
Options) on each of the stocks.
|
Stock Portfolio : The Stock Portfolio in the Cboe Aristocrats Index is rebalanced to be equally weighted each January, April, July and October and is reconstituted on an annual basis by selecting stocks that have options that trade on a national securities exchange and are members of the SPDAUDT Index during the January rebalance. The SPDAUDT Index, constructed and maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, targets companies that are currently members of the S&P 500 ® , have increased dividend payments each year for at least 25 years, and meet certain market capitalization and liquidity requirements. The SPDAUDT Index contains a minimum of 40 stocks, which are equally weighted, and no single sector is allowed to comprise more than 30% of the Index weight. If there are fewer than 40 stocks with at least 25 consecutive years of dividend growth or if sector caps are breached, the SPDAUDT Index will include companies with shorter dividend growth histories.
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Call Options : Each stock in the Stock Portfolio is partially overwritten with an exchange-traded-call option on that stock. Each exchange-traded call option included in the Cboe Aristocrats Index is a hypothetical European-style option ( i.e ., an option which can only be exercised at the strike price at its expiration) with an approximate term of 7-days (Term). The strike price ( i.e ., the price at which a call option can be exercised) of each call option included in the Index must be as close as possible to the closing price of the options underlying stock price as of the beginning of the Term, the last business day of the week. Each such option will automatically be deemed exercised on its expiration date if its underlying stock price is above its strike price. If the stock underlying the call option closes above the options strike price, a cash settlement payment in an amount equal to the difference between the strike price and the closing price of the stock is deemed to be made and the Cboe Aristocrats Index value is correspondingly reduced. If the underlying stock does not close above its strike price, then the option expires worthless and the entire amount of the premium payment is retained within the Index. The Call Options are rolled at the end of the Term, into a new set of Call Options with a new term of approximately 7 days. The Cboe Aristocrats Index is designed to vary the number of Call Options written over the Term such that the Stock Portfolio is partially overwritten with Call Options. The number of Call Options written is determined at the start of the Term such that total annualized income per unit of investment expressed as a percentage over the calendar year (Annualized Yield) from dividends received from the Stock Portfolio and the premiums received from the Call Options is approximately 3.5% over the annual dividend yield of the S&P 500 ® Index. The Cboe Aristocrats Index may utilize FLexible EXchange ® Options (FLEX Options), which are customized equity or index option contracts that trade on an exchange, but unlike standardized exchange-traded options, provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like exercise prices, styles and expiration dates.
The Cboe Aristocrats Index is published under the Bloomberg ticker symbol SPAI.
The Aristocrats Fund may sell European style FLEX Options. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter (OTC) options positions. OTC options are options that do not trade on an exchange.
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund (the Enhance and Buffer Fund) attempts to meet its objective of tracking, before fees and expenses the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Index (SUPDN Index). The Enhance and Buffer Funds investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days written notice to shareholders.
The Enhance and Buffer Fund may sell European style FLEX Options. Like standardized exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), a market clearinghouse. The OCC guarantees performance by each of the counterparties to the FLEX Options, becoming the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer, protecting clearing members and options traders from counterparty risk. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability
317
to customize key terms, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter (OTC) options positions. OTC options are options that do not trade on an exchange.
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund
The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund (the Enhanced Growth Fund) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index Balanced Series (SPEN Index). The Funds investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days written notice to shareholders.
The Enhanced Growth Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, reflect the return of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of shares may be influenced by multiple factors, including, but not limited to:
| The return and volatility of the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| The dividend rate on the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| Interest rates; | ||
|
Economic,
financial, political, regulatory, and other events that affect the S&P 500
®
Index and/or issuers of securities in the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
To track the performance of the SPEN Index before fees and expenses, each of the 12 monthly tranches of the Enhanced Growth Fund will seek to track the corresponding EG Index Monthly Series. To implement this investment strategy for each monthly tranche, the Fund may invest directly in a portfolio of FLEX Options or invest in the 12 Monthly Funds.
Each monthly tranche of the Enhanced Growth Fund currently may, under normal conditions, consist of three kinds of FLEX Options referred to as the Purchased Call Options A, Purchased Call Options B, Written Call Options (each of these is further described below), and shares of the Reference ETF. The Purchased Call Options A and Purchased Call Options B may be referred to as the Purchased Options . The Written Call Options may be referred to as the Written Options . The Purchased Call Options A, Purchased Call Options B and Written Call Options together may be referred to as the Call Options .
The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. FLEX Options are customized option contracts available through national securities exchanges that are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation ( OCC ), a market clearinghouse. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize assets and indices referenced by the options, exercise prices, exercise styles ( i.e. American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Each option contract entitles the holder thereof (i.e. the purchaser of the option) to purchase (for the call options) 100 shares of the Reference ETF at the strike price.
The Enhanced Growth Fund is designed so that any amount owed by the Fund on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at expiration from the Purchased Options or will be covered by the shares of the Reference ETF held by the Fund. The Fund receives premiums in exchange for the Written Options and pays premiums in exchange for the Purchased Options. The OCC and the securities exchange that
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the Options are listed on do not charge ongoing fees to writers or purchasers of the options during their life for continuing to hold the option contracts. Because amounts owed on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at expiration from the Purchased Options or will be covered by the shares of the Reference ETF held by the Fund, the Fund will not be required to post any additional collateral for the options. It is possible that applicable regulations governing the Funds utilization of the FLEX Options may change at some point in the future in which case the Fund will conform to such requirements and, accordingly, its obligations to cover its positions may change.
Purchased Call Options A . The Purchased Call Options A are call options purchased by the Enhanced Growth Fund, each with a strike price lower than the Initial Level, which is the price of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference ETF if the option is on the Reference ETF) on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective monthly tranche of the Fund ( Purchased Call Option A Strike Price ). If the price of shares of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference ETF if the option is on the Reference ETF) as of the option expiration date (the Closing Value ) is less than or equal to the Purchased Call Option A Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Purchased Call Options A will expire without a payment being made to the Fund (i.e. the Purchased Call Options A will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is greater than the Purchased Call Option A Strike Price, then the Purchased Call Options A collectively provide payment to be made to the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Written Call Options . The Written Call Options are call options written by the Enhanced Growth Fund each with a strike price higher than the Initial Level ( Written Call Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is less than or equal to the Written Call Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Written Call Options will expire without a payment being made by the Fund. If the Closing Value is greater than the Written Call Option Strike Price, then the Written Call Options collectively provide payment to be made by the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Purchased Call Options B
. The
Purchased Call Options B
are call options purchased by the Enhanced
Growth Fund each with a strike price equal to Initial Level (
Purchased
Call Option B Strike Price
). If the Closing Value is greater than or equal
to the Purchased Call Options B Strike Price at the option expiration date, the
Purchased Call Options B will expire without a payment being made to the Fund (i.e.
the Purchased Call Options B will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is less
than the Purchased Call Option B Strike Price, then the Purchased Call Options B
collectively provide payment to be made to the Fund on the option expiration date
corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy
Monthly Funds
Each of the Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Monthly Funds (each a Buffer Monthly Fund and, collectively, the Buffer Monthly Funds) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of its corresponding Buffer Index Monthly Series. Each Buffer Monthly Funds investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days written notice to shareholders.
Each Buffer Monthly Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, reflect the return of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of shares may be influenced by multiple factors, including, but not limited to:
| The return and volatility of the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| The dividend rate on the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| Interest rates; | ||
|
Economic,
financial, political, regulatory, and other events that affect the S&P 500
®
Index and/or issuers of securities in the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
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Under normal conditions, Each Buffer Monthly Funds portfolio consists of four kinds of FLEX Options referred to as the Purchased Call Options, Purchased Put Options, Written Put Options, and Written Call Options (each of these is further described below). The Purchased Call Options and Purchased Put Options may be referred to as the Purchased Options . The Written Put Options and Written Call Options may be referred to as the Written Options . The Purchased Call Options and Written Call Options together may be referred to as the Call Options . The Purchased Put Options and Written Put Options may be referred to as the Put Options .
The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. FLEX Options are customized option contracts available through national securities exchanges that are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation ( OCC ), a market clearinghouse. The Options are listed on the Cboe ® . FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize assets and indices referenced by the options, exercise prices, exercise styles ( i.e. American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Each option contract entitles the holder thereof (i.e. the purchaser of the option) to purchase (for the call options) or sell (for the put options) 100 shares of the Reference ETF at the strike price.
Each Buffer Monthly Fund is designed so that any amount owed by a Fund on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the Purchased Options. Each Buffer Monthly Fund receives premiums in exchange for the Written Options and pays premiums in exchange for the Purchased Options. The OCC and the securities exchange that the Options are listed on do not charge ongoing fees to writers or purchasers of the options during their life for continuing to hold the option contracts. Because amounts owed on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the Purchased Options, a Buffer Monthly Fund will not be required to post any additional collateral for the options. It is possible that applicable regulations governing a Buffer Monthly Funds utilization of the FLEX Options may change at some point in the future in which case the Fund will conform to such requirements and, accordingly, its obligations to cover its positions may change.
Purchased Call Options . The Purchased Call Options are call options purchased by a Buffer Monthly Fund, each with a strike price lower than the Initial Level, which is the price of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference ETF if the option is on the Reference ETF) on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective monthly Fund ( Purchased Call Option Strike Price ). If the price of shares of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference Asset if the option is on the Reference Asset) as of the option expiration date (the Closing Value ) is less than or equal to the Purchased Call Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Purchased Call Options will expire without a payment being made to the Fund (i.e. the Purchased Call Options will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is greater than the Purchased Call Option Strike Price, then the Purchased Call Options collectively provide payment to be made to the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Written Call Options . The Written Call Options are call options written by a Buffer Monthly Fund each with a strike price higher than the Initial Level ( Written Call Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is less than or equal to the Written Call Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Written Call
320
Options will expire without a payment being made by the Fund. If the Closing Value is greater than the Written Call Option Strike Price, then the Written Call Options collectively provide payment to be made by the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Purchased Put Options . The Purchased Put Options are put options purchased by a Buffer Monthly Fund each with a strike price higher than the Initial Level ( Purchased Put Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is greater than or equal to the Purchased Put Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Purchased Put Options will expire without a payment being made to the Fund (i.e. the Purchased Put Options will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is less than the Purchased Put Option Strike Price, then the Purchased Put Options collectively provide payment to be made to the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Written Put Options . The Written Put Options are put options written by a Buffer Monthly Fund each with a strike price lower than the Initial Level ( Written Put Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is greater than or equal to the Written Put Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Written Put Options will expire without a payment being made by the Fund. If the Closing Value is less than the Written Put Option Strike Price, then the Written Put Options collectively provide payment to be made by the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Monthly Funds
Each of the Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Monthly Funds (each an Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund and, collectively, the Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds) seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of its corresponding EG Index Monthly Series. Each Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days written notice to shareholders.
Each Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, reflect the return of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of shares may be influenced by multiple factors, including, but not limited to:
| The return and volatility of the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| The dividend rate on the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| Interest rates; | ||
|
Economic,
financial, political, regulatory, and other events that affect the S&P 500
®
Index and/or issuers of securities in the S&P 500
®
Index.
|
Under normal conditions, each Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds portfolio consists of three kinds of FLEX Options referred to as the Purchased Call Options A, Purchased Call Options B, and Written Call Options (each of these is further described below). The Purchased Call Options A and Purchased Call Options B may be referred to as the Purchased Options . The Written Call Options may be referred to as the Written Options . The Purchased Call Options A, Purchased Call Options B and Written Call Options together may be referred to as the Call Options .
The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. FLEX Options are customized option contracts available through national securities exchanges that are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation ( OCC ), a market clearinghouse. The Options are listed on the Cboe ® . FLEX Options
321
provide investors with the ability to customize assets and indices referenced by the options, exercise prices, exercise styles ( i.e. American-style exercisable any time prior to the expiration date or European-style exercisable only on the option expiration date) and expiration dates, while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Each option contract entitles the holder thereof (i.e. the purchaser of the option) to purchase (for the call options) 100 shares of the Reference ETF at the strike price.
Each Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund is designed so that any amount owed by a Fund on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the Purchased Options. An Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund receives premiums in exchange for the Written Options and pays premiums in exchange for the Purchased Options. The OCC and the securities exchange that the Options are listed on do not charge ongoing fees to writers or purchasers of the options during their life for continuing to hold the option contracts. Because amounts owed on the Written Options will be covered by payouts at the expiration of the Purchased Options, an Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund will not be required to post any additional collateral for the options. It is possible that applicable regulations governing an Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds utilization of the FLEX Options may change at some point in the future in which case the Fund will conform to such requirements and, accordingly, its obligations to cover its positions may change.
Purchased Call Options A . The Purchased Call Options A are call options purchased by an Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund, each with a strike price lower than the Initial Level, which is the price of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference ETF if the option is on the Reference ETF) on the third Wednesday of the month of the respective monthly Fund ( Purchased Call Option A Strike Price ). If the price of shares of the S&P 500 ® Index (or the Reference Asset if the option is on the Reference Asset) as of the option expiration date (the Closing Value ) is less than or equal to the Purchased Call Option A Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Purchased Call Options A will expire without a payment being made to the Fund (i.e. the Purchased Call Options A will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is greater than the Purchased Call Option A Strike Price, then the Purchased Call A Options collectively provide payment to be made to the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Written Call Options . The Written Call Options are call options written by an Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund each with a strike price higher than the Initial Level ( Written Call Option Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is less than or equal to the Written Call Option Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Written Call Options will expire without a payment being made by the Fund. If the Closing Value is greater than the Written Call Option Strike Price, then the Written Call Options collectively provide payment to be made by the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
Purchased Call Options B . The Purchased Call Options B are put options purchased by an Enhanced Growth Monthly Fund each with a strike price higher than the Initial Level ( Purchased Call Option B Strike Price ). If the Closing Value is greater than or equal to the Purchased Call Option B Strike Price at the option expiration date, the Purchased Call Options B will expire without a payment being made to the Fund (i.e. the Purchased Call Options B will expire worthless). If the Closing Value is less than the Purchased Call Option B Strike Price, then the Purchased Call Options B collectively provide payment to be made to the Fund on the option expiration date corrected for any Corporate Actions.
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Buffer Fund, Monthly Buffer Funds, Enhanced Growth Fund and Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds
The Reference ETF and the S&P 500 ® Index. Information regarding any ETF comes from such ETFs filings with the SEC . You are urged to refer to the SEC filings made by the issuer and to other publicly available information ( e.g . the issuers annual report) to obtain an understanding of the issuers business and financial prospects. The summary information contained below is not designed to be, and should not be interpreted as, an effort to present information regarding the financial prospects of any issuer or any trends, events or other factors that may have a positive or negative influence on those prospects or as an endorsement of any particular issuer or ETF. The Funds have not undertaken any independent review or due diligence of the SEC filings of the issuer of any ETF or of any other publicly available information regarding such an issuer.
The ETFs will generally seek to provide investment results that, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The S&P 500 ® Index is a stock market index based on the market capitalizations of 500 large companies. The S&P 500 ® Index is generally considered by many in the financial community to be one of the best representations of the U.S. stock market as a whole.
The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by any ETF or any ETFs investment adviser, nor have any such persons passed on the legality or suitability of, or the accuracy or adequacy of, descriptions and disclosures relating to the Funds or the FLEX Options. No ETF or any investment adviser thereof has made any representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the advisability of investing in the Funds, the FLEX Options or the results sought to be obtained by a Fund or the FLEX Options. No ETF or any investment adviser thereof shall have any liability in connection with the management, administration, marketing or trading of the Funds or the FLEX Options.
The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC a part of McGraw Hill Companies Financial (S&P). S&P makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds, the FLEX Options, shares of any ETF that is a Reference ETF or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in such the Reference ETF, the FLEX Options or the Funds particularly or the ability of the S&P 500 ® Index to track general stock market performance. S&Ps only relationship to any Reference ETF or Reference ETFs adviser or its affiliates is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of S&P and of the S&P 500 ® Index, which is determined, composed and calculated by S&P without regard to any Reference ETF, any Reference ETFs adviser or their affiliates or the Funds. S&P has no obligation to take the needs of any Reference ETFs adviser, affiliates, the owners of shares of any Reference ETF, the FLEX Options or shares of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P 500 ® Index. S&P is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of shares of any Reference ETF, the FLEX Options or shares of the Funds, or the timing of the issuance or sale of such shares, FLEX Options or shares of the Funds or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares, FLEX Options or shares are to be converted into cash. S&P has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of any Reference ETF, the FLEX Options or shares of the Funds. S&P does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the S&P 500 ® Index or any data included therein and S&P shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein. S&P makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by any Reference ETF or its advisers or owners of shares of any Reference ETF, the FLEX Options or shares of the Funds or any other person or entity from the use of the S&P 500 ® Index or any data included therein. S&P makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall S&P have any liability for any
323
special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) resulting from the use of the S&P 500 ® Index or any data included therein, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Shares of any Reference ETF may be invested in directly without paying the fees and expenses associated with the Funds. There are a variety of other investments available that track or reference the S&P 500 ® Index.
Tax Strategy. To the extent consistent with the primary objectives and other strategies of the Funds, the Adviser intends to minimize taxes by harvesting capital losses to minimize current year capital gains. In addition, where feasible, the Adviser will utilize options contracts that qualify as §1256 contracts, which are options contracts that are taxed at more preferable tax rate regardless of the length of the holding period. There is no assurance the Adviser can implement this tax strategy to reduce the tax burden for the shareholders.
All Funds
Temporary Investments. To respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, each Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets, without limitation, in high-quality short-term debt securities. These short-term debt securities include but are not limited to: commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, U.S. Government securities, including U.S. Treasury bills, and repurchase agreements. While a Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited. Each Fund may also invest a substantial portion of its assets in such instruments at any time to maintain liquidity or pending selection of investments in accordance with its policies. When a Fund takes such a position, it may not achieve its investment objective.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT RISK
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Funds. Each Funds net asset value and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Funds, and the Funds could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that a Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Funds is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the Fund invests directly or indirectly can be worse than expected and investments may fail to perform as the Adviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares in the Fund may decrease. Specific risks of investing in the Fund are described below. The risks may apply indirectly through the Funds investments in other investment companies and derivative securities.
References in the rest of this section to the Fund are to any one of the Funds referenced in the particular sub-section.
Buffer Fund, Monthly Buffer Funds, Enhanced Growth Fund and Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds
The Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, reflect the return of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of shares may be influenced by multiple factors, including, but not limited to:
| The return and volatility of the S&P 500 ® Index; | ||
| The dividend rate on the S&P 500 ® Index; |
324
| Interest rates; | ||
| Economic, financial, political, regulatory, and other events that affect the S&P 500 ® Index and/or issuers of securities in the S&P 500 ® Index. |
The Fund also might not perform as well as you expect. This can happen for the following reasons:
Derivative Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in derivative securities, including options. These are financial instruments that derive their performance from the performance of an underlying asset or index. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risks, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge, or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
Options Risk. An option represents a contract sold by one party (the option writer) to another party (the option holder). The contract offers the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy (call) or sell (put) a security or other financial asset at an agreed-upon price during a certain period of time or on a specific date. Option transactions in which the Fund may engage involve the following risks:
| the writer of an option may be assigned an exercise at any time during the option period; | ||
| disruptions in the markets for underlying instruments could result in losses for options investors; | ||
| imperfect or no correlation between the option and securities being hedged; | ||
| the insolvency of a broker could present risks for the brokers customers; and | ||
| market imposed restrictions may prohibit the exercise of certain options. |
In addition, the option activities of the Fund may affect its portfolio turnover rate and the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund, which may reduce returns.
Call Options. A call option is an option to buy assets at an agreed-upon price on or before a particular date. The seller (writer) of a call option which is covered (i.e., the writer holds the underlying security) assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the purchase price of the underlying security less the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. The seller of an uncovered call option assumes the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the market price of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. The buyer of a call option assumes the risk of losing its entire investment (i.e., the premium paid) in the call option. However, if the buyer of the call sells short the underlying security, the loss on the call will be offset in whole or in part by gain on the short sale of the underlying security.
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Put Options. A put option is an option to sell assets at an agreed price on or before a particular date. The seller (writer) of a put option which is covered (i.e., the writer has a short position in the underlying security) assumes the risk of an increase in the market price of the underlying security above the sales price (in establishing the short position) of the underlying security plus the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the short position for values of the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The seller of an uncovered put option assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The buyer of a put option assumes the risk of losing its entire investment (i.e., the premium paid) in the put option. However, if the buyer of the put holds the underlying security, the loss on the put will be offset in whole or in part by any gain on the underlying security.
FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. FLEX Options are also subject to the Derivative Securities Risk described above.
Index Limitations. The SPRO Index and the SPEN Index, as well as each of the Buffer and EG Index Monthly Series (for purposes of this section, collectively the Indexes), are designed to represent a proposed option strategy. The Index Calculation Agent uses an option valuation model to calculate the value of portfolio FLEX Options that are constituents of the Indexes. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Indexes to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent FLEX Options or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the Indexes do not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform passive indexes. In the construction of the Indexes, the options are assumed to be purchased and written at a certain price on the third Wednesday of the month. However, there is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to buy or sell options at this price, and investors attempting to replicate the Indexes should discuss with their brokers possible timing and liquidity issues. Transaction costs for a strategy that seeks to track such indexes could be significantly higher than transaction costs for a passive strategy of investing in Treasury bills.
Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk . If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index.
Equity Risk. Equity holdings may decline in value because of changes in price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. These fluctuations could be a drastic movement or a sustained trend. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons which may relate directly to the issuer of a security, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuers goods or services or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates. Common stocks in general are subject to the risk of an issuer liquidating or declaring bankruptcy, in which case the claims of owners of the issuers debt securities and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of common stockholders.
ETF Risk . The Fund may invest in FLEX Options that reference an ETF that tracks the S&P 500 ® Index. The risks of investment in such options typically reflect the risks of types of instruments in which the ETF
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invest. The value of an ETF is subject to change as the values of the component securities of the index that the ETF seeks to track fluctuate. An ETF that seeks to track the S&P 500 ® Index may not exactly match the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index due to cash drag, differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the S&P 500 ® Index, expenses and other factors. Certain options on an ETF may not qualify as section 1256 contracts under section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and disposition of such options will likely result in short-term or long-term capital gain or losses depending on the holding period.
Risks of Investing in Other Investment
Companies and Underlying Funds
. The Fund will incur higher and duplicative expenses
when it invests in mutual funds and ETFs. ETFs are investment companies that are
traded on stock exchanges similar to stocks. Typically, ETFs hold assets such as
stocks, commodities or bonds, and track an index such as a stock or bond index.
There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices
of the underlying funds and ETFs. When the Fund invests in an underlying mutual
fund or ETF, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated
with the direct ownership of securities comprising the underlying fund or index
on which the ETF or other vehicle is based and the value of the Funds investments
will fluctuate in response to the performance and risks of the underlying investments
or index. In addition to the brokerage costs associated with the Funds purchase
and sale of the underlying securities and ETFs incur fees that are separate from
those of the Fund. As a result, the Funds shareholders will indirectly bear
a proportionate share of the operating expenses of these investment vehicles in
addition to Fund expenses. Because the Fund is not required to hold shares of underlying
funds for any minimum period, it may be subject to, and may have to pay, short-term
redemption fees imposed by the underlying funds. The Fund has no control over the
investments and related risks taken by the underlying funds in which it invests.
The Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations adopted under that
statute impose conditions on investment companies which invest in other investment
companies, and as a result, the Fund is generally restricted on the amount of shares
of another investment company to shares amounting to no more than 3% of the outstanding
voting shares of such other investment company.
In addition to risks generally associated
with investments in investment company securities, ETFs are subject to the following
risks that do not apply to traditional mutual funds: (i) an ETFs shares may
trade at a market price that is above or below their NAV; (ii) an active trading
market for an ETFs shares may not develop or be maintained; (iii) the ETF
may employ an investment strategy that utilizes high leverage ratios; or (iv) trading
of an ETFs shares may be halted if the listing exchanges officials deem
such action appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation
of market-wide circuit breakers (which are tied to large decreases in
stock prices) halts stock trading generally.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk . The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities whose value depends generally on an issuers credit rating and the interest rate of the security. Fixed-income securities are generally subject to the following risks:
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Credit
Risk
. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause
the issuer to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security.
If an issuer defaults, a fixed-income security could lose all of its value, be renegotiated
at a lower interest rate or principal amount or become illiquid. Generally, investment
risk and price volatility increase as a fixed-income securitys credit rating
declines, which can cause the price of fixed-income securities to go down.
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| Interest Rate Risk . Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk that the securities could lose value because of interest rate changes. For example, bonds tend to decrease in value if interest rates rise. Given the historically low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities sometimes offer higher yields, but are subject to greater price shifts as a result of interest rate changes than fixed-income securities with shorter maturities. |
Market Events Risk. Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Following the financial crisis that began in 2007, the Federal Reserve has attempted to stabilize the U.S. economy and support the U.S. economic recovery by keeping the federal funds rate at or near zero percent. As the Federal Reserve raises the federal funds rate, there is a risk that interest rates across the U.S. financial system will rise. These policy changes may expose markets to heightened volatility and may reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, causing the value of the Funds investments and share price to decline. To the extent that the Fund experiences high redemptions because of these governmental policy changes, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, which will increase the costs that the Fund incurs and will lower the Funds performance.
The Funds investment strategy is designed to achieve its investment objective over a specific holding period. The Funds investment strategy has been designed to deliver on its objective if the shares are bought and held for less than one year. Prior to the end of a one year holding period, the value of the securities in the Fund could vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. Certain related factors are interest rates, implied volatility levels of the Reference ETF, S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index and implied dividend levels of the Reference ETF, S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index.
Security prices will fluctuate. The value of your investment may fall over time because the Fund is subject to market risk. Market risk is the possibility that, over short or long periods, prices of assets that may be held by the Fund will decline. Because stock prices and the prices of the FLEX Options tend to fluctuate, the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. An investment in the Fund represents an indirect investment in the FLEX Options. The shares of the Fund at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to certain securities in excess of 100%. Such exposure will make each Fund more sensitive to movement in the value of those instruments. In particular, investments in options and derivative instruments may provide the economic effect of financial leverage by creating additional investment exposure such that increases or decreases in the value of the Funds portfolio will be magnified.
Option Risk. Purchased put options may expire worthless and may have imperfect correlation to the value of the Funds sector ETFs. Written call and put options may limit the Funds participation in equity market gains and may amplify losses in market declines. The Funds losses are potentially large in a written put or call transaction. If unhedged, written calls expose the Fund to potentially unlimited losses.
The Fund is subject to performance and equity risk related to the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The formulas to calculate the options payments at expiration are based on the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The FLEX Options
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represent indirect positions in the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF and are subject to changes in value as the price of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF rises or falls. The value of the FLEX Options may be adversely affected by various factors affecting the Reference ETF, the S&P 500 ® Index and the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index. The settlement value of the FLEX Options is based on the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF Closing Value on the option expiration date only, and will be substantially determined by market conditions as of such time. The Reference ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index. The value of the Reference ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the value of the stocks held by the Reference ETF which may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future economic growth and corporate profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for stocks that are components of the S&P 500 ® Index. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatile returns. Common stocks are structurally subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure, and represent a residual claim on the issuers assets that have no value unless such assets are sufficient to cover all other claims.
You may lose all or a portion of your investment. The Fund does not provide principal protection and you may not receive a return of the capital you invest.
The values of the FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the Reference ETF or the S&P 500 ® Index . The FLEX Options are all European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. Prior to option expiration date, the value of the FLEX Options is determined based upon market quotations, the last asked or bid price in the over-the-counter market or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of the FLEX Options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the price of shares of the Reference ETF. Factors that may influence the value of the FLEX Options are interest rate changes, implied volatility levels of the Reference ETF, S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index and implied dividend levels of the Reference ETF, S&P 500 ® Index and securities comprising the S&P 500 ® Index, among others. The value of the Reference ETF will not increase or decrease at the same rate as the S&P 500 ® Index due to tracking error described below.
Certain features of the Reference ETF, which may be an ETF, will impact the value of the Funds Shares. The value of the Reference ETF is subject to the following factors:
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Passive
Investment Risk
. The Reference ETF is not actively managed and attempts to track
the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively
managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result,
the Reference ETF will hold constituent securities of the S&P 500
®
Index regardless
of the current or projected performance of a specific security or particular industry
or market sector. Maintaining investments in the securities regardless of market
conditions of the performance of individual securities could impact the unit price
of the Reference ETF, the FLEX Options and the Fund.
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Tracking
Error
. ETFs face index correlation risk which is the risk that the performance
of an ETF will vary from the actual performance of the target index, known as tracking
error. The performance of the Reference ETF may not replicate the performance
of, and may underperform, the S&P 500
®
Index. It is possible that the Reference
ETF may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge significantly
from the performance of the S&P 500
®
Index due to the Reference ETF not investing
in all stocks
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comprising
the S&P 500
®
Index, temporary unavailability of certain securities in the secondary
market, differences in trading hours between the Reference ETF and securities comprising
the S&P 500
®
Index, the occurrence of corporate actions (mergers and spinoffs)
or due to other circumstances. Because the return or loss on the FLEX Options references
the price performance of the Reference ETF and not the S&P 500
®
Index, the
return or loss on the FLEX Options and your investment in the Fund may be less than
that of an alternative investment linked directly to the S&P 500
®
Index.
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Securities
Lending Risk
. The Reference ETF may engage in securities lending. Securities
lending involves the risk that the Reference ETF may lose money because the borrower
of the Reference ETFs loaned securities fails to return the securities in
a timely manner or at all.
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Fees and
Expenses
. Unlike the S&P 500
®
Index, the Reference ETF will reflect transaction
costs and fees that will reduce its price performance relative to the S&P 500
®
Index.
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Discount
. Shares of ETFs tend to trade at a discount from their net asset value.
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Credit risk is the risk an issuer, guarantor or counterparty of a security in the Fund is unable or unwilling to meet its obligation on the security. The OCC acts as guarantor and central counterparty with respect to the FLEX Options. As a result, the ability of the Fund to meet its objective depends on the OCC being able to meet its obligations.
Liquidity risk is the risk that the value of a FLEX Option will fall in value if trading in the FLEX Option is limited or absent. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options . Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. The Fund expects that it will not invest more than 10% of its net assets in illiquid securities. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment.
Under certain circumstances, current market prices may not be available with respect to the FLEX Options. Under those circumstances, the value of the FLEX Options will require more reliance on the Advisers judgment than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. This creates a risk of mispricing or improper valuation of the FLEX Options which could impact the value received or paid for shares.
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Buffer Fund and Buffer Monthly Funds
The Funds return or loss is subject to a capped upside and partial downside protection. The target return or loss for an investment in the Fund is based an assumption of holding the investment from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum capped return. Because the Funds return (or the return for one of the Monthly Funds as the case may be) will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. The Funds ability to provide enhanced return, capped upside and partial downside protection is dependent on the Funds purchasing shares on the third Wednesday of the month and holding until the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Enhanced Growth Fund and Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds
The Fund return is subject to a cap. The target return for each monthly tranche within the Funds portfolio is based on assumption of holding the tranche from the third Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the same month the following year, the price performance of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, and the maximum capped return. Because the Funds return (or the return for one of the Monthly Funds as the case may be) will be capped, the return of the Fund may be less than the targeted two-to-one enhanced returns on the appreciation of the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF. Each tranches ability to provide enhanced return and capped upside is dependent on the Funds investing in each tranches portfolio securities on the third Wednesday of the month and holding until the third Wednesday of the same month the following year. You may realize a return or loss that is higher or lower than the intended returns or losses as a result of purchasing shares or redeeming shares outside the investment time period, where the FLEX Options are otherwise liquidated by the Fund prior to expiration, if a corporate action occurs with respect to the S&P 500 ® Index or the Reference ETF, or increases in potential tax-related expenses and other expenses of the Fund above estimated levels.
Enhance and Buffer Fund and Aristocrats Fund
Call Options Risk . For a call option on a security, the option buyer has the right to purchase, and the option seller (or writer) has the obligation to sell, a specified security at a specified price (exercise price or strike price) on or before a specified date (option expiration date). Writing call options are speculative activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The Funds use of derivatives, such as call options, can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying stock, which may be magnified by certain features of the options. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated or are not correlated with the performance of other investments which are used to hedge or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives.
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For an index call option, the buyer has the right to receive from the seller a cash payment at the option expiration date equal to any positive difference between the value of the index at the contract expiration and exercise price. The buyer of a call option makes a cash payment (premium) to the seller of the option upon entering into the option contract.
| Options Risk . Option transactions in which the Fund may engage involve the following risks: | ||||
o | the writer of an option may be assigned an exercise at expiration date of the option; | ||||
o | disruptions in the markets for underlying instruments could result in losses for options investors; | ||||
o | the insolvency of a broker could present risks for the brokers customers; | ||||
o | market imposed restrictions may prohibit the exercise of certain options; and | ||||
o |
the seller
of an option is subject to the risk that the performance of its stock portfolio
will vary from the performance of the underlying index and the purpose of purchasing
the option will not be fully achieved.
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Call Options
. A call option is an option to buy assets at an agreed-upon price
on or before a particular date. The seller (writer) of a call option which is covered
(i.e., the writer holds the underlying security) assumes the risk of a decline in
the market price of the underlying security below the purchase price of the underlying
security less the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the
underlying security above the exercise price of the option.
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FLEX Options Risk. The Fund expects to utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. No one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. Trading in the FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium or acceptance of a discounted price and may take longer to complete, and the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and your investment. FLEX Options are also subject to the Call Option Risk described above.
Equity Securities Risk. The Fund invests in equity securities. The value of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of these equity securities. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as the current market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur.
Sector Concentration Risk . The Fund from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors.
Market Risk . Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Overall security values could decline generally or could underperform other investments.
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Portfolio Turnover Risk . The Funds strategy will frequently involve buying and selling Call Options to generate premium income. High portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and generating greater tax liabilities for shareholders. High portfolio turnover, which will not be reflected as operational costs of the Fund, may cause the Funds performance to be less than you expect.
Index Limitations Risk . The Cboe Aristocrats Index and the Enhance and Buffer Index are designed to represent a proposed option writing strategy. The Index Calculation Agent uses an option valuation method to calculate the value of the portfolio of FLEX Options that are constituents of each Index. Failure by the Index Calculation Agent to fully comprehend and accurately model the constituent FLEX Options may cause the performance of the Index to vary from the performance of an actual portfolio of the constituent securities or the performance of the Fund. Like many passive indexes, the Indexes do not take into account significant factors such as transaction costs and taxes and, because of factors such as these, the Funds portfolio should be expected to underperform the Index.
Enhance and Buffer Fund
European Style Options. The Fund may invest in European style options, which means that they will be exercisable at the strike price only on the option expiration date. The value of the options prior to the option expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the Enhance and Buffer Index.
Put Options . A put option is an option to sell assets at an agreed price on or before a particular date. The seller (writer) of a put option which is covered (i.e., the writer has a short position in the underlying security) assumes the risk of an increase in the market price of the underlying security above the sales price (in establishing the short position) of the underlying security plus the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the short position for values of the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The seller of an uncovered put option assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The buyer of a put option assumes the risk of losing its entire investment (i.e., the premium paid) in the put option. However, if the buyer of the put holds the underlying security, the loss on the put will be offset in whole or in part by any gain on the underlying security.
All Funds
Non-Diversification Risk . The Fund is non-diversified. The performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than the performance of a diversified fund. As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may hold fewer investments than a fund than is a diversified fund. Because of this, greater investment in a single issuer makes the Fund more susceptible to financial, economic or market events impacting such issuer.
Management Risk . The skill and judgment of the Adviser in selecting investments will play a significant role in the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser and the portfolio managers have not previously managed this strategy in a mutual fund and this lack of experience may detract from the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective.
Tracking Error Risk. The Funds return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Index it is designed to track (solely for the purposes this paragraph, the Index). A number of factors may affect the Funds ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may
333
adversely affect the Funds correlation with the Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. While the Funds, except for the Aristocrats Fund and the Enhance and Buffer Fund, attempt to track the performance of the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the types of securities that make up the Index, at times, the Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the Index. The Enhance and Buffer Fund and the Aristocrats Fund will each invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its total assets in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Funds correlation with the Index. The Fund may also be subject to movements of assets into and out of the Fund in sizes that may differ from the size of the FLEX option contracts that constitute the Index, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the Index and may be impacted by reconstitutions and rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the Index and may hinder the Funds ability to meet its investment objective.
MANAGEMENT
The Investment Adviser.
Cboe Vest Financial LLC (the Adviser), 1765 Greensboro Station Pl, 9 th Floor, McLean, VA 22102, serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Subject to the authority of the Board of Trustees, the Adviser is responsible for management of the Funds investment portfolio. The Adviser is responsible for selecting the Funds investments according to the Funds investment objective, policies and restrictions. The Adviser was established in September 2012. As of the date of this prospectus, the Adviser is designated as the investment adviser to 28 funds in the Trust (4 of which are operational). The Adviser also serves as, and is designated as investments adviser to other institutions, sub-advised separately managed accounts and exchange-traded funds. As of December 31, 2018, the Adviser had approximately $151 million in assets under management.
The Adviser also furnishes each Fund with office space and certain administrative services. For its services, the Adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee calculated daily and payable monthly, as a percentage of each Funds average daily net assets according to the following schedule.
Asset Level | Fee Rate | |||
$0 - $249,999,999.99 | 0.75 | % | ||
$250,000,000 - $749,999,999.99 | 0.65 | % | ||
$750,000,000 - $1,499,999,999.99 | 0.60 | % | ||
$1,500,000,000 $4,999,999,999.99 | 0.55 | % | ||
>$5,000,000,000 | 0.50 | % |
The Adviser has entered into a written expense limitation agreement under which it has agreed to limit the total expenses of each Fund (exclusive of interest, distribution fees pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses and dividend expense on short sales) to an annual rate of 0.95% of the average daily net assets of each Fund. This expense limitation agreement may be terminated by the Adviser or the Trust at any time after February
334
28, 2020. Each waiver or reimbursement of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by a Fund within three fiscal years following the fiscal year in which the expense was incurred, provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees approval of the investment advisory agreement for the Funds will be available in the Funds semi-annual report for the period ending April 30, 2019.
The Adviser is a subsidiary of Cboe Vest Group, Inc. (CboeVG) (formerly known as Vest Financial Group, Inc.). CboeVG is majority owned by Cboe ® Vest, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. The remaining portion of CboeVG is owned by certain individuals who operate CboeVG and the Adviser. CboeVG was organized in 2012. Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. is the holding company for the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (Cboe ® ) and other subsidiaries. Cboe ® is the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options. Cboe ® offers equity, index and ETF options, including proprietary products, such as the S&P 500 ® Index options, which is the most actively traded U.S. index option, and these products may trade on Cboe ® affiliated exchanges resulting in transaction and other revenues accruing to Cboe ® . In the future and subject to the qualifications described in the principal investment strategies of the Funds, the Funds may trade options on Cboe ® , including options on the S&P 500 ® Index. The Funds will not pay, and the Cboe ® (and its parent and affiliates) will not receive any special compensation or consideration in connection with such transactions other than the typical costs that are associated with conducting such transactions by any other non-affiliated party. Certain options used by the Funds may trade on one or more Cboe ® affiliated exchanges, in some cases exclusively on these exchanges, resulting in transaction and other revenues accruing to Cboe ® . Cboe ® is a registered trademark of Cboe ® . Vest SM is a service mark of CboeVG.
The Portfolio Managers
The Funds are managed on a day-to-day basis by Karan Sood, Howard Rubin and Rachel Ames.
Mr. Sood has over ten years of experience in derivative based investment strategy design and trading. Mr. Sood joined the Adviser in 2012. Prior to joining the Adviser, Mr. Sood worked as a senior manager in new product development at ProShares Advisors LLC. At ProShares he was instrumental in developing several first-to-market derivative based ETFs. Prior to ProShares, Mr. Sood worked as a Vice President at Barclays Capital. Last based in New York, he was responsible for using derivatives to design structured investment strategies and solutions for the firms institutional clients in the Americas. Prior to his role in New York, Mr. Sood worked in similar capacity in London with Barclays Capitals European clients. Mr. Sood received a masters degree in Decision Sciences & Operations Research from London School of Economics & Political Science, London. He also holds a bachelors degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Mr. Rubin has over twenty years of experience as a Portfolio Manager. Mr. Rubin joined the Adviser in 2017. Prior to joining the Adviser, Mr. Rubin has served as Director of Portfolio Management at ProShare Advisors LLC from December 2007 to September 2013. Mr. Rubin has also served as Senior Portfolio Manager of ProFund Advisors LLC since November 2004 and Portfolio Manager of ProFund Advisors LLC from April 2000 through November 2004. Mr. Rubin holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Mr. Rubin received a masters degree in finance from George Washington University. He also holds a bachelors degree in economics from Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania.
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Ms. Ames has over ten years of experience
in portfolio management. Ms. Ames joined the Adviser in 2018. Prior to joining the
Adviser, Ms. Ames served as a Portfolio Manager at ProShares Advisors LLC since
October 2013, Associate Portfolio Manager from June 2009 through September 2013
and Portfolio Analyst from June 2004 through June 2009. Ms. Ames holds the Chartered
Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and a bachelors degree in finance from
The George Washington University.
The Funds Statement of Additional Information
(SAI) provides additional information about each portfolio managers
compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio
managers ownership in the Funds.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT OF THE ADVISERS LICENSORS AND THE FUNDS METHODOLOGY
The SPRO Index, including the Buffer Index Monthly Series, the Cboe Aristocrats Index, the Enhance and Buffer Index, and the SPEN Index, including the EG Index Monthly Series (collectively, for purposes of this section, the Cboe Indexes), and the methodology used to calculate them are the property of Cboe, and the Adviser is an affiliate of Cboe. Among other things, the methodology involves the S&P 500 Index. S&P ® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poors Financial Services LLC (S&P); Cboe ® is a registered trademark of Cboe. The Cboe Indexes, S&P and Cboe trademarks have been licensed for use by the Adviser, including for use by the Funds. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by or Cboe and/or its affiliates, other than the Adviser (together without the Adviser, the Cboe Group) or S&P and/or its affiliates (together, the S&P Group). While the Funds may be listed on an exchange that is an affiliate of Cboe, neither the Cboe Group nor the S&P Group make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Funds. Neither the Cboe Group nor the S&P Group guarantees the adequacy, accuracy, timeliness and/or completeness of the Cboe Indexes, S&P 500 ® Index, or any methodology or data related thereto, and neither the Cboe Group nor the S&P Group shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein. Neither the Cboe Group nor the S&P Group make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Reference ETF or to any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in any securities (such as FLEX options) or in the Reference ETF, or that the Cboe Indexes will track general stock market performance. Indexes and trademarks owned and operated by S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC (SPDJI) are licensed for use by the Cboe Group and the Adviser in connection with derivative indexes such as the Cboe Indexes and in connection with investment products such as the Reference ETF, and SPDJI receives a fee for such use. Cboe will receive fees from the Reference ETF in connection with the Reference ETFs investment in FLEX options and other securities purchased and sold on the Cboe Group exchanges, and for providing information used to value FLEX options held by the Funds. The Cboe Indexes and S&P 500 ® Index are determined without regard to the Reference ETF, the Reference ETF adviser, and neither Cboe nor SPDJI have any obligation to take the needs of the Funds, the Reference ETF, the Adviser, the adviser of the Reference ETF, or the owners of shares the Funds or the Reference ETF into consideration in determining, composing or calculating Cboe Indexes or S&P 500 ® Index; the Cboe Indexes and S&P 500 ® Index are determined without regard to any such needs. Neither the Cboe Group nor the S&P Group are responsible for or have participated in the determination of the prices or amount of shares of the Reference ETF, the timing of the issuance or sale of such shares of the Reference ETF, or the determination or calculation of the equation by which such shares are to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be. Neither the Cboe Group nor the S&P Group have any obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Reference ETF. There is no assurance that the Reference ETF or any other investment products based on the Index Series will accurately track the performance of the Cboe Indexes or provide positive
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investment returns. Neither the Cboe Group nor the S&P Group is an investment adviser. Inclusion of a security within the Cboe Indexes or S&P 500 ® Index is not a recommendation by SPDJI or Cboe to buy, sell or hold such security, nor is it investment advice.
NEITHER THE CBOE GROUP NOR THE S&P GROUP GUARANTEES THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CBOE INDEXES, S&P 500 ® INDEX, OR ANY METHODOLOGY OR DATA RELATED THERETO, OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION) WITH RESPECT THERETO, AND NEITHER THE CBOE GROUP NOR THE S&P GROUP SHALL BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. NEITHER THE CBOE GROUP NOR THE S&P GROUP MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EACH HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND USE, AND AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, INVESTORS IN THE FUNDS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE CBOE INDEXES, S&P 500 ® INDEX, OR ANY METHODOLOGY OR DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL THE CBOE GROUP OR THE S&P GROUP BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, OR LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P AND CBOE OR THE ADVISER, OTHER THAN THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES.
Additional information about the Cboe ® Indexes, including the components and weightings, as well as the rules that govern inclusion and weighting, is available at http://www.cboe.com.
The Trust
The Funds are each series of the World Funds Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust on April 9, 2007. The Trustees supervise the operations of the Funds 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 Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan for the Funds Class A, Class C and Investor Class Shares (the 12b-1 Plan) in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan, each Fund may finance from the assets of a particular class certain activities or expenses that are intended primarily to result in the sale of shares of such class. Each Fund finances these distribution and service activities through payments made to the Distributor. The fee paid to the Distributor by each class is computed on an annualized basis reflecting the average daily net assets of a class, up to a maximum of 0.25% for Class A and Investor Class Shares and 1.00% for Class C Shares. With respect to Class C Shares, 0.75% represents 12b-1 distribution fees and 0.25% represents shareholder servicing fees paid to institutions that have agreements with the Distributor to provide such services. Because these fees are paid out of a classs 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.
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The 12b-1 Plan, while primarily intended to compensation for shareholder services and expenses, was adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and it therefore may be used to pay for certain expenditures related to financing distribution related activities for each of the Funds.
Shareholder Services Plan
The Funds have adopted a shareholder services
plan with respect to their Class A, Class C, Investor and Institutional Class Shares.
Under a shareholder services plan, each of the Funds may pay an authorized firm
up to 0.25% on an annualized basis of its average daily net assets attributable
to its customers who are shareholders. For this fee, the authorized firms may provide
a variety of services, including but not limited to: (i) arranging for bank wires;
(ii) responding to inquiries from shareholder concerning their investment in the
Funds; (iii) assisting shareholders in changing dividend options, account designations
and addresses; (iv) providing information periodically to shareholders showing their
position in shares; (v) forwarding shareholder communications from the Funds such
as proxies, shareholder reports, annual reports, and dividend distribution and tax
notices to Clients; (vi) processing purchase, exchange and redemption requests from
shareholder and placing orders with the Funds or their service providers; (vii)
providing sub-accounting with respect to shares beneficially owned by shareholders;
and (viii) processing dividend payments from the Funds on behalf of shareholders.
Because the Funds have adopted the shareholder
services plan to compensate authorized firms for providing the types of services
described above, the Funds believe the shareholder services plan is not covered
by Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which relates to payment
of distribution fees. The Funds, however, follow the procedural requirements of
Rule 12b-1 in connection with the implementation and administration of the shareholder
services plan.
An authorized firm generally represents
in a service agreement used in connection with the shareholder services plan that
all compensation payable to the authorized firm from its customers in connection
with the investment of their assets in the Funds will be disclosed by the authorized
firm to its customers. It also generally provides that all such compensation will
be authorized by the authorized firms customers.
The Funds do not monitor the actual services
being performed by an authorized firm under the plan and related service agreement.
The Funds also do not monitor the reasonableness of the total compensation that
an authorized firm may receive, including any service fee that an authorized firm
may receive from the Funds and any compensation the authorized firm may receive
directly from its clients.
Shareholder Servicing
Certain financial intermediaries that maintain street name or omnibus accounts with the Funds 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 in addition to the fees paid under the 12b-1 Plan. For more information, please refer to the SAI.
Other Expenses
In addition to the 12b-1 fees and the investment advisory fees, the Funds pay all expenses not assumed by the Adviser, including, without limitation, the following: the fees and expenses of independent accountants and legal counsel; the costs of printing and mailing to shareholders annual and semi-annual
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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 SAI. 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 Funds through financial intermediaries, such as fund supermarkets or through brokers or dealers who are authorized by the Distributor to sell shares of the Funds (collectively, Financial Intermediaries). You may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. You may request a copy of this prospectus by calling the Funds toll free at 855-505-VEST (8378). Financial Intermediaries 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 Funds as the policies and procedures may be different. The price you pay for a share of a Fund is the net asset value next determined upon receipt by the Funds transfer agent (see below) or financial intermediary. The Funds will be deemed to have received your purchase or redemption order when the Financial Intermediary receives the order. Such Financial Intermediaries are authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Funds behalf.
Certain Financial Intermediaries may have agreements with the Funds that allow them to enter confirmed purchase and redemption orders on behalf of clients and customers. Under this arrangement, the Financial Intermediary must send your payment to the Funds by the time the Funds price their shares on the following business day.
The Funds are not responsible for ensuring that a Financial Intermediary carries out its obligations. You should look to the Financial Intermediary through whom you wish to invest for specific instructions on how to purchase or redeem shares of the Funds.
Minimum Investments . The minimum initial investment for Class A, Class C and Investor Class Shares is $1,000 and $100,000 for Institutional Class Shares. The minimum initial investment for Class Y Shares is $10,000,000, except there is no minimum initial investment for participants of employee benefit plans established under Section 401(a) (including a 401(k) plan), 403(b) or 457(b) of the Code, if the shares are held in an omnibus account on the Funds records and an unaffiliated third party provides administrative and/or other support services to the plan. Subsequent investments must be in amounts of $100 or more for Class A, Class C, Investor and Institutional Class Shares. There is no minimum subsequent investment amount for Class Y Shares. The Adviser may waive the minimum initial investment requirement in its sole discretion, for instances including but not limited to, purchases
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made by directors, officers and employees of the Trust, the Adviser or any of their respective affiliates, purchases by entities affiliated with the Adviser or the Trust, 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 any order.
Financial advisers with clients holding accounts in Classes of the Funds with lower initial investment minimums may aggregate the value of those individual client accounts in order for each of those accounts to qualify for a Class with a higher investment minimum. Please contact the Adviser if you believe you qualify under these criteria.
Plan sponsors, plan fiduciaries and other financial intermediaries may choose to impose qualification requirements for plans that differ from the Funds share class eligibility standards. In certain cases, this could result in the selection of a share class with higher service and distribution-related fees than those of another class available under the Funds share class eligibility criteria. The Funds are not responsible for, and have no control over, the decision of any plan sponsor, plan fiduciary or financial intermediary to impose such differing requirements. Please consult with your plan sponsor, plan fiduciary or financial intermediary for more information about available share classes as not all share classes may be made available.
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:
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Name; | ||
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Date of birth (for individuals); | ||
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Residential or business street address (although post office boxes are still permitted for mailing); and | ||
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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, VA 23235 together with your check payable to the respective Fund. When you buy shares, be sure to specify the Fund and class of shares in which you choose to invest. 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).
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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 Funds toll free at 855-505-VEST (8378) 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 purchase order is completed in good form, which includes the receipt of completed account information by the Transfer Agent. 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.
Purchases by Telephone . You may also purchase shares by telephone, by contacting the Funds toll free at 855-505-VEST (8378) or the Transfer Agent at (800) 628-4077.
Other Purchase Information . You may purchase and redeem Fund shares, or exchange shares of the Funds for those of another, by contacting any broker authorized by the Distributor to sell shares of the Funds, by contacting the Funds toll free at 855-505-VEST (8378) or by contacting the Transfer Agent, at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 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 Funds at any time and in any amount by contacting your Financial Intermediary or by contacting the Funds 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. 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 or authorized Financial Intermediary receives the redemption request in proper form. Payment of redemption proceeds will be made promptly, as instructed by check, wire, or automated clearing house (ACH), but no later than the seventh calendar day following the receipt of the request in proper form. The Funds 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.
The Funds typically expect to meet redemption requests through cash holdings or cash equivalents and anticipates using these types of holdings on a regular basis. The Funds typically expect to pay redemption proceeds for shares redeemed within the following days after receipt by the Transfer Agent of a redemption request in proper form: (i) for payment by check, the Funds typically expect to mail the check within two business days; and (ii) for payment by wire or ACH, the Funds typically expect to process the payment within two business days. Payment of redemption proceeds may take up to 7 days as permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under unusual circumstances as permitted by the, the Funds may suspend the right of redemption or delay payment of redemption proceeds for more than 7 days. When shares are purchased by check or through ACH, the proceeds from the redemption of those shares will not be paid until the purchase check or ACH transfer has been converted to federal funds, which could take up to 15 calendar days.
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To the extent cash holdings or cash equivalents are not available to meet redemption requests, the Funds will meet redemption requests by either (i) rebalancing their overweight securities or (ii) selling portfolio assets. In addition, if a Fund determines that it would be detrimental to the best interest of the Funds remaining shareholders to make payment in cash, the Fund may pay redemption proceeds in whole or in part by a distribution-in-kind of readily marketable securities.
If you sell your Shares through a securities dealer or investment professional, it is such persons responsibility to transmit the order to the Funds 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 Funds determine 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 Funds receive a completed account application for the account to permit the Funds 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: the name of the 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 Funds. 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 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 to shareholders for redemptions by telephone. 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, VA 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 Funds 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. There is no charge to shareholders for redemptions by wire.
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Redemption in Kind . The Funds typically expect to satisfy requests by using holdings of cash or cash equivalents or selling portfolio assets. On a less regular basis, and if the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of a Fund and its shareholders not to sell portfolio assets, the Fund may satisfy redemption requests by using short-term borrowing from the Funds custodian to the extent such arrangements are in place with the custodian. In addition to paying redemption proceeds in cash, the Funds reserve the right to make payment for a redemption in securities rather than cash, which is known as a redemption in kind. While the Funds do not intend, under normal circumstances, to redeem their shares by payment in kind, it is possible that conditions may arise in the future which would, in the opinion of the Trustees, make it undesirable for a Fund to pay for all redemptions in cash. In such a case, the Trustees may authorize payment to be made in readily marketable portfolio securities of a Fund, either through the distribution of selected individual portfolio securities or a pro-rata distribution of all portfolio securities held by the Fund. Securities delivered in payment of redemptions would be valued at the same value assigned to them in computing a Funds net asset value per share. Shareholders receiving them may incur brokerage costs when these securities are sold and will be subject to market risk until such securities are sold. An irrevocable election has been filed under Rule 18f-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, wherein a Fund must pay redemptions in cash, rather than in kind, to any shareholder of record of the Fund who redeems during any 90-day period, the lesser of (a) $250,000 or (b) 1% of the Funds net assets at the beginning of such period. Redemption requests in excess of this limit may be satisfied in cash or in kind at the Funds election. The Funds methods of satisfying shareholder redemption requests will normally be used during both regular and stressed market conditions.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Signature Guarantees . To help protect you and the Funds 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). 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.
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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 by the Funds.
Small Account Balances . If the value of your account falls below the minimum account balance of $1,000, the Funds may ask you to increase your balance. If the account value is still below the minimum balance after 60 days, the Funds may close your account and send you the proceeds. The Funds will not close your account if it falls below this amount solely as a result of Fund performance. Please check with your Financial Intermediary concerning required minimum account balances. You should note that should such a redemption occur with regards to a non-retirement account, such redemption would be subject to taxation. Please refer to the section entitled Dividends, Distributions and Taxes below.
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.
Exchange Privilege . To the extent that the Adviser manages other funds in the Trust, you may exchange all or a portion of your shares in the Funds for shares of the same class of certain other funds of the Trust managed by the Adviser having different investment objectives, provided that the shares of the fund you are exchanging into are registered for sale in your state of residence. An exchange is treated as a redemption and purchase and may result in realization of a taxable gain or loss on the transaction. As of the date of this prospectus, the Adviser is designated as the investment adviser to 29 funds in the Trust (5 of which are operational). The Adviser also serves as, and is designated as investment adviser to other institutions, sub-advised separately managed accounts and exchange-traded ETFs.
Frequent purchases and redemptions (Frequent Trading) (as discussed below) 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 Funds would be unable to invest the money effectively in accordance with their 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.
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.
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Account Statements and Shareholder Reports . Each time you purchase, redeem or transfer shares of the Funds, you will receive a written confirmation. You will also receive 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 Funds 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 Funds send these documents to each shareholder individually by calling the Funds toll free at 855-505-VEST (8378).
General . The Funds 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 Buffer Fund and the Enhanced Growth Fund, and quarterly for the Enhance and Buffer Fund. Dividends from net investment income and short-term capital gains, if any, are declared and paid monthly for the Aristocrats Fund. The Funds intend to distribute annually any net capital gains.
Dividends and distributions will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the Funds, 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 Funds 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, the Funds distributions are taxable to you as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gain. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional shares of the Fund or receive them in cash. Any long-term capital gain the Funds distribute are taxable to you as long-term capital gain no matter how long you have owned your shares. Other Fund distributions (including distributions attributable to short-term capital gain of the Funds) will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income, except that distributions that are designated as qualified dividend income will be taxable at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain. 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.
345
When you sell shares of the Funds, you may have a capital gain or loss. For tax purposes, an exchange of your shares of the Funds 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 Funds.
By law, the Funds must withhold 24% 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 Funds to do so.
Cost Basis Reporting . 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 Funds have chosen average cost as the standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. A tax lot identification method is the way the Funds 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 have chosen average cost as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. 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 Funds are responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis and tax lot information for tax reporting purposes. The Funds are not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not covered. The Funds and their 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.
346
NET ASSET VALUE
Each Funds share price, called the NAV per share, is determined as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (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 Funds have 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 Day and Christmas Day. NAV per share is computed by adding the total value of a Funds investments and other assets attributable to the applicable class of the Fund, subtracting any liabilities attributable to the applicable class and then dividing by the total number of the applicable class shares outstanding. Due to the fact that different expenses may be charged against shares of different classes of a Fund, the NAV of the different classes may vary.
Shares of the Funds 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 a Funds Shares is equal to the NAV plus the applicable front-end sales charge, if any. Shares of the Funds held by you are sold or exchanged at the NAV per share next determined after a request has been received in proper form, less any applicable deferred sales charge. 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.
Each Funds securities are valued at current market prices. Investments in securities traded on national securities exchanges are valued at the last reported sale price. For securities traded on the NASDAQ National Market System, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used. 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 by the administrator, in consultation with the Adviser, 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 Funds 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 Funds, 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 a 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 Funds could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing.
347
SHARE CLASS ALTERNATIVES
The Funds offer investors five different classes of shares through this prospectus. The different classes of shares represent investments in the same portfolio of securities, but the classes are subject to different expenses and may have different share prices and minimum investment requirements. When you buy shares be sure to specify the class of shares in which you choose to invest. Because each share class has a different combination of sales charges, expenses and other features, you should consult your financial adviser to determine which class best meets your financial objectives.
Class A Shares
Class A Shares are subject to a front-end sales charge and a distribution fee. The following schedule governs the percentage to be received by the selling broker-dealer firm for selling Class A Shares.
Sales charge as a percentage of | ||||||||||
Amount of purchase at the public offering price | Offering Price (1) | Net amount invested |
Discount as
a
percentage of offering price |
|||||||
Less than $50,000 | 5.75% | 6.10% | 5.00% | |||||||
$50,000 but less than $100,000 | 4.50% | 4.71% | 3.75% | |||||||
$100,000 but less than $250,000 | 3.50% | 3.63% | 2.75% | |||||||
$250,000 but less than $500,000 | 2.50% | 2.56% | 2.00% | |||||||
$500,000 but less than $1,000,000 | 2.00% | 2.04% | 1.75% | |||||||
$1,000,000 or more | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
(1) The term Offering Price includes the front-end sales charge.
Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers
To receive a reduction or waiver of your initial sales charge, you or your financial consultant must notify the Funds transfer agent or your Financial Intermediary at the time of purchase that you qualify for such a reduction or waiver. If you do not let your Financial Intermediary or the Funds Transfer Agent know that you are eligible for a reduction or waiver, you may not receive the reduction or waiver to which you are otherwise entitled. Certain individuals and employer-sponsored retirement plans may link accounts for the purpose of qualifying for lower initial sales charges. You or your financial consultant must provide other account numbers to be considered for Rights of Accumulation, or mark the Letter of Intent section on the account application, or provide other relevant documentation, so that the Funds Transfer Agent can verify your eligibility for the reduction or waiver. In order to receive a reduction or waiver, you may be required to provide your Financial Intermediary or the Funds Transfer Agent with evidence of your qualification for the reduction or waiver, such as records regarding Fund shares held in accounts with that Financial Intermediary and other Financial Intermediaries. Consult the Funds SAI for additional details.
348
You can reduce your initial sales charge in the following ways:
Right of Accumulation . After making an initial purchase, you may reduce the sales charge applied to any subsequent purchases. Your Class A Shares purchase will be taken into account on a combined basis at the current NAV per share in order to establish the aggregate investment amount to be used in determining the applicable sales charge. Only previous purchases of Class A Shares that are still held in the Fund and that were sold subject to a sales charge will be included in the calculation. To take advantage of this privilege, you must give notice at the time you place your initial order and subsequent orders that you wish to combine purchases. When you send your payment and request to combine purchases, please specify your account number(s).
Statement of Intention . A reduced sales charge on Class A Shares of the Funds as set forth above, applies immediately to all purchases where the investor has executed a Statement of Intention calling for the purchase within a 13-month period of an amount qualifying for the reduced sales charge. The investor must actually purchase the amount stated in such statement to avoid later paying the full sales charge on shares that are purchased.
Combine with family member . You can also count toward the amount of your investment all investments by your spouse and your children under age 21 (family members), including their rights of accumulation and goals under a letter of intent. Certain other groups may also be permitted to combine purchases for purposes of reducing or eliminating sales charges, such as: a retirement plan established exclusively for the benefit of an Individual, specifically including, but not limited to, a Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Solo 401(k), Keogh plan, or a tax-sheltered 403(b)(7) custodial account; and a qualified tuition plan account, maintained pursuant to Section 529 of the Code, or a Coverdell Education Savings Account, maintained pursuant to Section 530 of the Code (in either case, the account must be established by an Individual or have an Individual named as the beneficiary thereof).
Waiver of Front-End Sales Charges - Class A Shares
No sales charge shall apply to:
(1) | reinvestment of income dividends and capital gain distributions; | |
(2) | exchanges of a Funds shares for those of another fund of the Trust; | |
(3) |
purchases
of Fund shares made by current or former directors, officers or employees, or agents
of the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor, or affiliates of the Adviser, and by
members of their immediate families and employees (including immediate family members)
of a broker-dealer distributing Fund shares;
|
|
(4) |
purchases
of Fund shares by the Funds Distributor for its own investment account and
for investment purposes only;
|
|
(5) |
a qualified
institutional buyer, as that term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities
Act of 1933, including, but not limited to, insurance companies, investment companies
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, business development companies
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and small business investment
companies;
|
349
(6) |
a charitable
organization, as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (the
Code), as well as other charitable trusts and endowments, investing $50,000 or
more;
|
|
(7) |
a charitable
remainder trust, under Section 664 of the Code, or a life income pool, established
for the benefit of a charitable organization as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of
the Code;
|
|
(8) |
investment
advisers or financial planners who place trades for their own accounts or the accounts
of their clients and who charge a management, consulting or other fee for their
services; and clients of those investment advisers or financial planners who place
trades for their own accounts if the accounts are linked to the master account of
the investment adviser or financial planner on the books and records of the broker
or agent;
|
|
(9) |
institutional
retirement and deferred compensation plans and trusts used to fund those plans,
including, but not limited to, those defined in section 401(a), 403(b) or 457 of
the Code and rabbi trusts; and
|
|
(10) |
the purchase
of Fund shares, if available, through certain third-party fund supermarkets. Some
fund supermarkets may offer Fund shares without a sales charge or with a reduced
sales charge. Other fees may be charged by the service-provider sponsoring the fund
supermarket, and transaction charges may apply to purchases and sales made through
a broker-dealer.
|
Additional information regarding the waiver of sales charges may be obtained by calling the Funds toll free at 855-505-VEST (8378). All account information is subject to acceptance and verification by the Funds Distributor.
Class C Shares
Class C Shares are subject to a Distribution (12b-1) and Service Fee as described above under Rule 12b-1 Fees.
Investor Class Shares
Investor Class Shares are offered with no front-end or contingent deferred sales charge and are subject to a 0.25% Rule 12b-1 fee.
Institutional Class Shares
Institutional Class Shares are offered with no front-end or contingent deferred sales charge and are not subject to any Rule 12b-1 fees.
Class Y Shares
Class Y Shares are offered with no front-end or contingent deferred sales charge and are not subject to any Rule 12b-1 or Shareholder Services fees. Class Y Shares are distinguished from Institutional Class Shares in that they are offered without the imposition of a shareholder services plan fee and they are subject to a higher minimum investment threshold.
350
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS
Frequent purchases and redemptions (Frequent Trading) of shares of the Funds may present a number of risks to other shareholders of the Funds. These risks may include, among other things, dilution in the value of shares of the Funds 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 Funds 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 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 Funds. These capital gains could include short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income tax rates.
The Funds will assess a 2.00% redemption fee on Class A, Class C and Investor Class Shares of the Fund redeemed within 30 days of purchase as a percentage of amount redeemed. The redemption fee is deducted from your proceeds and is retained by the applicable Fund for the benefit of long-term shareholders. The first in-first out (FIFO) method is used 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 Funds reserve the right to change the terms and amount of this fee upon at least a 30-day notice to shareholders.
The Trustees have adopted a policy that is intended to identify and discourage Frequent Trading by shareholders of the Funds 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 Funds and if, as a result of this monitoring, the Funds believe that a shareholder has engaged in frequent trading, it may, in its discretion, ask the shareholder to stop such activities or refuse to process purchases in the shareholders accounts. 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. To minimize harm to the Funds and their shareholders, the Funds reserve the right to reject any exchange or purchase of Fund shares with or without prior notice to the account holder. In the event the foregoing purchase and redemption patterns occur, it shall be the policy of the Trust that the shareholders account and any other account with the Funds under the same taxpayer identification number shall be precluded from investing in the Funds (including investment that are part of an exchange transaction) for such time period as the Trust deems appropriate based on the facts and circumstances (including, without limitation, the dollar amount involved and whether the Investor has been precluded from investing in the Funds before); provided that such time period shall be at least 30 calendar days after the last redemption transaction. The above policies shall not apply if the Trust determines that a purchase and redemption pattern is not a Frequent Trading pattern or is the result of inadvertent trading errors.
351
These policies and procedures will be applied uniformly to all shareholders and, subject to certain permissible exceptions as described above, the Funds will not accommodate abusive Frequent Trading. The policies also 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 Funds. Accordingly, the ability of the Funds to monitor and detect Frequent Trading activity through omnibus accounts is very limited and there is no guarantee that the Funds will be able to identify shareholders who may be engaging in Frequent Trading through omnibus accounts or to curtail such trading. However, the Funds will establish information sharing agreements with intermediaries as required by Rule 22c-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that may require sharing of 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 Funds identify that excessive short-term trading is taking place in a participant-directed employee benefit plan accounts, the Funds or their 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 Funds to close the account of an entire plan due to the activity of a limited number of participants. However, the Funds will take such actions as deemed appropriate in light of all the facts and circumstances.
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 Funds 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 Funds are 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 Funds are 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.
352
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Funds financial performance for the periods presented. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Share. The total returns in the tables represent the rate that an investor would have earned [or lost] on an investment in each class of shares of the Funds (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The financial highlights for the period presented have been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the Funds 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) and are incorporated by reference into the SAI. Copies of the Annual Report and the SAI may be obtained at no charge by calling toll free 855-505-VEST (8378).
353
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® BUFFER STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class A | |||||
For the period | |||||
July 24, 2018* to | |||||
October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 11.85 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.04 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
(0.22 | ) | |||
Total from investment activities |
(0.26 | ) | |||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.59 | |||
Total Return | (2.19% | )*** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
2.24% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.20% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
(1.18% | )** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (2) | 0.00% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 15 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month ending during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
354
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® BUFFER STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class C | |||||
For the period | |||||
July 24, 2018* to | |||||
October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 11.85 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.06 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
(0.29 | ) | |||
Total from investment activities |
(0.35 | ) | |||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.50 | |||
Total Return | (2.95% | )*** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
3.53% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.95% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
(1.93% | )** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (2) | 0.00% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 81 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
355
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® BUFFER STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Investor Class | ||||||||||
For the period | ||||||||||
December 7, | ||||||||||
For the year ended | 2016* to | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period Investment activities | $ | 11.18 | $ | 10.20 | ||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.14 | ) | (0.13 | ) | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
0.50 | 1.11 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities | 0.36 | 0.98 | ||||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.54 | $ | 11.18 | ||||||
Total Return | 3.22% | 9.61% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
2.20 | % | 3.74% | ** | ||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.20 | % | 1.38% | ** | ||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
(1.17% | ) | (1.35% | )** | ||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 0.00 | % (3) | 0.00% | (2) *** | ||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 8,880 | $ | 1,330 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not having activity with any long-term securities during the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
356
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® BUFFER STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Institutional Class | ||||||||||||||||
For the | ||||||||||||||||
period | ||||||||||||||||
For the year ended | August 23, | |||||||||||||||
October 31, | 2016* to | |||||||||||||||
October 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 11.21 | $ | 9.88 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.11 | ) | (0.11 | ) | (0.02 | ) | ||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
0.50 | 1.44 | (0.10 | ) | ||||||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.39 | 1.33 | (0.12 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.60 | $ | 11.21 | $ | 9.88 | ||||||||||
Total Return | 3.48% | 13.46% | (1.20% | )*** | ||||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
1.73% | 3.27% | 46.89% | ** | ||||||||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
0.95% | 1.08% | 1.25% | ** | ||||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
(0.92% | ) | (1.05% | ) | (0.98% | )** | ||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 0.00% | (3) | 0.00% | (2) | 0.00% | (2) *** | ||||||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 30,428 | $ | 10,614 | $ | 261 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not having activity with any long-term securities during the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
357
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® BUFFER STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class Y | |||||
For the period | |||||
July 24, 2018* to | |||||
October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 11.85 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.02 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
(0.23 | ) | |||
Total from investment activities |
(0.25 | ) | |||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.60 | |||
Total Return | (2.11% | )*** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
1.25% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
0.71% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
(0.69% | )** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (2) | 0.00% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
358
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® DIVIDEND ARISTOCRATS TARGET INCOME FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class A | ||||||||||
Period September 11, | ||||||||||
For the year ended | 2017* | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | to October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.24 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.14 | 0.01 | ||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.40 | 0.23 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.54 | 0.24 | ||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.12 | ) | | |||||||
Net realized gain |
(0.30 | ) | | |||||||
Total distributions |
(0.42 | ) | | |||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.36 | $ | 10.24 | ||||||
Total Return | 5.29% | 2.40% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
2.42% | 2.97 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
2.42% | 2.97 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.20% | 1.20 % | ** | |||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
1.35% | 0.88 % | ** | |||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 205.91% | 9.77 % | *** | |||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 2,345 | $ | 833 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
359
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® DIVIDEND ARISTOCRATS TARGET INCOME FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class C | ||||||||||
For the year ended | Period September 11, 2017* | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | to October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.23 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.07 | | ||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.39 | 0.23 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.46 | 0.23 | ||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.05 | ) | | |||||||
Net realized gain |
(0.30 | ) | | |||||||
Total distributions |
(0.35 | ) | | |||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.34 | $ | 10.23 | ||||||
Total Return | 4.48% | 2.30% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
3.08% | 2.23 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
3.08% | 2.23 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.95% | 1.95 % | ** | |||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
0.63% | (0.27 % | )** | |||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 205.91% | 9.77 % | *** | |||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 394 | $ | 238 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
360
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® DIVIDEND ARISTOCRATS TARGET INCOME FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Investor Class | ||||||||||
For the year ended | Period September 11, 2017* | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | to October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.23 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.14 | 0.01 | ||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.40 | 0.22 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.54 | 0.23 | ||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.12 | ) | | |||||||
Net realized gain |
(0.30 | ) | | |||||||
Total distributions |
(0.42 | ) | | |||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.35 | $ | 10.23 | ||||||
Total Return | 5.28% | 2.30% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
2.56% | 2.69 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
2.56% | 2.69 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.20% | 1.20 % | ** | |||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
1.32% | 0.78 % | ** | |||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 205.91% | 9.77 % | *** | |||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1,828 | $ | 197 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
361
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® DIVIDEND ARISTOCRATS TARGET INCOME FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Institutional Class | ||||||||||
For the year ended | Period September 11, 2017* | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | to October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.25 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.16 | 0.01 | ||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.40 | 0.24 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.56 | 0.25 | ||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.15 | ) | | |||||||
Net realized gain |
(0.30 | ) | | |||||||
Total distributions |
(0.45 | ) | | |||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.36 | $ | 10.25 | ||||||
Total Return | 5.45% | 2.50% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
2.21% | 2.89 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
2.21% | 2.89 % | ** | |||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
0.95% | 0.95 % | ** | |||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
1.55% | 1.11 % | ** | |||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 205.91% | 9.77 % | *** | |||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 21,603 | $ | 5,572 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
362
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® DIVIDEND ARISTOCRATS TARGET INCOME FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class Y | |||||
Period July 24, 2018* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.65 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.04 | ||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
(0.18 | ) | |||
Total from investment activities |
(0.14 | ) | |||
Distributions | |||||
Net investment income |
(0.04 | ) | |||
Net realized gain |
(0.09 | ) | |||
Total distributions |
(0.13 | ) | |||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.38 | |||
Total Return | (1.40% | )*** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
2.63% | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
2.62% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
0.71% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
1.55% | ** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate | 205.91% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 10,440 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
363
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCE AND BUFFER FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class A | |||||
Period November 6, 2017* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.00 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.03 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.67 | ||||
Total from investment activities |
0.64 | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.64 | |||
Total Return | 6.40% | *** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
15.28% | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
15.17% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.31% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
(0.29% | )** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (3) | 0.00% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
364
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCE AND BUFFER FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class C | |||||
Period November 6, 2017* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.00 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.11 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.67 | ||||
Total from investment activities |
0.56 | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.56 | |||
Total Return | 5.60% | *** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
16.04% | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
15.93% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
2.07% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
(1.03% | )** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (3) | 0.00% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
365
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCE AND BUFFER FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Investor Class | |||||
Period November 6, 2017* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.00 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.06 | ||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.58 | ||||
Total from investment activities |
0.64 | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.64 | |||
Total Return | 6.40% | *** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
3.94 % | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
3.56 % | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.58 % | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
0.53 % | ** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (3) | 0.00 % | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1,053 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
366
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCE AND BUFFER FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Institutional Class | |||||
Period November 6, 2017* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.00 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.04 | ||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.59 | ||||
Total from investment activities |
0.63 | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.63 | |||
Total Return | 6.30% | *** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
13.95 % | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
13.57 % | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.33 % | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
0.36 % | ** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (3) | 0.00 % | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1,148 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. | |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. | |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the period. | |
*Inception date. | |
**Annualized | |
***Not annualized |
367
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCE AND BUFFER FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class Y | |||||
Period November 6, 2017* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.00 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
0.08 | ||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (2) |
0.62 | ||||
Total from investment activities |
0.70 | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.70 | |||
Total Return | 7.00% | *** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
3.19 % | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
2.97 % | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
0.91 % | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
0.76 % | ** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (3) | 0.00 % | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 6,016 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding throughout the period. |
(2) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the |
period. |
*Inception date. |
**Annualized |
***Not annualized |
368
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCED GROWTH STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class A | ||||||||||
Period January 31, | ||||||||||
For the year ended | 2017* | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | to October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 11.46 | $ | 10.12 | ||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.14 | ) | (0.11 | ) | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
0.60 | 1.45 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.46 | 1.34 | ||||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.92 | $ | 11.46 | ||||||
Total Return | 4.01% | 13.24% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
1.59% | 2.36% | ** | |||||||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
1.58% | 2.36% | ** | |||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.21% | 1.39% | ** | |||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
(1.21% | ) | (1.39% | )** | ||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 0.00% | (3) | 0.00% | (2) *** | ||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1 | $ | 1 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not having activity with any long-term securities during the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
369
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCED GROWTH STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class C | |||||
Period July 24, 2018* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 12.44 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.07 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
(0.40 | ) | |||
Total from investment activities |
(0.47 | ) | |||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.97 | |||
Total Return | (3.78% | )*** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
2.94% | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
2.91% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.98% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
(2.00% | )** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (2) | 0.00% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the period. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
370
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCED GROWTH STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Investor Class | ||||||||||
For the year ended | Period January 31, 2017* | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | to October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 11.47 | $ | 10.12 | ||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.14 | ) | (0.11 | ) | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
0.61 | 1.46 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.47 | 1.35 | ||||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 11.94 | $ | 11.47 | ||||||
Total Return | 4.10% | 13.34% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
2.06% | 1.79% | ** | |||||||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
2.05% | 1.79% | ** | |||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
1.21% | 1.36% | ** | |||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
(1.21% | ) | (1.36% | )** | ||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 0.00% | (3) | 0.00% | (2) *** | ||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 32,292 | $ | 32,995 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not having activity with any long-term securities during the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
371
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCED GROWTH STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Institutional Class | ||||||||||
Period December 21, | ||||||||||
For the year ended | 2016* | |||||||||
October 31, 2018 | to October 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 11.50 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.11 | ) | (0.11 | ) | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
0.61 | 1.61 | ||||||||
Total from investment activities |
0.50 | 1.50 | ||||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 12.00 | $ | 11.50 | ||||||
Total Return | 4.35% | 15.00% | *** | |||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||
Ratio to average net assets | ||||||||||
Expenses, gross |
1.75% | 1.69% | ** | |||||||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
1.74% | 1.69% | ** | |||||||
Expenses, net of waiver |
0.96% | 1.13% | ** | |||||||
Net investment income (loss) |
(0.96% | ) | (1.13% | )** | ||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 0.00% | (3) | 0.00% | (2) *** | ||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 4,949 | $ | 5,164 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not having activity with any long-term securities during the period. |
(3) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the year. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
372
Cboe VEST S&P 500 ® ENHANCED GROWTH STRATEGY FUND |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD |
Class Y | |||||
Period July 24, 2018* | |||||
to October 31, 2018 | |||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 12.44 | |||
Investment activities | |||||
Net investment income (loss) (1) |
(0.03 | ) | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
(0.40 | ) | |||
Total from investment activities |
(0.43 | ) | |||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 12.01 | |||
Total Return | (3.46% | )*** | |||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | |||||
Ratio to average net assets | |||||
Expenses, gross |
1.60% | ** | |||
Expenses, excluding interest expense, before waiver |
1.58% | ** | |||
Expenses, net of waiver |
0.73% | ** | |||
Net investment income (loss) |
(0.76% | )** | |||
Portfolio turnover rate (2) | 0.00% | *** | |||
Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ | 1 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) Ratio is zero due to the Fund not holding any long-term securities at any month end during the period. |
* Inception date. |
** Annualized |
*** Not annualized |
373
FOR MORE INFORMATION
You will find more information about the Funds in the following documents:
The Funds annual and semi-annual reports will contain more information about the Funds. The Funds annual report will contain a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that had a significant effect on each Funds performance during the last fiscal year.
For more information about the Funds, you may wish to refer to the Funds Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") dated February 28, 2019, 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 World Funds Trust, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235, by calling the Funds toll free at 855-505-VEST (8378), by e-mail at: mail@ccofva.com or on the Funds website at www.cboevest.com/mutualfunds/. General inquiries regarding the Funds 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, D.C. 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 Funds 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 D.C. 20549-0102.
(Investment Company Act File No. 811-22172)
374
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
February 28, 2019 |
The Cboe Vest Family of Funds |
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205 |
Richmond, Virginia 23235 |
855-505-VEST (8378) |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (July) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAGX) | Class A Shares (BUALX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCGX) | Class C Shares (BUCLX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMGX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIGX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUILX) | |
Class Y Shares (BUYGX) | ||
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (January) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (August) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAJX) | Class A Shares (BUATX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCJX) | Class C Shares (BUCTX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMJX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMTX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIJX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUITX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (February) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (September) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAFX) | Class A Shares (BUASX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCFX) | Class C Shares (BUCSX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMFX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMSX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIFX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUISX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (March) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (October) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAMX) | Class A Shares (BUAOX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCMX) | Class C Shares (BUCOX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMMX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMOX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIMX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUIOX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (April) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (November) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAAX) | Class A Shares (BUANX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCAX) | Class C Shares (BUCNX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMAX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMNX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIAX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUINX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (May) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (December) Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAYX) | Class A Shares (BUADX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCYX) | Class C Shares (BUCDX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMYX) | Investor Class Shares (BUMDX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIYX) | Institutional Class Shares (BUIDX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (June) Fund | CboeVest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund | |
Class A Shares (BUAUX) | Class A Shares (ENGAX) | |
Class C Shares (BUCUX) | Class C Shares (ENGCX) | |
Investor Class Shares (BUMUX) | Investor Class Shares (ENGLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (BUIUX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENGIX) | |
Class Y Shares (ENGYX) | ||
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (July) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAJX) | Class A Shares (ENALX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCJX) | Class C Shares (ENCLX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMJX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIJX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENMIX) | |
The Cboe Vest Family of Funds |
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205 |
Richmond, Virginia 23235 |
855-505-VEST (8378) |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (August) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAFX) | Class A Shares (ENATX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCFX) | Class C Shares (ENCTX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMFX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMTX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIFX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENITX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (March) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (September) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAMX) | Class A Shares (ENASX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCMX) | Class C Shares (ENCSX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMMX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMSX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIMX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENISX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (April) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAAX) | Class A Shares (ENAOX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCAX) | Class C Shares (ENCOX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMAX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMOX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIZX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENIOX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (May) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAYX) | Class A Shares (ENANX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCZX) | Class C Shares (ENCNX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMYX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMNX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIYX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENINX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (June) Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (December) Fund | |
Class A Shares (ENAUX) | Class A Shares (ENADX) | |
Class C Shares (ENCUX) | Class C Shares (ENCDX) | |
Investor Class Shares (ENMUX) | Investor Class Shares (ENMDX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (ENIUX) | Institutional Class Shares (ENIDX) | |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund | Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund | |
Class A Shares (MRAAX) | Class A Shares (KNGAX) | |
Class C Shares (MRACX) | Class C Shares (KNGCX) | |
Investor Class Shares (MRALX) | Investor Class Shares (KNGLX) | |
Institutional Class Shares (MRAIX) | Institutional Class Shares (KNGIX) | |
Class Y Shares (MRAYX) | Class Y Shares (KNGYX) |
This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectuses for the Cboe Vest Funds as they may be supplemented or revised from time to time. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Funds prospectus. This SAI incorporated by reference the Cboe Vest Funds Annual Report for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2018 and the Semiannual Report for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2018. You may obtain copies of the prospectus of the Funds, the SAI, the Annual Report and the Semiannual Report free of charge, by writing to World Funds Trust (the Trust), 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 or by calling 855-505-VEST (8378).
THE Cboe VEST FAMILY OF FUNDS
TABLE OF CONTENTS | Page | |
THE TRUST | 1 | |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES | 2 | |
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS | 2 | |
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS | 9 | |
INVESTMENT ADVISER | 11 | |
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS | 14 | |
SERVICE PROVIDERS | 16 | |
TRUSTEES & OFFICERS OF THE TRUST | 19 | |
BOARD OF TRUSTEES | 22 | |
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SECURITIES HOLDERS | 24 | |
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE | 28 | |
DISTRIBUTION | 29 | |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASES AND SALES | 33 | |
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES | 35 | |
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES | 35 | |
TAXES | 37 | |
BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES | 51 | |
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES HOLDINGS | 53 | |
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES | 57 | |
PROXY VOTING | 58 | |
CODES OF ETHICS | 58 | |
FINANCIAL INFORMATION | 59 | |
EXHIBIT A (PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF ADVISER) | 59 | |
EXHIBIT B (WORLD FUNDS TRUST PROXY VOTING POLICIES) | 62 | |
EXHIBIT C (NOMINATING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHARTER) | 64 |
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 Agreement and 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 mutual funds of the the Trust, other than the Funds, are described in separate prospectuses and statements of additional information.
The Funds . This SAI relates to: (i) Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund (Buffer Strategy Fund), Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (January) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (February) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (March) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® , (April) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (May) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (June) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (July) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (August) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (September) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (October) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (November) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy (December) Fund (collectively the Funds within this category (i) may be referred to herein as the Buffer Funds or in the case of the Monthly Funds, the Buffer Monthly Funds); and (ii) Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund (the Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund), Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (March) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (April) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (May) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (June) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (July) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (August) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (September) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund, and Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy (December ) Fund (collectively the Funds within this category (ii) may be referred to herein as the Enhanced Growth Funds or in the case of the Monthly Funds, as the Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds); (iii) Cboe Vest S&P 500 ®
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Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund (the Dividend Aristocrats Fund); and (iv) the Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund (the Enhance and Buffer Fund). The Buffer Monthly Funds and the Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds may be referred to collectively as the Cboe Vest Monthly Funds; the Cboe Vest Monthly Funds, the Buffer Strategy Fund, the Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, the Dividend Aristocrats Fund and the Enhance and Buffer Fund may be referred to herein as the Cboe Vest Funds or the Funds). The Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Funds were formerly known as the Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Protect Strategy Funds.
This SAI should be read in conjunction with the prospectus of the Funds. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Funds prospectus. No investment in shares should be made without reading the prospectus. The Funds are separate investment portfolios or series of the Trust. Each of the Funds is non-diversified as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and the interpretations thereof.
Description of Multiple Classes of Shares . Each of the operational Funds are authorized to issue five classes of shares: (i) Class A Shares imposing a front-end sales charge up to a maximum of 5.75% and charging a 0.25% 12b-1 fee; (ii) Class C Shares imposing no front-end sales charge, but assessing contingent deferred sales change on redemptions made within one year from the date of purchase, and charging a 1.00% 12b-1 fee; (iii) Investor Class Shares imposing no front-end or deferred sales charges and charging a 0.25% 12b-1 fee; (iv) Institutional Class Shares imposing no front-end or deferred sales charges and charging no 12b-1 fee; and (v) Class Y Shares imposing no front-end or deferred sales charges and charging no 12b-1 fee. Each of the foregoing classes of shares other than the Class Y Shares is authorized to pay up to 0.25% to third parties for the provision of shareholder services, including sub-accounting and sub-transfer agency fees.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
AND POLICIES
The Funds investment objective and principal investment strategies are described in the prospectus. 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 investment adviser, Cboe Vest SM Financial LLC (the Adviser) makes purchases and sales for the Funds portfolio whenever necessary, in the Advisers opinion, to meet each Funds objective.
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, each Fund may invest in any type of security whose characteristics are consistent with its investment programs described below. The Funds may invest in other investment companies and ETFs (defined below) (collectively Underlying Funds) to
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the extent any of the investments or techniques are described, they may indicate the investments and techniques that the Funds generally will do directly or indirectly through investments in Underlying Funds.
Equity Securities . Equity securities in which the Funds invest include common stocks, preferred stocks and securities convertible into common stocks, such as convertible bonds, warrants, rights and options. The value of equity securities varies in response to many factors, including the activities and financial condition of individual companies, the business market in which individual companies compete and general market and economic conditions. Equity securities fluctuate in value, often based on factors unrelated to the value of the issuer of the securities, and such fluctuations can be significant.
United States Government Obligations . These consist of debt securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the United States government, including the various types of instruments currently outstanding or which may be offered in the future. Agencies include, among others, the Federal Housing Administration, Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Maritime Administration, and General Services Administration. Instrumentalities include, for example, each of the Federal Home Loan Banks, the National Bank for Cooperatives, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), the Farm Credit Banks, the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), and the United States Postal Service. These securities are either: (i) backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government (e.g., United States Treasury Bills); (ii) guaranteed by the United States Treasury (e.g., GNMA mortgage-backed securities); (iii) supported by the issuing agencys or instrumentalitys right to borrow from the United States Treasury (e.g., FNMA Discount Notes); or (iv) supported only by the issuing agencys or instrumentalitys own credit (e.g., Tennessee Valley Association). On September 7, 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Authority (the FHFA) announced that FNMA and FHLMC had been placed into conservatorship, a statutory process designed to stabilize a troubled institution with the objective of returning the entity to normal business operations. The U.S. Treasury Department and the FHFA at the same time established a secured lending facility and a Secured Stock Purchase Agreement with both FNMA and FHLMC to ensure that each entity had the ability to fulfill its financial obligations. The FHFA announced that it does not anticipate any disruption in pattern of payments or ongoing business operations of FNMA and FHLMC.
Government-related guarantors (i.e. not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government) include FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders. It is subject to general regulation by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.
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FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks and now owned entirely by private stockholders. FHLMC issues Participation Certificates (PCs), which represent interests in conventional mortgages from FHLMCs national portfolio. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such nongovernmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The insurance and guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers.
Securities of Other Investment Companies . Each Funds investments in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), mutual funds and closed-end funds involve certain additional expenses and certain tax results, which would not be present in a direct investment in the Underlying Fund. Generally, the Funds will not purchase securities of another investment company if, as a result: (i) more than 10% of the Funds total assets would be invested in securities of other investment companies, (ii) such purchase would result in more than 3% of the total outstanding voting securities of any such investment company being held by the Funds, or (iii) more than 5% of the Funds total assets would be invested in any one such investment company. However, many ETFs have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds to invest in the ETFs shares beyond the above statutory limitations, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to a contractual arrangement between the particular ETF and the investing fund. A Fund may rely on these exemptive orders to invest in unaffiliated ETFs. In the alternative, the Funds intends to rely on Rule 12d1-3, which allows unaffiliated mutual funds and ETFs to exceed the 5% limitation and the 10% limitation, provided the aggregate sales loads any investor pays (i.e., the combined distribution expenses of both the acquiring fund and the acquired fund) does not exceed the limits on sales loads established by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for funds of funds. In addition to ETFs, the Funds may invest in other investment companies such as open-end mutual funds or exchange-traded closed-end funds, within the limitations described above.
Investments in ETFs involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in a broadly-based portfolio of stocks, including risks that: (1) the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of the ETF or other instrument; (2) an ETF may not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weightings of securities or number of stocks held; (3) an ETF may also be adversely affected by the performance of the specific index, market sector or group of industries on which it is based; and (4) an ETF may not track an index as well as a traditional index mutual fund because ETFs are valued by the market and, therefore, there may be a difference between the market value and the ETFs net asset value.
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Additionally, investments in fixed income ETFs involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in fixed income securities, including the risk of fluctuation in market value based on interest rates rising or declining and risks of a decrease in liquidity, such that no assurances can be made that an active trading market for underlying ETFs will be maintained.
Securities Options . The Funds may purchase and write ( i.e. , sell) put and call options. Such options may relate to particular securities or stock indices, and may or may not be listed on a domestic or foreign securities exchange and may or may not be issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (the OCC). Options trading is a highly specialized activity that entails greater than ordinary investment risk. Options may be more volatile than the underlying instruments, and therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying instruments themselves.
A call option for a particular security gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer (seller) the obligation to sell, the underlying security at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option, regardless of the market price of the security. The premium paid to the writer is in consideration for undertaking the obligation under the option contract. A put option for a particular security gives the purchaser the right to sell the security at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the market price of the security.
Stock index options are put options and call options on various stock indices. In most respects, they are identical to listed options on common stocks. The primary difference between stock options and index options occurs when index options are exercised. In the case of stock options, the underlying security, common stock, is delivered. However, upon the exercise of an index option, settlement does not occur by delivery of the securities comprising the index. The option holder who exercises the index option receives an amount of cash if the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the stock index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market value of the stocks included in the index. For example, some stock index options are based on a broad market index, such as the Standard & Poors 500 ® Index or the Value Line Composite Index or a narrower market index, such as the Standard & Poors 100 ® . Indices may also be based on an industry or market segment, such as the AMEX Oil and Gas Index or the Computer and Business Equipment Index. Options on stock indices are currently traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the Pacific Stock Exchange and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.
Each Funds obligation to sell an instrument subject to a call option written by it, or to purchase an instrument subject to a put option written by it, may be terminated prior to the expiration date of the option by the Funds execution of a closing purchase transaction, which is effected by purchasing on an exchange an option of the same series ( i.e ., same underlying instrument, exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously written. A closing purchase transaction will ordinarily be effected to realize a profit on an outstanding option, to prevent an underlying instrument from being called, to permit the sale of the underlying instrument or to permit the writing of a new option containing different terms on such underlying
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instrument. The cost of such a liquidation purchase plus transactions costs may be greater than the premium received upon the original option, in which event the Fund will have paid a loss in the transaction. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option. An option writer unable to effect a closing purchase transaction will not be able to sell the underlying instrument or liquidate the assets held in a segregated account, as described below, until the option expires or the optioned instrument is delivered upon exercise. In such circumstances, the writer will be subject to the risk of market decline or appreciation in the instrument during such period.
If an option purchased by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a loss equal to the premium paid. If a Fund enters into a closing sale transaction on an option purchased by it, the Fund will realize a gain if the premium received by the Fund on the closing transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, or a loss if it is less. If an option written by a Fund expires on the stipulated expiration date or if a Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, it will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the net premium received when the option is sold). If an option written by a Fund is exercised, the proceeds of the sale will be increased by the net premium originally received and the Fund will realize a gain or loss.
Certain Risks Regarding Options . There are several risks associated with transactions in options. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options, whether traded over-the-counter or on an exchange, may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities or currencies; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading value; or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
Successful use by the Funds of options on stock indices will be subject to the ability of the Adviser to correctly predict movements in the directions of the stock market. This requires different skills and techniques than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. In addition, a Funds ability to effectively hedge all or a portion of the securities in its portfolio, in anticipation of or during a market decline, through transactions in put options on stock indices, depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index correlate with the price movements of the securities held by the Fund. Inasmuch as tahe Funds securities will not duplicate the components of an index, the correlation will not be perfect. Consequently, the Fund bears the risk that the prices of its securities being hedged will not move in the same amount as the prices of its put options on the stock indices. It is also possible that there may be a negative
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correlation between the index and the Funds securities that would result in a loss on both such securities and the options on stock indices acquired by the Fund.
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 can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets. The purchase of options is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The purchase of stock index options involves the risk that the premium and transaction costs paid by the Funds in purchasing an option will be lost as a result of unanticipated movements in prices of the securities comprising the stock index on which the option is based.
There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an options exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and for some options no secondary market on an exchange or elsewhere may exist. If a Fund is unable to close out a call option on securities that it has written before the option is exercised, the Fund may be required to purchase the optioned securities in order to satisfy its obligation under the option to deliver such securities. If the Fund is unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options on securities that it has purchased, it would have to exercise the option in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase and sale of the underlying securities.
Cover for Options Positions . Transactions using options (other than options that the Funds have purchased) expose the Funds to an obligation to another party. Each Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (i) an offsetting (covered) position in securities or other options or (ii) cash or liquid securities with a value sufficient at all times to cover its potential obligations not covered as provided in (i) above. The Funds will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and, if the guidelines so require, set aside cash or liquid securities in a segregated account with the Funds custodian in the prescribed amount. Under current SEC guidelines, the Funds will segregate assets to cover transactions in which the Funds writes or sells options.
Assets used as cover or held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding option is open, unless they are replaced with similar assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of the Funds assets as cover and/or to segregated accounts could impede portfolio management or the Funds ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
Options on Futures Contracts . The Funds may purchase and sell options on the same types of futures in which they may invest. Options on futures are similar to options on underlying instruments except that options on futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), rather than to purchase or sell the futures contract, at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by the delivery of the accumulated balance in the writers futures margin account which represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract, at exercise,
7
exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.
Dealer Options . The Funds may engage in transactions involving dealer options as well as exchange-traded options. Certain additional risks are specific to dealer options. While the Funds might look to a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, if a Fund were to purchase a dealer option it would need to rely on the dealer from which it purchased the option to perform if the option were exercised. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction.
Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while dealer options may not. Consequently, a Fund may generally be able to realize the value of a dealer option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the dealer who issued it. Similarly, when a Fund writes a dealer option, it may generally be able to close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer to whom the Fund originally wrote the option. While the Funds will seek to enter into dealer options only with dealers who will agree to and which are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with the Funds, there can be no assurance that the Funds will at any time be able to liquidate a dealer option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless a Fund, as a covered dealer call option writer, is able to effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, the Funds may be unable to liquidate a dealer option. With respect to options written by the Funds, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to the Funds. For example, because a Fund must maintain a secured position with respect to any call option on a security it writes, the Fund may not sell the assets which it has segregated to secure the position while it is obligated under the option. This requirement may impair the Funds ability to sell portfolio securities at a time when such sale might be advantageous.
The Staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased dealer options are illiquid securities. A Fund may treat the cover used for written dealer options as liquid if the dealer agrees that the Fund may repurchase the dealer option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the dealer option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option. Accordingly, the Funds will treat dealer options as subject to the Funds limitation on illiquid securities. If the SEC changes its position on the liquidity of dealer options, the Funds will change their treatment of such instruments accordingly.
Short Sales . The Funds may sell securities short as an outright investment strategy and to offset potential declines in long positions in similar securities. A short sale is a transaction in which a Fund sells a security it does not own or have the right to acquire (or that it owns but does not wish to deliver) in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline.
When a Fund makes a short sale, the broker-dealer through which the short sale is made must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the party purchasing the security. The Fund is required to make a margin deposit in connection with such short sales; the Fund may have to
8
pay a fee to borrow particular securities and will often be obligated to pay over any dividends and accrued interest on borrowed securities.
If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund covers its short position, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss increased, by the transaction costs described above. The successful use of short selling may be adversely affected by imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the security sold short and the securities being hedged.
To the extent a Fund sells securities short, it will provide collateral to the broker-dealer and (except in the case of short sales against the box) will maintain additional asset coverage in the form of cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid securities with its custodian in a segregated account in an amount at least equal to the difference between the current market value of the securities sold short and any amounts required to be deposited as collateral with the selling broker (not including the proceeds of the short sale). The Funds do not intend to enter into short sales (other than short sales against the box) if immediately after such sales the aggregate of the value of all collateral plus the amount in such segregated account exceeds 30% of the value of a Funds net assets. This percentage may be varied by action of the Board of Trustees. A short sale is against the box to the extent the Fund contemporaneously owns, or has the right to obtain at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short.
Temporary Investments . To maintain cash for redemptions and distributions and for temporary defensive purposes, the Funds may invest in money market mutual funds and in investment grade short-term fixed income securities including short-term U.S. government securities, negotiable certificates of deposit, commercial paper, bankers acceptances and repurchase agreements.
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
Fundamental . The investment limitations described below have been adopted by the Trust with respect to each of the Funds 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 SAI, the term majority of the outstanding shares of a Fund means the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented at such meeting; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. 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).
Each of the Funds: | |||
1. |
May not borrow
money except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified by
regulatory authority having jurisdiction from time to time.
|
9
2. |
May not issue
any senior securities to others, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as
interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction from time to
time.
|
||
3. |
May not underwrite
securities issued by others except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an
underwriter under the federal securities laws, in connection with the disposition
of portfolio securities.
|
||
4. |
May not invest
more than 25% of the value of its net assets in any one industry or group of industries.
This restriction does not limit a Funds investments in: (i) obligations issued
or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; or (ii)
tax-exempt obligations issued by governments or political subdivisions of governments.
In complying with this restriction, the Fund will not consider a bank-issued guaranty
or financial guaranty insurance as a separate security.
|
||
5. |
May not purchase
or sell real estate except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or
modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.
|
||
6. |
May not make
loans to others, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified
by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.
|
||
7. |
May invest
in commodities only as permitted by the 1940 Act or other governing statute, by
the Rules thereunder, or by the SEC or other regulatory agency with authority over
the Fund.
|
Except with respect to borrowing and circumstances where the Funds are required to cover their positions, if a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time a transaction is effected, later changes in percentage resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation. Currently, subject to modification to conform to the 1940 Act as interpreted or modified from time to time, each Fund is permitted, consistent with the 1940 Act, to borrow, and pledge its shares to secure such borrowing, provided, that immediately thereafter there is asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings by the Fund from a bank. If borrowings exceed this 300% asset coverage requirement by reason of a decline in net assets of the Fund, the Fund will reduce its borrowings within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 300% asset coverage requirement. The 1940 Act also permits the Funds to borrow for temporary purposes only in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the Funds total assets at the time when the loan is made. A loan shall be presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within 60 days and is not extended or renewed. To the extent outstanding borrowings of a Fund exceed 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund, the Fund will not make additional purchases of securities the foregoing shall not be construed to prevent the Fund from settling portfolio transactions or satisfying shareholder redemptions
10
orders. The SEC has indicated, however, that certain types of transactions, which could be deemed borrowings (such as firm commitment agreements and reverse repurchase agreements), are permissible if a Fund covers the agreements by establishing and maintaining segregated accounts.
Currently, with respect to senior securities, the 1940 Act and regulatory interpretations of relevant provisions of the 1940 Act establish the following general limits, subject to modification to conform to the 1940 Act as interpreted or modified from time to time: Open-end registered investment companies such as the Funds are not permitted to issue any class of senior security or to sell any senior security of which they are the issuers. The Trust is, however, permitted to issue separate series of shares (the Funds are a series of the Trust) and to divide those series into separate classes. Class A, Class C, Class Y, Investor and Institutional Class Shares are separate classes of shares of the Funds. The Funds have no intention of issuing senior securities, except that the Trust has issued its shares in separate series and may divide those series into classes of shares. Collateral arrangements with respect to forward contracts, futures contracts or options, including deposits of initial and variation margin, are not considered to be the issuance of a senior security for purposes of this restriction.
With respect to the percentages adopted by the Trust as maximum limitations on its investment policies and limitations, an excess above the fixed percentage will not be a violation of the policy or limitation unless the excess results immediately and directly from the acquisition of any security or the action taken. This paragraph does not apply to the borrowing policy set forth in paragraph 1 above.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing limitations, any investment company, whether organized as a trust, association or corporation, or a personal holding company, may be merged or consolidated with or acquired by the Trust, provided that if such merger, consolidation or acquisition results in an investment in the securities of any issuer prohibited by said paragraphs, the Trust shall, within ninety days after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or acquisition, dispose of all of the securities of such issuer so acquired or such portion thereof as shall bring the total investment therein within the limitations imposed by said paragraphs above as of the date of consummation.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Cboe Vest Financial LLC (the Adviser), 1765 Greensboro Station Pl, 9 th Floor, McLean, Virginia 22102 is the investment adviser to each Fund. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company. As of December 31, 2018, the Adviser had approximately $151 million in assets under management. The Adviser, which is majority owned by Cboe ® Vest, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. is effectively controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc.
The Adviser currently provides investment advisory services pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the Advisory Agreement). Under the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser manages the investment portfolio of each Fund, subject to the policies adopted by
11
the Trusts Board of Trustees. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, at its own expense and without reimbursement from the Trust, furnishes office space and all necessary office facilities, equipment and executive personnel necessary for managing the assets of the Funds. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser assumes and pays all ordinary expenses of the Funds, except that each Fund pays all management fees, brokerage fees and commissions, taxes, interest expense, underlying fund fees and expenses, all expenses which it is authorized to pay pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and extraordinary or non-recurring expenses.
For its services with respect to each of the Funds, the Adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee calculated daily and payable monthly (and deducted proportionately from each class of shares), as a percentage of the Funds average daily net assets according to the following schedule.
Asset Level | Fee Rate | |||
$0 - $249,999,999.99 | 0.75 | % | ||
$250,000,000 - $749,999,999.99 | 0.65 | % | ||
$750,000,000 - $1,499,999,999.99 | 0.60 | % | ||
$1,500,000,000 - $4,999,999,999.99 | 0.55 | % | ||
>$5,000,000,000 | 0.50 | % | ||
To the extent the Buffer Strategy Fund or the Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund invests in any of the Cboe Vest Monthly Funds, the Adviser will waive the portion of its advisory fees that it is entitled to under the advisory agreement with respect to the Buffer Strategy Fund or the Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund in an amount equal to the fee that it earns from the particular Cboe Vest Monthly Fund.
The Adviser received the following fees for advisory services to the Funds for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2018:
Cboe Vest Fund*: |
Gross Advisory Fee | Waiver | Net Advisory Fee |
S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy Fund
|
$170,214 | $170,214 | $0 |
S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
|
$140,954 | $140,954 | $0 |
S&P 500
®
Enhance and Buffer Fund
|
$26,770 | $26,770 | $0 |
S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund
|
$289,753 | $289,753 | $0 |
*The Buffer Monthly Funds and The Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.
The Adviser retains the right to use the name Cboe Vest or any derivative thereof in connection with another investment company or business enterprise with which the Adviser is or may become associated. The Trusts right to use the name Cboe Vest or any derivative thereof automatically ceases ninety days after termination of the Advisory Agreement and may be
12
withdrawn by the Adviser on ninety days written notice. The services furnished by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement are not exclusive, and the Adviser is free to perform similar services for others.
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 Funds believes that there would be no material impact on the Funds or their shareholders. Financial institutions may charge their customers fees for offering these services to the extent permitted by applicable regulatory authorities, and the overall return to those shareholders availing themselves of the financial institutions services will be lower than to those shareholders who do not. The Funds may from time to time purchase securities issued by financial institutions that provide such services; however, in selecting investments for the Funds, no preference will be shown for such securities.
The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its advisory fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep net operating expenses (excluding interest, fees payable pursuant to Rule 12b-1 Plans, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding the limits set forth below for each class of shares of the Funds until February 28, 2020. Each waiver or reimbursement of an expense by the Adviser is subject to repayment by a Fund within three years following the date such waiver and/or reimbursement was made provided that the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement and at the time the waiver or reimbursement is recouped.
FUND | CLASS OF SHARES | |
Investor
Class,
Institutional Class, Class A and Class C Shares |
Class Y Shares | |
Buffer Strategy Fund | 0.95% | 0.70% |
Buffer Monthly Funds | 0.95% | N/A |
Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund | 0.95% | 0.70% |
Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds | 0.95% | N/A |
Dividend Aristocrats Fund | 0.95% | 0.70% |
Enhance and Buffer Fund | 0.95% | 0.70% |
The Adviser is a subsidiary of Cboe Vest Group, Inc. (CboeVG). CboeVG is majority owned by Cboe ® Vest, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. The remaining
13
portion of CboeVG is owned by certain individuals who operate CboeVG and the Adviser. Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. is the holding company for the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (Cboe ® ) and other subsidiaries. Cboe ® is the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options. Please refer to Conflicts of Interest section for information relating to the relationship of the Adviser and Cboe ® .
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Portfolio Managers . As described in the prospectus, Messrs. Karan Sood, Howard Rubin and Ms. Rachel Ames serve as Portfolio Managers responsible for the day-to-day investment management of the Funds.
This section includes information about the Portfolio Managers, including information about other accounts they manage, the dollar range of Fund shares they own and how they are compensated.
In addition to the Funds, the Portfolio Managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts, as listed below. The information below is approximate as of October 31, 2018:
Portfolio
Manager |
Other
Registered Investment Company Accounts |
Assets
Managed ($ millions) |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicle Accounts |
Assets
Managed ($ millions) |
Other
Accounts |
Assets
Managed ($ millions) |
Total
Assets Managed ($ millions) |
Karan Sood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | $14.3 | $14.3 |
Howard Rubin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rachel Ames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Conflicts of Interests . Each Portfolio Managers management of other accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with his management of a Funds investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts may have the same investment objective as the Funds. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the identical investment objectives, whereby a Portfolio Manager could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include the Portfolio Managers knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades, whereby a Portfolio Manager could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Funds. However, the Adviser has established policies and procedures to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all accounts it manages are fairly and equitably allocated.
As noted above, the Adviser is a subsidiary of CboeVG, which is majority owned by Cboe ® Vest, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. The remaining portion of CboeVG is owned by certain individuals who operate CboeVG and the Adviser. Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. is the holding company for the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated
14
(Cboe ® ) and other subsidiaries. Cboe ® is the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options. Cboe ® offers equity, index and ETF options, including proprietary products, such as the S&P 500 options, the most active U.S. index option, and these products may trade on Cboe ® affiliated exchanges resulting in transaction and other revenues accruing to Cboe ® . In the future and subject to the qualifications set forth below, the Funds may trade options on Cboe ® , including options on the S&P 500 ® Index. The Funds will not pay, and the Cboe ® (and its parent and affiliates) will not receive, any special compensation or consideration in connection with such transactions other than the typical costs that are associated with conducting such transactions by any other non-affiliated party. Certain options used by the Funds may trade on one or more Cboe ® affiliated exchanges, in some cases exclusively on these exchanges, resulting in transaction and other revenues accruing to Cboe ® . Additionally, Cboe ® Holdings, Inc. owns a minority interest in the OCC, and the securities in which the Funds may take positions are cleared by the OCC. In this regard, the OCC may receive a benefit as a result of the positions taken (i.e., the securities purchased) by the Funds, and, as a result, Cboe ® Holdings may indirectly benefit. Additionally, the pricing for certain options positions held by the Funds may be obtained directly or indirectly from Cboe, and Cboe receives a fee for that service. See Use of Third-Party Pricing Agents later in this SAI for more information on the Cboe pricing services. The Trust and the Adviser have adopted procedures to ensure that any transactions of the Funds are consistent with applicable regulatory and statutory restrictions on affiliated transactions and are done in a manner that is subject to the oversight of the Trusts Board of Trustees and is fair and equitable to the Funds. Cboe ® is a registered trademark of Cboe ® Vest SM .
Because of certain potential limitations of the 1940 Act associated with trading options on the Cboe and any other exchanges owned or controlled by Cboe Holdings, Inc. (Cboe Exchanges), the Funds will direct all broker-dealers to not effect transactions in options on any Cboe Exchanges until such time that appropriate exemptive and/or no-action relief is obtained from the SEC and/or its staff by the Adviser, the Cboe and/or any mutual funds advised by the Adviser. This restriction shall not prevent the Adviser or the Funds from engaging in other transactions or receiving other services from the Cboe or for which the Cboe may receive a benefit, such as pricing services, provided such transactions and/or the receipt of such services is consistent with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff. Additionally, the restrictions described in this paragraph do not prevent the Funds from engaging in options transactions on exchanges other than Cboe Exchanges where the OCC guarantees performance of such transactions.
Compensation . The Portfolio Managers do not receive compensation that is based upon the Funds, any separate account strategy, partnership or any other commingled accounts, or any private accounts pre- or after-tax performance, or the value of the assets held by such entities. The Portfolio Managers do not receive any special or additional compensation from the Adviser for their service as Portfolio Managers. The Portfolio Managers receive a salary from the Adviser. In addition to a base salary, the Portfolio Managers may receive additional bonus compensation which is tied to the overall financial operating results of the Advisers parent company, CboeVG.
15
Fund Shares Owned by the Portfolio Managers . The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Portfolio Managers in each Fund as of October 31, 2018.
Name of Portfolio Manager |
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Funds /
Name of Fund |
Karan Sood | None |
Howard Rubin | None |
Rachel Ames | None |
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Administrator, Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent . Pursuant to a Fund Services Agreement, Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. (CFS, the Administrator or the Transfer Agent), 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235, serves as each Funds administrator, transfer agent and accounting agent.
In its capacity as administrator, CFS supervises all aspects of the operations of the Funds except those performed by the Adviser. CFS will provide certain administrative services and facilities for the Funds, including preparing and maintaining certain books, records, and monitoring compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements. CFS, as administrative agent for the Funds, will provide shareholder, recordkeeping, administrative and blue-sky filing services.
As transfer agent, CFS provides certain shareholder and other services to the Funds, including furnishing account and transaction information and maintaining shareholder account records. CFS will be responsible for processing orders and payments for share purchases. CFS will mail proxy materials (and receive and tabulate proxies), shareholder reports, confirmation forms for purchases and redemptions and prospectuses to shareholders. CFS will disburse income dividends and capital distributions and prepare and file appropriate tax-related information concerning dividends and distributions to shareholders.
CFS also provides accounting services to the Funds. CFS will be responsible for accounting relating to the Funds and their investment transactions; maintaining certain books and records of the Funds; determining daily the net asset value per share of the Funds; and preparing security position, transaction and cash position reports. CFS also monitors periodic distributions of gains or losses on portfolio sales and maintains a daily listing of portfolio holdings. CFS is responsible for providing expenses accrued and payment reporting services, tax-related financial information to the Trust, and for monitoring compliance with the regulatory requirements relating to maintaining accounting records.
CFS receives, for administrative services, an asset-based fee based computed daily and paid monthly on the average daily net assets of each Fund, subject to a minimum fee plus out-of-pocket expenses. CFS receives, for transfer agency services, per account fees computed daily and paid monthly, subject to a minimum fee plus out-of-pocket expenses. CFS receives, for fund
16
accounting services, an asset-based fee, computed daily and paid monthly on the average daily net assets of each Fund, subject to a minimum fee plus out-of-pocket expenses.
The following table provides information regarding transfer agent, fund accounting and administrative services fees paid by the Funds for the period ended October 31, 2018:
Cboe Vest Fund*: |
Fees Paid
for
Transfer Agent Services |
Fees Paid
for
Accounting Services |
Fees Paid
for
Administrative Services |
S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy Fund
|
$ 12,552 | $ 24,242 | $ 24,658 |
S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
|
$ 14,642 | $ 26,553 | $ 27,453 |
S&P 500
®
Enhance and Buffer Fund**
|
$ 9,761 | $ 15,596 | $ 15,597 |
S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund
|
$19,920 | $ 41,978 | $ 41,977 |
*The Buffer Monthly Funds and The Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.
Custodian . Fifth Third Bank (the Custodian), 38 Fountain Square Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio 45263, serves as the custodian of the Funds assets. The Custodian has entered into a foreign sub-custody arrangement with The Bank of New York, as the approved foreign custody manager (the Delegate) to perform certain functions with respect to the custody of a Funds assets outside of the United States of America. The Delegate shall place and maintain a Funds assets with an eligible foreign custodian; provided that, the Delegate shall be required to determine that a Funds assets will be subject to reasonable care based on the standards applicable to custodians in the relevant market.
Distributor and 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 Funds pursuant to a Distribution Agreement (the Distribution Agreement). Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor serves as the Funds principal underwriter and acts as exclusive agent for the Funds in selling their shares to the public on a best efforts basis and then only in respect to orders placed that is, the Distributor is under no obligations to sell any specific number of Fund shares. 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
17
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 FINRA. The offering of each Funds shares is continuous. The Distributor is entitled to a portion of the front-end sales charge on the sale of Class A Shares as described in the prospectus and this SAI. The Distributor is also entitled to the payment of deferred sales charges upon the redemption of Fund shares as described in the prospectus and this SAI. In addition, the Distributor may receive Distribution 12b-1 and Service Fees from the Funds, as described in the prospectus and this SAI.
The Distributor received no compensation as a result of the sale of each of the Funds shares. For its underwriting services the Distributor may receive compensation from the Funds 12b-1 plans to the extent that such plans generate sufficient fees to compensate for these services; otherwise, the Funds Adviser is responsible for payment for such underwriting services.
Legal Counsel . Practus, LLP, 11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310, Leawood, KS 66211, serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Funds.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm . The Trustees have selected the firm of Cohen & Company, Ltd. 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115 to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds for the current fiscal year and to audit the annual financial statements of the Funds, and prepare each Funds federal, state, and excise tax returns. The independent registered public accounting firm will audit the financial statements of the Funds at least once each year. Shareholders will receive annual audited and semi-annual (unaudited) reports when published and written confirmation of all transactions in their account. A copy of the most recent Annual Report will accompany the SAI whenever a shareholder or a prospective investor requests it.
Index Provider . The Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Buffer Index Series, The Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Index Series, the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats ® Target Income Index, and the Cboe ® S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Index Series (the Index Series) are based on Cboe methodologies, which are the property of Cboe, and have been licensed for use by the Adviser. Cboe is located at 400 South LaSalle Street, Chicago Illinois 60605. S&P ® and Aristocrats ® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poors Financial Services LLC (S&P); Dow Jones ® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (Dow Jones); Cboe ® is a registered trademarks of the Cboe. The Cboe methodologies and the trademarks have been licensed for use by the Adviser, including for use by the Buffer Strategy Fund, the Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, the Cboe VEST Monthly Funds, and/or the Dividend Aristocrats Fund (collectively the License Based Funds solely for purposes of this section Index Provider), at no cost to the Funds as long as the Adviser serves as investment adviser to the License Based Funds.
The License Based Funds, which are based on the Index Series, are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (SPDJI), Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates (collectively, S&P Dow Jones Indices) or Cboe. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices nor Cboe make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the License Based Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing
18
in securities generally or in Funds particularly or the ability of the Index Series or the Cboe methodology to track general market performance. The only relationship of S&P Dow Jones Indices to the Adviser with respect to the Index Series is the licensing of certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its licensors. Cboe is an affiliate of the Adviser; however, the only relationship of Cboe to the Adviser with respect to the Index Series is the licensing of the Index Series, Cboe methodologies and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of Cboe and/or its affiliates. The Index Series are determined, composed and calculated by Cboe without regard to the Adviser or the License Based Funds. S&P Dow Jones Indices and Cboe have no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the investors in the License Based Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index Series. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices nor Cboe are responsible for and neither have participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of the License Based Funds or the timing of the issuance or sale of the License Based Funds or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which any of the License Based Funds is to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be, except that Cboe may make algorithmically derived prices for FLEX Options available to the License Based Fund for use in the calculation of the Funds net asset value, at which the shares of the License Based Funds may be redeemed. S&P Dow Jones Indices and Cboe have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the License Based Funds. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Index Series will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC nor Cboe is an investment advisor. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices or Cboe to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.
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 Funds 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.
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 business experience as a practicing tax accountant since 1996 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. 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.
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The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Ms. Ivey, who is not an interested person of the Trust, within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Trust also has an independent Audit Committee that allows the 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.
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.
Following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and their principal occupation over the last five years. The mailing address of each Trustee and officer is 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond VA, 23235, unless otherwise indicated.
NON-INTERESTED TRUSTEES
NAME,
AGE AND
POSITION 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 5 YEARS |
David J. Urban
(63) Trustee |
Indefinite,
Since
June 2010 |
Dean, Jones College of Business, Middle Tennessee State University since July 2013; Virginia Commonwealth University, Professor of Marketing from 1989 to 2013. | 55 | None |
Mary Lou H.
Ivey
(60) Trustee |
Indefinite,
Since
June 2010 |
Accountant, Harris, Hardy & Johnstone, P.C., accounting firm, since 2008. | 55 | None |
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NAME,
AGE AND
POSITION 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 5 YEARS |
Theo H. Pitt,
Jr.
(82) Trustee |
Indefinite;
Since
August 2013 |
Senior Partner, Community Financial Institutions Consulting (bank consulting) since 1997 to present. | 55 | Independent Trustee of Chesapeake Investment Trust for the one series of that trust; Leeward Investment Trust for the one series of that trust; Hillman Capital Management Investment Trust for the one series of that trust; and Starboard Investment Trust for the 17 series of that trust; (all registered investment companies). |
OFFICERS WHO ARE NOT TRUSTEES
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees oversees the Trust and certain aspects of the services provided by 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 Funds most recent period ended October 31, 2018, the Audit Committee met 6 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. For the Funds most recent period ended October 31, 2018, the Committee met 1 time.
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. For the Funds most recent period ended October 31, 2018, the Committee did not meet.
The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee is comprised of Mr. Urban, Ms. Ivey and Mr. Pitt. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee receives, investigates, and makes
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recommendations as to the appropriate remedial action in connection with any report of evidence of a material violation of the securities laws or breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Trust, its officers, Trustees, or agents. For the Funds most recent period ended October 31, 2018, the Committee did not meet.
Trustee Compensation . 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. Each Trustee receives a retainer fee at the annualized rate of $50,000. Additionally, each Trustee receives a fee of $2,500 per special in person meeting and $1,250 per special telephonic meeting. Compensation received from the Trust for the Funds fiscal year ended October 31, 2018 is as follows:
Name
of
Person / Position |
Aggregate
Compensation From Funds |
Pension
or
Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Funds Expenses |
Estimated
Annual Benefits upon Retirement |
Total
Compensation
From Fund and Fund Complex Paid To Trustees (*) (1) |
David J.
Urban, Trustee Mary Lou H. Ivey, Trustee Theo H. Pitt, Jr., Trustee |
$ 6,706
$ 6,706 $ 6,706 |
$0
$0 $0 |
$0
$0 $0 |
$ 50,000
$ 50,000 $ 50,000 |
* Company does not pay deferred compensation.
(1) The Fund Complex consists of the Trust, which is comprised of the 55 Funds.
Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares The table below shows for each Trustee, the amount of Fund equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee, and the aggregate value of all investments in equity securities of the Funds of the Trust, as of December 31, 2018, and stated as one of the following ranges: A = None; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000 .
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Name of Trustee |
Dollar
Range of Equity
Securities in the Funds |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by the Trustees in Family of Investment Companies |
Non-Interested Trustees | ||
David J. Urban | A | A |
Mary Lou H. Ivey | A | A |
Theo H. Pitt, Jr. | A | A |
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.
Policies Concerning Personal Investment Activities . The Funds, 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 .
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 a Fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of a 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 a Funds fundamental policies or the terms of the management agreement with the Adviser.
As of the date of this SAI, only the Buffer Strategy Fund, the Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, the Dividend Aristocrats Fund and the Enhance and Buffer Fund have commenced operations. None of the other Funds have commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI and therefore those Funds do not have any shareholders who beneficially own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares. As of December 31, 2018, the Trustees and officers owned less than 1% of each Funds shares.
As of January 31, 2019, the following persons were deemed to be control persons or principal shareholders of the Funds:
Names and Addresses | Percent of Class |
Type of
Ownership |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Buffer Strategy Fund A Class | ||
LPL Financial ./FBO
Customer Accounts Attn: Mutual Funds Operations 4707 Executive Drive San Diego, Ca. 92121 |
99.85% | Record |
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Cboe Vest S&P 500 Buffer Strategy Fund C Class | ||
LPL Financial ./FBO
Customer Accounts Attn: Mutual Funds Operations 4707 Executive Drive San Diego, Ca. 92121 |
99.89% | Record |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Buffer Strategy Fund Institutional Class | ||
LPL Financial ./FBO
Customer Accounts Attn: Mutual Funds Operations 4707 Executive Drive San Diego, Ca. 92121 |
5.42% | Record |
TD Ameritrade
Inc. FBO our customers
PO Box 2226 Omaha, NE 68103-2226 |
68.09% | Record |
Charles Schwab& Co.
Inc/Special Custody A.C FBO Customer 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94105 |
14.28% | Record |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Buffer Strategy Fund Investor Class | ||
Charles Schwab
& Co.
INC/special cust A/C FBO our customers 211 Main St. San Francisco, CA 94105 |
20.71% | Record |
LPL Financial ./FBO
Customer Accounts Attn: Mutual Funds Operations 4707 Executive Drive San Diego, Ca. 92121 |
62.44% | Record |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Buffer Strategy Fund Y Class | ||
Cboe VEST
Group Inc.
1765 Greensboro Station Place, 9 th McLean, Virginia 22102 |
100.00% | Record |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund A Class | ||
LPL Financial ./FBO
Customer Accounts Attn: Mutual Funds Operations 4707 Executive Drive San Diego, Ca. 92121 |
97.96% | Record |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund C Class | ||
Cboe VEST
Group Inc.
1765 Greensboro Station Place, 9 th McLean, Virginia 22102 |
100.00% | Record |
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26
27
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Enhance and Buffer Fund Class Y | ||
Pershing,
LLC
1 Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399-0002 |
74.72% | Record |
Charles Schwab
& Co.
INC/special cust A/C FBO our customers 211 Main St. San Francisco, CA 94105 |
25.26% | Record |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Enhance and Buffer Fund Class A | ||
Cboe Vest
Group, Inc.
1765 Greensboro Station Pl, 9 th Fl McLean, VA 22102 |
100.00% | Record |
Cboe Vest S&P 500 Enhance and Buffer Fund Class C | ||
Cboe Vest
Group, Inc.
1765 Greensboro Station Pl, 9 th Fl McLean, VA 22102 |
100.00% | Record |
The Buffer Monthly Funds and the Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
General Policy . The Funds adhere 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 such prices are not available or determined to not represent the fair value of the security as of a 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
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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 each 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 Pricing Agents . Pursuant to contracts with the Administrator, market prices for securities held by the Funds, including FLEX options, are generally provided daily by third-party independent pricing agents that are approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust. Options pricing, including FLEX Options, may also be obtained through other services offered by Cboe or a Cboe affiliate. These other pricing services may include algorithmically derived prices and therefore would also not be reflective of actual prices, bids or offers posted in any market. These other pricing services may be provided by Cboe or a Cboe affiliate through an independent third-party pricing agent or directly to the Administrator. All valuations provided to the Administrator are reviewed daily by the Administrator. Third-party independent pricing agents as well as any services offered by Cboe or a Cboe affiliate are generally paid services. As a result, all or a portion of the fees that are paid by the Funds for these pricing services may be paid to Cboe (either directly or indirectly through an independent third-party).
DISTRIBUTION
The Distributor may from time to time offer incentive compensation to dealers (which sell shares of the Funds 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 a Funds shares.
In connection with promotion of the sales of the Funds, 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.
Statement of Intention . The reduced sales charge and public offering price applicable to Class A Shares, as set forth in the prospectus, applies to purchases of $50,000 or more made within a 13-month period pursuant to the terms of a written Statement of Intention in the form provided by the Distributor and signed by the purchaser. The Statement of Intention is not a binding obligation to purchase the indicated amount. Class A Shares equal to 4.50% (declining to 0.00% after an aggregate of $1,000,000 has been purchased under the Statement of Intention)
29
of the dollar amount specified in the Statement of Intention will be held in escrow and capital gain distributions on these escrowed shares will be credited to the shareholders account in shares (or paid in cash, if requested). If the intended investment is not completed within the specified 13-month period, the purchaser will remit to the Distributor the difference between the sales charge actually paid and the sales charge which would have been paid if the total purchases had been made at a single time. If the difference is not paid within 20 days after written request by the Distributor or the securities dealer, the appropriate number of escrowed Class A Shares will be redeemed to pay such difference.
In the case of purchase orders by the trustees of certain employee plans by payroll deduction, the sales charge for the investments made during the 13-month period will be based on the following: total investments made the first month of the 13-month period times 13; as the period progresses the sales charge will be based (1) on the actual investment made previously during the 13-month period, plus (2) the current months investments times the number of months remaining in the 13-month period. There will be no retroactive adjustments in sales charge on investments previously made during the 13-month period.
Dealer Reallowances . Class A Shares of the Funds are sold subject to a front-end sales charge as described in the prospectus. The following table shows the amount of the front-end sales charge that is reallowed to dealers as a percentage of the offering price of Class A Shares.
Dealer Reallowance As a Percentage of Offering Price for Class A Shares | |||||
Less than
$50,000 |
$50,000
but less than $100,000 |
$100,000
but less than $250,000 |
$250,000
but less than $500,000 |
$500,000
but less than $1,000,000 |
$1,000,000
and over |
5.00% | 3.75% | 2.75% | 2.00% | 1.75% | None |
Plan of Distribution . The Funds have adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the Plan) for their Class A Shares, Class C Shares, and Investor Class Shares under which they may finance certain activities primarily intended to sell such classes of shares. 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 indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution of its shares. The Trust intends to operate the Plan in accordance with its terms and with FINRA rules concerning sales charges.
The Plan provides that the Funds will pay a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to the Funds outstanding Class A Shares and Investor Class Shares and at an annual rate of 1.00% of the average daily net assets attributable to the Funds Class C Shares, in consideration for distribution and other services, which are described more fully below. The fee is generally paid to FDCC as compensation for distribution-related activities although the Funds may pay the fee directly to other Financial Intermediaries.
As noted above, payments for distribution expenses under the 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
30
pursuant to a plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1. In accordance with Rule 12b-1, the Plan provides that a report of the amounts expended under the Plan, and the purposes for which such expenditures were incurred, will be made to the Board for its review at least quarterly. The Plan provides that it may not be amended to increase materially the costs which shares of the Funds may bear for distribution pursuant to the 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 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.
The Trust understands that Financial Intermediaries may charge fees to their customers who are the beneficial owners of Fund shares, in connection with their accounts with such Financial Intermediaries. Any such fees would be in addition to any amounts which may be received by an institution under the Plan.
The Board has concluded that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit each Fund. It is anticipated that the Plan will benefit shareholders because an effective sales program typically is necessary for the Funds to reach and maintain a sufficient size to achieve efficiently its investment objectives and to realize economies of scale. The 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 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 Plan with a Financial Intermediary is terminable with respect to a 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 Funds, by FDCC or by the Financial Intermediary. An agreement will also terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.
As long as the 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.
The Plan provides that expenditures may include, without limitation: (a) payments to the Distributor and to securities dealers and others in respect of the sale of shares of the Funds; (b) payment of compensation to and expenses of personnel (including personnel of organizations with which the Trust has entered into agreements related to these Plans) who engage in or support distribution of shares of the Funds or who render shareholder support services not otherwise provided by the Trusts transfer agent, administrator, or custodian, including but not limited to, answering inquiries regarding the Trust, processing shareholder transactions, providing personal services and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts, providing other shareholder liaison services, responding to shareholder inquiries, providing information on shareholder investments in the shares of the Funds, and providing such other shareholder services as the Trust may reasonably request, arranging for bank wires, assisting shareholders in changing dividend options, account designations and addresses, providing information periodically to shareholders showing their positions in the Funds, forwarding communications from the Funds such as proxies, shareholder reports, annual reports, and dividend distribution
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and tax notices to shareholders, processing purchase, exchange, and redemption requests from shareholders and placing orders with the Funds or their service providers; (c) formulation and implementation of marketing and promotional activities, including, but not limited to, direct mail promotions and television, radio, newspaper, magazine and other mass media advertising; (d) preparation, printing and distribution of sales literature; (e) preparation, printing and distribution of prospectuses and statements of additional information and reports of the Trust for recipients other than existing shareholders of the Trust; (f) obtaining information and providing explanations to wholesale and retail distributors of contracts regarding Fund investment objectives and policies and other information about the Funds, including the performance of the Funds; (g) obtaining such information, analyses and reports with respect to marketing and promotional activities as the Trust may, from time to time, deem advisable.
For the fiscal periods ended October 31, 2018, the Funds accrued the following 12b-1 expenses:
Cboe Vest Fund*: |
Investor
Class |
Class A | Class C |
S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund |
$ 7,048 | $ 3 | $ 33 |
S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
|
$ 3,093 | $ 4,825 | $ 4,322 |
S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund |
$ 663 | $ 3 | $ 11 |
S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund |
$ 83,213 | $ 3 | $ 4 |
*The Buffer Monthly Funds and The Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.
The amounts noted in the table above were allocated as payments to dealers, reimbursements to the Adviser for omnibus account payments, and for other eligible expenses.
Shareholder Services Plan . The Funds have adopted a shareholder services plan on behalf of its Investor Class Shares, Class A Shares and Class C Shares. Under a shareholder services plan, the Funds may pay an authorized firm up to 0.25% on an annualized basis of average daily net assets attributable to its customers who are shareholders. For this fee, the authorized firms may provide a variety of services, including but not limited to: (i) arranging for bank wires; (ii) responding to inquiries from shareholders concerning their investment in the Funds; (iii) assisting shareholders in changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; (iv) providing information periodically to shareholders showing their position in shares; (v) forwarding shareholder communications from the Funds such as proxies, shareholder reports, annual reports, and dividend distribution and tax notices to shareholders; (vi) processing purchase, exchange and redemption requests from shareholders and placing orders with the Funds or their service providers; (vii) providing sub-accounting with respect to Fund shares beneficially owned by shareholders; and (viii) processing dividend payments from the Funds on behalf of shareholders.
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For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2018, the Funds accrued the following shareholder service expenses:
Cboe Vest Fund*: |
Investor
Class |
Institutional
Class |
Class A | Class C |
S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund |
$ 6,966 | $ 17,031 | - | - |
S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund |
$ 3,093 | $ 9,666 | $ 1,942 | $ 286 |
S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund |
$ 674 | $ 590 | - | - |
S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund |
$ 51,363 | $ 5,853 | - | - |
*The Buffer Monthly Funds and The Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.
Because the Funds have adopted the shareholder services plan to compensate authorized firms for providing the types of services described above, the Funds believe the shareholder services plan is not covered by Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, which relates to payment of distribution fees. The Funds, however, follow the procedural requirements of Rule 12b-1 in connection with the implementation and administration of each shareholder services plan.
An authorized firm generally represents in a service agreement used in connection with the shareholder services plan that all compensation payable to the authorized firm from its customers in connection with the investment of their assets in the Funds will be disclosed by the authorized firm to its customers. It also generally provides that all such compensation will be authorized by the authorized firms customers.
The Funds do not monitor the actual services being performed by an authorized firm under the plan and related service agreement. The Funds also do not monitor the reasonableness of the total compensation that an authorized firm may receive, including any service fee that an authorized firm may receive from the Funds and any compensation the authorized firm may receive directly from its clients.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASES AND SALES
Purchasing Shares . You may purchase shares of the Funds 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 Funds. You will also generally have to address your correspondence or questions regarding the Funds to your authorized institution. The offering price per share is equal to the net asset value next determined after the Funds or authorized institution receives your purchase order, plus any applicable sales charge.
Your authorized institution is responsible for transmitting all subscription and redemption requests, investment information, documentation and money to the Funds on time. Certain
33
authorized institutions have agreements with the Funds 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 Funds 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 Trust reserves the right to reject any purchase order and to suspend the offering of shares. The Adviser may waive the minimum initial investment requirement in its sole discretion, for instances including but not limited to, purchases made by directors, officers and employees of the Trust, the Adviser or any of their respective affiliates, purchases by entities affiliated with the Adviser or the Trust, 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.
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 a 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 privilege may also result in periodic large inflows of money. If this occurs, it is a 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 a 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 Funds 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. See below for additional information on the Funds Exchange Privilege.
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.
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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 . If you are in a category of investors who may purchase Class A Shares without a front-end sales charge, a one percent (1.00%) deferred sales charge payable to the Distributor is deducted from the proceeds of a Funds Class A Shares if redeemed within one year after purchase.
You may sell your shares by giving instructions to the Transfer Agent by mail or by telephone. The Funds 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 net asset value next determined after the Transfer Agent receives the redemption request in proper form, less any applicable deferred sales charge on purchases held for less than one year and for which no sales charge was paid at the time of purchase. Payment will be made promptly, but no later than the seventh day following the receipt of the redemption request in proper form. 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 Funds are not reasonably practicable.
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and/or the Distributor and their respective affiliates may, out of their own resources and without additional cost to the Funds or their shareholders, make payments (sometimes referred to as revenue sharing) to solicitors, brokers, dealers, and/or other financial intermediaries (collectively, referred to herein as Financial Intermediary). These payments may be in addition to payments made by the Funds to the Financial Intermediary under the Funds Rule 12b-1 Plans and other shareholder servicing plans.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
As described briefly in the prospectus, the Funds offer 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
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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 Funds employ 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 Funds 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 Funds. 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.
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 Funds 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 Funds at 855-505-VEST (8378). 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 . To the extent that the Adviser manages other funds in the Trust, shareholders may exchange their shares for shares of any other series of the Trust managed by the Adviser, 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
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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 net asset value per share (usually at the close of business on the same day). 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.
TAXES
The following discussion is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Funds and their 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 Funds and their shareholders (including shareholders owning large positions in the Funds). 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 Funds.
The Funds are diversified series as that term is defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code).
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 Funds 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 Funds that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
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a citizen
or individual resident of the United States (including certain former citizens and
former long-term residents);
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a corporation
or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created
or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the
District of Columbia;
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an estate,
the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its
source; or
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a trust with
respect to which a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision
over its administration and one or more U.S. shareholders have the authority to
control all of its substantial decisions or the trust has made a valid election
in effect under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
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A Non-U.S. shareholder is a beneficial owner of shares of the Funds 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 Funds, 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.
Taxation as a RIC . The Funds intend to qualify and remain qualified as a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Internal Revenue Code). A 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, a 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 Funds in the same manner as realized by the partnership or trust.
The Funds intend to invest in ETFs that are taxable as RICs under the Code. Accordingly, the income the Funds receive from such ETFs should be qualifying income for purposes of the Fund satisfying the 90% Test described above. However, the Funds 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 Funds anticipate monitoring their 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 Funds to inadvertently fail the 90% Test thereby causing the Funds to fail to qualify as a RIC. In such a case, the Funds would be subject to the rules described below.
If a RIC fails this 90% source-of-income test, as long as such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, it is no longer subject to a 21% penalty. 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.
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With respect to the asset-diversification requirement, the Funds must diversify their 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.
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 real estate investment trust (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 21%) 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 Funds qualify as a RIC and distribute to their 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 Funds will be relieved of U.S. federal income tax on any income of the Funds, including long-term capital gains, distributed to shareholders. However, any ordinary income or capital gain retained by the Funds will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate federal income tax rates (currently at a maximum rate of 21%). The Funds intend to distribute at least annually substantially all of their investment company taxable income, net tax-exempt interest, and net capital gain.
The Funds 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 a Funds ordinary income (computed on a calendar year basis), (ii) 98.2% of a Funds capital gain net income (generally computed for the one-year period ending on October 31) and (iii) any income realized,
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but not distributed, and on which we paid no federal income tax in preceding years. The Funds generally intend 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 Funds may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which it does not receive cash. For example, if the Funds hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with payment in kind interest or, in certain cases, with increasing interest rates or that are issued with warrants), the Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds have capital loss carryforwards from prior tax years, those carryforwards will reduce the net capital gains that can support a Funds distribution of Capital Gain Dividends. If the Funds use net capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning on or before December 22, 2010 (pre-2011 losses), those carryforwards will not reduce a Funds current earnings and profits, as losses incurred in later years will. As a result, if the Funds 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 Funds. Capital loss carryforwards are reduced to the extent they offset current-year net realized capital gains, whether the Funds retain or distribute 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 Funds, if any, prior to distributing such gains to shareholders.
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 Funds are unable to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement or otherwise fail to qualify as a RIC in any year, they 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 a Funds shareholders of such income and gain will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In such event, a 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
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income taxation in taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2013, provided in each case that certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied.
Distributions in excess of a 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 shares, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. To qualify as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds would be subject to tax on any unrealized built-in gains in the assets held by it during the period in which the Funds failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC that are recognized within the subsequent 10 years, unless the Funds 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 a 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 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 Funds, are taxable to such shareholder as long-term capital gain if they have been properly designated by the Funds, regardless of the length of time such shareholder owned the shares of the Funds. The maximum tax rate on capital gain dividends received by individuals is generally 20%. Distributions in excess of a 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
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asset). The Funds are 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.
As a RIC, the Funds will be subject to the AMT, but any items that are treated differently for AMT purposes must be apportioned between the Funds and the shareholders and this may affect the shareholders AMT liabilities. The Funds intend 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 Funds 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 Funds make 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 Funds 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 Funds intend to distribute all realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. If, however, the Funds were to retain any net capital gain, the Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds 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, such as exchanges, of the Funds 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 Funds are 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 Funds 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 Funds generally will be disallowed if other substantially identical
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shares are acquired within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date that the shares are disposed. In such case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Present law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates applicable to ordinary income of corporations. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain will currently be taxed at the rate applicable to ordinary income, 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 Funds have chosen average cost as the standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. A tax lot identification method is the way the Funds 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 have chosen average cost as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. 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 Funds are responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis and tax lot information for tax reporting purposes. The Funds are not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not covered. The Funds and their 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.
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For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2013, 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 Funds 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 Funds.
Straddles . When a Fund enters into an offsetting position to limit the risk on another position, the straddle rules usually come into play. An option or other position entered into or held by a Fund in conjunction with any other position held by the Funds may constitute a straddle for Federal income tax purposes. In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the character and timing of the Funds gains and losses with respect to straddle positions. The key features of the straddle rules are as follows:
A Fund may have to wait to deduct any losses . If a Fund has a capital gain in one position of a straddle and a capital loss in the other, the Funds may not recognize the loss for federal income tax purposes until the Fund disposes of both positions. This might occur, for example, if the Fund had a highly appreciated stock position and the Fund purchased protective put options (which give the Fund the right to sell the stock to someone else for a period of time at a predetermined price) to offset the risk. If the stock continued to increase in value and the put options expired worthless, the Fund must defer recognition of the loss on its put options until the Fund sells and recognizes the gain on the original, appreciated position.
A Funds capital gain holding period may get clipped . The moment a Fund enters into a typical straddle, the capital gains holding period on its offsetting positions is frozen. If a Fund held the original position for one year or less (thus not qualifying for the long-term capital gains rate), not only is the holding period frozen, it starts all over again when the Fund disposes of the offsetting position.
Losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses may be treated as long-term capital losses . This generally has the effect of reducing the tax benefit of such losses.
A Fund may not be able to deduct any interest expenses or carrying charges . During the offsetting period, any interest or carrying charges associated with the straddle are not currently tax deductible, but must be capitalized (added to cost basis).
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 Funds 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 a Funds taxable income (and required to be distributed by the Funds) 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.
Some debt obligations (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Funds 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 Funds may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Funds will be required to include the accrued market discount in a 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
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full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in a 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 Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.
If the Funds hold the foregoing kinds of securities, they 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 Funds actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of a Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary (including when it is not advantageous to do so). The Funds may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Funds realize net capital gains from such transactions, their 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 Funds, the Funds 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 Funds. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Funds may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts 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 Funds should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, and if so, what amount of market discount the Funds should recognize. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.
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Interest paid on debt obligations owned by the Funds, 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 Funds if shares in the Funds 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 Funds recognize 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 Funds exceeds a 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 Funds that recognize 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 Funds that recognize 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 Funds may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholders distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholders interest in the Funds. The Funds have 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 Funds.
Foreign Taxation . Income received by the Funds 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 Funds invest 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 Funds invest is taxable as a RIC and meets certain other requirements, which include a requirement that more
46
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 Funds, 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 Funds satisfy this requirement or if they meet certain other requirements, which include a requirement that more than 50% of the value of a Funds total assets at the close of its taxable year consist of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, then the Funds 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 Funds, subject to certain limitations.
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 Funds 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.
A regulated investment company is not required to withhold any amounts (i) with respect to distributions (other than distributions to a foreign person (a) that does not provide a satisfactory statement that the beneficial owner is not a U.S. person, (b) 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, (c) that is within a foreign country that has inadequate information exchange with the United States, or (d) 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 Funds 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 Funds invest in an underlying fund that pays such distributions to the Funds, such distributions retain their character as not subject to withholding if properly reported when paid by the Funds to foreign persons.
The Funds are permitted to report such part of their dividends as interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so. These exemptions from
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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 Funds report 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 Funds or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such 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 Funds or to the Capital Gain Dividend the foreign shareholder received (as described below).
Special rules would apply if the Funds 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 Funds were a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the exceptions referred to above, any distributions by the Funds to a foreign shareholder (including, in certain cases, distributions made by the Funds in redemption of its shares) attributable to gains realized by the Funds on the disposition of USRPIs or to distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier regulated investment company or REIT that the Funds are 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 Funds. 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 Funds 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.
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Whether or not the Funds are characterized as a USRPHC will depend upon the nature and mix of a Funds assets. The Funds do not expect to be a USRPHC. Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisors concerning the application of these rules to their investment in the Funds.
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.
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.
To qualify for any exemptions from withholding described above or for lower withholding tax rates under income tax treaties, or to establish an exemption from backup withholding, a foreign shareholder must comply with special certification and filing requirements relating to its non-US status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute form). Foreign shareholders in the Fund should consult their tax advisers in this regard.
A beneficial holder of Fund shares who is a foreign shareholder may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal tax on income referred to above.
Backup Withholding . The Funds generally are 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 Funds with a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify to the Funds that he or she is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding tax rate is currently 24%.
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 a 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
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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 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, 2013. 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 Funds 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 Funds with such certifications or other documentation, including, to the extent required, with regard to such shareholders direct and indirect owners, as the Funds require to comply with the new rules. Persons investing in the Funds through an intermediary should contact their intermediary regarding the application of the new reporting and withholding regime to their investments in the Funds.
Shareholders are urged to consult a tax advisor regarding this new reporting and withholding regime, in light of their particular circumstances.
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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 Funds as an investment through such plans, and the precise effect of an investment on their particular tax situation.
FATCA . Payments to a shareholder that is either a foreign financial institution (FFI) or a non-financial foreign entity (NFFE) within the meaning of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on: (a) income dividends paid by a Fund after June 30, 2014 and (b) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares paid by a Fund after December 31, 2016. FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, subject to any applicable intergovernmental agreement or other exemption, if it enters into a valid agreement with the IRS to, among other requirements, report required information about certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) if it does have such owners, reports information relating to them. A Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of a Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA
The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Fund and its shareholders. These provisions are subject to change by legislative and administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal income, estate or gift taxes, or foreign, state, local taxes or other taxes.
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 Funds execute 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 Funds as a factor in the selection of brokers and dealers, but may place portfolio transactions with brokers and dealers that promote or sell a Funds shares so long as such transactions are done in accordance with the policies and procedures established
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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 Funds 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 Funds 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 1934 Act) Act permits the Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause the Funds 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 Funds.
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 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-
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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 Funds 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. FINRA 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 Funds may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of either the Funds, the Adviser or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the 1934 Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules further require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Funds 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 a comparable period of time. The Trustees, including those who are not interested persons of the Funds, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.
Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers The Funds are required to identify any securities of its regular brokers and dealers (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which the Funds may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. As of October 31, 2018, the Funds did not hold any securities of their 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 Funds are concerned. In other cases, however, the ability to participate in volume transactions will be beneficial to the Funds. 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.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES HOLDINGS
This Disclosure of Portfolio Securities Holdings Policy (the Policy) shall govern the disclosure of the portfolio securities holdings of each series (individually and collectively the Fund or Funds) of the Trust. The Trust maintains this Policy to ensure that disclosure of information about portfolio securities is in the best interests of the Fund and the Funds shareholders. The Board reviews these policies and procedures as necessary and compliance will be periodically assessed by the Board in connection with a report from the Trusts Chief
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Compliance Officer. In addition, the Board has reviewed and approved the provision of portfolio holdings information to entities described below that may be prior to and more frequently than the public disclosure of such information (i.e., non-standard disclosure). The Board has also delegated authority to the officers of the Trust and Adviser to provide such information in certain circumstances (see below).
The Trust is required by 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 respective quarter. 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.
Additionally, the Trusts service providers which have contracted to provide services to the Trust and its funds, including, for example, the custodian and the fund accountants and other service providers assisting with materials utilized in the Boards 15c process, that 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 portfolio holdings information:
1. |
to the Trusts auditors within sixty (60) days after the applicable fiscal period or other
periods as necessary for use in providing audit opinions and other advice related
to financial, regulatory, or tax reporting;
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||
2. |
to financial
printers within sixty (60) days after the applicable fiscal period for the purpose
of preparing Trust regulatory filings; and
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||
3. |
to the Trusts administrator, custodian, transfer agent and accounting services provider
on a daily basis in connection with their providing services to the Fund.
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The Trusts service providers may also disclose non-public portfolio holdings information if such disclosure is required by applicable laws, rules or regulations, or by regulatory authorities. Additionally, the Adviser may establish ongoing arrangements with certain third parties to provide the Funds portfolio holdings information that the Adviser determines that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so and the recipient is subject to a duty of confidentiality. These third parties may include:
1. |
financial
data processing companies that provide automated data scanning and monitoring services
for the Fund;
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||
2. |
research companies
that allow the Adviser to perform attribution analysis for the Fund; and
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||
3. |
the Advisers proxy voting agent to assess and vote proxies on behalf of the Fund.
|
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From time to time, employees of the Adviser may express their views orally or in writing on the Funds portfolio securities or may state that the Fund has recently purchased or sold, or continues to own, one or more securities. The securities subject to these views and statements may be ones that were purchased or sold since a Funds most recent quarter-end and therefore may not be reflected on the list of the Funds most recent quarter-end portfolio holdings. These views and statements may be made to various persons, including members of the press, brokers and other financial intermediaries that sell shares of the Fund, shareholders in the Fund, persons considering investing in the Fund or representatives of such shareholders or potential shareholders, such as fiduciaries of a 401(k) plan or a trust and their advisers, and other entities for which the Adviser may determine. The nature and content of the views and statements provided to each of these persons may differ. From time to time, employees of the Adviser also may provide oral or written information (portfolio commentary) about the Fund, including, but not limited to, how the
Funds investments are divided among various sectors, industries, countries, investment styles and capitalization sizes, and among stocks, bonds, currencies and cash, security types, bond maturities, bond coupons and bond credit quality ratings. This portfolio commentary may also include information on how these various weightings and factors contributed to Fund performance. The Adviser may also provide oral or written information (statistical information) about various financial characteristics of the Fund or its underlying portfolio securities including, but not limited to, alpha, beta, R-squared, coefficient of determination, duration, maturity, information ratio, sharpe ratio, earnings growth, payout ratio, price/book value, projected earnings growth, return on equity, standard deviation, tracking error, weighted average quality, market capitalization, percent debt to equity, price to cash flow, dividend yield or growth, default rate, portfolio turnover, and risk and style characteristics. Additionally, the Adviser may disclose periodically on the Funds website for each of the Buffer Fund, Buffer Monthly Funds, Enhanced Growth Fund, and Enhanced Growth Monthly Funds, updated tranche data for the tranche or month that just expired and was rolled into a new annual tranche. Further, regarding the Dividend Aristocrats Fund, the Adviser may disclose periodically on that Funds website historical data, including portfolio statistics, data regarding the average percentage overwrite for that Fund and premium income collected for the prior month. This portfolio commentary and statistical information about the Fund may be based on the Funds portfolio as of the most recent quarter-end or the end of some other interim period, such as month-end. The portfolio commentary and statistical information may be provided to various persons, including those described in the preceding paragraph. The nature and content of the information provided to each of these persons may differ.
Additionally, employees of the Adviser may disclose one or more of the portfolio securities of the Fund when purchasing and selling securities through broker-dealers, requesting bids on securities, obtaining price quotations on securities, or in connection with litigation involving the Funds portfolio securities. The Adviser does not enter into formal non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements in connection with these situations; however, the Fund would not continue to conduct business with a person who the Adviser believed was misusing the disclosed information.
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The Adviser or its affiliates may manage products sponsored by companies other than itself, including investment companies, offshore funds, and separate accounts and affiliates of the Adviser may provide investment related services, including research services, to other companies, including other investment companies, offshore funds, institutional investors and other entities. In each of these instances, the sponsors of these other companies and the affiliates of the Adviser may receive compensation for their services. In many cases, these other products are managed in a similar fashion to the Fund and thus have similar portfolio holdings, and the other investment related services provided by affiliates of the Adviser may involve disclosure of information that is also utilized by the Adviser in managing the Fund. The sponsors of these other products may disclose the portfolio holdings of their products at different times than the Adviser discloses portfolio holdings for the Fund, and affiliates of the Adviser may provide investment related services to its clients at times that are different than the times disclosed to the Fund.
The Trust and the Adviser currently have 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.
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 Trust and its shareholders. The Trusts CCO is responsible for monitoring the use and disclosure of information relating to Portfolio Securities. Although no material conflicts of interest are believed to exist that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders, various safeguards have been implemented to protect the Fund and its shareholders from conflicts of interest, including: the adoption of Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act designed to prevent fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative acts by officers and employees of the Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor in connection with their personal securities transactions; the adoption by the Adviser and Distributor of insider trading policies and procedures designed to prevent their employees misuse of material non-public information; and the adoption by the Trust of a Code of Ethics for Officers that requires the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Trust to report to the Board any affiliations or other relationships that could potentially create a conflict of interest with the Fund. 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 Adviser, any principal underwriter for the Trust or an affiliated person of the Trust, the Adviser or the Distributor. In such situations, the conflict must be disclosed to the Board and the Board will attempt to resolve the situation in a manner that it deems in the best interests of the Fund.
Affiliated persons of the Trust who receive non-standard disclosure are subject to restrictions and limitations on the use and handling of such information, including requirements to maintain the confidentiality of such information, pre-clear securities trades and report securities transactions activity, as applicable. Except as provided above, 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.
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Neither the Trust, the Fund nor the Adviser receives compensation or other consideration in connection with the non-standard disclosure of information about portfolio securities.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
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.
The Funds are authorized to issue four classes of shares: Class A Shares imposing a front-end sales charge up to a maximum of 5.75% and charging a 0.25% 12b-1 fee, Class C Shares imposing no front-end sales charge, and charging a 1.00% 12b-1 and service fee, Investor Class Shares imposing no front-end or deferred sales charges and a 0.25% 12b-1 fee; and Institutional Class Shares imposing no front-end or deferred sales charges and no 12b-1 fee. Each of the foregoing classes of shares is authorized to pay up to 0.25% to third parties for the provision of shareholder services, including sub-accounting and sub-transfer agency fees. The Enhance and Buffer Fund, Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, Buffer Strategy Fund, and Dividend Aristocrats Fund are also authorized to issue Class Y Shares imposing no front-end or deferred sales charges, no 12b-1 fee and no fees for shareholder services to third parties.
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 applicable 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 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
57
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 Funds 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. The proxy voting policies and procedures of the Trust are included as Exhibit B to this SAI.
The Trust is required to disclose annually each Funds complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX. Any material changes to the proxy policies and procedures will be submitted to the Board for approval. Information regarding how the Funds 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 855-505-VEST (8378) or by writing to the Fund at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235; and (2) on the SECs website at http://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 and 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
58
permitted to engage in personal securities transactions, but are required to report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. The personnel subject to the Codes are permitted to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds. 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 on the EDGAR Database on the SECs Internet website at http://www.sec.gov.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
You can receive free copies of reports, request other information and discuss your questions about the Funds by contacting the Funds directly at:
The Cboe Vest Family of Funds |
c/o World Funds Trust |
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205 |
Richmond, Virginia 23235 |
Telephone: 855-505-VEST (8378) |
59
EXHIBIT A
Vest Proxy Voting Policy
2016-04-13
Policy . The Firm does not intend to have discretion to vote proxies for its Clients. However, if such discretion is obtained, it is the Firms policy generally to vote against any management proposals that the Firm believes could prevent companies from realizing their maximum market value, or would insulate companies or their management, from accountability to shareholders or prudent regulatory compliance.
Business Operations . The Firm generally will vote in favor of proposals that are a standard and necessary aspect of business operations and that the Firm believes will not typically have a significant effect on the value of the investment. Factors considered in reviewing these proposals include the financial performance of the company, attendance and independence of board members and committees, and enforcement of strict accounting practices. Such proposals include:
| Name changes; | ||
| Election of directors; | ||
| Ratification of auditors; | ||
| Maintaining current levels of directors indemnification and liability; | ||
| Increase in authorized shares (common stock only) if there is no intention to | ||
significantly dilute shareholders proportionate interest; and | |||
| Employee stock purchase or ownership plans. |
Change in Status . Proposals that change the status of the corporation, its individual securities, or the ownership status of the securities will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Changes in status include proposals regarding:
| Mergers, acquisitions, restructurings; | ||
| Reincorporations; and | ||
| Changes in capitalization. |
Shareholder Democracy . The Firm generally will vote against any proposal that attempts to limit shareholder democracy in a way that could restrict the ability of the shareholders to realize the value of their investment. This would include proposals endorsing or facilitating:
60
| Increased indemnification protections for directors or officers; | ||
| Certain supermajority requirements; | ||
| Unequal voting rights; | ||
| Classified boards; | ||
| Cumulative voting; | ||
| Authorization of new securities if the intention appears to be to unduly dilute the | ||
shareholders proportionate interest; and | |||
| Changing the state of incorporation if the intention appears to disfavor the | ||
economic interest of the shareholders. |
The Firm generally supports proposals that maintain or expand shareholder democracy such as:
| Annual elections; | ||||
| Independent directors; | ||||
| Confidential voting; and | ||||
| Proposals that require shareholder approval for: | ||||
| Adoption or retention of poison pills or golden parachutes; | ||||
| Elimination of cumulative voting or preemptive rights; and | ||||
| Reclassification of company boards. |
The Firm believes reasonable compensation is appropriate for directors, executives and employees. Compensation should be used as an incentive and to align the interests of the involved parties with the long-term financial success of the company. It should not be excessive or utilized in a way that compromises independence or creates a conflict of interest. Among the factors the Firm considers when reviewing a compensation proposal is whether it potentially dilutes the value of outstanding shares, whether a plan has broad-based participation and whether a plan allows for the re-pricing of options. Each proposal is reviewed individually.
A record of all proxy decisions and the rationale for voting will be retained and available for inspection by Clients at any time in accordance with the procedures listed below.
61
EXHIBIT B
World Funds Trust
PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
The World Funds Trust (the Trust) is registered as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act). The Trust offers multiple series (each a Fund and, collectively, the Funds). Consistent with its fiduciary duties and pursuant to Rule 30b1-4 under the 1940 Act (the Proxy Rule), the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the Board) has adopted this proxy voting policy on behalf of the Trust (the Policy) to reflect its commitment to ensure that proxies are voted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Funds shareholders.
Delegation of Proxy Voting Authority to Fund Advisers
The Board believes that the investment adviser, or the investment sub-adviser as appropriate, of each Fund (each an Adviser), as the entity that selects the individual securities that comprise its Funds portfolio, is the most knowledgeable and best-suited to make decisions on how to vote proxies of portfolio companies held by that Fund. The Trust shall therefore defer to, and rely on, the Adviser of each Fund to make decisions on how to cast proxy votes on behalf of such Fund.
The Trust hereby designates the Adviser of each Fund as the entity responsible for exercising proxy voting authority with regard to securities held in the Funds investment portfolio. Consistent with its duties under this Policy, each Adviser shall monitor and review corporate transactions of corporations in which the Fund has invested, obtain all information sufficient to allow an informed vote on all proxy solicitations, ensure that all proxy votes are cast in a timely fashion, and maintain all records required to be maintained by the Fund under the Proxy Rule and the 1940 Act. Each Adviser shall perform these duties in accordance with the Advisers proxy voting policy, a copy of which shall be presented to this Board for its review. Each Adviser shall promptly provide to the Board updates to its proxy voting policy as they are adopted and implemented.
Conflict of Interest Transactions
In some instances, an Adviser may be asked to cast a proxy vote that presents a conflict between the interests of a Funds shareholders and those of the Adviser or an affiliated person of the Adviser. In such case, the Adviser is instructed to abstain from making a voting decision and to forward all necessary proxy voting materials to the Trust to enable the Board to make a voting
62
decision. When the Board is required to make a proxy voting decision, only the Trustees without a conflict of interest with regard to the security in question or the matter to be voted upon shall be permitted to participate in the decision of how the Funds vote will be cast. In the event that the Board is required to vote a proxy because an Adviser has a conflict of interest with respect to the proxy, the Board will vote such proxy in accordance with the Advisers proxy voting policy, to the extent consistent with the shareholders best interests, as determined by the Board in its discretion. The Board shall notify the Adviser of its final decision on the matter and the Adviser shall vote in accordance with the Boards decision.
Availability of Proxy Voting Policy and Records Available to Fund Shareholders
If a Fund has a website, the Fund may post a copy of its Advisers proxy voting policy and this Policy on such website. A copy of such policies and of each Funds proxy voting record shall also be made available, without charge, upon request of any shareholder of the Fund, by calling the applicable Funds toll-free telephone number as printed in the Funds prospectus. The Trusts administrator shall reply to any Fund shareholder request within three business days of receipt of the request, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery.
Each Adviser shall provide a complete voting record, as required by the Proxy Rule, for each series of the Trust for which it acts as adviser, to the Trusts administrator within 30 days following the end of each 12-month period ending June 30. The Trusts administrator will file a report based on such record on Form N-PX on an annual basis with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission no later than August 31 st of each year.
Adopted: November 26, 2013
Last Amended: February 20, 2019
63
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.
|
64
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
65
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 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.
|
66
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.
42
|
|
(a)(2) |
Certificate
of Amendment dated January 7, 2008 to the Registrants Certificate of Trust
dated April 9, 2007.
42
|
|
(a)(3) |
Registrants Amended Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated April 9, 2007, and amended
on June 23, 2008 and November 16, 2016.
41
|
|
(b) |
Registrants Amended and Restated By-Laws dated November 16, 2016.
41
|
|
(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.
17
|
|
(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.
17
|
|
(d)(3) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Perkins Capital Management, Inc.
2
|
|
(d)(4) | Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC with respect to the DGHM V2000 SmallCap Value Fund. 42 | |
(d)(5) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher &
Co., LLC with respect to the DGHM MicroCap Value Fund.
24
|
|
(d)(6) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and B. Riley Asset Management, a division
of B. Riley Capital Management, LLC with respect to the B. Riley Diversified Equity
Fund.
16
|
|
(d)(7) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Toreador Research & Trading,
LLC with respect to the Toreador Core Fund, Toreador International Fund, Toreador
Explorer Fund and Toreador Select Fund (collectively, the Toreador Funds).
42
|
|
(d)(8) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Mission Institutional Advisors, LLC
dba Mission Funds Advisers with respect to the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global
Equity Fund.
47
|
|
(d)(9) |
Investment
Sub-Advisory Agreement between Mission Institutional Advisors, LLC and Auour Investment,
LLC with respect to the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund.
47
|
|
(d)(10) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services Group,
LLC with respect to the REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund and
the REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
66
|
|
(d)(11) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services Group,
LLC with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund.
5
|
|
(d)(12) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Clifford Capital Partners, LLC with
respect to the Clifford Capital Partners Fund.
18
|
|
(d)(13) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Strategic Asset Management, Ltd. with
respect to the Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
19
|
(d)(14) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Cboe Vest Financial LLC, with respect
to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy Fund (formerly known
as the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Protect Strategy Fund), Cboe
Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (January) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (February) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (March) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer
Strategy (April) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (May)
Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (June) Fund, Cboe Vest
S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (July) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (August) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer
Strategy (September) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy
(October) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (November)
Fund and Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (December) Fund (collectively
the Cboe Vest Funds).
27
|
|
(d)(15) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Cboe Vest Financial LLC, with respect
to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, Cboe
Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund, Cboe Vest
S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (March) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced
Growth Strategy (April) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth
Strategy (May) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy
(June) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (July)
Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (August) Fund,
Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (September) Fund,
Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund, Cboe
Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund, Cboe Vest
S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (December) Fund (collectively
the Cboe Vest Enhanced Growth Funds).
44
|
|
(d)(16) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Cboe Vest Financial LLC, with respect
to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund.
39
|
|
(d)(17) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Cboe Vest Financial LLC, with respect
to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhance and Buffer Fund.
45
|
|
(d)(18) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Systelligence, LLC with respect to
The E-Valuator Very Conservative (0%-15%) RMS Fund, The E-Valuator Conservative
(15%-30%) RMS Fund, The E-Valuator Conservative/Moderate (30%-50%) RMS Fund, The
E-Valuator Moderate (50%-70%) RMS Fund, The E-Valuator Growth (70%-85%) RMS Fund,
The E-Valuator Aggressive Growth (85%-99%) RMS Fund (collectively The
E-Valuator Funds).
23
|
|
(d)(19) |
Amended Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Secure Investment Management, LLC,
with respect to the SIM U.S. Core Managed Volatility Fund, SIM Global Core Managed
Volatility Fund, SIM Global Moderate Managed Volatility Fund, SIM Global
Equity Fund and SIM Income Fund (the SIM Funds).
60
|
|
(d)(20) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Strategic Asset Management, Ltd. with
respect to the OTG Latin America Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(d)(21) |
Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Rule One Partners, LLC with respect
to the Rule One Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(e)(1) |
Principal
Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant and First Dominion
Capital Corp.
19
|
|
(e)(2) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the Union Street Value Fund.
31
|
|
(e)(3) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the Clifford Capital Partners Fund.
30
|
|
(e)(4) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the Perkins Discovery Fund.
26
|
(e)(5) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the Strategic Global Long/Short
Fund.
19
|
|
(e)(6) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the B. Riley Diversified Equity
Fund.
20
|
|
(e)(7) |
Amended Schedule
A dated November 14, 2017 to the Principal Underwriter Agreement between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed
Global Equity Fund.
45
|
|
(e)(8) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the REMS International Real Estate
Value-Opportunity Fund, the REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund and the REMS Real
Estate Value-Opportunity Fund (collectively the REMS Funds).
22
|
|
(e)(9) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated April 21, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp with respect to the DGHM V2000 SmallCap Value Fund
and the DGHM MicroCap Value Fund (collectively the DGHM Funds).
24
|
|
(e)(10) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated April 21, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp with respect to the Cboe Vest Family of Funds.
27
|
|
(e)(11) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated August 24, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp with respect to the Cboe Vest Enhanced Growth Funds.
28
|
|
(e)(12) |
Amended Principal
Underwriter Agreement dated July 14, 2017 between the Registrant and First Dominion
Capital Corp with respect to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
Target Income Fund.
39
|
|
(e)(13) |
Amended Principal
Underwriter Agreement dated July 14, 2017 between the Registrant and First Dominion
Capital Corp with respect to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhance and
Buffer Fund.
45
|
|
(e)(14) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated April 21, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp with respect to The E-Valuator Funds.
23
|
|
(e)(15) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February 18, 2016 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp with respect to the Toreador Funds.
25
|
|
(e)(16) |
Amended Principal
Underwriter Agreement dated May 16, 2018 between the Registrant and First Dominion
Capital Corp with respect to the SIM Funds.
58
|
|
(e)(17) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated February XX, 2019 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the OTG Latin American Fund. (to
be filed by amendment)
|
|
(e)(18) |
Schedule A
to the Principal Underwriter Agreement dated March XX, 2019 between the Registrant
and First Dominion Capital Corp. with respect to the Rule One Fund. (to be filed
by amendment)
|
|
(f) |
Not applicable.
|
|
(g)(1) |
Custody Agreement
dated July 30, 2008 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A.
42
|
|
(g)(2) |
Amended Appendix
B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between
the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the Union Street Partners Value Fund.
2
|
(g)(3) |
Amended Appendix
B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between
the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the Perkins Discovery Fund.
2
|
|
(g)(4) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated July 30, 2008, between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund. 2 | |
(g)(5) | Custodian Agreement dated July 25, 2005 between the Funds prior Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman with respect to Toreador International Fund. 10 | |
(g)(6) | Novation Agreement dated August 15, 2014 for Custodian Services between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman with respect to Toreador International Fund. 10 | |
(g)(7) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated August 15, 2014 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund. 5 | |
(g)(8) | Amended Appendix B and revised Appendix C to the Custody Agreement, dated August 15, 2014 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, N.A., to include the REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund. 6 | |
(g)(9) | 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 Strategic Global Long/Short Fund. 43 | |
(g)(10) | Custody Agreement dated April 22, 2015 between the Registrant and Fifth Third Bank on behalf of the Toreador Core Fund and the Toreador Explorer Fund. 14 | |
(g)(11) | Amended Exhibit A to the Custody Agreement between the Registrant and Fifth Third Bank on behalf of certain portfolio series. 66 | |
(g)(12) | 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 OTG Latin America Fund. (to be filed by amendment) | |
(h)(1) |
Fund Services
Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services,
Inc.
19
|
|
(h)(2) |
Amendment
No. 1 and Exhibit A to the Fund Services Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between
the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Union Street
Partners Value Fund.
47
|
|
(h)(3) |
Exhibit A
to the Fund Services Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between the Registrant and
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Perkins Discovery Fund.
26
|
|
(h)(4) |
Exhibit A
to the Fund Services Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between the Registrant and
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund.
20
|
|
(h)(5) |
Fund Services
Agreement dated September 20, 2017 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund
Services, Inc. on behalf of the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund.
45
|
|
(h)(6) |
Fund Services
Agreement dated January 1, 2016 and Amended March 1, 2018 between the Registrant
and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the REMS Funds.
66
|
|
(h)(7) |
Fund Services
Agreement dated November 10, 2015 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services,
Inc. on behalf of the Clifford Capital Partners Fund.
18
|
|
(h)(8) |
Exhibit A
to the Fund Services Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between the Registrant and
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
19
|
(h)(9) |
Amended Fund
Services Agreement dated March 1, 2017 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund
Services, Inc. on behalf of the DGHM Funds.
37
|
|
(h)(10) |
Exhibit A
to the Fund Services Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between the Registrant and
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Cboe Vest Family of Funds.
27
|
|
(h)(11) |
Exhibit A
to the Fund Services Agreement dated August 24, 2016 between the Registrant and
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Cboe Vest Enhanced Growth Funds.
28
|
|
(h)(12) |
Amended Fund
Services Agreement dated July 14, 2017 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund
Services, Inc. on behalf of the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
Target Income Fund.
39
|
|
(h)(13) |
Amended Fund
Services Agreement dated July 14, 2017 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund
Services, Inc. on behalf of the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhance and
Buffer Fund.
45
|
|
(h)(14) |
Exhibit A
to the Fund Services Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between the Registrant and
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of The E-Valuator Funds.
23
|
|
(h)(15) |
Exhibit A
to the Fund Services Agreement dated December 1, 2015 between the Registrant and
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Toreador Funds.
25
|
|
(h)(16) |
Fund Services
Agreement dated April 24, 2018 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services,
Inc. on behalf of the SIM Funds.
58
|
|
(h)(17) |
Fund Services
Agreement dated February XX, 2019 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services,
Inc. on behalf of the OTG Latin America Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(h)(18) |
Fund Services
Agreement dated March XX, 2019 between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services,
Inc. on behalf of the Rule One Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(h)(19) |
Accounting
Services Agreement dated August 23, 2006 between the prior Funds Registrant
and Brown Brothers Harriman with respect to Toreador International Fund and the
Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Equity Fund.
10
|
|
(h)(20) |
Novation Agreement
dated August 15, 2014 for Accounting Services between the Registrant and Brown Brothers
Harriman with respect to Toreador International Fund and the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed
Equity Fund.
10
|
|
(h)(21) |
Amended and
Restated Schedule A dated October 31, 2014 to the Accounting Services Agreement
between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. with respect to REMS International
Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
7
|
|
(h)(22) |
Amended and
Restated Schedule A dated February 29, 2016 to the Accounting Services Agreement
between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. with respect to Strategic Global
Long/Short Fund.
45
|
|
(h)(23) |
Amended and
Restated Schedule A dated February 29, 2016 to the Accounting Services Agreement
between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. with respect to OTG Latin America
Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(h)(24) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Union Street Partners, LLC with respect to
the shares of the Union Street Partners Value Fund.
63
|
|
(h)(25) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Perkins Capital Management, Inc. with respect
to shares of the Perkins Discovery Fund.
60
|
(h)(26) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co.,
LLC with respect to the DGHM Funds.
60
|
|
(h)(27) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC
with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund, and REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity
Fund.
36
|
|
(h)(28) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC
with respect to the REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
66
|
|
(h)(29) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and B. Riley Asset Management, a division of B.
Riley Capital Management, LLC with respect to the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund.
66
|
|
(h)(30) |
Amended Expense
Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Toreador Research & Trading,
LLC with respect to the Toreador Funds.
66
|
|
(h)(31) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Mission Institutional Advisors, LLC with respect
to the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund.
47
|
|
(h)(32) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Strategic Asset Management,
Ltd. with respect to the Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
65
|
|
(h)(33) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Cboe Vest Financial LLC, with respect to the
Cboe Vest Family of Funds.
66
|
|
(h)(34) |
Amended Expense
Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Systelligence, LLC, with respect
to The E-Valuator Funds.
66
|
|
(h)(35) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Secure Investment Management, LLC, with respect
to the SIM Funds.
60
|
|
(h)(36) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Strategic Asset Management,
Ltd. with respect to the OTG Latin America Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(h)(37) |
Expense Limitation
Agreement between the Registrant and Rule One Partners, LLC with respect to the
Rule One Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(h)(38) |
Shareholder
Services Plan, dated August 2, 2013 as amended April 21, 2016, with respect to Investor
Class Shares of the DGHM Funds.
24
|
|
(h)(39) |
Shareholder
Services Plan, dated December 21, 2016, with respect to Institutional Class Shares
and Investor Class Shares to the Toreador Funds.
63
|
|
(h)(40) |
Shareholder
Services Plan, dated April 21, 2016, with respect to the Cboe Vest Funds Class A
Shares and Class C Shares.
27
|
|
(h)(41) |
Shareholder
Services Plan, dated August 24, 2016, with respect to the Cboe Vest Enhanced Growth
Funds Class A Shares and Class C Shares.
28
|
|
(h)(42) |
Amended Shareholder
Services Plan, dated July 14, 2017, with respect to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund Class A Shares, Class C Shares,
Institutional and Investor Class Shares.
39
|
|
(h)(43) |
Amended Shareholder
Services Plan, dated July 14, 2017, with respect to the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhance and Buffer Fund Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Class
Shares, and Investor Class Shares.
45
|
|
(h)(44) |
Amended Shareholder
Services Plan with respect to the REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund, REMS Real
Estate Value-Opportunity Fund and the REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity
Fund.
38
|
|
(h)(45) |
Shareholder
Services Plan, dated April 21, 2016, with respect to The E-Valuator Funds Investor
Class Shares and Institutional Class Shares.
23
|
|
(h)(46) |
Shareholder
Services Plan, dated September 20, 2017, with respect to the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed
Global Equity Fund Class A Shares, Institutional Shares and Investor Shares.
45
|
|
(h)(47) |
Shareholder
Services Plan, dated February XX, 2019, with respect to the OTG Latin America Fund
Class A Shares and Class C Shares. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(h)(48) |
Administrative
Services Agreement dated April 18, 2018, with respect to the SIM Funds.
60
|
|
(i)(1) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Union Street Partners Value Fund.
42
|
|
(i)(2) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for Union Street Partners Value Fund.
63
|
|
(i)(3) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Perkins Discovery Fund.
42
|
|
(i)(4) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for Perkins Discovery Fund.
60
|
|
(i)(5) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for DGHM V2000 Small Cap Value Fund.
42
|
|
(i)(6) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for DGHM Funds.
58
|
|
(i)(7) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for DGHM MicroCap Value Fund.
24
|
|
(i)(8) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund.
59
|
|
(i)(9) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for Toreador Funds.
62
|
|
(i)(10) |
Opinion of
Legal Counsel for Toreador International Fund.
12
|
|
(i)(11) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Toreador Core Fund.
12
|
|
(i)(12) |
Opinion of
Legal Counsel for Toreador Core Fund.
12
|
|
(i)(13) |
Opinion and
Consent of Counsel regarding tax matters for the reorganization of the Toreador
Core Fund from the Unified Series Trust into World Funds Trust.
13
|
|
(i)(14) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Toreador Explorer Fund.
11
|
|
(i)(15) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Toreador Select Fund.
25
|
|
(i)(16) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund.
55
|
|
(i)(17) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
42
|
|
(i)(18) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
15
|
|
(i)(19) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund.
5
|
|
(i)(20) |
Opinion of
Legal Counsel for REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund.
9
|
|
(i)(21) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
6
|
|
(i)(22) |
Opinion of
Legal Counsel for REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
9
|
(i)(23) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund, REMS Real
Estate Income 50/50 Fund and REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
56
|
|
(i)(24) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Clifford Capital Partners Fund.
18
|
|
(i)(25) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for Clifford Capital Partners Fund.
64
|
|
(i)(26) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
19
|
|
(i)(27) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
65
|
|
(i)(28) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Cboe Vest Funds.
27
|
|
(i)(29) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Cboe Vest Enhanced Growth Funds.
28
|
|
(i)(30) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for Cboe Vest Family of Funds. (Filed herewith)
|
|
(i)(31) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats
Target Income Fund.
39
|
|
(i)(32) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhance and Buffer
Fund.
44
|
|
(i)(33) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy
Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, and Cboe Vest S&P
500
®
Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund with respect to the Class
Y Shares.
51
|
|
(i)(34) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for The E-Valuator Funds.
23
|
|
(i)(35) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for The E-Valuator Funds.
66
|
|
(i)(36) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for the SIM Funds.
53
|
|
(i)(37) |
Consent of
Legal Counsel for SIM Funds.
68
|
|
(i)(38) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for OTG Latin America Fund.
67
|
|
(i)(39) |
Opinion and
Consent of Legal Counsel for Rule One Fund. (to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(j)(1) |
Consent of
Independent Public Accountants for Union Street Partners Value Fund.
63
|
|
(j)(2) |
Consent of
Independent Public Accountants for Perkins Discovery Fund.
60
|
|
(j)(3) |
Consent of
Independent Public Accountants for DGHM Funds.
58
|
|
(j)(4) |
Consent of
Independent Certified Public Accountants, Grant Thornton LLP for the DGHM MicroCap,
G.P.
24
|
|
(j)(5) |
Consent of
Independent Certified Public Accountants, Grant Thornton LLP for the DGHM MicroCap,
G.P.
37
|
|
(j)(6) |
Consent of
Independent Public Accountants for REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity
Fund, REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund and REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity
Fund.
62
|
|
(j)(7) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund.
57
|
(j)(8) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for the Toreador Funds.
62
|
|
(j)(9) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed
Global Equity Fund.
55
|
|
(j)(10) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for Clifford Capital Partners Fund.
64
|
|
(j)(11) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for Cboe Vest Family of Funds. (Filed
herewith)
|
|
(j)(12) |
Consent of
auditor for The E-Valuator CIF Financial Statements.
49
|
|
(j)(13) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for The E-Valuator Funds.
66
|
|
(j)(14) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
65
|
|
(j)(15) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for SIM Funds.
68
|
|
(j)(16) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for OTG Latin America Fund.
67
|
|
(j)(17) |
Consent of
Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for Rule One Fund. (to be filed by
amendment)
|
|
(k) |
Not applicable.
|
|
(l) |
Not applicable.
|
|
(m)(1) |
Amended Schedule
A to the Distribution Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for Union Street Partners Value
Fund.
7
|
|
(m)(2) |
Fixed Compensation
Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for Perkins Discovery Fund.
2
|
|
(m)(3) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for the Investor Class Shares and Class C Shares of
the DGHM Funds.
24
|
|
(m)(4) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated May 16, 2018, for the Investor Class Shares,
Class A Shares and Class C Shares of the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund.
59
|
|
(m)(5) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated December 21, 2016, for the Investor Class Shares
and Class C Shares of the Toreador Funds.
41
|
|
(m)(6) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated August 15, 2014, for the Class A Shares and Class
C Shares of the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund.
45
|
|
(m)(7) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated August 15, 2014, for the Platform Class Shares
of the REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund.
5
|
|
(m)(8) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated August 15, 2014, for the Platform Class Shares
of the REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
6
|
|
(m)(9) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated May 16, 2017, for the Platform Class Shares of
the REMS International Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
38
|
|
(m)(10) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated November 10, 2015, for the Clifford Capital Partners
Fund.
18
|
|
(m)(11) |
Amended Distribution
and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated February 18, 2016, for
the Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
19
|
(m)(12) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated July 6, 2016, for the Cboe Vest Family of Funds.
27
|
|
(m)(13) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated August 24, 2016, for the Cboe Vest Enhanced Growth
Funds.
28
|
|
(m)(14) |
Amended Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated July 14, 2017 for the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund.
39
|
|
(m)(15) |
Amended Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated July 14, 2017 for the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhance and Buffer Fund.
45
|
|
(m)(16) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated April 21, 2016, for The E-Valuator Funds.
23
|
|
(m)(17) |
Distribution
Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1, dated February XX, 2019 for the OTG Latin America Fund.
(to be filed by amendment)
|
|
(n)(1) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the Union Street Partners Value Fund.
47
|
|
(n)(2) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the DGHM Funds.
37
|
|
(n)(3) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the B. Riley Diversified Equity Fund.
59
|
|
(n)(4) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the Toreador Funds.
41
|
|
(n)(5) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund.
45
|
|
(n)(6) |
Amended Rule
18f-3 Multiple Class Plan for the REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Fund, REMS International
Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund and the REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund.
50
|
|
(n)(7) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the Clifford Capital Partners Fund.
18
|
|
(n)(8) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the Strategic Global Long/Short Fund.
19
|
|
(n)(9) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the Cboe Vest Family of Funds.
52
|
|
(n)(10) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for The E-Valuator Funds.
23
|
|
(n)(11) |
Rule 18f-3
Multiple Class Plan for the OTG Latin America Fund. (to be filed by amendment).
|
|
(o) |
Reserved.
|
|
(p)(1) |
Code of Ethics
for the Registrant.
41
|
|
(p)(2) |
Code of Ethics
for Principal Underwriter.
58
|
|
(p)(3) |
Code of Ethics
for Union Street Partners, LLC.
63
|
|
(p)(4) |
Code of Ethics
for McGinn Investment Management, Inc.
5
|
|
(p)(5) |
Code of Ethics
for Perkins Capital Management, Inc.
42
|
|
(p)(6) |
Code of Ethics
for Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC.
38
|
|
(p)(7) | Code of Ethics for B. Riley Asset Management, a division of B. Riley Capital Management, LLC. 42 | |
(p)(8) |
Code of Ethics
for Toreador Research & Trading, LLC.
8
|
|
(p)(9) |
Code of Ethics
for Mission Institutional Advisors, LLC dba Mission Funds Advisors.
45
|
(p)(10) |
Code of Ethics
for Auour Investments, LLC.
45
|
|
(p)(11) |
Code of Ethics
for Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC. (Filed herewith)
|
|
(p)(12) |
Code of Ethics
for Strategic Asset Management, Ltd.
7
|
|
(p)(13) |
Code of Ethics
for Clifford Capital Partners, LLC.
18
|
|
(p)(14) |
Code of Ethics
for Cboe Vest Financial LLC.
44
|
|
(p)(15) |
Code of Ethics
for Systelligence, LLC.
23
|
|
(p)(16) |
Code of Ethics
for Secure Investment Management, LLC.
53
|
|
(p)(17) |
Code of Ethics
for Rule One Partners, LLC (to be provided by amendment)
|
|
(q) |
Powers of
Attorney.
42
|
|
1. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on June
30, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
2. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July
29, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
3. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
1, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
4. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
15, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
5. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
15, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
6. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
15, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
7. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on October
31, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
8. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on December
29, 2014. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
9. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
28, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
10. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on March
31, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
11. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
29, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
12. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May
8, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
13. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
6, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
14. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
28, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
15. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on September
16, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
16. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on November
6, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
17. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on November
20, 2015. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
18. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
8, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
19. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
23, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
20. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
29, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
21. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
29, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
22. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
29, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
23. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May
26, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
24. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May
31, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
25. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on June
30, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
26. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July
29, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
27. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
23, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
28. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on December
12, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
29. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on December
23, 2016. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
30. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
30, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
31. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
30, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
32. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
30, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
33. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
28, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
34. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May
1, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
35. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May
1, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
36. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May
1, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
37. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on June
28, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
38. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on June
29, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
39. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July
24, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
40. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July
31, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
41. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
28, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
42. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on October
4, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
43. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on October
24, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
44. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on November
7, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
45. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on December
28, 2017. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
46. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
29, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
47. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
29, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
48. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
29, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
49. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
29, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
50. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
23, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
51. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
26, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
52. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
28, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
53. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
18, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
54. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
30, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
55. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
30, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
56. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April
30, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
57. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on May
15, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
58. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on June
28, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
59. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July
16, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
60. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July
30, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
61. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on August
28, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
62. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on October
1, 2018. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
63. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
28, 2019. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
64. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
28, 2019. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
65. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
28, 2019. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
66. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on January
28, 2019. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
67. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
27, 2019. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
|
68. |
Incorporated
by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on February
28, 2019. (File Nos. 333-148723 and 811-22172).
|
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.
Name of Investment Adviser / Sub-Adviser | Form ADV File No. |
Union Street Partners, LLC | 801-72120 |
McGinn Investment Management, Inc. | 801-40578 |
Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC | 801-62895 |
Perkins Capital Management, Inc. | 801-22888 |
B. Riley Asset
Management, a division of B. Riley Capital
Management, LLC |
801-78852 |
Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC | 801-61061 |
Mission Institutional Advisors, LLC dba Mission Funds Advisors | 801-111759 |
Auour Investments, LLC | 801-80544 |
Toreador Research & Trading, LLC | 801-66461 |
Strategic Asset Management, Ltd. | 801-70903 |
Clifford Capital Partners, LLC | 801-78911 |
Cboe Vest Financial LLC | 801-77463 |
Systelligence, LLC | 801-107695 |
Secure Investment Management, LLC | 801-80752 |
Rule One Partners, LLC | 801-113947 |
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) | First Dominion Capital Corporation, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235 (records relating to its function as distributor to the Funds). | |
c) | Union Street Partners LLC, 1421 Prince Street, Suite 400 Alexandria, Virginia 22314. (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Union Street Partners Value Fund). | |
d) | 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). | |
e) | Perkins Capital Management, Inc., 730 East Lake Street, Wayzata, Minnesota 55391-1769 (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Perkins Discovery Fund). | |
f) | Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC, 565 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2101, New York, New York 10017 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the DGHM Funds). | |
g) | Real Estate Management Services Group, LLC, 1100 Fifth Avenue, South, Suite 301, Naples, Florida 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, REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund and Select Value Real Estate Securities Fund). | |
h) | B. Riley Asset Management, a division of B. Riley Capital 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). | |
i) | Toreador Research & Trading, LLC, 422 Fleming Street, Suite 7, Key West, Florida 33040 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Toreador Funds). | |
j) | Mission Institutional Advisors, LLC dba Mission Funds Advisors, 2651 North Harwood Street, Suite 525, Dallas, Texas 75201 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund). | |
k) | Auour Investments, LLC, 162 Main Street, Suite 2, Wenham, Massachusetts 01984 (records relating to its function as sub-adviser to the Mission-Auour Risk-Managed Global Equity Fund). | |
l) | Strategic Asset Management, Ltd., Calle Ayacucho No. 277, La Paz, Bolivia (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Strategic Global Long/Short Fund and the OTG Latin America Fund). | |
m) | Clifford Capital Partners, LLC, 395 S. Main Street, #203 Alpine, Utah 84020 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Clifford Capital Partners Fund). | |
n) | Cboe Vest Financial LLC, 1765 Greensboro Station Place, 9th Floor, McLean, Virginia 22102 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Cboe Vest Family of Funds). | |
o) | Systelligence, LLC, 7760 France Avenue South, Suite 620, Bloomington, Minnesota 55435 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to The E-Valuator Funds). |
p) | Secure Investment Management, LLC, 3067 W Ina Road, Suite 125, Tucson, Arizona 85741 (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the SIM Funds). | |
q) | Rule One Partners, LLC, 891 Bear Creek Road, Moreland, Georgia 30259, (records relating to its function as the investment adviser to the Rule One Fund). |
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 certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of
this registration statement under Rule 485(b) of the Securities Act and has duly
caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 330 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 28
th
day of
February, 2019.
WORLD FUNDS TRUST
By: /s/ David A. Bogaert |
David A. Bogaert |
President and Principal Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 330 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
*Attorney-in-fact pursuant to Powers of Attorney
Exhibits
(i)(30) | Consent of Legal Counsel for Cboe Vest Family of Funds. | |
(j)(11) | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting firm for Cboe Vest Family of Funds. | |
(p)(11) | Code of Ethics for Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC. |
February 28, 2019 |
World Funds Trust |
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205 |
Richmond, Virginia 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 Legal Counsel in the Statement of Additional Information for the Cboe Vest Family of Funds 1 , each a series portfolio of the World Funds Trust (the Trust), which is included in Post-Effective Amendment No. 330 to the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (No. 333-148723), and Amendment No. 331 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 | |
On behalf of Practus, LLP |
1
The Cboe Vest Family of Funds includes:, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy Fund, Cboe
Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy
(January) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (February)
Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (March) Fund, Cboe Vest
S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (April) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (May) Fund, CBOE Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer
Strategy (June) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (July)
Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (August) Fund, Cboe Vest
S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (September) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P
500
®
Buffer Strategy (October) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer Strategy (November) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Buffer
Strategy (December) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund,
Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (January) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P
500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (February) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced
Growth Strategy (March) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy
(April) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (May) Fund, Cboe
Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (June) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (July) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth
Strategy (August) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (September)
Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (October) Fund, Cboe Vest
S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (November) Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhanced Growth Strategy (December) Fund, the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Dividend
Aristocrats Target Income Fund, and the Cboe Vest S&P 500
®
Enhance and Buffer
Fund.
|
JOHN H. LIVELY MANAGING PARTNER |
11300 Tomahawk Creek Pkwy Ste. 310 Leawood, KS 66211 p: 913.660.0778 c: 913.523.6112 |
Practus, LLP John.Lively@Practus.com Practus.com |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form N-1A of our report dated December 31, 2018, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Buffer Strategy Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund, Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhance and Buffer Fund and Cboe Vest S&P 500 ® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, each a series of World Funds Trust, for the year ended October 31, 2018, and to the references to our firm under the headings Financial Highlights in the Prospectus and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in the Statement of Additional Information.
Cohen & Company, Ltd.
Cleveland,
Ohio
February 28, 2019
Code of Ethics
February 15, 2018
Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC | ||
Main office: | Back office: | |
565 Fifth Avenue | 3001 Tamiami Trail North | |
Suite 2101 | Suite 206 | |
New York, NY 10017 | Naples, FL 34103 | |
(212) 557-2445 | (239) 261-3555 | |
www.dghm.com |
Table of Contents | ||
Statement of General Policy | 3 | |
Standards of Business Conduct | 5 | |
Chief Compliance Officers Designee | 6 | |
Access Persons | 7 | |
Prohibition Against Insider Trading | 8 | |
Service as an Officer or Director | 11 | |
Personal Securities Trading Limitations | 12 | |
Personal Trading Compliance Procedures | 13 | |
Custodial Account Reporting | 15 | |
Preclearance | 16 | |
Blackout Periods | 17 | |
Participation in Unaffiliated Private Placements or Limited Offerings | 18 | |
Participation in IPOs | 19 | |
Pre-Approval Process for Affiliated Private Fund Investments | 20 | |
Rumor Mongering | 21 | |
Gifts and Entertainment | 23 | |
Political Contributions | 24 | |
Covered Associates | 26 | |
Fair Dealing | 27 | |
Protecting the Confidentiality of Client Information | 28 | |
Social Media | 30 | |
Fraternization | 31 | |
Whistleblower Policy | 32 | |
Reporting Violations and Sanctions | 34 | |
Records | 35 | |
Acknowledgement | 36 | |
Definitions | 37 | |
Addenda | 41 |
Statement of General Policy
This Code of Ethics (Code) has been adopted by Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC (DGHM) and is designed to comply with Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act).
This Code establishes rules of conduct for all employees of DGHM and is designed to, among other things; govern personal securities trading activities in the accounts of employees, their immediate family/household accounts and accounts in which an employee has a beneficial interest. The Code is based upon the principle that DGHM and its employees owe a fiduciary duty to DGHMs clients to conduct their affairs, including their personal securities transactions, in such a manner as to avoid (i) serving their own personal interests ahead of clients, (ii) taking inappropriate advantage of their position with the Firm and (iii) any actual or potential conflicts of interest or any abuse of their position of trust and responsibility.
The Code is designed to ensure that the high ethical standards long maintained by DGHM continue to be applied. The purpose of the Code is to preclude activities which may lead to or give the appearance of conflicts of interest, insider trading and other forms of prohibited or unethical business conduct. The excellent name and reputation of our Firm continues to be a direct reflection of the conduct of each employee.
Pursuant to Section 206 of the Advisers Act, both DGHM and its employees are prohibited from engaging in fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative conduct. Compliance with this section involves more than acting with honesty and good faith alone. It means that DGHM has an affirmative duty of utmost good faith to act solely in the best interest of its clients.
DGHM and its employees are subject to the following specific fiduciary obligations when dealing with clients:
| the duty to have a reasonable, independent basis for the investment advice provided; | ||
| the duty to obtain best execution for a clients transactions where the Firm is in a position to direct brokerage transactions for the client; | ||
| the duty to ensure that investment advice is suitable to meeting the clients individual objectives, needs and circumstances; and | ||
| a duty to be loyal to clients. |
In meeting its fiduciary responsibilities to its clients, DGHM expects every employee to demonstrate the highest standards of ethical conduct for continued employment with DGHM. Strict compliance with the provisions of the Code shall be considered a basic condition of employment with DGHM. DGHMs reputation for fair and honest dealing with its clients has taken considerable time to build. This standing could be seriously damaged as the result of even a single securities transaction being considered questionable in light of the fiduciary duty owed to our clients. Employees are urged to seek the advice of Erika Donalds, the Chief Compliance Officer, for any questions about the Code or the application of the Code to their individual circumstances. Employees should also understand that a material breach of the provisions of the Code may constitute grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment with DGHM.
Page 3
The provisions of the Code are not all-inclusive. Rather, they are intended as a guide for employees of DGHM in their conduct. In those situations where an employee may be uncertain as to the intent or purpose of the Code, he/she is advised to consult with Erika Donalds. Erika Donalds may grant exceptions to certain provisions contained in the Code only in those situations when it is clear beyond dispute that the interests of our clients shall not be adversely affected or compromised. All questions arising in connection with personal securities trading should be resolved in favor of the client even at the expense of the interests of employees.
Recognizing the importance of maintaining the Firms reputation and consistent with our fundamental principles of honesty, integrity and professionalism, the Firm requires that a supervised person advise the Chief Compliance Officer immediately if he or she becomes involved in or threatened with litigation or an administrative investigation or legal proceeding of any kind. To the extent permissible by law and applicable regulations, DGHM shall endeavor to maintain such information on a confidential basis.
Erika Donalds shall periodically report to senior management and the Board of Directors of DGHM to document compliance with this Code.
Page 4
Standards of Business Conduct
DGHM places the highest priority on maintaining its reputation for integrity and professionalism. That reputation is a vital business asset. The confidence and trust placed in our Firm and its employees by our clients is something we value and endeavor to protect. The following Standards of Business Conduct set forth policies and procedures to achieve these goals. This Code is intended to comply with the various provisions of the Advisers Act and also requires that all supervised persons comply with the various applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Section 204A of the Advisers Act requires the establishment and enforcement of policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of material, nonpublic information by investment advisers. Such policies and procedures are contained in this Code. The Code also contains policies and procedures with respect to personal securities transactions of all DGHMs supervised persons as defined herein. These procedures cover transactions in a reportable security in which a supervised person has a beneficial interest in or accounts over which the supervised person exercises control as well as transactions by members of the supervised persons immediate family and/or household.
Section 206 of the Advisers Act makes it unlawful for DGHM or its agents or employees to employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud any client or prospective client, or to engage in fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative practices. This Code contains provisions that prohibit these and other enumerated activities and that are reasonably designed to detect and prevent violations of the Code, the Advisers Act and rules thereunder.
(Note: Although not required under Rule 204A-1, firms may deem it appropriate to extend these and other policies and procedures set forth below to its supervised persons.)
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Chief Compliance Officers Designee
In accordance with regulatory requirements, each access persons personal trades (including preclearance requests and post-trade monitoring) and associated reports may be reviewed by Erika Donalds and/or such other persons authorized by the CCO as the access persons designated reviewer.
The CCO has identified the following individuals as her designees:
| Dolores Casaletto | ||
| Bruce Geller | ||
| Jeffrey Baker |
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Access Persons
For purposes of complying with DGHMs Code of Ethics, generally all supervised persons of the Firm are regarded as access persons and are therefore subject to all applicable personal securities trading procedures and reporting obligations as set forth in this Code.
Please note that most compliance requirements as they relate to personal securities trading activities by access persons are expected to be completed through DGHMs interface with the Personal Securities Trading Module (PSTM), an automated pre-approval, monitoring and reporting system used by the Firm to oversee personal trading. All access persons have access to the PSTM.
Specific policies governing many personal trading-related practices are set forth in the Code, including (i) Holdings Report and Transaction Report Attestations; (ii) Custodial Account Reporting; (iii) Preclearance of Personal Trades; (iv) Participation in IPOs; (v) Short-Term Trading Profits; (vi) Personal Securities Trading Limitations; (vii) Margin Transactions; and (viii) Limit Orders, among others.
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Prohibition Against Insider Trading
Introduction
Trading securities while in possession of material, nonpublic information, or improperly communicating that information to others may expose supervised persons and DGHM to stringent penalties. Criminal sanctions may include the imposition of a monetary fine and/or imprisonment. The SEC can recover the profits gained or losses avoided through the illegal trading, impose a penalty of up to three times the illicit windfall, and/or issue an order censuring, suspending or permanently barring you from the securities industry. Finally, supervised persons and DGHM may be sued by investors seeking to recover damages for insider trading violations.
The rules contained in this Code apply to securities trading and information handling by supervised persons of DGHM and their immediate family members.
The law of insider trading is unsettled and continuously developing. An individual legitimately may be uncertain about the application of the rules contained in this Code in a particular circumstance. Often, a single question can avoid disciplinary action or complex legal problems. You must notify Erika Donalds immediately if you have any reason to believe that a violation of this Code has occurred or is about to occur.
General Policy
No supervised person may trade, either personally or on behalf of others (such as investment funds and private accounts managed by DGHM), while in the possession of material, nonpublic information, nor may any personnel of DGHM communicate material, nonpublic information to others in violation of the law.
1. What is Material Information?
Information is material where there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making his or her investment decisions. Generally, this includes any information the disclosure of which will have a substantial effect on the price of a companys securities. No simple test exists to determine when information is material; assessments of materiality involve a highly fact-specific inquiry. For this reason, you should direct any questions about whether information is material to Erika Donalds. | |
Material information often relates to a companys results and operations, including, for example, dividend changes, earnings results, changes in previously released earnings estimates, significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements, major litigation, liquidation problems, and extraordinary management developments. | |
Material information also may relate to the market for a companys securities. Information about a significant order to purchase or sell securities may, in some contexts, be material. Prepublication information regarding reports in the financial press also may be material. For example, the United States Supreme Court upheld the criminal convictions of insider trading defendants who capitalized on prepublication information about The Wall Street Journals Heard on the Street column. |
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You should also be aware of the SECs position that the term material nonpublic information relates not only to issuers but also to DGHMs securities recommendations and client securities holdings and transactions. |
2. What is Nonpublic Information?
Information is public when it has been disseminated broadly to investors in the marketplace. For example, information is public after it has become available to the general public through the Internet, a public filing with the SEC or some other government agency, the Dow Jones tape or The Wall Street Journal or some other publication of general circulation, and after sufficient time has passed so that the information has been disseminated widely. |
3. Identifying Inside Information
Before executing any trade for yourself or others, including investment funds or private accounts managed by DGHM (client accounts), you must determine whether you have access to material, nonpublic information. If you think that you might have access to material, nonpublic information, you should take the following steps: | |||
| Report the information and proposed trade immediately to Erika Donalds. | ||
| Do not purchase or sell the securities on behalf of yourself or others, including investment funds or private accounts managed by the Firm. | ||
| Do not communicate the information inside or outside the Firm, other than to Erika Donalds. | ||
| After Erika Donalds has reviewed the issue, the Firm shall determine whether the information is material and nonpublic and, if so, what action the Firm will take. | ||
You should consult with Erika Donalds before taking any action. This high degree of caution will protect you, our clients, and the Firm. |
4. Contacts with Public Companies
Contacts with public companies may represent an important part of our research efforts. The Firm may make investment decisions on the basis of conclusions formed through such contacts and analysis of publicly available information. Difficult legal issues arise, however, when, in the course of these contacts, a supervised person of DGHM or other person subject to this Code becomes aware of material, nonpublic information. This could happen, for example, if a companys Chief Financial Officer prematurely discloses quarterly results to an analyst, or an investor relations representative makes selective disclosure of adverse news to a handful of investors. In such situations, DGHM must make a judgment as to its further conduct. To protect yourself, our clients and the Firm, you should contact Erika Donalds immediately if you believe that you may have received material, nonpublic information. |
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5. Tender Offers
Tender offers represent a particular concern in the law of insider trading for two reasons: First, tender offer activity often produces extraordinary gyrations in the price of the target companys securities. Trading during this time period is more likely to attract regulatory attention (and produces a disproportionate percentage of insider trading cases). Second, the SEC has adopted a rule which expressly forbids trading and tipping while in the possession of material, nonpublic information regarding a tender offer received from the tender offeror, the target company or anyone acting on behalf of either. Supervised persons of DGHM and others subject to this Code should exercise extreme caution any time they become aware of nonpublic information relating to a tender offer. |
6. Restricted/Watch Lists
Although DGHM does not typically receive confidential information from portfolio companies, it may, if it receives such information take appropriate procedures to establish restricted or watch lists in certain securities. | |
Erika Donalds may place certain securities on a restricted list. Securities issued by companies about which a number of supervised persons are expected to regularly have material, nonpublic information should generally be placed on the restricted list. | |
Erika Donalds may place certain securities on a watch list. Securities issued by companies about which a limited number of supervised persons possess material, nonpublic information should generally be placed on the watch list. | |
Supervised persons are prohibited from personally, or on behalf of an advisory account, purchasing or selling such securities during any period they are listed on a restricted list or a watch list. |
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Service as an Officer or Director
No supervised person shall serve as an officer or on the board of directors of any publicly or privately traded company without prior authorization by Erika Donalds or a designated supervisory person based upon a determination that any such board service or officer position would be consistent with the interest of DGHMs clients. Where board service or an officer position is approved, DGHM shall implement a Chinese Wall or other appropriate procedure to isolate such person from making decisions relating to the companys securities.
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Personal Securities Trading Limitations
General Policy
DGHM has adopted the following principles governing personal investment activities by DGHMs supervised persons:
| the interests of client accounts shall at all times be placed first; | ||
| all personal securities transactions shall be conducted in such manner as to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of an individuals position of trust and responsibility; and | ||
| supervised persons must not take inappropriate advantage of their positions. |
As previously stated, DGHMs fiduciary duty to clients and the obligation of all Firm employees to uphold that fundamental duty, includes first and foremost the duty at all times to place the interests of clients first. As such, DGHM expects all employees to work diligently in meeting client expectations and fulfilling their job responsibilities.
The Code of Ethics rule mandates pre-approval of the following types of investments:
Although DGHMs policy does not impose strict limitations as to the number of transactions an access person is permitted to execute during a defined timeframe, the scope and volume of personal trading by access persons shall be periodically assessed. The Firm also recognizes that excessive trading may impede the ability of an individual to fulfill his or her primary obligation to our clients. In such circumstances DGHM retains the discretionary authority to impose limitations on the personal trading activities of the access person. Furthermore and as part of DGHMs oversight and monitoring of personal trading by access persons, the Firm may impose heightened supervision and or trading restrictions on an access person if it believes that such actions are warranted.
Any questions concerning this policy should be directed to Erika Donalds or the access persons designated reviewer.
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Personal Trading Compliance Procedures
1. Initial Holdings Report
Every supervised person shall, no later than ten (10) days after the person becomes a supervised person, file an initial holdings report containing the following information:
| the title and type of security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, the number of shares and principal amount of each reportable security in which the supervised person had any direct or indirect beneficial interest ownership when the individual becomes a supervised person; | ||
| the account name and the name of any broker, dealer or bank, with whom the supervised person maintained an account in which any securities were held for the direct or indirect benefit of the supervised person; and | ||
| the date that the report is submitted by the supervised person. |
The information submitted must be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days before the person became a supervised person.
2. Annual Holdings Report
Every supervised person shall, by Jan 31, 2016, file an annual holdings report containing the same information required in the initial holdings report as described above. The information submitted must be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days before the annual report is submitted.
3. Quarterly Transaction Reports
Every supervised person must, no later than ten (10) days after the end of each calendar quarter, file a quarterly transaction report containing the following information:
With respect to any transaction during the quarter in a reportable security in which the supervised persons had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership:
| the date of the transaction, the title, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, the interest rate and maturity date, the number of shares and the principal amount of each reportable security; | ||
| the nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or disposition); | ||
| the price of the reportable security at which the transaction was effected; | ||
| the name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through whom the transaction was effected; and | ||
| the date the report is submitted by the supervised person. |
If, however, the access person has arranged for Erika Donalds or other designee to receive brokerage statement information through NRS ComplianceGuardian for all covered accounts, then the access person is only required to file a quarterly attestation.
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4. Exempt Transactions
A supervised person need not submit a report with respect to:
| transactions effected for, securities held in, any account over which the person has no direct or indirect influence or control (the access person may be required to submit a Personal Securities Reporting Exemption form or letter for each such account); | ||
| transactions effected pursuant to an automatic investment plan, e.g., a dividend retirement plan; and | ||
| a quarterly transaction report if the report would duplicate information contained in securities transaction confirmations or brokerage account statements that DGHM holds in its records so long as the Firm receives the confirmations or statements no later than 30 days after the end of the applicable calendar quarter. |
5. Monitoring and Review of Personal Securities Transactions
Erika Donalds, or such other individual(s) designated in this Code of Ethics, shall monitor and review all reports required under the Code for compliance with DGHMs policies regarding personal securities transactions and applicable SEC rules and regulations. Erika Donalds may also initiate inquiries of supervised persons regarding personal securities trading. Supervised persons are required to cooperate with such inquiries and any monitoring or review procedures employed by DGHM. Any transactions for any accounts of Erika Donalds shall be reviewed and approved by the Chief Compliance Officers designee. Erika Donalds shall at least annually identify all supervised persons who are required to file reports pursuant to the Code and shall inform such supervised persons of their reporting obligations.
6. Education
As appropriate, DGHM will provide employees with periodic training regarding the Firms Code of Ethics and related issues to remind employees of their obligations, and/or in response to amendments and regulatory changes.
7. General Sanction Guidelines
It should be emphasized that all required filings and reports under the Firms Code of Ethics shall be monitored by the CCO or such other individual(s) designated in the Code. The CCO shall receive and review report(s) of violations periodically. Violators may be subject to an initial written notification, while a repeat violator shall receive reprimands including administrative warnings, heightened supervision, suspension or limitations of personal trading privileges, demotions, suspensions, a monetary fine, or dismissal of the person involved.
These are guidelines only, allowing DGHM to apply any appropriate sanction depending upon the circumstances, up to and including dismissal.
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Custodial Account Reporting
All access persons are required to notify the Compliance Department prior to or at the time of establishing a new custodial account or the closing of an existing custodial account, providing the following details:
1. | Account Name | ||
2. | Name of Broker, Dealer or Bank | ||
3. | Date Established (or) | ||
4. | Date Closed |
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Preclearance
DGHM has instituted a policy whereby supervised persons are prohibited from purchasing any reportable securities for a covered account unless preclearance for each such transaction is granted by the CCO or other designee. Any questions whatsoever regarding this policy should be directed to either the CCO or other designee. A supervised person is permitted, without obtaining preclearance, to purchase or sell any exempt (non-reportable) security.
A supervised person may, directly or indirectly, dispose of beneficial ownership of such reportable securities only if such purchase or sale has been approved by the CCO or her designee and the approved transaction is completed within the Firms permissible trade window of 1 day. If, however, the trade is not executed within the trade window, the approval lapses and the request for the proposed transaction must be resubmitted.
Clearance for such transactions must be obtained by completing and signing the Preclearance Form provided for that purpose by Erika Donalds through NRS ComplianceGuardian. Erika Donalds or other designee monitors all transactions by all supervised persons in order to ascertain any pattern of conduct which may evidence conflicts or potential conflicts with the principles and objectives of this Code, including a pattern of front-running.
Advance trade clearance in no way waives or absolves any supervised person of the obligation to abide by the provisions, principles and objectives of this Code.
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Blackout Periods
Supervised persons are required to adhere to DGHMs policy concerning restricted trading periods that may be in place from time to time. This policy may prohibit supervised persons from engaging in transactions in securities on DGHMs blackout list until the stated blackout period has elapsed.
The blackout period is seven (7) calendar days before and two (2) calendar days after any client trades in the security. For exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the blackout period is two (2) calendar days before and two (2) calendar days after.
No supervised person shall purchase or sell, directly or indirectly, any security in which he or she has, or by reason of such transaction acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial interest within the blackout period unless all of the transactions contemplated by the client in that security have been completed prior to such transaction. If a securities transaction is executed by a client within the blackout period after an access person executed a transaction in the same security, Erika Donalds or other designee shall review the supervised persons and the clients transactions to determine whether the supervised person did not meet his or her fiduciary duties to the client in violation of this Code.
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Participation in Unaffiliated Private Placements or Limited Offerings
No supervised person shall acquire beneficial ownership of any securities in an unaffiliated limited offering or private placement without the prior written approval of Erika Donalds and/or his or her designee who has been provided with full details of the proposed transaction (including written certification that the investment opportunity did not arise by virtue of the supervised persons activities on behalf of a client) and, if approved, shall be subject to continuous monitoring for possible future conflicts.
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Participation in IPOs
As previously set forth in the Firms Code, employees owe a fiduciary duty to our clients to conduct their affairs, including their personal securities transactions in such a manner as to avoid (i) serving their own personal interests ahead of clients, (ii) taking inappropriate advantage of their position with the Firm and (iii) any actual or potential conflicts of interest.
Initial public offerings (IPOs) of equity securities are frequently of limited size and availability. As such, these securities are often highly sought after and often trade at a premium on the secondary market.
Consistent with DGHMs overarching commitment to our clients and to prevent any potential misappropriation of an investment opportunity, no access person may purchase securities issued in an IPO.
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Pre-Approval Process for Affiliated Private Fund Investments
DGHM currently manages one or more private funds. Because DGHM encourages employees to personally invest in the same portfolios and securities that are held by our clients, access persons of the Firm are permitted to invest in such limited offerings.
An access person is required to complete the requisite subscription documents prior to any initial investment in the private fund. Acceptance and approval of the access persons subscription documents shall constitute the Firms requisite preclearance requirements.
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Rumor Mongering
Spreading false rumors to manipulate the market is illegal under U.S securities laws. Moreover, this type of activity is considered by regulators to be a highly detrimental form of market abuse damaging both investor confidence and companies constituting important components of the financial system. This form of market abuse is vigorously investigated and prosecuted. Although there may be legitimate reasons to discuss rumors under certain circumstances; for example, to attempt to explain observable fluctuations in the market or a particular issuers share price, the dissemination of false information in the market in order to capitalize on the effect of such dissemination for personal or client accounts is unethical and shall not be tolerated. Firms are required to take special care to ensure that personnel neither generate rumors nor pass on rumors to clients or other market participants in an irresponsible manner.
Even where a rumor turns out to be true, among other things, trading on unsubstantiated information also creates a risk that the Firm may trade on inside information which was leaked in violation of the law.
General Policy
It is DGHMs policy that unverified information be communicated responsibly, if at all, and in a manner which will not distort the market. No supervised person of DGHM shall originate a false or misleading rumor in any way, or pass-on an unsubstantiated rumor about a security or its issuer for the purpose of influencing the market price of the security.
Communications issued from DGHM should be professional at all times, avoiding sensational or exaggerated language. Factual statements which could reasonably be expected to impact the market should be carefully verified, if possible, before being issued in accordance with the procedures set forth below. Verification efforts should be documented in writing and maintained in the Firms records.
These guidelines apply equally to written communications, including those issued via Bloomberg, instant messaging, email, chat rooms or included in published research notes, articles or newsletters, as well as to verbal communications. Statements which can reasonably be expected to impact the market include those purporting to contain factual, material or non-public information or information of a price-sensitive nature. The facts and circumstances surrounding the statement will dictate the likelihood of market impact.
For example, times of nervous or volatile markets increase both the opportunity for and the impact of rumors. If a supervised person is uncertain of the likely market impact of the dissemination of particular information, he/she should consult the Chief Compliance Officer or a member of senior management.
What Is a Rumor? In the context of this policy, rumor means either a false or misleading statement which has been deliberately fabricated or a statement or other information purporting to be factual but which is unsubstantiated. A statement is not a rumor if it is clearly an expression of opinion, such as an analysts view of a companys prospects. Rumors often originate from but are not limited to the Internet.
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When Is a Rumor Unsubstantiated? In the context of this policy, a rumor is unsubstantiated when it is:
| not published by widely circulated public media, or | ||
| the source is not identified in writing, and | ||
| there has been no action or statement by a regulator, court or legal authority lending credence to the rumor, or | ||
| there has been no acknowledgement or comment on the rumor from an official spokesperson or senior management of the issuer. |
When May a Rumor Be Communicated? Rumors may be discussed legitimately within the confines of the Firm, for example, within an Investment Committee Meeting, when appropriate, for example, to explain or speculate regarding observable market behavior.
A rumor may also be communicated externally, that is, with clients or other market participants such as a broker or other counterparty, only:
| as set forth in these procedures, | ||
| when a legitimate business purpose exists for discussing the rumor. |
Legitimate Business Purposes for Communicating a Rumor Externally : Legitimate business purposes for discussing rumors outside of the confines of the Firm include:
| when a client is seeking an explanation for erratic share price movement or trading conditions of a security which could be explained by the rumor, or | ||
| discussions among market participants seeking to explain market or trading conditions or ones views regarding the validity of a rumor. |
Form in Which Rumor Can Be Communicated Externally : Where a legitimate business purpose exists for discussing a rumor externally, care should be taken to ensure that the rumor is communicated in a manner that:
| provides the origin of the information (where possible); | ||
| gives it no additional credibility or embellishment; | ||
| makes clear that the information is a rumor; and | ||
| makes clear that the information has not been verified. |
Trading: Where a decision to place a trade in a client account is based principally on a rumor, the portfolio manager or trader must obtain the prior approval of a member of senior management.
Reporting and Monitoring: In order to ensure compliance with this policy, DGHM may seek to uncover the creation and/or dissemination of false or misleading rumors by supervised persons for the purpose of influencing the market price of the security through targeted monitoring of communications and/or trading activities. For example, the Chief Compliance Officer may proactively select and review random emails or conduct targeted word searches of emails, or Bloomberg/instant messages. She may also flag trading pattern anomalies or unusual price fluctuations and retrospectively review emails, phone calls, Bloomberg/instant messages, etc., where highly unusual and apparently fortuitous profit or loss avoidance is uncovered.
A supervised person is required to report to the Chief Compliance Officer or a member of senior management when he or she has just cause to suspect that another supervised person of DGHM has deliberately fabricated and disseminated a false or misleading rumor or otherwise communicated an unsubstantiated rumor about a security or its issuer for the purpose of influencing the market price of the security.
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Gifts and Entertainment
Giving, receiving or soliciting gifts or entertainment in a business setting may create an appearance of impropriety or may raise a potential conflict of interest. DGHM has adopted the policies set forth below to guide supervised persons in this area.
General Policy
DGHMs policy with respect to gifts and entertainment is as follows:
| giving, receiving or soliciting gifts in a business may give rise to an appearance of impropriety or may raise a potential conflict of interest; | ||
| no supervised person may give or accept cash gifts or cash equivalents to or from a client, prospective client, or any entity that does, or seeks to do, business with or on behalf of DGHM; | ||
| supervised persons should not accept or provide any gifts, entertainment or favors that might influence the decisions you or the recipient must make in business transactions involving DGHM, or that others might reasonably believe would influence those decisions; | ||
| modest gifts, entertainment and favors, which would not be regarded by others as improper, may be accepted or given on an occasional basis. Entertainment that satisfies these requirements and conforms to generally accepted business practices also is permissible; and | ||
| where there is a law or rule that applies to the conduct of a particular business or the acceptance of gifts or entertainment of even nominal value, the law or rule must be followed. |
Reporting Requirements
| Any supervised person who accepts, directly or indirectly, anything of value from any person or entity that does business with or on behalf of DGHM, including gifts, entertainment or gratuities with a value in excess of 250 US Dollars per year* must obtain consent from Erika Donalds or alternate designee before accepting such gift or entertainment. | ||
| DGHMs policy prohibits a supervised person seeking to provide or offer any gift to existing clients, prospective clients, or any person or entity that does business with or on behalf of DGHM without obtaining pre-approval from Erika Donalds or alternate designee. | ||
| These pre-approval and reporting requirements do not apply to bona fide dining or bona fide entertainment if, during such dining or entertainment, you are accompanied by the person or representative of the entity that does business with DGHM. | ||
| The gift reporting requirements are for the purpose of helping DGHM monitor the activities of its employees. However, the reporting of a gift does not relieve any supervised person from the obligations and policies set forth in this Section or anywhere else in this Code. If you have any questions or concerns about the appropriateness of any gift or entertainment, please consult Erika Donalds. |
*According to the DOLs Enforcement Manual, gifts and entertainment from one individual or entity that have an aggregate annual value of less than $250 ( and that do not violate any plan policy or provision ) are considered insubstantial and are generally not treated as violations of Section 406(b)(3). Advisers are required to report gifts to certain Taft-Hartley plan trustees to the DOL (e.g., payments of $250 or more per year per person must be reported on Form LM-10).
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Political Contributions
In July 2010, the SEC adopted the Pay-to-Play Rule which imposes restrictions on political contributions made by investment advisers that seek to manage assets of state and local governments. The rule is intended to prevent undue influence through political contributions and places limits on the amounts of campaign contributions that the investment adviser and/or certain of its employees (covered associates) can give to state and local officials or candidates that have the ability to award advisory contracts to the Firm.
The following summarizes DGHMs Political Contributions policies which are contained in their entirety in the Firms Policies and Procedures Manual. Accordingly, the following terms apply to these policies:
Contribution is defined as any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money, or anything of value made for (i) the purpose of influencing any election for federal, state, or local office; (ii) the payment of debt incurred in connection with any such election; or (iii) transition or inaugural expenses incurred by a successful candidate for state or local office.
Covered associate means (i) any general partner, managing member, executive officer of the Firm, or other individual with a similar status or function; (ii) any employee who solicits a government entity for the adviser and any person who supervises, directly or indirectly, such employee; and (iii) any political action committee (PAC) controlled by the adviser or by any of its covered associates.
The rule contains three major prohibitions: (1) if the adviser or a covered associate makes a contribution to an official of a government entity who is in a position to influence the award of the government entitys business, the adviser is prohibited from receiving compensation for providing advisory services to that government entity for two years thereafter (otherwise known as a timeout period); (2) an adviser and its covered associates are prohibited from engaging in a broad range of fundraising activities for Government Officials or political parties in the localities where the adviser is providing to or seeking business from a Government Client; and (3) limits the ability of an adviser and its covered associates to compensate a third party (such as a placement agent) to solicit advisory business or an investment from a government entity client unless the third party is a registered broker-dealer, registered municipal adviser or registered investment adviser.
Importantly, the Rule specifically includes a blanket prohibition that restricts the adviser and its covered associates from doing anything indirectly which, if done directly would violate the Rule. This reflects the SECs concern about indirect payments and puts advisers on notice about the heightened regulatory focus that such practices will receive.
The Rule includes a de minimis exception applicable to the two-year timeout, that allows an advisers covered associate that is a natural person to contribute: (i) up to $350 to a candidate or an official per election (with primary and general elections counting separately) if the covered associate was entitled to vote for the candidate or official at the time of the contribution; and (ii) up to $150 to a candidate or an official per election (with primary and general elections counting separately) if the covered associate was not entitled to vote for the candidate or official at the time of the contribution.
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General Policy
It is DGHMs policy to permit the Firm, and its covered associates, to make political contributions to elected officials, candidates and others, consistent with this policy and regulatory requirements.
DGHM recognizes that it is never appropriate to make or solicit political contributions, or provide gifts or entertainment for the purpose of improperly influencing the actions of public officials. Accordingly, the Firms policy is to restrict certain political contributions made to government officials and candidates of state and state political subdivisions who can influence or have the authority for hiring an investment adviser. Furthermore, DGHMs supervised persons are prohibited from soliciting political contributions from vendors or service providers.
Political Contributions to Candidates and Organizations Recommended by Clients . Making a political contribution to a candidate recommended by a client, particularly if the candidate can be influential in seeing that DGHM obtains or maintains its business with the client, can create a potential conflict of interest and may violate Pay-to-Play principles. DGHM will not make any political contribution to candidates or organizations recommended by clients. Organizing individual employee contributions for purposes of contributing to a candidate recommended by a client is also prohibited.
Because violations of the Rule can potentially result in substantial legal and monetary sanctions for the Firm and/or its related persons, DGHMs practice is to restrict and monitor any political contributions to government officials over the de minimis amounts.
| Erika Donalds, or other designee, shall determine who is deemed to be a "covered associate" of the Firm, each such person shall be promptly informed of his or her status as a covered associate; | ||
| Erika Donalds, or other designee, shall obtain appropriate information from new employees (or employees promoted or otherwise transferred into positions) deemed to be covered associates, regarding any political contributions made within the preceding two years (from the date s/he becomes a covered associate); such review may include an online search of the individuals contribution history as part of the Firms general background check; and | ||
| at least annually, Erika Donalds, or other designee, will require covered associates to confirm that such person(s) have reported any and all political contributions. |
Reporting of Political Contributions by Covered Associates
No covered associate shall make a political contribution exceeding the de minimis exception without filing a Political Contribution Report.
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Covered Associates
For purposes of complying with DGHMs Political Contributions policies and procedures, generally all supervised persons of the Firm are regarded as covered associates (as that term is defined in the preceding section) and are therefore subject to all applicable procedures and reporting obligations as set forth in this Code.
In addition, and solely for the purpose of complying with DGHMs Political Contributions reporting and preclearance requirements, a covered associates spouse is also considered to be a covered associate of the Firm.
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Fair Dealing
It is DGHMs policy to compete aggressively in each business in which it is engaged, but to compete ethically, fairly, and honestly. DGHM seeks to succeed through superior performance, service, diligence, effort, and knowledge, not through unfair advantage. To this end, DGHM is committed to dealing fairly with its clients, customers, vendors, competitors, and employees. No supervised person may take unfair advantage of any other person or business through any unfair business practice, including through improper coercion, manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, or misrepresentation of material fact.
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Protecting the Confidentiality of Client Information
Confidential Client Information
In the course of investment advisory activities of DGHM, the Firm gains access to nonpublic information about its clients. Such information may include a persons status as a client, personal financial and account information, the allocation of assets in a client portfolio, the composition of investments in any client portfolio, information relating to services performed for or transactions entered into on behalf of clients, advice provided by DGHM to clients, and data or analyses derived from such non-public personal information (collectively referred to as Confidential Client Information). All Confidential Client Information, whether relating to DGHMs current or former clients, is subject to the Codes policies and procedures. Any doubts about the confidentiality of information must be resolved in favor of confidentiality.
Non-Disclosure Of Confidential Client Information
All information regarding DGHMs clients is confidential. Information may only be disclosed when the disclosure is consistent with the Firms policy and the clients direction. DGHM does not share Confidential Client Information with any third parties, except in the following circumstances:
| as necessary to provide service(s) that the client requested or authorized, or to maintain and service the clients account. DGHM shall require that any financial intermediary, agent or other service provider utilized by DGHM (such as broker-dealers or sub-advisers) comply with substantially similar standards for non-disclosure and protection of Confidential Client Information and use the information provided by DGHM only for the performance of the specific service requested by DGHM; | ||
| as required by regulatory authorities or law enforcement officials who have jurisdiction over DGHM, or as otherwise required by any applicable law. In the event DGHM is compelled to disclose Confidential Client Information, the Firm shall provide prompt notice to the clients affected, so that the clients may seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy. If no protective order or other appropriate remedy is obtained, DGHM shall disclose only such information, and only in such detail, as is legally required; and | ||
| to the extent reasonably necessary to prevent fraud, unauthorized transactions or liability. |
Employee Responsibilities
All supervised persons are prohibited, either during or after the termination of their employment with DGHM, from disclosing Confidential Client Information to any person or entity outside the Firm, including family members, except under the circumstances described above. A supervised person is permitted to disclose Confidential Client Information only to such other supervised persons who need to have access to such information to deliver the DGHMs services to the client.
Supervised persons are also prohibited from making unauthorized copies of any documents or files containing Confidential Client Information and, upon termination of their employment with DGHM, must return all such documents to DGHM.
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Any supervised person who violates the non-disclosure policy described above shall be subject to disciplinary action, including possible termination, whether or not he or she benefited from the disclosed information.
Security Of Confidential Personal Information
DGHM enforces the following policies and procedures to protect the security of Confidential Client Information:
| the Firm restricts access to Confidential Client Information to those supervised persons who need to know such information to provide DGHMs services to clients; | ||
| any supervised person who is authorized to have access to Confidential Client Information in connection with the performance of such persons duties and responsibilities is required to keep such information secure from unauthorized access; | ||
| all electronic or computer files containing any Confidential Client Information shall be password secured and firewall protected from access by unauthorized persons; and | ||
| any conversations involving Confidential Client Information, if appropriate at all, must be conducted by supervised persons in private, and care must be taken to avoid any unauthorized persons overhearing or intercepting such conversations. |
Privacy Policy
As a registered investment adviser, DGHM and all supervised persons, must comply with SEC Regulation S-P, which requires investment advisers to adopt policies and procedures to protect the nonpublic personal information of natural person clients. Nonpublic information, under Regulation S-P, includes personally identifiable financial information and any list, description, or grouping that is derived from personally identifiable financial information. Personally identifiable financial information is defined to include information supplied by individual clients, information resulting from transactions, any information obtained in providing products or services. Pursuant to Regulation S-P DGHM has adopted policies and procedures to safeguard the information of natural person clients.
Furthermore and pursuant to the SECs adoption of Regulation S-ID: Identity Theft Red Flag Rules, all financial institutions and creditors (as those terms are defined under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)) must develop and implement a written identity theft prevention program designed to detect, prevent, and mitigate identity theft in connection with certain existing accounts or the opening of new accounts (covered accounts). DGHM has conducted an initial assessment of its obligations under Regulation S-ID and to the extent such rules are applicable, has incorporated appropriate policies and procedures in compliance with the Red Flags regulations.
Enforcement and Review of Confidentiality and Privacy Policies
Erika Donalds is responsible for reviewing, maintaining and enforcing DGHMs confidentiality and privacy policies and is also responsible for conducting appropriate employee training to ensure adherence to these policies. Any exception to this policy requires the written approval of Erika Donalds.
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Social Media
Social media and/or methods of publishing opinions or commentary electronically are dynamic methods of mass communication. Social media is an umbrella term that encompasses various activities that integrate technology, social interaction and content creation. Social media may use many technologies, including, but not limited to, blogs, microblogs, wikis, photos and video sharing, podcasts, social networking, and virtual worlds. The terms social media, social media sites, sites, and social networking sites are used interchangeably herein.
The proliferation of such electronic means of communication presents new and ever changing regulatory risks for our Firm. As a registered investment adviser, use of social media by our Firm and/or related persons of the Firm must comply with applicable provisions of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to the anti-fraud, compliance and record keeping provisions.
For example, business or client related comments or posts made through social media may breach applicable privacy laws or be considered advertising under applicable regulations triggering content restrictions and special disclosure and recordkeeping requirements. Employees should be aware that the use of social media for personal purposes may also have implications for our Firm, particularly where the employee is identified as an officer, employee or representative of the Firm. Accordingly, DGHM seeks to adopt reasonable policies and procedures to safeguard the Firm and our clients.
General Policy
Approved Participation. Employees are required to obtain approval prior to establishing a social networking account and/or participating on a pre-existing social media site for business purposes.
Employee Usage Guidelines, Content Standards and Monitoring
| Unless otherwise prohibited by federal or state laws, DGHM will request or require employees provide Erika Donalds or other designated person with access to such approved social networking accounts. | ||||
| We maintain a database containing approved communications that may be used on social networking sites. | ||||
| Static content posted on social networking sites must be preapproved by Erika Donalds or other designee. | ||||
| Employees are prohibited from: | ||||
o | posting any misleading statements; any information about our Firms clients, investment recommendations (including past specific recommendations), investment strategies, products and/or services offered by our Firm; or trading activities; | ||||
o | soliciting comments or postings regarding DGHM that could be construed as testimonials; | ||||
o | soliciting client recommendations on LinkedIn; employees are prohibited from publicly posting a clients recommendation to their LinkedIn profile; and | ||||
o | employees cannot link from a personal blog or social networking site to DGHMs internal or external website. |
Use of Personal Sites
DGHM prohibits employees from creating or maintaining any individual blogs or network pages on behalf of the Firm.
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Fraternization
Fraternization occurs when two employees are involved in an intimate or dating relationship.
DGHM respects the privacy of its employees. However, as a result of the public profile of the Firm and the concern that fraternization among employees could result in allegations of sexual harassment, it is DGHMs policy to discourage fraternization between employees and their supervisors and co-workers.
DGHM further believes that, due to its small number of employees, fraternization could lead to allegations of favoritism, adversely affect the morale and professionalism of the work environment, and otherwise disrupt the workplace.
Employees who become involved in an intimate relationship must notify the Management Committee, and one of the employees must then tender a written resignation. The employees involved in the relationship should determine who will tender his or her resignation. The Management Committee may then, at its discretion, determine whether or not to accept the resignation. Failure to report such a relationship to the Management Committee is grounds for termination for cause.
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Whistleblower Policy
As articulated in this Codes Statement of General Policy and Standards of Business Conduct, central to our Firms compliance culture is an ingrained commitment to fiduciary principles. The policies and procedures set forth here and in our Policies and Procedures Manual, and their consistent implementation by all supervised persons of DGHM evidence the Firms unwavering intent to place the interests of clients ahead of self-interest for DGHM, our management and staff.
Every employee has a responsibility for knowing and following the Firms policies and procedures. Every person in a supervisory role is also responsible for those individuals under his/her supervision. The Firms principal or a similarly designated officer, has overall supervisory responsibility.
Recognizing our shared commitment to our clients, all employees are required to conduct themselves with the utmost loyalty and integrity in their dealings with our clients, customers, stakeholders and one another. Improper conduct on the part of any employee puts the Firm and company personnel at risk. Therefore, while managers and senior management ultimately have supervisory responsibility and authority, these individuals cannot stop or remedy misconduct unless they know about it. Accordingly, all employees are not only expected to, but are required to report their concerns about potentially illegal conduct as well as violations of our companys policies.
Reporting Potential Misconduct
To ensure consistent implementation of such practices, it is imperative that supervised persons have the opportunity to report any concerns or suspicions of improper activity at the Firm (whether by a supervised person or other party) confidentially and without retaliation.
DGHMs Whistleblower Policy covers the treatment of all concerns relating to suspected illegal activity or potential misconduct.
Supervised persons may report potential misconduct by submitting a Report a Violation form available on the main web portal of NRS ComplianceGuardian. By default, the report shall be submitted anonymously unless the individual unchecks the box that indicates the sender wishes to remain anonymous. Reports of violations or suspected violations must be reported to Erika Donalds or, provided the CCO also receives such reports, to other designated members of senior management. Supervised persons may report suspected improper activity by the CCO to the Firms other senior management.
Supervised persons also may report securities law violations to the Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the Whistleblower.
Responsibility of the Whistleblower
A person must be acting in good faith in reporting a complaint or concern under this policy and must have reasonable grounds for believing a deliberate misrepresentation has been made regarding accounting or audit matters or a breach of the Firms Policies and Procedures Manual or Code of Ethics. A malicious allegation known to be false is considered a serious offense and shall be subject to disciplinary action that may include termination of employment.
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Handling of Reported Improper Activity
The Firm shall take seriously any report regarding a potential violation of Firm policy or other improper or illegal activity, and recognizes the importance of keeping the identity of the reporting person from being widely known. Supervised persons are to be assured that the Firm will appropriately manage all such reported concerns or suspicions of improper activity in a timely and professional manner, confidentially and without retaliation.
In order to protect the confidentiality of the individual submitting such a report and to enable DGHM to conduct a comprehensive investigation of reported misconduct, supervised persons should understand that those individuals responsible for conducting any investigation are generally precluded from communicating information pertaining to the scope and/or status of such reviews.
No Retaliation Policy
It is the Firms policy that no supervised person who submits a complaint made in good faith will experience retaliation, harassment, or unfavorable or adverse employment consequences. A supervised person who retaliates against a person reporting a complaint will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include termination of employment. A supervised person who believes she or he has been subject to retaliation or reprisal as a result of reporting a concern or making a complaint is to report such action to the CCO or to the Firms other senior management in the event the concern pertains to the CCO.
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Reporting Violations and Sanctions
All supervised persons shall promptly report to Erika Donalds or, provided the CCO also receives such reports, to an alternate designee all apparent or potential violations of the Code. Any retaliation for the reporting of a violation under this Code shall constitute a violation of the Code.
Erika Donalds shall promptly report to the Management Committee and Board of Directors all apparent material violations of the Code. When Erika Donalds finds that a violation otherwise reportable to senior management could not be reasonably found to have resulted in a fraud, deceit, or a manipulative practice in violation of Section 206 of the Advisers Act, she may, in her discretion, submit a written memorandum of such finding and the reasons therefore to a reporting file created for this purpose in lieu of reporting the matter to the Management Committee and Board of Directors.
Senior management shall consider reports made to it hereunder and shall determine whether or not the Code has been violated and what sanctions, if any, should be imposed. Possible sanctions may include reprimands, monetary fine or assessment, or suspension or termination of the employees employment with the Firm.
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Records
Erika Donalds shall maintain and cause to be maintained in a readily accessible place the following records:
| a copy of any Code of Ethics adopted by the Firm pursuant to Advisers Act Rule 204A-1 which is or has been in effect during the past five years; | ||
| a record of any violation of DGHMs Code and any action that was taken as a result of such violation for a period of five years from the end of the fiscal year in which the violation occurred; | ||
| a record of all written acknowledgements of receipt of the Code and amendments thereto for each person who is currently, or within the past five years was, a supervised person which shall be retained for five years after the individual ceases to be a supervised person of DGHM; | ||
| a copy of each report made pursuant to Advisers Act Rule 204A-1, including any brokerage confirmations and account statements made in lieu of these reports; | ||
| a list of all persons who are, or within the preceding five years have been, access persons; and | ||
| a record of any decision and reasons supporting such decision to approve an access persons acquisition of securities or limited offerings within the past five years after the end of the fiscal year in which such approval is granted. |
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Acknowledgement
Initial Acknowledgement
All supervised persons shall be provided with a copy of the Code and must initially acknowledge in writing to Erika Donalds that they have: (i) received a copy of the Code; (ii) read and understand all provisions of the Code; and (iii) agree to abide by the Code.
Additionally, a newly designated access person is required to provide an initial holdings report containing all information as required by the Code, which includes applicable attestations as to the completeness and accuracy of such report.
Acknowledgement of Amendments
All supervised persons shall receive any amendments to the Code and must acknowledge to Erika Donalds in writing that they have: (i) received a copy of the amendment; (ii) read and understood the amendment; (iii) and agreed to abide by the Code as amended.
Annual Acknowledgement
All supervised persons must annually acknowledge in writing to Erika Donalds that they have: (i) read and understood all provisions of the Code and (ii) complied with all applicable requirements of the Code.
Additionally, all access persons must annually provide a holdings report containing all information as required by the Code, which includes applicable attestations as to the completeness and accuracy of such report.
Further Information
Supervised persons should contact Erika Donalds regarding any inquiries pertaining to the Code or the policies established herein.
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Definitions
For the purposes of this Code, the following definitions shall apply:
| 1933 Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. | ||
| 1934 Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. | ||
| Access person means any supervised person of the Firm who: has access to nonpublic information regarding any clients purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any Reportable fund the Firm or its control affiliates manage or has access to such recommendations; or is involved in making securities recommendations to clients that are nonpublic. Due to the manner in which the Firm conducts its business, every employee should assume that he or she is subject to the code unless the Chief Compliance Officer specifies otherwise. | ||
| Account or covered account means accounts of any supervised person of the Firm deemed to be an access person and includes accounts of such access persons immediate family (e.g., a spouse or domestic partner, the spouses or domestic partners children residing in the same household, or to whom the access person, spouse or domestic partner contributes substantial support), and any account in which he or she has a direct or indirect beneficial interest, such as trusts and custodial accounts or other accounts in which the access person has a beneficial interest, exercises investment discretion, controls, or could reasonably be expected to be able to exercise influence or control. | ||
| Advisers Act means the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. | ||
| Advisory persons means employees and certain control persons (and their employees) who make; participate in, or obtain information regarding fund securities transactions or whose functions relate to the making of recommendations with respect to fund transactions. | ||
| Automatic investment plan means a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation. An automatic investment plan includes a dividend reinvestment plan. | ||
| Beneficial interest shall be interpreted in the same manner as it would be under Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in determining whether a person has a beneficial interest in a security for purposes of Section 16 of such Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. | ||
| Beneficial ownership shall be interpreted in the same manner as it would be under Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in determining whether a person is the beneficial owner of a security for purposes of Section 16 of such Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. | ||
| Blackout period represents a time frame during which access persons are prohibited from trading in securities in which client transactions in the same security are being considered or traded. | ||
| Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) refers to DGHMs Chief Compliance Officer, Erika Donalds. | ||
| Confidential Client Information refers to nonpublic information about the Firms clients. Such information may include a persons status as a client, personal financial and account information, the allocation of assets in a client portfolio, the composition of investments in any client portfolio, information relating to services performed for or transactions entered into on behalf of clients, advice provided by DGHM to clients, and data or analyses derived from such non-public personal information. |
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| Contribution means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made for (i) the purpose of influencing any election for federal, state or local office; (ii) payment of debt incurred in connection with any such election; or (iii) transition or inaugural expenses of the successful candidate for state or local office. (See SEC Rule 206(4)-5; Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers.) | ||
Note: A contribution by a limited partner or a limited partnership adviser, a non-managing member of a limited liability company adviser or a shareholder of a corporate adviser is not covered unless such person is also an executive officer or solicitor (or supervisor thereof), or the contribution is an indirect contribution by the adviser, executive officer, solicitor or supervisor. | |||
| Control means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with such company. | ||
| Covered associate means (i) any general partner, managing member or executive officer, or other individual with a similar status or function; (ii) any employee who solicits a government entity for the adviser and person who supervises, directly or indirectly, such employee; and (iii) any political action committee (PAC) controlled by the adviser or by any such persons described in clauses (i) or (ii). (See SEC Rule 206(4)-5; Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers.) | ||
| Covered investment pool means (i) an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (e.g., mutual fund) that is an investment option of a plan or program of a government entity; or (ii) any company that is exempt from registering under the Investment Company Act because it either (a) has less than 100 shareholders (3(c)(1) funds); (b) has only qualified purchasers (3(c)(7) funds); or (c) is a collective investment fund maintained by a bank (3(c)(11) funds). (See SEC Rule 206(4)-5; Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers.) | ||
| Front running can occur when an individual purchases at a lower price or sells at a higher price before (i) execution of a significant securities transaction by some purchaser or seller in a size sufficient to move the market or (ii) issuance or change in an investment advisers securities recommendation to purchase or sell a security while in possession of material nonpublic information. | ||
| Government entity means any state or political subdivision of a state, including (i) any agency, authority, or instrumentality of the state or political subdivision; (ii) any pool of assets sponsored or established by any of the foregoing (including, but not limited to a defined benefit plan and a state general fund); (iii) any participant-directed investment program or plan sponsored or established by any of the foregoing; and (iv) officers, agents, or employees of the state or political subdivision or any agency, authority or instrumentality thereof, acting in their official capacity. (See SEC Rule 206(4)-5; Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers.) | ||
| Initial public offering (IPO) means an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, the issuer of which, immediately before the registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. | ||
| Inside information means non-public information (i.e., information that is not available to investors generally) that there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider to be important in deciding whether to buy, sell or retain a security or would view it as having significantly altered the total mix of information available. | ||
| Insider is broadly defined as it applies to DGHMs Insider Trading policy and procedures. It includes our Firms officers, directors and employees. In addition, a person can be a temporary insider if he or she enters into a special confidential relationship in the conduct of the companys affairs and, as a result, is given access to information solely for DGHMs purposes. A temporary insider can include, among others, DGHMs attorneys, accountants, consultants, and |
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the employees of such organizations. Furthermore, DGHM may become a temporary insider of a client it advises or for which it performs other services. If a client expects DGHM to keep the disclosed non-public information confidential and the relationship implies such a duty, then DGHM will be considered an insider. | |||
| Insider trading is generally understood to refer to the effecting of securities transactions while in possession of material, non-public information (regardless of whether one is an insider) or to the communication of material, non-public information to others. | ||
| Investment person means a supervised person of DGHM who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of securities for client accounts (e.g., portfolio manager) or provides information or advice to portfolio managers, or who help execute and/or implement the portfolio managers decision (e.g., securities analysts, traders, and portfolio assistants); and any natural person who controls DGHM and who obtains information concerning recommendations made regarding the purchase or sale of securities for client accounts. | ||
| Investment-related means activities that pertain to securities, commodities, banking, insurance, or real estate (including, but not limited to, acting as or being associated with an investment adviser, broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer, government securities broker or dealer, issuer, investment company, futures sponsor, bank, or savings association). | ||
| Limited offering means an offering of securities that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Section 4(2) or Section 4(5) or pursuant to Rule 504, 505, or Rule 506 under the Securities Act of 1933. | ||
| Management Committee means the following DGHM professionals: Timothy Dalton, Chairman; Bruce Geller, Chief Executive Officer; Jeffrey Baker, Chief Investment Officer; and Erika Donalds, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. | ||
| Official means any person (including any election committee for the person) who was, at the time of the contribution, an incumbent, candidate or successful candidate for elective office of a government entity, if the office (i) is directly or indirectly responsible for, or can influence the outcome of, the hiring of an investment adviser by a government entity; or (ii) has authority to appoint any person who is directly or indirectly responsible for, or can influence the outcome of, the hiring of an investment adviser by a government entity. (See SEC Rule 206(4)-5; Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers.) | ||
| Plan or program of a government entity means any participant-directed investment program or plan sponsored or established by a state or political subdivision or any agency, authority or instrumentality thereof, including, but not limited to, a qualified tuition plan authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 529), a retirement plan authorized by Section 403(b) or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 403(b) or 457), or any similar program or plan. (See SEC Rule 206(4)-5; Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers.) | ||
| Private fund means an issuer that would be an investment company as defined in Section 3 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 but for Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of that Act. | ||
| Registered fund means an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act. | ||
| Reportable fund means any registered investment company, i.e., mutual fund, for which our Firm, or a control affiliate, acts as investment adviser or sub-adviser, as defined in Section 2(a) (20) of the Investment Company Act, or principal underwriter. | ||
| Reportable security means any security as defined in Section 202(a)(18) of the Advisers Act, except that it does not include: (i) transactions and holdings in direct obligations of the Government of the United States; (ii) bankers acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and other high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase |
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agreements; (iii) shares issued by money market funds; (iv) transactions and holdings in shares of other types of open-end registered mutual funds, unless DGHM or a control affiliate acts as the investment adviser or principal underwriter for the fund; (v) transactions in units of a unit investment trust if the unit investment trust is invested exclusively in mutual funds, unless DGHM or a control affiliate acts as the investment adviser or principal underwriter for the fund; and (vi) 529 Plans, unless DGHM or a control affiliate manages, distributes, markets or underwrites the 529 Plan or the investments (including a fund that is defined as a reportable fund under Rule 204A-1) and strategies underlying the 529 Plan that is a college savings plan. | |||
| Restricted list typically represents a list of issuers about which an adviser has inside information, and results in prohibitions on effecting either client or personal trades in such securities. | ||
| Supervised person means any directors, officers and partners of DGHM (or other persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions); employees of DGHM; and any other person who provides advice on behalf of DGHM and is subject to DGHMs supervision and control. | ||
| Sector Specialist means a supervised person who is principally responsible for investment decisions with respect to any of DGHMs clients. | ||
| Tipping means communication of material nonpublic information to others. | ||
| Watch list typically represents a list of issuers currently being evaluated as potential investment opportunities. Advisers may restrict trading in such securities by one or more of the Firms securities analysts or may more broadly apply the restriction to some or all access persons. |
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Addenda |
Annual Employee Questionnaire without Anti-Corruption |
Initial and Annual Holdings Report |
Pre-Clearance Approval Form |
PST Account Reporting Exemption Request Form |
PST Account Reporting Exemption Verification |
Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Trans |
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